CHAPTER 8
A Narrow Escape
OUTSIDE, THE OTHER policeman heard his partner’s shout and the sounds of breaking dishes. He pulled out his gun and went inside. “Hey, O’Brian,” he yelled. “Where are you? Are you all right?” There was no answer.
“This isn’t funny,” he thought. “Something is going on here, and I intend to find out who is up to these tricks. If it’s that Wobar kid, he’s really going to be sorry.”
The policeman quickly checked each room on the first floor, then on the second floor. He opened the door to the attic stairs, and with a great clattering of dishes the barrel rolled onto the floor in front of him. O’Brian opened his eyes and let out a groan.
“O’Brian! Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I guess so. But don’t stand there gawking, go get him!”. With gun drawn, the policeman stepped over his partner and went up the attic steps. He was going to catch whoever had pushed the barrel of dishes down the stairs. He knew the culprit had to be there because there is only one way out of an attic. He was pretty sure Wobar was up there.
The attic was dim and dusty. He cautiously moved about, looking behind the stored furniture and big boxes. But still he found nothing. He hurried downstairs and saw that, except for some cuts and scratches, O’Brian was okay.
“This place really is haunted,” O’Brian said. “There isn’t anybody up there, and there’s no way anybody could have gotten away. As much as I hate to admit it, only a ghost could have done it.”
The two policemen went downstairs. Just as they were about to get in their squad car, they saw a man running across the field, headed for the woods.
“That must be him!” said one. “Whoever rolled the barrel down the stairs must have escaped somehow. Maybe he climbed out the window. Let’s go!” They jumped in the car and started bumping across the field hoping to catch the man.
Meanwhile, Wobar and Roxie were still in the secret hiding place. Wobar was wondering how they would get out when he heard a voice.
“That was a pretty good trick, wasn’t it?” It was Simon the ghost, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
“What happened?” asked Wobar, rubbing his head where he’d bumped it falling into the secret room.
“Well, first of all, you should understand that there is a panel in the wall of the attic stairs, which leads into this secret hiding place. When Roxie fell, she crashed against it. It opened, and she disappeared. I’ll have to admit I pushed her because there wasn’t enough time to explain what to do. Then the same thing happened to you when you went back to look for her.”
“What happened to the policemen?” asked Wobar.
“I tried to scare them off by breaking things and making noises. But they kept thinking it was only you, so I had to get rough. I rolled a barrel of dishes down the stairs on Officer O’Brian.”
“Uh-oh,” said Wobar. “I hope he isn’t hurt.” Roxie let out a little noise as she sat up and looked around.
“Nothing serious,” said Simon. “Anyhow, when they went outside, I turned myself into a man running across the far field. The police gave chase. They think that whoever caused all the trouble in the house was the guy they saw running away. Of course, I disappeared as soon as I got to the woods. They’ll keep on looking for a long time—but they’ll never find me.”
Wobar breathed a sigh of relief. “But what if they come back?” he asked.
“You don’t need to worry. You and Roxie can come back to this secret hiding place. Look at this. There’s a latch on the inside so you can lock the room. Even if they push on the wall, nothing will happen. You and Roxie wait here for a while. When I’m sure the coast is clear, I’ll let you know.”
CHAPTER 9
The Magic Calumet
THAT NIGHT WOBAR, Roxie, and Simon sat in the living room with a small fire in the fireplace. Wobar had closed the cloth drapes over the windows, so the light from the fire wouldn’t be seen from the road.
“But why did you decide to save us?” asked Wobar.
“Well,” Simon said, “it does get lonely being a ghost in a haunted house. Besides, you were in trouble. But you didn’t think about yourself. You wanted to help Roxie and to make friends with me. You knew, somehow, that I was lonely. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend. So I decided to save you, even though it meant hurting the policeman.”
Wobar thought about that for a long time. He, too, knew what it was like to be lonely. And he did miss his family. “Simon,” asked Wobar, “I don’t know if you want to tell me, but why are you a ghost living all by yourself in a haunted house?”
