CHAPTER II--COWBOYS AND SKINNERS
"I don't know just what happened next," laughed George. "There were twopeals of thunder so near together that you could hardly clap your handsbetween them. When the first one came and I heard that call, I didn'tstand on the order of my departure. When the next clap sounded I wasaway down the road under that old oak tree."
All the four boys laughed heartily, even George apparently not beingcrestfallen by his lack of courage on the night he was describing.
"What is it you call the house?" inquired John.
"The Meeker House."
"You think it's haunted?"
"I didn't say so," responded George somewhat warmly. "I merely said itis a common report that it is a haunted house. I'm just telling you whathappened one night when I ran in there to get out of a storm."
"Poor old house," said George thoughtfully, as he looked back at the oldbuilding, which still could be seen in the distance. "It makes me thinkof Uncle Sim. He's the last leaf on the tree and I guess this is theoldest house in this part of the country."
Uncle Sim was an aged negro, who for many years had been in the employof George's father. His labor was no longer efficient, but his faithfulservices in the years that were gone had caused Mr. Sanders to providefor the wants of the gray-haired negro. Uncle Sim's form was bowed withthe weight of years which he carried and his trembling limbs showed howmuch he had suffered from the "mis'ry." Indeed, the boys had becomeconvinced that there was no topic concerning which the old man loved totalk as he did concerning his various aches and pains.
In spite of his afflictions, however, Uncle Sim was a warm friend of theboys. When they got into mischief Uncle Sim's face was lifted heavenwardso that he was unable to see any of the pranks they committed andtherefore was unable to impart any information when he was asked as tohis knowledge of their deeds. He was a great favorite of the boys andmany of his stories had been familiar to them from their earliestchildhood. He knew why the red squirrel and the black hated each otherso intensely. He was well informed concerning the perpetual warfare thatexisted between the dogs and cats on the farm. The call of the bluejayswas in a language which Uncle Sim claimed to understand. And although hedid not talk back to the chattering jays, nevertheless he stronglybelieved that they were much more guarded in their conversations when hewas nearby.
"You go ask Uncle Sim if the house is haunted," repeated George. "He'lltell you what he thinks and you won't have to wait very long for him todo it, either."
"Has he never been there?" asked Fred.
"You'd better ask him," declared George.
"What do you honestly think about it yourself, George?" said Grant moreseriously.
"I don't know just what to think. I haven't been there since--"
"Since when?" spoke up John encouragingly.
"Since the last time I was there."
"When was that?"
"That time I was telling you about when I ran in there to get out of therain."
"Will you go back there now if we'll go?" challenged Fred.
"I don't mind going," said George, "but I don't believe we'll have timethis afternoon." His three companions laughed derisively and so arousedhis spirit that he said brusquely, "That's all right, fellows. I'll goback there as soon as any one of you will go."
"All right, sir," called John. "Stop your car, and we'll all of us goback to the old Meeker House and find out if what you have been tellingus is true."
"Who ever heard," broke in Grant, "of ghosts walking around in thedaytime? The time for us to go there is when the ghosts are showing upwell."
"You didn't tell us, George, what the ghosts were?"
"No, I didn't see them," replied George.
"What do they say they are?"
"Why, the common report is, that ever since the days of the Revolutionthe ghosts of the Cowboys and Skinners have made their headquarters inthe old Meeker House and whenever there's a night that is especiallydark or there is a particularly heavy storm, then they come there andjoin in the racket."
"Cowboys?" demanded John. "What do you mean? Those fellows that drivethe cattle out on the plains?"
"No, sir, I mean the men who lived in this part of the country whenWashington was fighting for the independence of the United States. Buteven if they did live here they wouldn't help him. They said they didn'tbelong to either side, but the Cowboys usually took advantage of bothsides. When the men were away from home they would go into a house, ifthey thought there was any money hidden in some old stocking, and theywould take the women and hold their feet out over the fire until theytold where the money was."
"What were the Skinners?" inquired John.
