CHAPTER XI
GIVING AN ATTIC PARTY
PEERING in at them was a hideous yellow face with a nose that in thelight from the room seemed to be fiery red. The face was pressed againstthe window pane. Now a long-drawn, dismal groan sounded from the otherside of the window.
"It's a ghost!" cried Grace.
Barbara, however, had seen more than the other girls, and, mustering upall her courage, ran to the door.
"Come back!" called the girls anxiously. Bab kept on, unheeding theircries. As she jerked the outside door open, they heard a crash and thefrightful face suddenly disappeared from the window. Ruth and Oliverushed to the door. Both girls remembered that an old rain barrel hadstood under that window for a long time.
"I've got the spook!" shouted Bab triumphantly. "I picked it out of therain barrel." She came in, dragging by an ear the irrepressible Tom.
"Thomas Warrington Presby, what does this mean?" demanded Olivesternly.
"The--the rain barrel went to pieces," complained Tom.
"Oh! Was it you who scared us out of our wits?" questioned Mollie.
"I knew it was a false face almost the instant I saw it," said Barbara."Thomas, I fear I shall have to turn you over to your father. You haveevidently forgotten some things."
Tom wriggled, his face worked anxiously.
"Please don't. Maul me, do anything you want to punish me. I won'tsqueal, but don't peach to father."
"Girls, what shall we do with him?" asked Bab.
"I move we make him sit down on the rug and eat marshmallows," suggestedRuth.
"The very idea," agreed Mollie.
"But we want them ourselves," objected Grace.
"I have another box," admitted Olive. "Your father sent two boxes,though I did not intend to tell you about the second one just yet."
It was agreed that Tom's punishment should be a sweet one. Tom grinnedbroadly.
"Those things are for girls. I can swallow a boxful without winking aneyelid," he declared. "Gimme the box."
"No, Thomas, you aren't going to eat them that way. We are going to waiton you and help you to every mouthful," answered Barbara sweetly. "Itisn't every boy who has five nice girls to wait on him when he eats. Isit, Tommy?"
"No," answered the boy in a doubtful tone. He did not exactly like thelook of things now. Barbara placed a firm hand on his arm and set himdown on a rug in front of the fireplace. Tommy was closer to the firethan was comfortable, but there seemed to be no escape for him. The fivegirls speared as many marshmallows, toasted them and thrust them flamingat the boy. Tommy gulped down the first one with evident enjoyment. Fourothers went down easily. Tommy decided that marshmallows were prettygood stuff. He called for more, and got them. There was always a stickwith a flaming cube on the end of it ready to be thrust into his mouth.Tommy rolled his eyes with satisfaction.
"I could take punishment like this for a week at a stretch. More!"
Still the girls fed him. Even Olive was gentle and considerate. Tommydid not recall ever having seen her more so. All the girls were verykind to him, but there was a mischievous twinkle in their eyes thatTommy was not astute enough to read.
"I've Got the Spook," Shouted Bab Triumphantly.]
After a time the marshmallows began to take on a bitter taste. He didnot appear to be eating them with the same relish as before.
"That stuff's no good for men," he jeered.
"Have another, Tommy," answered Bab, thrusting a blue flame into theboy's face.
"You needn't burn a fellow up," he rebuked, then swallowed themarshmallow with a gulp.
"Here, Tommy, is a nice, large one," added Mollie.
Tom's eyes were rolling. His face that had appeared very red when hefirst sat down before the fire, had grown several shades paler. Thegirls continued to feed him with marshmallows, forcing one after anotherupon him.
"I won't take another----" Tom did not finish what he had started tosay. Olive thrust a hot marshmallow into the boy's open mouth. Tommyclosed his mouth instantly, but not soon enough. The hot sweet clung tothe roof of his mouth, bringing from Tommy a yell of pain.
"I'll be even with you girls for this," he howled, the tears startingfrom his eyes as he bounded for the kitchen for a drink of water. Ashout of merry laughter followed him. Tommy felt very sick and staggeredoff to bed, where, half an hour later, his mother found him groaning. Inresponse to Mrs. Presby's anxious inquiries, Tommy explained that he hadan "awful stomachache."
"He deserved it," declared Olive. "He will learn to let us girls alone,I hope. Nevertheless, we got even with him this time."
"Yes, revenge is sweet," observed Bab, whereat the girls groaneddismally.
