WANTED AN ADVENTURE

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 8 (Supplement)

WANTED AN ADVENTURE

PART 2. CCPHE exhausted creature sank into X the nearest chair and closed her eyes. She made no attempt to remove her bonnet and cloak, and Jane Clegg let her be. "Jane, still holding the candle aloft, moved forward past the woman in order to reach the pantry where bread and milk were kept. Glancing down at the floor as she skirted the visitor's chair, Jane's candle shook, and she almost gasped. But intuition ■warned her to make no sign. From beneath the woman's draggled skirts peeped a pair of huge nailed boots— the boots of a man. _ '"With scarcely a pause, Jane continued on her way to the pantrv, and there, while pouring out milk and buttering oat-bread, Jane's brain vorked desperately to evolve a plan. Khe felt certain, you see, that this apparently exhausted visitor was a! thief in disguise and after the money hoarded in the chest. She also feared that he would be quite unscrupulous if openly opposed. "In the short time during which she prepared the visitor's refreshment, Jane worked out a daring plan. She returned to the big kitchen with the food, outwardly calm and unsuspicious, but inwardly full of excited fear. "After disposing of the milk and bread, the 'woman* recovered strength ■with amazing speed. Jane entered into conversation with her, and, after a few moments, took up her candle again and requested the visitor to follow her. They came through that door into the sitting room here •—then the parlour, and seldom used •—and Jane, holding up the candle, drew the 'woman's* attention to the fine carving on the lid of the oak chest. A gleam shone in the visitor's eyes, but 'she' merely pretended to admire the beautiful chest. "Stooping, Jane suddenly flung up the lid of the chest and pointed ■within to a mark far down on the inside. There were bags lying on the bottom. The visitor drew a sharp breath and bent to peer in. Jane's next movement was swift and sudden. As the cloaked and bonneted figure pushed head and shoulders ■within the chest, Jane gave 'it' a sudden push. The visitor lost 'her' balance and tipped forward inside. Quick as lightning Jane crammed in the huge booted feet after the rest of the figure, slammed down the lid, and locked the chest. Then, reaction Betting in, Jane sat down on a chair, feeling sick and weak. "The succeeding night wa« terrible. For a while the thief's struggles were audible, but later they became feebler, and at last ceased altogether.

"When John Clegg returned to the farm next day he was met bv ail almost distraught wife, who poured <>ut to him the whole tale. The man in the chest was dead—suffocated— and there remained for John Clew and his wife only the unpleasant task of burying the thief; not a dangerous job in those days in solitary places." Auntie s voice stopped, and her audience sat in shuddering silence for a moment. "\\ hat a toppingly grue-y varn!" sighed Shirley at last, turning to poke the hypnotised Bill in the ribs. Hilary sat up with a gasp, bringing down one foot sharply on to the tail of Bogey, who had ventured out from his corner to lie near her chair. The terrier sprang up with a yelp, cast a reproachful look at Hilary, then retired beneath the table, swearing in his throat, his tail tucked down between his legs. Bill glanced after the injured dog apologetically. "Er—was—does—l mean, is this house haunted ?" she inquired, examining her fingernails, and endeavouring to appear casual. Auntie's hazel eyes twinkled. "Why, no! I'll have to disappoint you there." A hasty tap on the door interrupted her, and Ellen entered, her fat face grave. "A'm sorry to disturb you, mum, but t'lad from Mrs. Jackson's 'as run all t'wav 'ere. 'Is mother's scalded hersen, and t'little lass is i'bed wi' t'rheuinatics, and there's nobbut 'im; 'an 'es na good. What mum we do?" Auntie stood up. "Ellen, we must both go over. If the small girl's in bed someone must see to her; and the boy must go for the doctor. It's an awful distance, but he'll get a lift back." Ellen bustled off. Auntie stood thinking for a moment, then turned to the girls. "I'm so sorry, my dears. This rather dishes things for us all; but you understand that Ellen and I must go. But"—she drew the tips of her fingers across puckered brows —"I'm worried about leaving you girls alone." "Darling, don't worry one bit about us. We'll be perfectly safe. Bill and I do see that you and Ellen must go. They must be in a frightful mess at that house." Auntie kissed the two girls. "Bless you both for two sporty kids," she said, as she left the room. A profound silence fell on the house after auntie and Ellen had departed, armed with carron oil and lint. Shirley and Hilary were rather oppressed by the quietness and did their best to dispel it. They laughed and sang as they skipped to and fro preparing a '"gorgeous spread." Bogey, scenting food, followed the girls with

uplifted, sniffing nose, and a quick patter of little paws across the stone floors.

