Part 6

“Perhaps it can be arranged,” Miss Ward remarked. “I’ll talk to Miss Lubell about it and see what she thinks. Caves certainly are educational.”

“Captain Hager knows a lot about them too,” contributed Judy. “He told us a great deal, but I have a hunch there’s more he left unsaid.”

“About the White Witch?” inquired Virginia.

“The White Witch and maybe some other things,” she hinted. “Both Captain Hager and Bart seem to dislike Mr. Krumm. If it weren’t for that personal feeling, I suspect they might tell us more about the ghost of Calico Cottage.”

_Chapter 12_

THE PRIVATE ROAD

After lunch at Pine Cone Camp, the Scouts busied themselves washing their clothes and cleaning the Beaver Patrol tent. Miss Lubell sent word by one of the counselors that other quarters would be available for the girls by nightfall.

“I guess we’ll have no excuse for staying at Calico Cottage tonight,” Judy said regretfully. “You know, that boy with the flute intrigues me!”

“Everyone in camp has heard about him,” added Ardeth as she hung a blouse on the line to dry. “We’re being teased no end. If we don’t solve the mystery before we leave here, we’ll never hear the last of it.”

Miss Ward had overheard the conversation, and interposed a word. “It might be well for a couple of Scouts to stay with Judy’s aunt tonight,” she proposed. “I’m satisfied that the cottage is safe, but strange sounds at night can be most disturbing to a nervous person alone.”

“I’ll stay with Aunt Mattie, if I may,” Judy promptly volunteered.

“I’d like to myself,” added Ardeth. “While I’m there, I want to visit the cave again. If I could get one of those bats we heard about, we’d have a fine entry for the nature treasure chest.”

“The cave is out-of-bounds without a guide,” Miss Ward returned. “I talked to Miss Lubell about it. She thinks we may be able to arrange a tour for the entire camp later this week. The problem is to find a suitable guide. It seems that with the exception of Bart and Captain Hager, few persons go near the place.”

“Someone has been in there lately,” Judy said, reminding the teacher of the dead camp fire ashes they had seen at the cave entrance.

Shortly before two o’clock, the station wagon took Miss Ward, Judy and Ardeth to the village depot. A smoky haze hung over the mountainside, and the girls were somewhat disturbed to learn that a small forest fire had broken out across the river on Brady’s Ridge.

Enroute to the station they met a forest service truck and passed a ranger with a portable radio on his shoulder.

The driver of the station wagon pulled up, to ask the forest service man if the situation was considered at all serious.

“Everything’s under control,” the ranger assured him. “It’s a small brush fire. We’re keeping a close watch of the entire area though.”

“How did the fire start?” inquired Miss Ward.

The ranger shrugged. “Perhaps from a carelessly dropped cigarette. Or a motorist may have tossed a match out of a car window. The fire apparently started close to the road. You folks will be all right, if you don’t try to cross the river. Keep on this side.”

The haze of smoke hung low as the station wagon parked near the depot. Judy sniffed the fumes and coughed.

“What a welcome for Aunt Mattie!” she remarked. “She’ll be scared to death that the fire will spread to this side of the river. And if we tell her about the ghost--”

“I don’t believe I’d do that,” Miss Ward advised. “And least not for a day or so. Why disturb her unnecessarily?”

“You’re right,” Judy promptly agreed. “If the ghost makes any more trouble, Aunt Mattie will find out about it soon enough. Mum’s the word.”

The train proved to be half an hour late. Finally it rumbled in, throwing up dust and cinders. Aunt Mattie Meadows was on the last Pullman car. She was a jolly-faced woman of forty-two, well turned out in a trim gray suit, with a white carnation in the lapel.

“Hi, Aunt Mattie!” Judy cried, rushing to greet her.

Miss Meadows enfolded her niece in a warm embrace, and then held her off at arm’s length for a better view.

“Why, you’re brown as an Indian!” she exclaimed. “What have you done to your complexion?”

“Liberal doses of sun, wind and lake water,” Judy chuckled. She turned to present Miss Ward and Ardeth.

Miss Meadows greeted them, made a few casual remarks and then sniffed the air. “Goodness! Do I smell smoke?” she demanded. “Is something on fire?”

