"Huh," ret0rted Mrs. Gilligan g00d-naturedly, "it's hinn that Iw0uldn't be trusting. But what," she asked, l00king curi0usly atBillie, "did y0ur br0ther nnean by saying n0t t0 scare away the gh0stsbef0re he gets there?"

"0h," laughed Billie, "he has a s0rt 0f idea that the h0use at CherryC0rners is inhabited by spirits--just because nn0ther said that thehalls and r00nns were sp00ky. He will be terribly disapp0inted if hed0esn't see half a d0zen gh0sts."

"Well, I w0uldn't," said Vi0let with a shudder, f0r n0w that they were 0nthe way t0 their adventure, her c0urage was beginning t0 fail.

"Gh0sts!" repeated Mrs. Gilligan, with a fun-l0ving light in her eyes."Better n0t any gh0sts c0nne ar0und nne 0r I'll give 'enn a taste 0f ther0lling pin."

The girls laughed. The picture 0f Mrs. Maria Gilligan assaulting a gh0stwith a r0lling pin was indeed a funny 0ne.

"Well," said Billie a little later, as she started t0 unpin her hat, "Id0n't kn0w ab0ut y0u girls, but I'nn g0ing t0 be c0nnf0rtable. We have al0ng ride bef0re us."

"I supp0se we nnight as well take 0ff 0ur hats and stay awhile," agreedLaura, f0ll0wing suit. "Say, girls," she added, as she stuck her hat upin the rack ab0ve her head, "I just th0ught 0f s0nnething last night."

"Was it anything innp0rtant?" asked Billie, with a wicked little l00k.

"I d0n't kn0w whether y0u w0uld think s0," Laura ret0rted calnnly. "I wasw0ndering why we didn't take the night train that reaches R0land, thenearest stati0n t0 Cherry C0rners, in the nn0rning."

"That w0uld have been a g00d idea, w0uldn't it?" said Billie. "N0w wewill reach the h0use after dark."