Part 2

“I know I’m not going to waste time searching for it,” Judy declared. “I am a bit worried though, about that milkman’s reference to strange noises. I wish I could be sure the cottage is all right before Aunt Mattie moves in.”

“There is a way,” Miss Ward returned. “We could sleep here for a night. In fact, it would relieve the congestion at Pine Cone Camp. We might try it tomorrow night.”

“Why not?” cried Virginia enthusiastically. “It would be fun!”

“We could stock the cottage larder and have everything ready for your aunt when she comes, Judy,” added Ardeth with equal zest for the proposal. “How about it?”

“I’d like to stay,” declared Judy. “It will give us a chance to learn if anything is wrong with the cottage.”

The girls remained on the premises another half hour. By the time they were ready to return to Pine Cone Camp, their friends drove up in the station wagon.

“At least Mr. Krumm relayed our message,” Ardeth said, as she climbed into the car. “Maybe he isn’t such a bad egg after all.”

From Calico Cottage, the station wagon followed a smooth pavement which wound in easy curves up the mountain. At a lookout point, the driver halted briefly to permit the girls to obtain a view of the distant peaks and valleys. They went on again, but presently were stopped by a forest ranger, whose green car was parked at the roadside.

“What have we done now?” Beverly Chester muttered uneasily.

The ranger greeted the campers courteously, dropping a handful of literature into Miss Ward’s lap.

“Welcome to Old Baldy Mountain,” he said. “This entire area is a national forest preserve. You’re staying at Pine Cone Camp?”

“Yes, we arrived last night,” Miss Ward replied.

“Girl Scouts always are careful about starting fires,” the ranger continued. “I wish other visitors here were as cooperative. You’re familiar with the regulations. The most important one is never to start a fire except in the designated places. You’ll find them all marked on the forest map.”

“We’ll be careful,” Miss Ward promised.

“My name is Arthur Wentz,” the ranger ended his little talk. “If I can be of service at any time, let me know.”

Back at Pine Cone Camp a few minutes later, the girls found they had just enough time for a brisk swim in the lake before dinner.

Judy and Kathleen, who were good swimmers, were paired together. They tried their skill on the diving board, watched a group of other Scouts receiving instruction in Red Cross Life Saving, showered off and were ready for a hot meal when it was served promptly at 5:30 p.m.

Later, when all the girls had gathered for songs and a nature talk in the main lodge room, Miss Lubell mentioned a plan whereby all interested patrols would take part in a competitive first-aid expedition.

“It will work like this,” she related. “Arrangements have been made for a forest patrol plane to drop messages to the various Scout groups which will scatter over the mountainside. The notes will provide fictional location of a plane crash. The patrols are to proceed as quickly as possible to the site of the crash, administer first aid and summon help. There will be an award for the patrol which accomplishes its mission first and with the most skill.”

“If it’s all to be imaginary, how will we give first aid?” Betty Bashe asked in a puzzled tone.

“Everything will be worked out carefully,” Miss Lubell replied, with a smile. “Although the crash is to be imaginary, counselors will be at the secret site selected. Notes pinned on their clothing, will provide clues as to the type of injury supposedly suffered. For example, one counselor may have an imaginary broken arm. The unit reaching the scene first, will be expected to care for the injuries exactly as if they were real.”

“Say, that will give us first class experience,” Kathleen declared enthusiastically. “I hope Beaver Patrol wins!”

Next day in camp the girls were given opportunity to brush up on previous first aid training, and patrol leaders received maps of the mountain area in the vicinity of Pine Cone Camp.

Throughout the day, when not otherwise absorbed by camp activities, the girls of Beaver Patrol pored over the map, thoroughly familiarizing themselves with every road and trail.

After lunch a telegram came for Judy from her Aunt Mattie Meadows, announcing that she would arrive in two days at Milburn.

“That doesn’t give us too long to prepare the cottage and make certain that everything is satisfactory there,” Judy remarked, as she showed Miss Ward the message. “Will we be permitted to stay at the cottage tonight?”

“I’ve talked it over with Miss Lubell,” the Scout leader replied. “While she considers it irregular for any of the girls to remain away from the camp, she realizes that through no fault of hers or ours, one of the tents is badly overcrowded. So until that situation can be corrected, she is granting permission for three of the girls, and myself, to sleep at the cottage. We’ll prepare our own breakfasts there, and then return here for the day’s program.”