Simon thought for a few moments and then he said, “It’s okay. I’d like to tell you what happened. I’ve had to stay in this house for over two hundred years. Every time someone moved in, I would make noises that scared them away. it’s what ghosts do. even the nice people got scared away. The last family left without even taking their furniture.”
Roxie had fallen asleep on the couch and must have been dreaming because she began to whimper. Wobar stroked her soft, silky fur, and she went back to a peaceful sleep. Roxie would be okay. She just needed time to heal.
“You see,” said Simon, “most people never turn into ghosts. They die and go to heaven to be with their friends and family. If they’re lucky, they even get to be with their pets. But every now and then, something delays this. I think it’s because some ghosts have unfinished business. So we have to hang around until we figure out a way to do whatever has to be done. Then we can go to heaven.”
“Do you know what you have to do?” asked Wobar.
“I do, but I can’t do it all by myself. I’ve pretty much given up hope of ever finding someone who would help me.”
“If I can help you,“ said Wobar, “I will. Just tell me what I have to do.”
“It all started a long time ago. I was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. One day, my men and I were marching through the forest when we heard voices up ahead. We knew the British were not far away, and I thought we could ambush them. I told my men to spread out in a half circle so we could capture them. I told them to listen for my signal. I would hoot like an owl if I wanted them to shoot.” Simon sighed.
“The men I was leading were a rough bunch, and I’ll have to admit I hadn’t done much to enforce discipline. There was one man in particular that I didn’t like, who was always making trouble. The men called him Bad Bert. But I needed men, so I never sent him away.
“My men began to crawl through the forest. I could hear rustling up ahead and went to investigate. Suddenly, an owl hooted, and my men began to fire into the trees! I was so stupid! I should have known better than to use an owl’s hoot as a signal. We couldn’t see who was there, but they were shooting anyway. I yelled for them to stop, but it was too late. It wasn’t the English. They had just shot three Indians who were just passing through the forest. It was awful!”
Wobar sat on the edge of his chair. “Then what happened?”
“I cautiously approached. Only one Indian was still alive, and he held up his hands in a gesture of peace. He was clutching a beautifully engraved silver pipe. The pipe had an eagle, a bear, a fox, and an otter carved on it. He was trying to speak, so I bent over him to listen.”
“‘Please,’ he said, ‘help me. I am carrying the magic calumet of my people. It is a peace pipe. My people have been attacked many times. But by sharing this magic calumet with our enemies, we have always been able to stop wars. Its magic can stop any war, even one far away.’ The Indian, who was speaking his own language, paused to see if I understood him. I had traded with the Indians and spoke several native languages. I told him to go ahead, that I understood.
“‘I wish to bring it to the American general,’ he said. ‘The one called Washington. This calumet has more power than any other. It has been blessed with special powers to make peace, more than any other pipe. it is magic.’ He coughed then put his head down.”
Simon paused, then said, “I knew th
at both the British and Americans had been trying to get the Indians to help their side in the Revolutionary War. I couldn’t imagine why this Indian would want to give the pipe to Washington. I waited. The Indian was bleeding badly, so I put pressure on his chest to slow the blood flow. After a few minutes, the Indian began to speak again.
“‘I hope that my people are not pursued and attacked the way the Iroquois were. If Washington sees that many Indians are peace loving and unwilling to fight for either side, maybe he will let my people hunt and farm and raise our children. I do not want my children to die the way I am—in a war that has nothing to do with my people.’
“I stayed by his side for over an hour, but there wasn’t really anything I could do. I told him I would bring the calumet to General George Washington, but I never knew if he heard me. Finally, with a groan, he died.
“I picked up the calumet and admired it. I knew that peace pipes generally were plain stone pipes, but this one was made of silver and decorated so nicely I believed it really was very special. I showed it to my men, and then I put it into my pack. I never should have shown my men the pipe, but I did. Late that night, when everybody was asleep, I heard a noise, but I was so tired I fell back to sleep. When I got up in the morning, my pack was gone, along with the pipe and all the money to pay my men. Bad Bert was gone, too.
