The Phantom Yacht

by Carol Norton

  CHAPTER V. A NEW EXPERIENCE

  With the closing in of the fog, twilight settled about the cabin. The oldwoman, still in her black bonnet with the veil thrown back, drew a woodenarmed chair close to the stove and held her hands out toward the warmth."Open up the box of supplies, Dories," she commanded, "and get out somecandles. Then you can fill a hot-water bottle for me and I'll go right tobed. No use making a fire in the front room until tomorrow. You girls areto sleep upstairs. You'll find bedding in a bureau up there. It may bedamp, but you're young. It won't hurt you any."

  Dories, having opened up the box of supplies, removed each article,placing it on the table. At the very bottom she found a note scribbled ona piece of wrapping paper: "Out of candles. Send some tomorrer."

  Miss Moore sat up ramrod-straight, her sharp gray eyes narrowing angrily."If that isn't just like that shiftless, good-for-nothing Simon Strait.How did he suppose we could get on without light? I wish now I hadordered kerosene, but I thought, just at first, that candles would do."In the dusk Nann had been looking about the kitchen. On a shelf she saw alantern and two glass lamps. "O, Miss Moore!" she exclaimed, "Don't youthink maybe there might be oil in one of those lamps?"

  "No, I don't," the old woman replied. "I always had my maid empty themthe last thing for fear of fire." Nann, standing on a chair, had takendown the lantern. Her face brightened. "I hear a swish," she saidhopefully, "and so it must be oil." With a piece of wrapping paper shewiped off the dust while Dories brought forth a box of matches.

  A dim, sputtering light rewarded them. "It won't last long," Nann said asshe placed the lantern on the table, "So, Miss Moore, if you'll tell uswhat to do to make you comfortable, we'll hurry around and do it."

  "Comfortable? Humph! We won't any of us be very comfortable with such awet fog penetrating even into our bones." The old woman complained sobitterly that Dories found herself wondering why her Great-Aunt Jane hadcome at all if she had known that she would be uncomfortable. But she hadno time to give the matter further thought, for Miss Moore was issuingorders. "Dories, you work that pump-handle over there in the sink. If itneeds priming, we won't get any water tonight. Well, thank goodness, itdoesn't. That's one thing that went right. Nann, you rinse out the teakettle, fill it and set it to boil. Now you girls take the lantern and goto my bedroom. It's just off the big front room, so you can't miss it;open up the bottom bureau drawer and fetch out my bedding. We'll hang itover chairs by the stove till the damp gets out of it."

  Nann took the sputtering lantern and, being the fearless one of the two,she led the way into the big front room of the cabin. The furniture couldnot be seen for the sheetlike coverings. In the dim light the girls couldsee a few pictures turned face to the wall. "Oh-oo!" Dories shuddered."It's clammily damp in here. Think of it, Nann, can you conceive _what_it would have been like for _me_ if I had come all alone with Aunt Jane?Well, I know just as well as I know anything that I would never havelived through this first night."

  Nann laughed merrily. "O, Dori," she exclaimed as she held the lanternup, "Do look at this wonderful, huge stone fireplace. I'm sure we'regoing to enjoy it here when we get things straightened around and the sunis shining. You see if we don't." Nann was opening a door which shebelieved must lead into Miss Moore's bedroom, and she was right. The dim,flickering light revealed an old-fashioned hand-turned bed with four highposts. Near was an antique bureau, and Dori quickly opened the bottomdrawer and took out the needed bedding. With her arms piled high, shefollowed the lantern-bearer back to the kitchen. Miss Moore had evidentlynot moved from her chair by the stove. "Put on another piece of wood,Dori," she commanded. "Now fetch all the chairs up and spread the beddingon it."

  When this had been done, the teakettle was singing, and Nann saidbrightly, "What a little optimist a teakettle is! It sings even whenthings are darkest."

  "You mean when things are hottest," Dori put in, actually laughing.

  The old woman was still giving orders. "The dishes are in that cupboardover the table," she nodded in that direction. "Fetch out a cup andsaucer, Dories, wash them with some hot water and make me a cup of tea.Then, while I drink it, you can both spread up my bed."

  Fifteen minutes later all these things had been accomplished. The oldwoman acknowledged that she was as comfortable as possible in her warmbed. When they had said good-night, she called, "Dories, I forgot to tellyou the stairway to your room leads up from the back porch." Then sheadded, as an afterthought, "You girls will want to eat something, but formercy sake, do close the living-room door so I won't hear your clatter."

  Nann, whose enjoyment of the situation was real and not feined, placedthe sputtering lantern on the kitchen table while Dories softly closedthe door as she had been directed. Then they stood and gazed at thesupplies still in boxes and bundles on the oilcloth-covered table. "Inever was hungrier!" Dories announced. "But there isn't time to reallycook anything before the light will go out. Oh-oo! Think how terrible itwould be to have to climb up that cold, wet outside stairway to a room inthe loft and get into cold, wet bedding, and all in the dark."

  Nann laughed. "Well, I'll confess it _is_ rather spooky," she agreed,"and if I believed in ghosts I might be scared." Then, as the lanterngave a warning flicker, the older girl suggested: "What say to turningout the light and make more fire in the stove? It really is quite brightover in that corner."

  "I guess it's the only thing to do," Dori acknowledged dolefully. "Ogoodie," she added more cheerfully as she held up a box of crackers."These, with butter and some sardines, _ought_ to keep us from starving."

  "Great!" Nann seemed determined to be appreciative. "And for a drinklet's have cambric tea with canned milk and sugar. Now the next thing,where is a can opener?"

  She opened a drawer in the kitchen table and squealed exultingly, "DoriesMoore, see what I've found." She was holding something up. "It's a littlecandle end, but it will be just the thing if we need a light in the nightwhen our oil is gone."

  "Goodness!" Dories shuddered. "I hope we'll sleep so tight we won't knowit is night until after it's over."

  Nann had also found a can opener and they were soon hungrily eating thesupper Dories had suggested. "I call this a great lark!" the older girlsaid brightly. They were sitting on straight wooden chairs, drawn closeto the bright fire, and their viands were on another chair between them.

  "The kitchen is so nice and warm now that I hate plunging out into thefog to go upstairs," Dori shudderingly remarked. "I presume that is whereAunt Jane's maid used to sleep. Mumsie said she had one named Maggie whohad been with her forever, almost. But she died last June. That must bewhy Aunt Jane didn't come here this summer."

  When the girls had eaten all of the sardines and crackers and had beenrefreshed with cambric tea, they rose and looked at each other almosttragically. Then Nann smiled. "Don't let's give ourselves time to think,"she suggested. "Let's take a box of matches. You get one while I relightthe lantern. I have the candle end in my pocket. Now, bolster up yourcourage and open the door while I shelter our flickering flame from thecold night air that might blow it out."

  Dories had her hand on the knob of the door which led out upon the backporch, but before opening it, she whispered, "Nann, you don't supposethat ghost over in the ruin ever prowls around anywhere else, do you?"

  "Of course not, silly!" Nann's tone was reassuring. "There isn't a ghostin the old ruin, or anywhere else for that matter. Now open the door andlet's ascend to our chamber."

  The fog on the back porch was so dense that it was difficult for thegirls to find the entrance to their boarded-in stairway. As they startedthe ascent, Nann in the lead, they were both wondering what they wouldfind when they reached their loft bedroom.