When all was ready on the sittingroom table, the girls and Bo»ev gathered round. Shirley turned °o'n the wireless, and the ensuing flood of music shattered the last of the silence. Ten had struck when Shirley and Bill returned to the sitting room, and (lance music was pouring from the loud speaker. The girls, with squeals ot delight, pushed back the furniture and commenced to practise ballroom stejxs. Bogey, infected perhaps bv the prevailing frivolity, tripped them up nioie than once by deciding, suddenly, to cross the lloor just as Shirley and Hilary foxtrotted down its length. After the latter had picked herself up for the third time—muttering threats— Shirley grabbed the little dog and dumped him in an armchair, with injunctions to "stay there." Bogey yawned his supreme boredom, turned round twice, and settled to sleep with an enormous sigh, nose to tail like a whiting. At last the dance music ended, and the announcer said 'Good-night." Shirley stepped forward to turn off the wireless. A yell from the window made her stop short. Bill had been leaning out into the fresh, clean air, but now she sprang back. "Such a huge white shape floated across from those trees. Oh, Shirts!" she cluttered. "\ou great gooee!"—Shirley was wrathful—"you get rattled for nothing. It was only a big white owl. I've seen 'em before. Come on to bed if you've got the jim-jams." Hilary, who had become—what with the thunder, the exciting yarn, and now the sudden flight of' the ghostly white owl—tensely nervous, meekly followed her chum to beil. Bogey trotted up with them, and they made him a cosy nest on their blazers, in one corner of the room. Some time later Shirley suddenly awoke. For a moment or two she lay collecting lier wits, sure that something had aroused her. The storm had quite cleared olf, anil white pools of moonlight chequered the floor. A stealthy sound caught the girl's ear, and she raised her head from the pillow. What was that other noise? Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap! It seemed to come from downstairs. Ihe other bed creaked as its occupant turned over and slowly awoke, disturbed by Bogey's scratching. She, too, sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Bill!" whispered Shirley, leaning across to the other bed, "keep quiet, but listen. Bogey's suspicious, and there's the queerest tapping noise coming from somewhere. D'vou hear it?" Hilary held her breath. Bogey lay still, with his nose to the crack, and ears well forward. \cs! there it was again. Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap! Bill gave a sudden sharp gasp, and commenced to shake. "Shirley!" she said, panic in her voice; "that story! Auntie said there is no ghost, but what if there

i&? Oh!" s.he wailed under her breath, "I can't bear it! What shall we do?" Shirley listened thoughtfully for a second or two, then soundlessly she swung her legs out of bed and stood, a slim figure in orange pyjamas, beside the bed. '"Well," she announced, slipping into a kimono and thrusting her feet into slippers, "I'm jolly sure I can't lie here and do nothing but listen to that deadly row, so I in going down with Hogev to investigate." "Oh, Shirley, d-don't! It'll d-do something awful, c-c-climb out of that ch-cliest or s-something!" Shirley, afraid, but with more selfcontrol, turned sharply on her chum. if you think I'm going to dither up here all night and be found a raving lunatic in the morning, you're jolly well wrong! It's no picnic, anyway. But if you believe in ghosts, you'd better stay here. I don t want you swooning on my hands downstairs." She stepped quietly towards the door. Hilary fairly bounced out of bed. •Stay alone she would not. "I don't b-believe in ghosts. I'm only afraid of them," she declared miserably, feeling her way over to a chest of drawers, and stubbing her toe oil the way. "What are you doing?" hissed Shirley, as the luckless Bill danced about on one foot in a silent agony of pain. Hilary joined Shirley at the door, clasping to her chest a ewer of water. "\ou can't frighten a ghost with pokers," she declared defiantly, "but what about water?" Shirley stifled a giggle as they tiptoed down the stairs. Hill came last in the small procession, and when she stumbled on the edge of a step, the ewer, still clasped in her arms, tipped, and sent a cascade of water down Shirley's neck. The doused one let out a yell. • • • • Complete silence again enwrapped them, and they paused, quite baffled. Then came a voice: "That concludes our experimental transmission of the Hrainton Te.,l- - Process. It is now 12.30. Good-night!" ' liming breakfast next morning, with the sunshine of a gloriously fine I day rapidly drying a clean-washed earth, the story of the night's adventures was told. Auntie, pale and tired, wept tears of laughter, and chaffed the two girls. "Oh, you prize idiots!" she jeered. "Bogey certainly showed more sense than you two." Then, with a kindly glance at the sheepish young faces, "But I'll admit that the funny Morselike sounds of television experiments would seem creepy at midnight. I can understand how Bill's yell, when she saw the white owl, made you both forget to turn the wireless off. Then, too, it's partly my fault. I ought not to have told you that yarn." "Oh, 110!" Shirley said stoutly, "we really were chumps. But anyhow, Bill,'' and her eyes sparkled at Hilary, "we did have our adventure after all!" THE END.