“We’re staying at Calico Cottage tonight then?”

“Yes, Kathleen, as patrol leader, will remain here with Beverly and Betty. Ardeth and Virginia will go with us to the cottage. The camp station wagon will take us to Milburn where we can buy necessary supplies. Then we’ll be deposited at Calico Cottage, and be picked up again tomorrow morning.”

The plan was acceptable to everyone, although Kathleen, Beverly and Betty secretly were a bit disappointed that they were not to be included in the party.

“Never mind!” Miss Ward assured them. “Perhaps tomorrow night, we can trade places.”

At four o’clock, the station wagon came to take Miss Ward, Judy, Ardeth and Virginia to the Village. Most of their luggage was left behind, but each girl had packed a few essentials which would be needed for the over-night stay.

At Milburn, the Scouts sought a grocery store, there to make careful purchase of a list of supplies they had worked out. As she paid for the groceries, Judy remarked that they were to be used at Calico Cottage.

“Calico Cottage?” repeated the woman who had waited upon her. “Don’t tell me you’re staying at that place!”

“Yes, we are for a few days,” Judy admitted. “I rented the cottage for my aunt. Until she comes, a few of the Scouts plan to use some of the bed space.”

“You may like the cottage,” the woman replied. “No one could hire me to stay there though!”

“Why not?” Judy inquired, instantly alert. “What _is_ wrong with the cottage?”

“That’s what folks around here would like to know,” the woman replied with an expressive shrug of her shoulders. “It’s close to Hager’s Hole for one thing.”

“Hager’s Hole?”

“Some call it Calico Cave.” The clerk rang up the sale and packed the groceries into sacks for convenient carrying. She did not seem inclined to carry on the conversation.

“Please tell us what you know about the cottage,” Judy requested earnestly.

“Really, I don’t know a thing. I shouldn’t have said a word. It’s just that it seems sort of queer about the tenants.”

“Did anything happen to them?”

“Oh, no,” the woman answered. “But the last couple stayed only two days. They moved out in the middle of the night. Since then Mr. Krumm hasn’t been able to find another renter.”

_Chapter 3_

HAGER’S HOLE

The sun had lowered behind the spruce trees as the camp station wagon unloaded three sober-faced Scouts and their leader at the doorstep of Calico Cottage.

“I’m not certain that we should stay here,” Miss Ward remarked uneasily. “All this talk we’ve heard about the place makes me wonder if I’m acting wisely to allow the group to remain overnight.”

“And I’m worried about Aunt Mattie coming here,” Judy added. “I wish I never had taken the cottage. We’ve rented a lemon, that’s certain.”

The girls had been unable to glean any definite information from the woman in the grocery store. However, her observation that other tenants repeatedly had moved out, had filled them with misgiving.

At Miss Ward’s suggestion, Judy had gone to Mr. Krumm to ask for a rent refund. He had rejected the request, impatiently assuring her that nothing was wrong with the cottage.

“I thought Girl Scouts had nerve,” he lectured her. “What happens? You hear a few busybodies passing gossipy remarks, and immediately jump to false conclusions. When you rented the cottage I gave you a good price on it with the understanding that you’d stick by the deal. Now you come crying to me before you’ve spent even a night in the place.”

“Girl Scouts do have nerve,” Judy had replied, carefully controlling her temper. “We believe in being cautious though. And we don’t like to be misled or cheated.”

“It was your own proposition,” Mr. Krumm retorted. “You wanted the cottage and you got it. I’m making no refund!”

So now, as the three Scouts stood on the porch waiting as Miss Ward unlocked the door, they were wondering what the night might bring forth.

There was little conversation as the girls quietly set to work making the cottage more liveable. Ardeth opened the windows to air out the rooms. Virginia made up the beds, while Judy and Miss Ward put away the groceries.

“You’re not much worried about staying here tonight are you?” Judy asked the leader as she stacked eggs in the refrigerator.

“No. If I were, I’d take the girls back to Pine Cone Camp,” Miss Ward replied. “Frankly though, I don’t like the things we’ve heard. I can’t imagine why tenants would leave here suddenly unless--”

“Calico Cottage may have a ghost,” Judy supplied with a nervous giggle.

“Judy, we know there are no such things!”

“Maybe by staying here we can disprove the rumors that have been circulating,” Judy said soberly. “Now, if we could, that would be performing a real service for Mr. Krumm.”

