Billie Bradley and Her Inheritance; Or, The Queer Homestead at Cherry Corners

by Janet D. Wheeler

  CHAPTER XX

  THE MOTOR AGAIN

  The piano did not swallow Mrs. Gilligan up, and, as a matter of fact, thegood woman did not stand guard until morning. Half an hour of sittingalone in that gloomy room watching a piano that had played itself wasenough to ruin even her seasoned nerves.

  Once back in her room she scolded herself for being such an idiot,laughed at her fears, and, being a normal, healthy woman, fell almostinstantly to sleep.

  In the morning the girls themselves felt somewhat inclined to laugh atthe fright they had had, and yet they knew that what had happened hadbeen no figment of their imaginations. The sound, though weird and eerie,had been real--even Mrs. Gilligan would testify to that.

  "Well, I tell you what we ought to do," said Ferd, as he sat down to ahuge plateful of breakfast. "We fellows ought to take turn and turn aboutkeeping watch. There must be some reason for the noise the girls heard,and I won't be happy until we find out what it was."

  "I think you have the right idea," replied Chet, decidedly. "The onlycondition I make is that I be allowed to stand the first watch."

  "You'll do nothing of the kind, any of you," broke in Mrs. Gilligan, withthat slight tightening of her upper lip that the girls and boys had cometo know--and respect. "That's a fine way to see all sorts of things thatain't and hear all sorts of things that never happened. Sit up in thedark, waiting for something to happen! I guess not!"

  "But we can't just sit back and let the piano perform like that everynight, can we?" asked Ferd, in an argumentative tone. "I'd rather stayawake part of the night than all of it."

  "Don't you even want to solve the mystery?" asked Chet, in anaggrieved voice.

  "Mystery--humph," grunted Mrs. Gilligan, feeling very brave anddisdainful in the bright sunshine. "I don't believe there's a bit ofmystery in the whole thing."

  "Then what made the piano play?" Teddy insisted. "You said yourself thatyou heard it."

  "Oh, I heard it all right," said Mrs. Gilligan, helping herself to morejam. "There isn't any doubt about that. But I have an idea what causedit, all right."

  "Oh, tell us," they cried eagerly.

  But their chaperone shook her head determinedly while her lip becamestill tighter.

  "No, indeed I won't tell you," she said, adding with a little chuckle: "Iwant to try it out myself first. For I know that if I told you young onesabout it you'd only laugh. And I don't like being laughed at."

  "But we wouldn't laugh," Billie assured her earnestly. "Really,Mrs. Gilligan, we'll promise on our word of honor not to so much aseven smile."

  "Get out with your promises," said Mrs. Gilligan, relapsing into herbrogue. "I do be knowing you better. I'll try it to-night," sheadded graciously, "and if it doesn't work I'll tell you about it inthe morning."

  "I suppose here's where I spend another sleepless night," said Violetdolefully, helping herself to more biscuits. "Oh, well, I'm getting so Ican do without sleep now."

  "Well, you don't look as if you'd ever lost a wink in your life," saidChet, glancing at her admiringly, for it was an open secret with theboys and girls of North Bend that Chet rather especially liked tall,dark, peace-loving Violet Farrington--perhaps because she was so muchlike himself.

  Violet blushed prettily at this complimentary remark, and the girlslooked at her teasingly.

  "Who was it that said something or other was blind?" asked Laurawickedly, and Violet kicked her under the table.

  "Peace, my children," said Billie. "We're having enough trouble withghosts and things without starting a war among ourselves. Who'll havesome more jelly?"

  There was a simultaneous shout of approval, and the jelly dish began itsfourth round of the table.

  However, they did at last get through eating and wandered out on thefront porch, where Mrs. Gilligan could not scoff at their ideas, todiscuss the doings of the night before.

  But it was only a little while later that Mrs. Gilligan put anotherdamper on their fun by announcing that some one would have to go to townfor more provisions. The boy had failed to come that morning, and theirsupply of canned goods was running dangerously low.

  "Let's all go," Chet suggested. "We could walk down and ride back."

  "But, oh, Chet, it's so frightfully hot," Billie objected. "I'm sure we'dget sunstroke or something."

  "Yes, it's a terribly long walk," added Violet.

  "Well, we could wait till toward evening," said Ferd. "It wouldn't be soscorching then. I admit," he added, taking a slanting squint at the sun,"that even I am not eager to take a long hike just now."

  "But toward evening we'll be preparing supper," objected Laura, and theboys threw up their hands in despair.

  "Well, then we'll just have to go without you," said Teddy. "But it wouldbe lots more fun if you'd come." This last was said to Billie and for herear alone.

  That afternoon the girls watched the boys down the road till theywere out of sight, then turned back to the house with a strangelylonesome feeling.

  "You know," said Violet, pausing on the doorstep and looking back at thegirls with a rather sober face, "I have a sort of feeling thatsomething's going to happen."

  "Well, you'd better get rid of it right away," retorted Laura. "We don'twant anything more to happen--especially when the boys are away."

  This time Violet proved to be right. Something did happen. It was afterdark, the boys had not yet got back from the village, and the girls weresetting the table in the kitchen--they had never found the courage to eatin the gloomy dining-room--when Violet set a dish down on the table witha bang that made the girls start and look at her in surprise.

  As for Violet, she was too scared to speak for a moment. Then shestammered out:

  "The strange motor car!" she said, while Billie and Laura stared at her."I thought I heard it before--"

  "Sh-h," cried Billie, and they listened, hardly daring to breathe.

  There was the same strange humming sound that had so startled them ontheir first night in the house, only this time, instead of coming from adistance and passing by, the noise seemed to get louder, then softer,louder and softer, as if whatever it was were approaching and retreatingat regular intervals.

  At that moment Mrs. Gilligan came into the room, and the girls called toher to listen also.

  "That?" she asked, with a little laugh. "Why that's an automobile ofcourse," and started for the front door. "Only I must say it's behavingmighty queer."

  But when they opened the door and looked out into the rocky road therewas no sign of an automobile, and yet the humming sound still kept on.

  As they listened, wide-eyed, the noise grew softer and softer andgradually died away in the distance.

  The girls looked at each other wonderingly. Then it was Billie whooffered a solution.

  "Mightn't it be an aeroplane?"

  "An aeroplane in this part of the country?" Laura was inclined to scoffat the idea, but Mrs. Gilligan and Violet both stood up for Billie.

  They were about to enter into a heated argument when they saw the wagonthat had by this time become familiar to them coming down the road withthe boys seated in it or hanging to it in characteristic attitudes.

  The girls ran out to them and deluged the lads with questions before theyhad time to learn what it was all about.

  "A motor car?" asked Chet. "No, we didn't pass a soul on the way uphere."

  When the girls had poured into their interested ears the story of thequeer humming sound that had just repeated itself, they agreed to one manto Billie's suggestion that it was very probably an aeroplane.

  "I'll tell you what we'll do next time we hear it," said Teddy as theboys picked up the provisions they had brought and started toward thehouse. "We'll go up on the roof. Then we'll pretty soon see whether it'sa ghost or the real thing."

  "And in the meantime," suggested Chet, sniffing the air hungrily, "howabout some supper?"