The Go Ahead Boys and the Mysterious Old House Part 4

"No, you won't, you'll stay right here and defend these fellows who are a good deal more scared than they are willing to own," retorted George.

The trio remained in silence before the front door, waiting for some word from their friend, who at once had carried out his suggested plan and had gone to the rear of the house.

Suddenly and without any word being spoken the heavy door in front of the waiting boys slowly opened. It creaked noisily but there was no question that George succeeded and the door was being opened from within.

Grant was the first to enter, but instantly he stepped back and in a voice that trembled said quickly, "What's that? What's that?"

There was a noise of flying wings in the room before them, but not one of the boys was able to see any of the winged creatures. Back and forth they flew, the unseen birds, their wings noisily flapping and their cries steadily increasing in volume.

Startled as all the boys were by the unexpected sound they withdrew to the porch in front of the door and in whispers talked over the best plan for them to follow.

"I say we go ahead," said Grant at last. "We don't want to be scared out by a little thing like this."

"That's all right," agreed Fred. "You're so bold, I'll let you go ahead.

I shall be satisfied to-night to be one of the go behind boys. I'm not afraid," he hastily added when Grant laughed derisively. "I'll follow you wherever you dare lead. Now then start if you want to."

No more was said and slowly and silently the boys once more entered the room into which the door directly opened.

This time again when only a few steps had been taken, by a common impulse they stopped and Fred whispered, "Where is George?"

"He's somewhere around here," whispered Grant in reply.

"But I don't see him or hear him," declared Fred. "We ought to find out what has happened."

"Oh, he's all right," said John confidently. "Come on, let's go ahead."

"We haven't any light," suggested Fred.

"We'll have one pretty soon. That's probably what George has gone for,"

whispered John. "He'll be back in a minute."

"I don't believe we had better try to go any farther. A good many of these old houses have steps from one room to another. I don't want Fred to fall and break his neck."

"Don't you worry about my--" began Fred, but he stopped abruptly when suddenly the shutters in the room directly over their head banged noisily against the side of the house. At the same time the sound of the flying creatures in the room was heard again and as if to make matters worse a sound very like a groan came from the stairway. The weird interruption was followed by a wild laugh that came from the same stairway and a moment later the confusion was increased by a sound more unexpected than any which as yet had been heard by the Go Ahead boys in the old Meeker House.

CHAPTER IV-FLIGHT

There had been a moment of intense silence which was sharply broken by a long whistling sound, that seemed to come from some place directly behind the spot where the boys were standing. This sound was followed by a prolonged sigh and this in turn was abruptly ended when out of the darkness there came a call, "F-r-e-d! Fred b.u.t.ton!" The call was in a low tone but coming as it did after the startling events which had occurred was almost more than Fred was able to bear. His nerves were unstrung and without a word he turned and swiftly made for the door, which fortunately had been left open.

Nor had Fred been long out of the house before he was joined by his companions. George, who previously had gone around to the rear door, came as quickly as John and Grant.

For a brief time the boys a.s.sembled under the branches of a huge cherry tree that was growing in one corner of the yard.

"What do you make of that?" demanded George. "I told you you might hear something about f.a.gan and the Cowboys if you went into that old Meeker House."

"It wasn't what I heard about them that troubled me," retorted Fred. "It was when I heard my own name called."

"Honest?" demanded George.

"Yes, sir. You ask the other fellows. Somebody right behind me called 'Fred.' 'Fred b.u.t.ton.' I was standing where I could see straight through the window and I am perfectly sure there wasn't anybody there. If you'll tell me how the thing was done I'll be much obliged to you."

"It wasn't done at all," laughed George. "You were just dreaming. It's one of those attacks of nightmare that you have some times. Don't you remember when we were at Mackinac,[1] how one night we had to throw some cold water in your face to make you wake up?"

"I guess that was the same night," retorted Fred, "when I had to administer condign and physical chastis.e.m.e.nt to you, you were kicking so in the bed."

"Yes, I have a very vivid recollection of that part of that night."

"Almost as vivid as you have of to-night," laughed George.

"I don't see anything to laugh at," said Fred sharply. "You ask the other fellows if somebody didn't call my name."

"It did sound like it," said John, "but then we were ready to believe almost anything and when Fred said there was somebody calling him we all heard 'Fred' on every side of us. What are we doing out here, anyway?

Why don't we go back there and look into it?"

"I'm going to look into it," said Fred quickly, "but I'm not going to look when I can't see. It's so dark to-night that you can't find anything."

"You seem to have found some things that made you leave the room faster than George goes when he runs the hundred in ten flat."

"Maybe I did," admitted Fred, "but if I did I want to tell you I never ran a race in which I was so hard pushed as I was to-night. There wasn't room to put a sheet of paper between Grant and me."

"That's all right," spoke up Grant. "I didn't take any part in your foolish conversation, but what I want to know is how you can account for these things."

"If you ask me," said George, "I'm not accounting for them."

"But there's some way to find out what these things mean. There isn't one of us a big enough fool to believe that there is such a thing as a ghost and yet we got into the old Meeker House,-"

"If there isn't any ghost," spoke up George, "then I don't see where the trouble is. You can't be afraid of something that isn't, can you?"

"I don't suppose you can," admitted Grant, "but sometimes you can be afraid of things you think are when they are not."

"You're getting too deep for me," said Fred. "What I want to know is about those wings. That room seemed to be just full of something that was flying all around."

"I'll tell you what it was," spoke up John.

"What was it?" inquired Fred quickly.

"Cherubs."

"What?"

"Cherubs. Don't you know what cherubs are? They are just heads with wings. You can find them on old tomb-stones and in the pictures of some of the old books. I have always thought that a cherub must be almost as happy as the people said he used to be. He didn't have to bother about any clothes except neckties and a hat. It doesn't take him very long to get from one place to another. In fact I think if Fred here was a cherub he would have had less trouble getting out of that house to-night than he did."

"You seem to be greatly troubled about my leaving that house," spoke up Fred testily. "I noticed that I wasn't alone."

"Except when you started," suggested Grant. "We thought you were in trouble and came out to see if we could help."