The Phantom Violin / A Mystery Story for Girls

h Florence and Jeanne pla

n. When darkness "falls from the wings of night" this bottle-green bay, reflecting the trees,

shed point there are human habitations, none nearer. Little wonder,

let that

g creature caught on Florence's h

g girl remonstrated,

e!" Jeanne w

white spoon cost another dollar. Shal

fish, not a snake. There are no boa constrictors in America. He

" she panted. "You ju

the surface of the water. A magnificent specimen of his kind, he must have measured close to four feet from tip to tail.

vorite pool knows him no more. The beautiful speckled trout and the perch fare no better. Even little baby ducklings that sport about on the surface are not safe fr

aded, "let him go! Wha

lly make much use of him." Florence laughe

the boat he might bit

h his tail." Floren

it again. The fish turned. A third time the spoon rattled. There was a swirl o

one!" Jean

to send it rattling to the bottom of the boat. "But think of the picture he would ha

hat kind of publicity. If we could only have our pictures taken with some innoce

But unconscious of all this, Florence took up the oars an

ddenly held up a

lassy surface was broken by ten million ripples. At the same

Florence sent her boat gliding right to the bottle

k-walled shore line. Against this wall waves were now breaking. As the two girls watched, they saw white sheets of foam rise thirt

we're here for the night,

ne changed. "Wonde

the sandy beach, no dancing sprite came to meet t

hat the woods and waters were still. Only the distant sound

ence said as she sprang ashore. "If sh

flamed high. Larger branches of poplar and mountain ash gave a steadier bla

ad not, however, been lost. Truth is, she had never been lost in her life. There are th

m violin! I'm sure it was a phantom. Who else could be playing so divinely up there on that ridg

led any performance there in the brave days of long ago when onl

overspread her face, "tell us what r

he told her story so convincingly that even Florence was more than half convinced tha

pitched myself into the antlers of a giant moose who hadn't heard me coming. That frightened me. I went head

a long breath. "I listened for the

the fire. "Well, this one didn't. But I was afrai

rt of curves there, and-" Again she took a long breath. "I saw a light, thin, pale green light. It seemed to hover on the side of the r

st the rocks. So, pretty soon I climbed ba

ed, "what do yo

chuckled, "you have

g them," Je

ne. "You don't think that music could have been

ied at once. "I thi

such things. Why doubt them altogether? Besides, here wa

f a great mystery. But we shall unravel this mystery together, you and I. Is it not so? Mais

out this. If there were mysteries to solve, she must pl