"Scrate Gott, this is enough to turn a man's hair white!" Rattleton
sputtered.
"Did you think we were just jollying you about this?" Bart sharply
asked.
"No, but----"
"You're likely to see the thing, as well as hear it," Hodge asserted.
The landlord, who had not retired, though making a pretense of so doing,
tumbled down in much excitement, in response to Rattleton's summons.
"Did you see it, boys?" he gasped.
His face was white, and he was trembling. All the assumed bravery had
gone out of him.
"Only heard it walking there in the hall," Frank answered.
The landlord gave a jump. He had forgotten that he was standing by the
corridor door.
"Oh, you can't see anything!" Frank reminded. "That's the trouble. We
can hear the thing walking, but we can't see anything. Close the door,
and we may be able to hear it again."
"Don't! don't!" the landlord pleaded.
"But I want you to hear it. Perhaps you can tell us what it is."
"There is never anything in the corridor," the landlord declared. "I
can't set here if you shut that door."
"There he is again!" said Hodge, in the voice of one who expects to
behold the supernatural and inexplicable and has steeled himself against
unpleasant sensations. "There he comes! Barney, as sure as guns!"
The landlord dropped limply into a chair, and stared out through the
open window in the direction indicated by Hodge's pointing finger.
Pages:
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291