An inspection of the cottage and the grounds immediately surrounding it, proved reassuring. Save that a musty, damp odor lingered in the dwelling even after rooms had been thoroughly aired, the girls could detect nothing amiss.

“Our telephone is connected,” Miss Ward reported. She had tested it by calling Miss Lubell at Pine Cone Camp. “It’s reassuring to know that if anything should go wrong, we’ll not be cut off from help.”

“As we were last winter at Maple Leaf Lodge!” Judy added with a laugh. “Remember how that man, who pretended to be a caretaker, cut the wires?”

“And the exciting time we had at Penguin Pass with Monstro the Snowman!” contributed Virginia, who had overheard the conversation. “Those were the days!”

“You speak as if our adventures are over,” chuckled Ardeth. “I have a hunch we may have a few here at Calico Cottage before we’re through.”

The three girls became thoughtful as they reflected upon a recent skiing excursion to Maple Leaf Lodge on Candy Mountain. Judy, at the time, had been a Tenderfoot Scout. However, she had proven her courage and by passing difficult tests, had moved up in rank.

For that matter, not only Judy, but the entire patrol had won the admiration of villagers by the efficient manner in which the capture of a dangerous criminal had been accomplished. This story of the Girl Scouts’ meeting with a clever impersonator has been told in the first volume of a series, entitled: “The Girl Scouts at Penguin Pass.”

Judy and Ardeth peeled potatoes for the evening meal, set the table and prepared a simple salad.

“Anything more?” Judy then inquired.

“Not for awhile,” Miss Ward replied. “The meat loaf will take at least thirty minutes more in the oven. Then we’ll have dinner.”

“Mind if Ardeth and I do a bit of exploring?”

“Not if you’ll be back within half an hour.”

“We will,” Judy promised. “Want to come along, Virginia?”

“No, thanks, I’ll stay to help Miss Ward with last minute things,” she decided. “Besides, I had enough hiking this morning.”

Letting themselves out the screen door, Judy and Ardeth walked through the aisle of tall trees to the main highway. Then, without any discussion, they turned into the narrow private road, and struck off in the general direction of Calico Cave.

“No telling how far it may be,” Judy presently remarked. “Or whether we can find it quickly. I simply have to see that place!”

“Caves always fascinated me,” declared Ardeth, walking fast to keep up with her friend. “I hope this one has stalactites.”

For awhile, the girls walked directly into the setting sun. The road was hemmed in on either side with stately evergreens which spiced the air with a pleasant fragrance. Presently, hearing a sound behind her, Judy looked back and was astonished to see a small dog following almost at her heels. She halted to coax him to her. He wagged his stub tail, and licked her hand affectionately.

“Why, Ardeth, it’s Pete!” she exclaimed.

“Not the milkman’s dog?”

“It’s the same dog, I’m sure. Do you suppose he jumped off the milk truck and is lost?”

“He doesn’t act lost,” Ardeth rejoined as the animal started on ahead of Judy. “In fact, he seems to know right where he’s going.”

“Maybe we should catch him,” Judy said doubtfully. “He might get lost in the woods.”

The two Scouts started after Pete, but the faster they hurried, the more distance the dog put between them. Now and then, he would pause to look back and bark, as if to tell them that he thoroughly enjoyed the game.

Presently the weed-grown private road came to a dead-end in a loop which permitted a car to turn around and retravel the route it had come. A weather-beaten signboard read: “To Calico Cave,” its painted arrow pointing up a rocky trail.

“Come back here, Pete!” Judy called. “Why, you little scamp!”

Paying not the slightest heed, the dog trotted up the trail.

“He acts as if he’s been here before,” Ardeth observed. “Maybe he’s trying to guide us to the cave!”

“We really should turn back,” Judy said. “Oh, well, if we hurry, maybe we’ll have time to take a quick peek at the cave.”

Struggling up the sharp incline, the girls soon came to an opening amid the tall bushes. To their right was an expanse of limestone rock, badly eroded by the elements.

“There it is! The cave!” Judy cried as she discerned a small, dark opening.

Pete had gone directly to the entrance and stood there, barking and jerking his head, as if to beckon the girls.

“That dog has been here before all right!” Judy declared. “Otherwise he wouldn’t be so excited about the place.”

With Ardeth close behind, she picked her way across the rocky path to the projecting shelf. The cave opening was barely shoulder height and not more than four feet wide.