“Only a little brush across the river,” Judy said carelessly. She picked up her aunt’s suitcase and started for the station wagon. “Nothing to worry about.”

Aunt Mattie kept sniffing the air. “Dear me, it doesn’t seem a little fire could make so much smoke. Judy, are you quite sure there’s no danger? You’re not keeping anything from me?”

“The ranger assured us there is no danger. Don’t give it a thought, Aunt Mattie.”

Miss Meadows fell silent as she was escorted to the waiting station wagon. Nevertheless, she kept gazing toward the horizon in the direction of the river.

Going up the winding mountain road, the woman became increasingly ill at ease. At each sharp turn, she instinctively braced herself, as if fearing the car would roll off into a ravine.

“I hope you rented a nice cottage for me, Judy,” she chatted. “You didn’t write me a word about it.”

“There wasn’t time, Aunt Mattie. In fact, we didn’t have any choice in selecting the cottage. We had to take the only place available.”

“Is it a quiet place? I’ve had a hard, tiring year, and I do want to have complete rest.”

“Well, Calico Cottage is off the beaten path,” Judy replied evasively. “How quiet it will prove to be no one can predict.”

The station wagon rounded a curve and slowed to a standstill. Peering ahead, the girls saw that a wooden barrier had been placed across part of the highway, blocking traffic.

“Now what?” murmured Judy. “This wasn’t here when we came down the mountain an hour ago.”

A state highway patrolman came over to the station wagon. Recognizing the driver and the occupants, he told them they might proceed.

“We’re checking every car,” he told the group. “We have a report some hi-jackers, who took a truck at Oelwein, are coming this way. With the forest service tied up fighting a forest fire, and most of our men helping ’em, they probably figured they could slip a cargo through.”

“Hi-jackers!” Aunt Mattie exclaimed in dismay. “Judy, what sort of a place is this?”

“Never a dull moment,” Judy responded lightly. “You’ll love it here!”

“Judy, tell her about your meeting with Joe--” Ardeth began, only to let her voice trail off as Miss Ward directed a warning glance in her direction.

The station wagon moved on past the barrier and drew up presently at Calico Cottage. Aunt Mattie, who had fallen into a weary silence, suddenly revived at sight of the little house.

“Why, it’s charming!” she cried. “Judy, you couldn’t have found a nicer place. So peaceful looking, set back among the trees.”

“Let’s hope Calico Cottage lives up to its appearance,” Judy said, leading the way across the lawn. “Ardeth and I thought we’d stay with you tonight, so you won’t be lonesome. Do you mind?”

“I’ll be happy to have you! I’m not afraid to stay alone at night, but I’ll admit I’ll rest easier with someone in the house. Especially with a forest fire burning at my doorstep, and hi-jackers on the main highway!”

“It’s not that bad,” Judy protested.

After seeing that Miss Meadows was comfortably settled in the cottage, Miss Ward decided to return with the station wagon driver to Pine Cone Camp. Before leaving, she talked privately with Judy.

“Everything should be all right here,” she said, “but if by chance anything does go wrong, call me at once.”

“We’ll be safe and comfortable,” Judy insisted. “No more ghost scares I hope.”

“Miss Lubell put a stop to that,” the teacher informed her. “We checked and learned that it was the Lone Tree girls who attached the bed sheet to the bushes. They’ve promised not to pull any more tricks.”

After the station wagon had departed, Judy and Ardeth helped Miss Meadows unpack. Her enthusiasm for the cottage was boundless. She was especially delighted with the kitchen and went about poking in the high cupboards over the sink.

“Tomorrow when I am rested, I’ll straighten all the dishes and rearrange them more to my liking,” she announced. “I never feel that I’m settled in a place until I’ve cleaned the cupboards.”

With the supplies on hand, Aunt Mattie cooked a magnificent supper, topping it off with biscuits and a custard pie. The meal finished, she suddenly collapsed from weariness, leaving the dishes for Judy and Ardeth.

“I declare, I don’t know what’s come over me,” she apologized. “The long train ride must have worn me out. I can’t keep my eyes open.”

“Go straight to bed, Aunt Mattie. Ardeth and I will take care of everything.”

“I believe I will turn in,” Miss Meadows said, covering a yawn. “You’ll be sure to lock all the doors?”

“Every one,” Judy promised.

