Cal looked as though he scarcely relished the suggestion and Ned came to his rescue.
“It was my fault,” he said. “I ought to have looked after it, especially as Cal was shaking down apples for us, and I’ll go back for it if some of you fellows will go as far as the fence with me.”
“No, I’ll go and get it,” said Cal, rising. “I don’t mind—much.”
“We’ll go together, then,” declared Ned more cheerfully.
So back they went, downstairs and out the dining-room window and across the grass to the broken palings, keeping very quiet, and not especially happy, either of them. But when they emerged from the hedge and stood in the shadows and viewed the scene there was nothing to alarm them and they gained courage. Besides, the moon was over the horizon now and the orchard was palely illumined.
“Ghosts don’t come out when it’s as light as this, I guess,” Ned whispered.
“I cal’late it wasn’t really a ghost,” replied Cal, “but it looked awfully like one, didn’t it?”
“I didn’t get a real good look at it,” answered Ned. “Come on and let’s get it over.” They stole along to the edge of the orchard and then rushed quickly to the protecting darkness of the trees. It was so light now that they could distinguish objects on the ground, but search as they might the missing pillow-case was not to be found.
“I left it right here,” whispered Ned, tapping the trunk of the apple tree with the toe of his sneaker.