“We chased after him that day, but never saw him again. The war went on for years and many people were killed. If only I could have delivered the pipe, the war might have ended sooner. And the magic pipe could have prevented so many other wars, too. But it’s lost, and until I find it, I must remain a ghost.”
“But why do you stay here?” asked Wobar.
“A few months after I lost the pipe, my men and I were ambushed by the British. I was killed not far from this house. And although ghosts can do many things, we can’t travel far. So I’ve had to stay near here, and I’ve been living in this house ever since.”
By then it was very late, and Wobar was tired. “Let’s go to sleep, and tomorrow we can make a plan. I’m sure we’ll be able to find the magic calumet somehow.”
CHAPTER 10
The Plan
THE NEXT MORNING Roxie was feeling much better and went outside for a walk. Simon warned her to stay away from the road, so no one would see her. Wobar and Simon sat down to make plans.
“If you want me to find the magic pipe, you’ll have to tell me all you know about the man who stole it,” said Wobar.
“His name was Bert Blandish. He was big and tough and loved to fight. I don’t really know where he went, but I heard that he headed south to New Orleans. That’s a long way from here, and he left two hundred years ago. It’s awfully nice of you to want to help, but I don’t think there’s any way you could ever find the magic pipe, not in a million years. I’m afraid I will always be a ghost.”
Simon felt so sad he wanted to cry. But ghosts can’t cry, so he sat there making an odd noise that sounded sort of like the hiccups.
“Don’t be sad, Simon,” said Wobar. “There must be a way to find the pipe. after all, It’s made of silver. Something like that wouldn’t just disappear. maybe it’s in a museum. as soon as Roxie is better, we’ll go to New Orleans and start looking for it.
“If Bad Bert settled in New Orleans, maybe I can find his great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren. Maybe they’ll let me have it so there can be peace in the world. Or maybe they would agree to sell it. You were supposed to give the pipe to General George Washington—who later became president. If we give it to the president of the United States now, that should be just as good. And then you won’t have to be a ghost any longer.”
Simon knew that Wobar wasn’t an ordinary boy. There was his mustache and his ability to talk to Roxie. But even so, it didn’t seem possible for anyone to find the magic pipe. And Simon didn’t want to get Wobar into any more trouble.
“Wobar,” he said, “you shouldn’t even try. You don’t have any money. How can you get to New Orleans? What are you going to eat? Where will you stay? If you and Roxie travel together, surely someone will recognize you and send you back to your parents. You might even get sent to reform school!”
“Let me worry about all that” said Wobar. “The first thing I’ll have to do is make good disguises for Roxie and me. Let’s go to the attic and see what we can find.”
So Simon and Wobar went to the attic to look for disguises. Simon pointed out a trunk of old clothes, and Wobar picked out some things for himself. He found a hat his grandfather would have liked. It was a fedora with a wide brim that he could pull down to hide his face. He found a tweed jacket, khaki pants, and some leather shoes that fit quite well.
“I’ve watched my mother take in my brother’s clothes to fit me,” he said. “I bet I can fix these things up to fit me. There must be a needle and thread around here somewhere. But I’ve still got to think of a disguise for Roxie. What can we do to make Roxie look like something else? “
After a little while, Roxie came inside from her walk. Wobar had picked out a dress and a bonnet for Roxie to wear.
“Wobar!” said Roxie, “You’ve got to be crazy! I can’t wear a dress! I’m a cougar, and I run on four legs. If somebody saw an old lady in a dress running on four legs, they would be sure to stop to look—and ask questions!”
“I know,” said Wobar. “But just try these things on. You’ll have to learn to walk on your back legs. It’s not so hard.”