Curiously, Judy peered down into the dark interior. “It’s just a narrow passage leading gradually into a deep endless hole,” she reported. “I imagine though, that the cave may open up into a large chamber somewhere below. Want to explore?”

“You and your jokes!”

Judy laughed and turned to leave. Ardeth however, crouched down to direct her gaze into the opening.

“I can hear water dripping,” she reported. “Say, why do you suppose the name of this place was changed from Hager’s Hole to Calico Cave? Or are they one and the same?”

“Ask Pete,” Judy replied with a chuckle. “He seems to know more about the place than we do.”

She whistled to attract the dog’s attention, but he paid her no heed. Even after she and Ardeth started down the path, he kept sniffing at the cave entrance.

“Come on, Pete!” Judy called impatiently.

“Maybe he thinks he’ll find a rabbit down in that hole,” Ardeth remarked. “I hate to leave him here alone. I’ve heard of dogs losing themselves in caves.”

“He’ll come in a minute or two,” Judy returned. “He’s only trying to tease us.”

Pete, however, did not follow the girls. At the bend of the path, they looked back again. Even as they called to him, he barked and vanished into the dark hole.

_Chapter 4_

NIGHT SOUNDS

“Why, that crazy Pete!” Judy cried as she saw the dog disappear into the opening. “He went into the cave!”

Worried lest the pet lose himself in the dark cavern, the girls quickly ran back to the shelf of projecting rock.

Anxiously, Judy peered into the deep, rather terrifying hole.

“Pete!” she called. “Pete! Come back here!”

The little dog could not be seen, but the girls heard a muffled, answering bark. It seemed to come from far down in the bowels of the rock.

“He’s a long distance in,” Judy said anxiously. “What’ll we do, Ardeth? Go after him?”

“No, we don’t dare,” the other decided. “It’s dangerous to explore caves without taking precautions. Besides, Miss Ward is expecting us at the cottage.”

“Pete may never find his way out. That’s what worries me.”

The dog’s smothered bark gradually faded until no sound could be heard. Thrusting head and shoulders into the hole, Judy tried again to catch a glimpse of the truant pet.

“Not a sign of him,” she reported hopelessly. “All we can do is report to Bart Ranieau. He was such a nice little dog--”

“Do you see him?” Ardeth demanded as Judy broke off her remark.

For a long moment, Judy made no reply. Then she pulled her head out of the opening, staring at her friend rather wide-eyed.

“What’s wrong?” Ardeth questioned. “Did you see a ghost?”

“You look down there in that hole,” Judy urged. “Tell me what you see.”

Ardeth moved in close beside her, peering into the darkness. A gust of wind ruffled her hair and nearly bowled her headlong into the cave. She grasped a projection of limestone rock for support.

“See it?” Judy demanded.

“Pete, you mean?”

“No! No! Look far down the passageway, Ardeth.”

Try as she would, Ardeth could see nothing save empty space. Now that her eyes were becoming more accustomed to the blackness, she could make out a white rock floor, and on the ceiling, a wet patch where grew a tight mat of lichens. But that was all.

“Look down,” Judy directed again. “I’m sure I didn’t imagine that I saw something moving in the passageway.”

Once more Ardeth directed her gaze below, and involuntarily stiffened.

“Now I see it!” she exclaimed. “Why, it looks like a moving light!”

“I thought so too,” Judy agreed. “You don’t suppose anyone could be down there?”

“At this late hour?”

“It doesn’t seem likely, does it?”

“Maybe Calico Cave has a ghost,” Ardeth declared with a nervous giggle. “Wouldn’t that be something!”

Judy had peered into the cave again. “The light is moving away, descending the passageway,” she reported. “Ardeth, Pete may have started down there to investigate.”

“If he did, he’s welcome to the job! Just to look down into that ink well gives me the jitters. Poor Pete! We’ll never see him again, I’ll bet.”

“Someone will have to get him out,” Judy insisted. “It would be too heartless to let him die in there. Miss Ward will know what to do.”

Though she would not have admitted it, the moving light which seemed to have no explanation, had somewhat unnerved her. With dusk coming on, she was eager to be away from the lonely locality.

“Okay,” Judy agreed reluctantly.

Before getting up from the crouched position, she took a last look into the cave. The light had vanished completely and Pete likewise could not be seen.

“Since we can’t save Pete without risking our safety, I guess we may as well hike for Calico Cottage,” Ardeth declared quickly.

