CHAPTER IX
IN AN INDIAN GRAVEYARD
IT was Olive who found Bab there. She halted in the doorway, gazing inin amazement.
"Why, Barbara Thurston! What can be the matter with you?" cried Olive."We thought you were exploring the secret passages under the old house,and here you are crying all by your lonely little self. Where is Tom?"demanded Miss Presby, with growing suspicion in her eyes.
"I--I don't know," confessed Barbara weakly.
"See here, Bab, did Tom play any tricks on you?"
"Nothing of any account. He went out by some other exit. I returned theway I came. I am going back there to-morrow, if you do not object. Imust solve the mystery of that secret passage."
"You are a dear!" exclaimed Olive, kissing Bab affectionately.
At this juncture Ruth Stuart came in, having heard Bab's voice as shewas passing through the hall.
"Bab! When did you get back?" exclaimed Ruth. "Oh, I beg your pardon,"she added, laughingly, as she discovered Olive and Bab engaged inserious conversation. "I see I am intruding."
"Come in, Ruth," answered Olive. "I found Bab crying here. I think Tommust have played pranks on her. Wait until I get my hands on the youngman. You say you haven't seen him since you left the passage, Barbara?"
Bab shook her head.
"I shall find him at once," announced Olive, rising and starting for thedoor.
"Please, please don't scold him," begged Bab. "Really, it isn't thatthat is the matter with me." But Olive insisted and went on her way insearch of the irrepressible Tommy. Ruth stepped over and sat on the edgeof the bed, gazing down at Barbara.
"Now, tell me all about it," urged Ruth gently.
"There--there isn't anything to tell," murmured Bab.
"I know what the trouble is. You are homesick," declared Ruth Stuart."To-morrow we have planned to give you an interesting day. We are goingto explore the old place and I am going to take you to the IndianCemetery. Quite likely some of the same gentlemen who scalped Olive'sancestors are buried out there. Bab, do you love me just the same as youused to?" asked the girl, bending a questioning gaze on Barbara'stear-stained face.
"You ought not to ask me that question, dear," answered Bab. "You know Ido. It seems to me that I have known you for ever and ever so manyyears. Perhaps our friendship began in some other life. Sometimes Ithink it must have. But you haven't acted quite the same of late. It hasseemed to me that you didn't love me as dearly as you used to and thethought has hurt me, oh, so much, Ruth."
"Why, Bab Thurston, how can you say so?" exclaimed Ruth. "I love youbetter than any other girl I've ever known. You ought to know that. Thetruth of the matter is that I am worried, dear. I have not been quitemyself of late. I'm worried about father. Was--was it that that made youcry, dear?"
"Not exactly. I was crying because--because I felt sorry for youand--and for----"
"For whom?"
Barbara shook her head and closed her lips firmly.
"I shan't say another word. Please don't ask me. I want to think. If youdon't mind, I am going to bed. Must I go downstairs first?"
"No, child. You tumble right in. I will tell the folks you are notfeeling quite well. I want to speak to Olive before I go to bed,anyway."
"Tell them that I am going to bed, please."
"Yes."
"Please also say good night to Mr. and Mrs. Presby for me, won't you?"
Ruth said she would do so, and hurried from the room. She stopped inOlive's room to tell the other "Automobile Girls" not to disturb Bab,who had gone to bed feeling a little indisposed.
On the following morning matters appeared to have adjusted themselves tothe satisfaction of all, for the girls were in their brightest mood. Babnow and then grew sober and thoughtful, but strove to throw off thefeeling of depression that persisted in taking possession of her.
"I have a note from father," announced Ruth. "He says Mr. A. Bubble hasentirely recovered. There were some broken bones, but these have beenmended. Bubble is to be returned to us to-day, and then we will have ajolly ride."
"I sincerely trust there will be no gates in the way this time,"observed Mrs. Presby, smilingly.
"Never fear. I have had my lesson," answered Ruth, flushing a little. "Inever thought it would be possible for me to get into so much troublewith a motor car. Shall we show the girls the Indian burying ground thismorning?"
"You take them, Ruth, if you will, please," answered Olive. "I must helpmother with some family matters. You know more about the old cemeterythan I do."
They started out shortly after breakfast, full of keen anticipation.Just outside the house Tom joined them. He had with him Olive's bigsetter dog, "General." Bab pinched Tommy's ear playfully.
"You were a naughty boy last night," she said.
"But you didn't find out where I got out, just the same," jeered Tom.
"No, but I am going to."
"I'll bet you don't."
"I shall. See if I don't. By the way, Tom, have they found out yet whoclosed those gates the night we ran into them?" asked Barbaracarelessly. She and Tom had fallen behind the others.