* * * * *
It had been decided that the "Automobile Girls" and Olive were to driveinto Chicago on the following morning to bring Miss Sallie and Mr.Stuart also to Treasureholme, if he could be induced to return withthem. Ruth felt too that Mr. A. Bubble had not been getting enoughexercise of late. Her companions agreed with her. But the next morningdawned most disappointingly. A great gale was blowing in from LakeMichigan, accompanied by blinding flurries of snow. It was not acheerful outlook. The day was dark and the wind bitter cold.
Ruth was for starting out just the same, but a telephone call from MissSallie while the girls were at breakfast was to the effect that Mr.Stuart had absolutely forbidden their starting out in such a storm.
"I am sorry, girls, but when dad puts it that way he means what he says.I speak from long experience," declared Ruth. "We shall have to waituntil to-morrow."
"This storm is likely to last for some days," announced Mr. Presby.
Ruth made a wry face.
"We will explore for the treasure if we have to stay in the house allthe time," said Bab. "A day like this makes one feel mysterious."
"And creepy," added Mollie. "Why, good morning, Tommy. How are youto-day?" she smiled, as Master Thomas Presby took his place at thebreakfast table. Tommy grunted out some unintelligible reply. For somereason he was not in the best of humor that morning.
In the meantime Olive was trying to think up some entertainment thatwould amuse the girls on a stormy day.
"I have it," she cried. "How would you girls like an attic party?"
They did not quite understand, never having heard of an attic party.
"What do we do at an attic party?" asked Mollie. "Do we have luncheon inthe attic?"
"No. It is an entirely new idea with me. My idea is that we go to theattic and rummage. There are old chests and trunks up there, togetherwith all sorts of odds and ends, as is usual with a family garret."
The girls beamed on her.
"That will be perfectly splendid," cried Mollie. "Remember, Bab, how weused to rummage in our garret on rainy days?"
"It will be a great fun," answered Bab.
"As we fear we may have to leave the old place," continued Olive, "wewish to overhaul everything up there, burning such stuff as we have nouse for, saving anything that may be of use in the future. You girls canhelp me clear out the place."
"Am I in on this game?" interrupted Tom.
"Yes, if you will behave yourself," replied Olive, giving him a severelook.
"I can carry out the stuff that you want burned," he suggested.
Such willingness on the part of Tommy was unusual. Olive gave him asmile of approval.
"You shall have some more marshmallows for that," declared Ruth.
A pained look appeared on the boy's face.
"I don't want any marshmallows," he growled. "No more girls' food forme."
The "Automobile Girls" giggled. Mr. and Mrs. Presby paid no attention tothis conversation. They were not in possession of the secret. The girlswere eager for the attic party. There is always an element of mystery inan old family garret. This was especially so at Treasureholme.Everything about the old place savored of mystery. Then there was theburied treasure, which, even though it might be a myth, lent anatmosphere of greater mystery than
all the rest.
Little time was lost in getting to the garret, the girls first, however,putting on the oldest skirts they possessed. Olive explained that theplace was full of dust and cobwebs.
Tom hurried upstairs ahead of them. They followed a winding, narrowstairway to the upper floor. To their surprise, the ceiling was high,the side walls were heavily wainscoted, an unusual condition for agarret. A broad chimney passing up through the centre of the big roomtook the edge off the chill atmosphere of the morning, although theycould hear the wind whistle and wail about the gables. There wereshadowy corners holding old-fashioned trunks. Here and there were oldfamily pictures in faded, chipped frames, old clothes, curtains, books,broken and old-fashioned furniture, in short, a varied and ancientcollection of odds and ends that almost filled the place.
"Oh, girls, isn't this jolly!" exclaimed Bab, halting at the head of thestairs, taking in the scene eagerly. "I know we shall have a perfectlysplendid time up here, and who knows but that we may unearth some ofyour ancestors' family skeletons, Olive?"
"Tom will dispose of them promptly if you find any," answered Olive.
"I'll make their old bones rattle. You just watch me," announced Tom.
"Now, girls, go ahead and browse to your heart's content. We are goingto empty every trunk and chest and box in the place. We may findsomething exciting before we get through up here."
Olive's prophecy was a true one. They were going to meet with excitingexperiences in the old garret, even more exciting than any of them haddreamed possible. They began eagerly to turn out the contents of trunksand boxes upon the garret floor, first dragging the receptacles up wherethe light from one or another of the windows would shine down on theirwork.