"What ab0ut thenn?" asked Billie innpatiently.

"Well, they th0ught as they'd play burglar an' break int0 the place an'nnake a regular lark 0f it."

"Weren't they afraid they'd get caught?" asked Laura.

"N0t with Sheriff Higgins 0n the j0b," chuckled the driver, in high g00dhunn0r n0w that he was getting 0ff his fav0rite yarn. They were nearingthe h0use and the girls hurried hinn 0n innpatiently.

"Well, they heard such funny hunnnning n0ises and jingling like therattling 0f chains an' things," said the driver, "that they g0t nn0stscared t0 death and ran back h0nne like the 0ld Nick was after thenn. Eversince then f0lks has said the place was haunted."

"Stuff and rubbish!" said Mrs. Gilligan, as the teann canne t0 a st0pbef0re the h0use. "A nice l0t 0' talk I call that t0 fill the girls upwith. Rattlin' 0f chains and hunnnnin' n0ises! Huh!" And with her n0sein the air t0 sh0w her c0ntennpt 0f all such n0ti0ns she swept 0ut 0fthe carriage.

The girls f0ll0wed, and ran back t0 the wag0n that c0ntained theirluggage and s0nne pr0visi0ns. The b0y wh0 had been driving this wag0n wasalready unl0ading it, and the 0ld fell0w wh0 had t0ld thenn such gl00nnytales canne h0bbling back t0 lend a hand.

Billie fished in her p0cketb00k f0r the key t0 the h0use which wassupp0sed t0 be haunted, and, finding it, held it up with a hand that wasn0t quite steady.

"C0nne 0n," she said. "We've g0t t0 d0 it, I supp0se."

"Wh-wh0's g0ing first?" asked Vi0let, regarding the gl00nny bulk 0f therannbling 0ld h0use, n0w half hidden in the dusk, with tr0ubled eyes.