It was Jack1 who demanded this of his sister and the other Camp Fire devotees as they filed past Stony2 Point a day or so after the fiasco in the old mill.
“Evidently they’re going to make a day of it,” observed Blake. “They’ve got their lunch,” and he glanced significantly at several baskets the girls carried.
“And their knitting, too,” added Phil.
“Thank you. This isn’t knitting,” responded Natalie, as she waved a string of colored beads3, woven into a broad band. “These are going to be our—is it totem poles, girls?” and she appealed to the others.
“Totem poles!” cried Blake. “Say, you’re not Alaska Indians! Totem poles are those telegraph spiles carved with beasts and birds, and colored like a Chinese rainbow, that you see in the museums! Totem Poles! Oh my!” and he doubled up with mirth.
“Well, it’s something on that order, anyhow,” went on Natalie. “These are our head-bands. Mine is almost finished,” and she showed her pretty conventionalized design of a dark-green pine tree on a turquoise-blue background.
“Are you going to weave some of those to-day?” asked Phil. “That’s the way with girls. They go off in the woods for a day’s outing, and trot5 along a book, or some of that filmy lace stuff, and that’s how they enjoy themselves.”
“Well, it’s just as much fun for us, as it is for you boys to lie around doing nothing, or cutting fish poles or—or—whatever you do,” said Alice, rather at a loss for comparisons.
“But where are you bound for?” persisted Blake.
“Oh, off for a day in the woods,” said Mrs. Bonnell, noncommittally.
“Aren’t we coming?” inquired Phil.
“Not this time, little boy. Run along and finish doing your breakfast dishes,” mocked Marie. “We’re going out riding with some better-looking chaps than you.”
“Meaning those fellows from We-Too camp?” demanded Jack.
“They happen to be going to take us,” said Natalie. “And we’ll be sure of getting there and getting back.”
“Meaning a knock at our faithful old gasoline craft,” put in Blake. “All right, young ladies, if you do get stuck you needn’t signal us for a tow. You can walk home. Come on, fellows, we’re insulted,” and he stalked back into the tent.
“Come on, girls, or we’ll be late,” urged Mabel. “Have we got everything?”
“If we haven’t we can’t carry any more,” declared Natalie. “I wonder if I’ll do any work on my bead4 head-band now that I’ve toted it along with me, and the loom6, too,” and she regarded it rather regretfully.
“Oh, we’ll have lots of time to make bead work,” said Alice. “It won’t take us long to explore the old mill, and then we can pic-nic and do as we please.”
“Then you don’t believe we’ll find anything?” asked Natalie.
“Not a blessed thing, my dear,” answered Alice, “except cobwebs, with big, fat spiders in them——”
“Oh, you horrid7 thing!” cried Mabel. “I’ll not set foot in the old place!” and she hung back.
“We’ll get a broom and brush them all down,” said Mrs. Bonnell. “There are the boys beckoning8 to us. Hurry, my dears!”
They had passed along the lake shore beyond the camp of Jack and his chums, and were now approaching the We-Too aggregation9 of tents, this being the name adopted by the young men who had assisted in the search for Natalie that night. They had been friends with the girls and their brothers since.
“My! you’re equipped for a long stay,” remarked Ford10 Armstrong, one of the campers, as he saw the well-laden girls and their guardian11. “Let me take some of your bundles.”
“And whatever you do, don’t drop that basket!” cautioned Alice. “It’s got eggs in it, and some of them may not be hard-boiled.”
“There are olives in here, so don’t you dare drop this,” added Mabel, surrendering her bundle to Harry12 Watson.
“And you really want to stay around that old mill all day?” questioned Ford, as he helped them into the waiting launch.
“Hush! Not so loud!” cautioned Mrs. Bonnell. “We don’t want our boys to know about it, but we’re going to bait the ghost there you see.”
“And here is some of the bait,” laughed Mabel, pointing to the baskets of food.
“All right, we’ll keep your secret,” promised Wentworth Jones. “What time shall we come back for you?”
“Before dark; or we’ll never speak to you again,” threatened Alice.
“Oh, but I thought, with the moonlight—” began Natalie.
“Natalie Fuller! if you want to stay around that spooky old mill after dark you may!” exclaimed Marie, “but I’m not going to. It’s all right in daylight, but when the shades of night begin falling fast, I want to be in my own little tent. So don’t you boys fail to come before dark.”