"No-o-o-o," answered the boy, giving her a quick glance. Bab's face toldhim nothing.
"I suppose you haven't the slightest idea who could have done that?"
"How should I know anything about it?"
"I thought perhaps you might have done it; you are such a very smartyoung man," observed Barbara soberly. "Couldn't you even guess?"
"No. Could you?"
"I don't have to guess."
Tommy regarded her shrewdly.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have to guess because I _know_. You closed those gates, TomPresby. You thought it would be a good joke to fool Olive and Ruth andthe rest of us. I'm not sure but that you thought you would be taking aproper revenge on poor me for sitting down on you that night at Stuarts'house. You came near causing the death of five girls with what youthought only a prank, young man," added Bab, in her most severe tone. "Ishould think you would be ashamed of yourself."
Tommy's face grew very pale. Beads of perspiration broke out on hisforehead.
"Don't tell father. Don't, please don't. He'd skin me alive if he knew Idid that. How'd you find out?"
"You told me," answered Bab, now with a merry twinkle in her eyes. "Iguessed it first, then you admitted it just now."
"That was a mean trick. Nobody but a girl would take such a meanadvantage of a fellow."
"Nobody but a mischievous boy would intentionally cause an automobilesmash-up and endanger the lives of five girls, including his sister,"rebuked Barbara. "What do you think I ought to do with you?"
"You aren't going to tell the governor? Oh, don't say you are. I'll doanything for you! Say, I like you better than all the rest, Bab. Honestand true I do. I'll show you how I got out of the hole last night if youwon't give it away. I'll show you everything I know about the old place.You aren't going to squeal on a fellow, are you?"
"No, Tom, I'm not," answered Bab, laughing heartily. "Nor am I going toask you to show me the exit from the secret passage. If I can't find itout for myself, I don't want to know."
Tommy regarded her admiringly.
"Say, you're a good sport, aren't you? I'll show you anyhow, for that."
About this time the setter dog, General, attracted the attention of thegirls by diving into a hole in the base of a great tree that stood somelittle distance from the house. Nothing but his tail was visible. Tomsoon had a firm grip on this and was hauling the angry General out tothe accompaniment of merry shouts from the girls.
Ruth explained that this tree was an old landmark. It had been thereever since the oldest inhabitant could remember. It was known as "OldSentinel," having stood sentinel over Treasureholme for at least ahundred years.
"What is in that hole?" demanded Bab.
"General's buried treasure," answered Tom carelessly. "He hides his beefbones there."
Now they moved on together, making an attrac
tive picture as they walked.Grace and Ruth were the only ones of the party who wore furs. Molliewore her heavy dark-blue traveling coat, with a gentian-blue scarf tiedabout her throat. Bab, with a scarlet wing perched at a jaunty angle inher brown cloth hat, reminded one of a robin redbreast.
"You don't think you will catch cold?" asked Ruth solicitiously.
Bab assured her that they would not, to which Ruth made no reply, thoughshe hugged a dark Christmas secret closer to her heart and chuckledinwardly.
"There is the old burying ground," she announced finally, pointing to asuccession of hillocks a short distance ahead of them. These were of amushroom shape, with the tops sloping gently to the ground. The girlsthought them the most curious-looking graves they ever had seen. Theyobserved a very large mound in the centre. Ruth explained that this wassupposed to be the grave of an Indian chief.
"If that is true, his weapons and his faithful dog are buried besidehim," continued Ruth. "These graves, I believe, are very old. No oneappears to know just how old they are. Do you wish to see the rest ofthem?"
The girls did. Mollie suggested that perhaps if they remained there longenough they might possibly meet the ghost of the old chief.
"What would you do if we should?" questioned Ruth whimsically.
"I'd run," answered Mollie promptly.
"I rather think the rest of us would not be slow in following you,"agreed Ruth.
"I should think the Presbys would feel spooky all the time with so manyqueer things about them," observed Grace. "There's mystery all over theold house, and there are goodness knows how many dead Indians and thingson the outside."
"Only girls are afraid," spoke up Tommy.
"Only girls?" questioned Bab, with a significant glance at the boy.Tommy subsided instantly. Then all of a sudden General stiffened histail, uttered a low, menacing growl and stood pointing his nose in thedirection of a mound that reached higher than any of the others.
"What is it, General?" asked Ruth, gazing in the direction of thepoint.
"He smells somebody," volunteered Tommy. "Don't be afraid. I'm here," headded, swelling out his chest.
"It's a man!" cried Mollie. "He's there hiding behind that mound. I sawhim peer over the top just now. Oh, let's run. Hurry, girls!"
Tommy cast a withering look at Mollie and, whistling to the dog tofollow him, trudged toward the mound in question. Bab promptly followedhim, with Ruth not far behind her.