"Why, they were about the same kind of men, the only difference beingthat the Cowboys took the families of the patriots, while the Skinnerspaid their first attention to the Tory families. I guess it didn't makemuch difference to either party as long as they found some money orcould get any valuables."
"What did they put up with such things for?"
"They had to put up with more or less of it," answered George. "You seemost of the men were away from home, fighting in the army. That gave theCowboys and Skinners their chance and they took it. When the men cameback the Cowboys and Skinners were gone."
"They were something like Georgie Porgie, weren't they?" laughed Grant."I don't know who he was, but when a certain part of the population ofwhich he was afraid began to get busy, Georgie Porgie ran away,--likewisethe Cowboys and Skinners."
"It's all very interesting," spoke up Fred, "but I don't believe there'ssuch a thing in all the world as a ghost."
"All right, sir," said George warmly. "All I want you to do is to talkto Uncle Sim and if he doesn't convince you that the Meeker House is thespecial place where all the people that walk around in the night havetheir headquarters, then I'm mistaken."
"I'll ask him just as soon as we get back," said Fred promptly.
Not long afterward the automobile entered the beautiful grounds of thefarm where the four boys were spending a part of the summer. The placewas attractive because of its quietness and the deep shade in the frontyard. A collie dog, lying on the ground, arose and stretched itself andthen bounded toward George as soon as the boys alighted. Around thecorner of the garage at that moment came Uncle Sim, his broad-brimmedhat carried in his hand and his face shining with perspiration and goodnature.
"Well, Uncle Sim," called Fred. "You can't guess where we've been."
"No, suh, no, suh," replied the negro, "I reckon I can't. Mos' gen'lly Ifinds out right soon whar yo' boys has been. Sometimes I can tell thed'rection in which yo' all is goin', even when I can't see none o'yo'all."
"How's that?" demanded John.
"Why, from the d'rection in which all the dogs and cats and birds andcows and I reckon everything that's able to get away, is movin'."
The boys laughed heartily at Uncle Sim's statement and Grant said, "But,Uncle Sim, you know we are the Go Ahead boys."
"Yas, suh. Yas, suh, I reckon I's somewhat familar with dat ar fac'."
"Uncle Sim, have you ever been in the Meeker House?" spoke up Grantabruptly.
For a moment the old negro was silent as he stared blankly at the boys.Shaking his head he said, "What fo' yo' ask me that question?"
"Because I want to know," said Grant.
"No, suh. I ain't never been inside the Meeker House, but I's been soclose dat I could hear what was er goin' on."
"Why, what is going on there?" inquired Fred. "The house seemed to me tobe deserted. Does any one live there?"
"No, suh. No, suh, no one lives dar. Leastwise, no one live dar in thedaytime."
"Who lives there at night?" inquired Fred.
Once more the negro was silent and it was evident that the boy'squestion had aroused certain feelings in the heart of Uncle Sim.
"Yo' all better take my advice," said the old negro, shaking his head ina still more solemn manner. "Yo' better keep away from de Meeker House."
"Why?" i
nquired John.
"No good comes to anybody dat goes to the Meeker House in the nighttime."
"But how do you know, Uncle Sim? You say you have never been there?"
"Yo' all keep away from dar. Min' what I tell you. Don't none o' you'boys go near dat old Meeker House after sundown."
"But you make us want to go all the more," said Grant.
Uncle Sim merely shook his head and made no further comment. It wasplain, however, that he was seriously troubled by the statement of Grantand that he was sincere in his warning.
"I say, fellows," called Fred quickly, "why don't we go over to theMeeker House to-night? It looks as if it is going to be cloudy," headded as he glanced up at the sky. "This will be just the ideal night.If there's anything uncanny around the place we'll be likely to find itout. Oh, you needn't go if you don't want to," he added quickly uponGeorge's unspoken protest. "You and Uncle Sim will be excused, if youdon't want to go."
"If you fellows go I'm not going to be left behind," spoke up Georgepromptly.
"Then it's all fixed," declared Fred gleefully. "We'll go to the MeekerHouse to-night."