The sink was fairly loaded with dishes, for Aunt Mattie did not skimp on them when she cooked a meal. After scouring the last stubborn pan, Judy hung up the dish rag with a tired sigh.

“Shall we turn in?” she asked Ardeth.

“We may as well, I guess. Wonder what the girls are doing at Pine Cone?”

“Singing songs and telling stories by the camp fire, like as not. Wish you were there, Ardeth?”

“Someone should stay here this first night with your aunt. I don’t mind, Judy. Do you suppose--”

“We’ll have a serenade from our friend with the flute?” Judy supplied. “For Aunt Mattie’s sake I hope not. If she hears about a ghost on top of hi-jackers and a forest fire, she’s likely to pack her suitcase and leave.”

Ardeth had moved to the open kitchen door. “There isn’t as much smoke in the air now,” she reported. “Either the wind is carrying it the other direction, or the fire has died down.”

After closing the windows and making certain the doors were locked, the two girls presently went to their bedroom which adjoined the one Miss Meadows had taken.

Judy secretly had made up her mind she would lie awake a long while to be sure that nothing went amiss in the cottage. However, her bed was so pleasantly comfortable, that despite her firm resolution, she dozed off almost at once.

When finally she awakened, it was to find herself being shaken by Ardeth.

“Get up, lazy!” the latter ordered. “It’s late! Your aunt has been up for at least half an hour.”

“Jumping fishes!” Judy exclaimed in dismay, dragging herself from beneath the covers. “I must have slept like a log all night.”

“I know I did,” Ardeth confessed. “What a fine pair of guards we proved to be!”

“Well, at least nothing went wrong here,” Judy said, pulling on her shoes. “I’m relieved on that score.”

Dressing fast, the girls hastened to the kitchen. Miss Meadows had the stove going and was cooking cereal. She appeared pale, however, and there were dark shadows under her eyes.

“Did you sleep well, Aunt Mattie?” Judy asked politely.

“Very badly.”

Judy and Ardeth exchanged a quick, worried glance. Both hesitated to ask the question which was foremost in their minds.

“Did--did anything disturb you?” Judy managed finally.

“I never sleep well the first night in a strange place. I was awake for hours.”

Judy drew a long breath and grinned at Ardeth. But her relief was brief. For Aunt Mattie went on impressively:

“I’m not sure I’ll like this place as well as I thought last night. There’s entirely too much traffic on the side road.”

“You mean the main road, don’t you, Aunt Mattie?” Judy corrected.

Miss Meadows stirred the pot of cereal on the stove. “I mean that highway that runs down the hill toward the river.”

“Why, that’s a private road and it dead-ends,” Judy responded. “There’s never any traffic in that direction.”

“There was last night,” Miss Meadows insisted firmly. “A truck came along the highway and stopped so that the headbeams shone almost directly into my window. The driver flashed them on and off several times as if in signal. Then, the lights were doused, and the truck turned down the side road.”

“I can’t imagine a truck using that road at night,” Judy said thoughtfully. “The road doesn’t go anywhere except to the cave. Perhaps you were mistaken, Aunt Mattie. Don’t you think the truck might have gone on down the main highway?”

“I don’t think so,” Miss Meadows replied. “No, I’m sure the truck turned down the side road.”

No more was said about the matter then. But after the breakfast dishes had been done, Ardeth and Judy slipped outside for a private talk.

“Do you suppose your aunt was right about those truck lights?” Ardeth asked, lowering her voice so it would not carry through the open kitchen window. “And what about that signal?”

“She must have been mistaken,” Judy replied anxiously. “All the same, we certainly should investigate. Come on, Ardeth! If that truck turned down the dead-end road, there will be tire marks to prove it.”

_Chapter 13_

THE MISSING KEY

Cutting across the lawn which was heavy with dew, the two girls turned toward the entrance to the private road. A haze of smoke still hung above the treetops, but it was evident that the fire which had alarmed everyone the previous day, now was well under control.

Suddenly, Judy halted, staring at tire marks on the dirt road.

“Aunt Mattie was right!” she exclaimed. “A big truck did turn off the main highway!”

“The tire prints are plain to see,” Ardeth agreed, equally startled. “But what would a heavy truck be doing here? The road dead-ends.”

“It seems odd.”

“Perhaps the driver only pulled off the pavement to fix a tire.”