So Roxie put on the dress and the bonnet. The dress was long enough to cover her hind paws when she stood up. Wobar found a shawl, which he put over her shoulders so she could hide her front paws. But sadly enough, she still looked like a cougar. a cougar wearing A dress, but a cougar nonetheless.
“Don’t worry, Simon” said Wobar. I’ll think of something else for Roxie. In the meantime, Roxie, why don’t you practice wearing the dress and walking on your back legs?”
Roxie didn’t like the idea at all. But she really wanted to go with Wobar and needed a disguise. He was such a good friend, and he might need her help. Besides, now it would be too lonely to live all by herself on Grantham Mountain.
CHAPTER 11
The Disguises
FOR ONE WEEK, Simon, Roxie, and Wobar lived together in the haunted house. A couple of times a patrol car came by to see if anybody was there. each time, Wobar and Roxie hid in the secret room and waited quietly until the police went away.
Every day, Roxie got stronger, and at the end of the week, Wobar removed the stitches the vet had put in. Wobar slipped off into the woods and went fishing every day for food, and twice Roxie went out at night and caught rabbits. Wobar didn’t like her to go out while she was still recuperating, but Roxie wouldn’t listen to him. He particularly didn’t like Roxie killing rabbits, because Wobar liked rabbits. He had known rabbits and could talk to them, even though they all talked baby talk and most weren’t very smart.
“I’m a cougar,” Roxie said. “I can’t stay inside this old house all the time and have you bring me food. I’ve got to be able to hunt for myself. if I just sit around, I’ll never get my strength back. And rabbits are delicious. Yum!”
They had time to kill while Roxie healed, so Wobar taught her to understand spoken English. She learned quickly, and when needed, he sent her explanations in the language of cats, which his brain could send to her without making a sound.
Wobar fixed up the old clothes to make them fit. When he got dressed up, he looked sort of like a short old man. He found an eyebrow pencil and practiced drawing wrinkles on his face. In a drawer in one of the bathrooms, he found some baby powder, and he mixed it with water and worked it into his hair and mustache to make them look white.
He also knew that if he were to fool anybody, he would have to walk like an old man. So he cut himself a walking stick and spent hours walking slowly with a slight limp. He practiced talking with a deep voice so that people wouldn’t guess he was really a boy.
Roxie hated wearing a dress and a frilly bonnet.
She said it made her look silly. But she did get better at walking on her back legs, and by the end of the week, she could even go up and down stairs without falling. But she knew that she needed a better disguise, something that would let her be the animal she was.
Simon continued to worry. He tried to convince Wobar that he shouldn’t try to find the magic pipe. He pointed out that if Wobar went back to his family, he and Roxie could come visit him often in the haunted house. Then he would have a friend, and it wouldn’t be so bad being a ghost.
“But Simon, I can’t go back,” said Wobar. “I’m in trouble at school, and by now I’m sure they would surely send me to reform school for being a truant, and they would try to catch Roxie and put her in a zoo. You’ve been here for two hundred years, and nobody has ever helped you. So I’m going to! Besides, if we find the magic peace pipe, there won’t be any more wars. I’ve got to do it.“
Simon knew that Wobar was right. If only he could find the magic pipe, everything would be all right. Wobar would be a hero, and nobody would be mad anymore.
One thing still bothered Simon. although he didn’t want to say so, Roxie’s disguise wouldn’t fool anyone. She didn’t look like a little old lady, even if she dressed like one. Wobar even tried putting lipstick on Roxie, but you just can’t make a cougar’s face look like a lady’s.
Finally, Simon had an idea. “Roxie, I’ve got it!” he exclaimed. “Why don’t we paint you to look like a dog? There’s paint in the basement, and Wobar could paint you to look like a firedog. You know, a Dalmatian. White with black spots.”
Roxie thought that was an awful idea. She hated dogs and didn’t want to look like one. But finally she agreed. “At least I won’t have to wear that silly dress and walk on my back legs,” she said.
Wobar and the Quest for the Magic Calumet Page 3