The gallant13 escort promised and then, observed by the envious14 eyes of Jack and his chums, the Camp Fire Girls, and their new friends, puffed15 away in the launch across the lake toward the old mill.
They reached it without incident, disembarked and were soon at the ancient structure, their friends carrying up the lunch and other impedimenta.
“And now we shall leave you to your fates,” said Ford Armstrong, with mock heroics.
“And don’t forget about coming after us,” warned Mabel, shaking a finger at him.
Laughingly the boys promised once more, and then departed in their launch, rather wishing the girls had asked them to stay.
“Now we must begin our search!” declared Natalie. “We will work a while and then rest, eat and string beads, and do some more searching. I’m going to find that secret room!”
“Natalie will insist on that,” remarked Mabel. “Oh, what a scary place!” she added, as she looked around the gloomy old mill.
“Hark!” called Marie softly.
“Oh, what is it?” demanded Alice, grasping the arm of Natalie.
“Don’t!” begged the other. “That’s my sore place—where the briars scratched me.”
“Sillies! It isn’t anything but the wind rattling,” said Mrs. Bonnell. “If you’re going to scream at every sound we might as well stop now.”
“Oh, let’s begin!” cried Natalie. “I do so want to beat the boys at their own game. Come on, I’ll lead the way,” and she darted16 toward the stairs.
“Be careful,” warned the guardian, “you don’t want to sprain17 your ankle again.”
“And those stairs aren’t any too safe,” added Marie.
But they managed to get up them in safety, and found themselves in an upper story of the mill. There were remains18 of old machinery19, now rusted20 and broken, and big bins21 for the storage of grain.
The mill was a rambling22 structure, that seemed to have been built on and added to from time to time. It had also served as a home for the families of the various millers23. There were passage-ways leading from room to room, sometimes little flights of steps necessitated24 because the floors were on different levels. But, as far as the girls could see, there was no place for any substantial creature to hide.
“Though of course ghosts could stow themselves away in a rat hole,” observed Mabel.
“Don’t say ghosts and rats up here,” begged Marie.
“Let’s go down stairs and look around,” suggested Natalie. “We’ll make a fire, if we can find anything, and be cosy25 as we sit about it. Then we can eat when we’re ready. Did you bring that box of candy, Mabel?”
“I did—what’s left of it.”
“Oh! nearly five pounds gone since the first of the week!” exclaimed Mrs. Bonnell. “Girls, your indigestions will be ruined!”
“Good!” laughed Alice.
Their search down stairs was no more fruitful. They passed through room after room, where the grinding of various grist had been done years ago. Here was more machinery, all in ruins. They peered out at the moss-covered mill-wheel, broken and shattered, below which was trickling26 a little stream of water.
But of ghosts, real or fancied, there was not a trace. There were even no unusual noises, though Mabel remarked that night was the time for them.
“Well, let’s make a fire,” suggested Natalie. “It’s damp and chilly27 in here. The boys have left us enough wood,” she said, as they all got back to the room where the fireplace was.
They kindled28 a little blaze, and were sitting about it, talking and laughing. Mabel was getting out the box of candy when Natalie, who was sitting nearest the chimney, raised her hand for silence.
They all listened.
“What is it?” whispered Mabel.
“Hush!” cautioned Natalie.
Then they all became aware of a faint, moaning cry. It was like some one sobbing29 at a distance.
The girls, with wide-opened eyes, looked at one another. Natalie softly arose and leaned nearer the opening of the fireplace.
“Come here!” she whispered to her companions.
On tiptoes they stole to her side. They could now hear more plainly the sobbing voice.
“It’s the ghost—crying!” whispered Natalie. “We have found it!”
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收听单词发音
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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2
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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3
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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5
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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6
loom
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| n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近 | |
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7
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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8
beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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9
aggregation
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| n.聚合，组合；凝聚 | |
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10
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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11
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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12
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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13
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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14
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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15
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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16
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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17
sprain
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| n.扭伤,扭筋 | |
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18
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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20
rusted
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| v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
bins
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| n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 )；宽口箱（如面包箱，垃圾箱等）v.扔掉，丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 ) | |
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22
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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23
millers
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| n.（尤指面粉厂的）厂主( miller的名词复数 )；磨房主；碾磨工；铣工 | |
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24
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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26
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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27
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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28
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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29
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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