The Phantom Yacht

by Carol Norton

  CHAPTER XVII. MORE MYSTERIES

  Long after Dories slept that night Nann lay awake thinking of the severalmysteries surrounding them. Who was leaving the notes in places where thegirls could not help finding them; who was carrying a lantern on therocky point at night; was it the same light that was seen in the old ruinby people living in Siquaw Center, and why had the blind in the Burtoncottage opened ever so little and then closed again as though someone hadpeered out at them for a brief moment? It was indeed puzzling. Could itpossibly have anything to do with the Phantom Yacht? Nann decided thatwas impossible. At last she fell asleep. When she awakened it was nearlydawn. The fog had drifted away, the stars shone out and the full moonmade it as light as day.

  Nann, the fearless, decided to dress and go out on the sand and look atthe Burton cottage. She was nearly dressed before she realized that ifDories woke and found her gone, she might scream out in her fright andwaken the old woman, and so she shook her gently, whispering her plan.Dories' eyes showed her terror at being left alone. She got up at once."I simply will not stay in this haunted loft," she declared vehemently."I'm going with you." As it was still dark they took the lighted lanternwith them, but when they reached the back porch, Nann whispered that theywould have to put out the light as they would be seen if, indeed, therewas anyone to see them. "We'll take it, though. I have matches in mypocket. We'll light it if we need it."

  Dories clung to her friend's hand as Nann led the way back of the row ofboarded-up cottages. When they reached the seventh, Dories suddenly drewback and whispered, "Nann, why are we doing this? What are you expectingto see? I'm simply scared to death." Her companion realized that this wastrue, since Dories' teeth were chattering. Self-rebukingly, she said, "O,I ought not have brought you. In fact, I probably shouldn't have comemyself, but I am so eager to solve at least one of the mysteries thatsurround us." Then she told how she had been sure that she had seen ablind open ever so slightly and close late the afternoon before as thoughsomeone had been watching them. "I thought if someone goes every night tothe old ruin and returns to the Burton cottage to hide during the day, heprobably comes just about this hour, and that if we were watching, wemight at least see what the--the--well--whoever it is--looks like." Theyhad crouched down in the shadow of the seventh cottage as Nann made thisexplanation.

  Slowly the darkness lightened, the stars and moon dimmed and the eastbecame gray; then rosy, but still there had been no sign of anyoneentering the Burton cabin. Nann had been sure that an entrance could notbe made in the front of the cottage as the lower windows and door on thatside were securely boarded up. The back door was not boarded, and so thatwas where she was watching.

  An hour dragged slowly by. The sun rose and was well on its apparentupward way, and still no one appeared.

  "Don't you think that maybe you imagined it all?" Dories inquired atlength as she tried to change her position, having become stiffened fromcrouching so long.

  "Why, no, I am sure that I didn't." Then, fearless as usual, Nannannounced, "I'm going up to the back porch and try the door."

  This she did, and to her surprise it opened, creaking noisily as it swungon rusty hinges.

  Dories leaped to her side. "Gracious, Nann, are you going in?" shewhispered tragically. "If anyone is in there, he might lock us in orsomething."

  Nann turned to reply, but instead she exclaimed: "Why, Dories Moore,you're whiter than any sheet I ever saw. If you're that scared, we'dbetter go right home."

  "I am!" Dories nodded miserably. "I wouldn't any more dare go into thiscottage than--than----"

  "Then we won't." Nann took her friend by the hand and together they wentdown the back steps, and Dories said: "I'd rather go home by the frontbeach if you don't mind. It's more open. There's something so uncannyabout the swamps at the back."

  "Anything to please," was the laughing reply. As they rounded thecottage, Nann looked curiously at the upper windows, and was sure thatshe saw the same blind open ever so little, then close again. She saidnothing of this, and tried to change the trend of her companion'sthoughts by talking about Gibralter Strait and wondering if they wouldsee him during that day which had just dawned. Nann was deciding that shewould take Gib into her confidence. A boy as fearless as he was would notmind entering the Burton cottage and finding out why that upper blind hadopened and closed as it seemed to do.

  As they neared their home cabin, Dories became more like her natural selfand even skipped along the hard beach, laughing back at Nann as shecalled, "Another glorious, sparkling day! I hope something interesting isgoing to happen."

  "I believe something will," Nann replied. They were nearing the frontsteps when Dories stood still, pointing, "Look at that stone lying in themiddle of the top step. How do you suppose it ever got there?"

  Nann shook her head and, leaping up the steps, she lifted the small rock,then turned back, exclaiming: "Just what I thought! Here is today's notefrom your ghost. It's much too clever for us." Then she read: "In ninedays you shall know all."

  Not wishing to awaken Miss Moore at so early an hour, the girls tiptoeddown the steps and went around to the back of the cabin.

  "Let's look in the woodshed by daylight," Nann suggested as she unboltedthe door. "Nothing within, just as I supposed," she remarked. "Humm-ho.We're not very good detectives, I guess."

  They started walking toward the kitchen. "But why try to find out whatthe mysteries are about if every day brings us one nearer to the timewhen we are to know all?" Dories inquired.

  Nann laughed. "O, I'd heaps rather ferret the thing out for myself thanbe told." Then she said more seriously: "Honestly, Dori, I don't thinkthe notes refer to the mystery of the old ruin at all. I think, if thatis ever solved, we'll have to find it out for ourselves."

  "Why do you think that?"

  "I'd rather not tell quite yet." They entered the kitchen. "Now," Nannsaid, "I'm going to make a fire and get breakfast. We've been up so longthat I'm ravenously hungry. I'm going to make flapjacks no less."

  "Good!" Dories replied. "I won't refuse to eat them." Although consumedwith curiosity concerning what her friend had said, Dories decided tobide her time before asking Nann to explain.