The Phantom Treasure

iating Jannet into the pleasures of country life. It was a new atmosphere to Jannet and she liked it. They were all a little stiff at first, pleasant, but waiting to see what the girl

im and he objected to her packing. "Of course I'm going to take that, P'lina. That is one of the most important things. If you ca

sure like a bat or a ball glove or mask had been omitted. She was beginning a diary, suggested to her by her mother's having kept

t ownership in the place, liked to take care of this old part of the home herself. Paulina was "queer," Jannet thought. She could not tell what Paulina thought of her, but she rather hoped that Paulina did not hate her, for "Old P'lina" was a

y at home, unexpected company for supper. But they enjoyed the evening together, Mrs. Hol

eam "salad" over it or "by" it, as Jannet put it. Nuts, maraschino cherries and pineapple made this toothsome. But this was Jan's last evening at home. Sometime the next day he was leaving for

not far from bedtime and Jan suggested that Chick go

annet, with a freedom which she was beg

t work yet. I want to get Chick's ideas about it. Then

you ever hear or s

ht be from some ordinary cause. But once I did-oh, well, there are lots of odd sounds an

ere after dark for w

lina says. There's a rambling sort of hall, and a door, that Paulina keeps locked, into the rest of the

look at Chick which was in

ell suggested, and Jannet thought to

y of my mother's boxes or trunks are up th

dn't dare

would

es laughed into Jannet's sparkling ones. "W

l, Jan," his c

the "trouble and muss" of a fire here, among the cherished antiques of the kitchen. "Before the weather gets too hot," meditatively said Jannet, taking a last piece of the sticky but very delicious sweet from one of the pans, "

red Nell, "but remember that C

I've read about the good times in the country in t

keep you here, Jannet.

ot be so nice after all, not to go back to the girls and Miss Hillia

get to bed. With a kind goodnight she left them, and they heard her routing the boys from their atti

m on this side," Jannet explained, "belonged to my grandfather and grandmother, and the big chimney, with gorgeous fireplaces, is between their room and what was my mother's, now mine. There are plenty of other fireplaces, though," she added,

e has a cot in the

't think that he would

ught that you didn'

ame,-" and Jannet stopp

er another had interfered with her having had an opportunity to open the secret drawer in her desk for a glimpse of the pearls. First she had been expecting Paulina in to clean. Then, after some

er mother's room and her mother's picture, she was anxious to assure herself of her new possession in the desk and felt impatient wit

e said that her uncle intended to turn it into a summer hotel, and others said that he had expected his daughter's family t

mpathetic Jannet. "Wouldn't

y he would

h the why and wherefore of our fa

n Chick says

desk before, but Jann

hat I found in it, something wonderful,-my mothe

elf in front of her desk, now open, and pressed the spring as she had

net exclaimed. "Why, Nell, it's just as it happened before! Mother lost them, too, or

looking at Nell, who drew up a chair and took one

ink that Mother has worn them. I'd think it a dream, but Nell, I put them on my neck and lov

e gone? They did not walk off by themselves certainly, and there isn't another thing in the

d see if they could have been put in another drawer,-or something." As she spoke, Jannet began to open the little dra

elped, Nell, and as I never did have them before, I can get along without them now. Let's get to bed. I'm glad that you think the room is pretty and

turning off the light, that Nell happened to think of something. "Jannet, you'll find

tion of the old fortune-teller's cracked tones that Nell laughed and Jann

asleep; for Nell was an easy-going girl, not nervous about fancied ghosts in a room as bright and pleasant as this, while Jannet

at, was floating away from her. Nell was not stirring the least bit and she could not even hear her breathe. That was odd. Cautiously she turned, sighed

s Nell only startled at some little sound? Jannet had bolted her door, but it would be possible for some one to climb up on the trellis a

night was cloudy, without star or moon visible. Quite a breeze was stirring. Pe

t might be the broken branch that she had

ch Banshee" that Jan had mentioned. It was indescribable, something like the whistling

coming down a stairway; why, it sounded right in the wall, Jannet thought

est, that came back to its old home? In the daytime Jannet would not have had these fearful thought

an and suddenly stopped w

triloquist?" wh

Nell, "and n

ll. Then the "Dutch Banshee" began again.

ered Nell.

sat up in bed, determined not to be frightened as she had been before. If there were anything going on, she was going to see it,

veiled light on the wall, as if shining through! What in the w

's expression: "I suppose that's 'Her' coming down some stairs

e darkness, and looking in the direction of the wall where the light had appeared. Ther

. "Come on." But just then there came that clicking sound that Jannet had heard on that other

Gently it moved. Jannet, ready for an experiment to find out if this were a person or a ghost that entered her room so mysteriously, reached for the slowly mov

and the door. As she pushed the button, she was sure that she heard a similar sound behind her, but she only glanced

istening. Nothing followed them. They peeped back into the room af

fool us in some way?" asked Nell,

his business of pulling a cover off happened once before, Nell. Perhaps ther

if the boys are in the

e other time was b

quietly down the back stairs, and Nell stepped close to the door to listen. A heavy pin, with which she had

runt answered him. The bed creaked and the girls flew upst

"shall we wake up Paulina and get things stirred up

Nell. "Put down the window

er, child,"

get into it unless that is done." Nel

was a funny feeling, Nell, to jerk that

oked undisturbed. Jannet put the windows down to a point where they would have to be raised to admit anyone. Again she went over the paneled wall to see if there w

s bricks discolored by many a fire. "What's

like this,-are you a

hey found the door of the other room locked and looked at e

ide lights on and put that little screen I have up on a chair to keep

have gotten through. W

bout the same time, I think, that the comforter went off my bed and never did come back. I've always wanted to ask Paulina about it, but som

is,-and yet you

ng to find out what or who do

if she is in her room. Don't yo

p it, and with our putting on

he sound of an opening door. The light went on in the

so funny. She had thrust her feet into immense woolen slippers, wore t

lost the coverlid, as I lost

"that blue comforter

never see

t. I thought that

. Nell laughed. "It was us in the

as Her in your room

?" asked Jannet. "No

nd goes through walls. Go to bed. There'll be n

I'm going to leave

went off in the sudden fashion she had, an

her disturbance, relieved the situation for the girls. Nell, with a sigh of reli

ulina, and not try to see it through myself. Who do you

n she is, and I 'spect P'lina's mad at your Uncle Pieter

ut the family history. I've been afraid to ask her so far. I'm

this to my grandchildren and you will see th

s to hop into bed. "Perhaps in time I'll get so used to our ghost,"

You might get

affair, wondering and thinking for some time, Jannet's mind dwelling on the pearls as well. "Nell," she said, sleepily, after a little, "perhaps the