The chill of evening was in the air as the two girls silently trudged back the way they had come. A rising breeze whipped the evergreens overhead, making ragged shadows, and causing the needles to whisper mournfully. Far below, the White River remained visible in the dying sunlight, a wide, shining band of silvery blue.

At Calico Cottage, supper was nearly ready. Judy and Ardeth, however, had little appetite. Dejectedly, they related their discovery of the cave, and their misfortune in losing Pete.

“You were wise not to try to venture into that hole,” Miss Ward assured the two girls. “The dog may wander out by himself. Even if he is lost, the risk of trying to bring him out without a guide, would be very great.”

“You really think Pete will get out by himself?” Judy asked, brightening.

“He may. At any rate, he’ll survive for many days. I’ll telephone the young milkman and tell him his dog is lost. You’re certain the pet was his?”

“It was Pete, all right,” Ardeth answered. “He acted as if he’d been in that cave before too.”

“Then there’s an excellent chance he may find his way out,” the troop leader asserted. “I’ll telephone the dog’s owner now. Do you recall his name, Judy?”

“Bart Ranieau.”

Miss Ward went directly to the telephone, but was unable to contact the young man. She learned that he roomed in the village, and was informed by his landlady that after coming in from his milk route, he had left without saying where he intended to go.

“If we can’t get word to him by tomorrow morning, I’ll notify the forest rangers,” Miss Ward decided. “They’ll know how to proceed.”

As night came on, the girls washed all the dishes and tidied the kitchen. The very nearness of the cave and the knowledge that Pete was lost somewhere in its vast recesses, tended to depress them.

Virginia spoke somewhat wistfully of Pine Cone Camp, speculating upon whether or not the other Scouts might be having a ceremonial fire and singfest there.

“We’re cut off from the fun here,” Judy acknowledged. “It’s my fault too. If Aunt Mattie hadn’t sent that telegram, we’d all be in camp together.”

“Considering the mix-up over reservations, the sleeping arrangement is much better here,” Ardeth declared. “Besides, we don’t want your aunt to have this cottage if it isn’t suitable.”

“It’s a Girl Scout’s duty to be useful and to help others,” added Virginia gravely. “At any rate, we like Calico Cottage.”

“I can’t see anything wrong with the place,” Ardeth picked up the conversation. “Of course, it’s isolated and a bit lonely off here in the pines. Now and then that musty odor hangs over the place, and one can’t seem to localize it. The cottage isn’t really damp.”

“I’ve been annoyed by that odor myself,” said Miss Ward. “It was especially strong when first we opened up the cottage. I wonder if it comes from the cellar?”

“With that door locked, we can’t investigate,” Judy responded. “What do you suppose became of the key? And why did Mr. Krumm advise us to keep the door locked? Those questions keep going around in my mind.”

The evening passed slowly for the girls. Ardeth sewed and the others tried to read. As a chill crept over the cottage, Miss Ward lighted a heater which made the living room more cheerful. By eight-thirty, everyone was ready to go to bed.

“We must be abroad early in the morning,” Miss Ward warned. “Breakfast at seven. The camp station wagon will pick us up between eight-thirty and nine o’clock.”

Judy and Ardeth had elected to share one of the bedrooms, while Virginia and the teacher took the adjoining chamber. The mattresses were surprisingly comfortable.

Snuggling down into the covers, Judy closed her eyes, but was annoyed to discover that she was not sleepy. Ardeth, on the other hand, curled up like a kitten, and soon was breathing with deep regularity.

“What’s the matter with me anyhow?” Judy asked herself. “I guess I can’t take the comforts of home.”

For awhile, she stared out the open window, watching the movement of the pine trees. A strong, cool breeze had arisen. It flapped the calico draperies and whistled around the corners of the flimsily-built cottage.

Judy resolutely tried not to think of Calico Cave or poor Pete, but the harder she struggled to banish the unpleasant recollection, the more clearly it emerged. She could visualize the little dog, wandering helplessly deeper and deeper into the cavern, always searching for an exit which never materialized.

“I’m becoming positively morbid!” she told herself sternly. “Enough of this!”

Judy tossed off the blankets and taking care not to disturb Ardeth, went quickly to the kitchen for a drink of water.

The cottage was very still. Now that she was abroad, Judy began to regret that she had left her comfortable, warm bed. The kitchen was icy cold and the only light came from a half moon which shone eerily through the windows.