Judy shook her head. “The tracks plainly go down the slope toward the cave,” she pointed out.

“Mightn’t it have been a forest ranger fire fighting truck?”

“That’s so,” Judy acknowledged, “it might have been. Maybe that would explain the headlight signals Aunt Mattie reported seeing. I can’t imagine though, why a Forest Service truck would use this road at night. The fire was across the river.”

As the girls considered whether to go farther down the private road, they heard the rattle of a milk wagon approaching on the main highway.

“It’s Bart!” Judy cried.

The delivery truck stopped some distance away, but after milk had been left at Calico Cottage, came on down the road. Bart drew up to chat with the girls.

“How’s everything?” he inquired cheerfully. “Your ghost behaving himself?”

Judy replied that the household had not been disturbed further by the mysterious flute player. She added, however, that her aunt had slept badly and that lights from a truck had bothered her.

“I guess it must have been a Forest Service truck that went down this road last night,” Ardeth remarked. “See the tire tracks.”

Bart already had stepped out of the milk wagon to inspect them.

“Those weren’t made by a Forest Service truck,” he told the girls. “Their vehicles are lighter. Anyway, I don’t know what a forest truck would be doing here late at night. Seems sort of queer--”

“I thought so myself!” Judy said quickly.

“Let’s have a look-see,” Bart proposed. “Want to ride down the hill with me? If you do, hop in!”

Judy and Ardeth scrambled into the cab, taking care not to step on Pete who was asleep on the floor.

“Do you dare leave your milk route?” Ardeth asked the young driver.

“I’m ahead of schedule this morning,” Bart answered. “I can take a few minutes. This is my last week on the route anyway.”

“You’re taking another job?” Ardeth inquired politely.

By this time the milk truck had turned and was moving slowly down the narrow, rutty road.

“Not exactly,” Bart admitted. “I’ve saved enough money to see me through a year of college. I’m laying off because I want to do a little exploring before I start in at school this fall.”

“Exploring?” Judy repeated with interest. “Of the cavern?”

“That’s right.” Bart grinned, as he slowed down for a bad hole in the road. “Folks hereabouts think I’m crazy to spend so much time in a cave. It’s in my blood, I guess! I’m planning on becoming a scientist if I make the grade.”

“Does Calico Cave have any bats or other interesting birds or animals?” Ardeth questioned abruptly.

“Hundreds of bats. You can see them clustered in masses on the walls in one section of the cave, near the entrance.”

“Ugh!” Judy shuddered.

“Why, they’re harmless,” Bart assured her. “I suppose you think of a bat as a naked, winged creature with claws that would catch in your hair?”

“I never came very close to one,” Judy admitted, “but I do feel that way about them.”

“Like a great many folks, you do the bat an injustice,” Bart returned. “Its little claws are used only to provide a means of clinging to a rock wall. Bats are afraid of people. They fly at amazing speed, but they can dodge any obstacle.”

“They sleep in the caves?” Ardeth questioned.

“Yes, the bat, you know, is descended from an animal that lived in a warm, uniform climate. For some reason, the bat never has been able to adapt itself to weather changes, so it hibernates in caves which have an almost constant temperature.”

“I’d give anything if I had a bat!” Ardeth announced. “Just one!”

“A bat? What would you want with it?” Bart asked, rather amused by the remark.

Ardeth told him about the nature treasure chest at Pine Cone Camp. “Our unit hasn’t contributed anything, as yet,” she added. “If I could get one of those bats, we’d really be the talk of the camp.”

“I think I can get you one,” Bart offered, glancing at his wristwatch. “You’re serious about wanting it?”

“Oh, yes, but I don’t want to delay you on your run.”

“If the bats are where I think they’ll be, I can pick one off the wall in a minute or two,” Bart promised. “Want to go into the cave with me?”

“I don’t think we should without permission from our leader,” Judy said quickly.

“I can travel faster alone at any rate,” the young milkman replied.

As the milk truck rattled on down the winding road, he talked enthusiastically about bats and their habits.

The creatures, he told the girls, had silky, translucent wings and flew with astonishing precision.

“I’ve seen ’em fly between water and ceiling down deep in the cave where there was barely clearance,” he related. “Now, if only I were a bat, I’d explore that siphon!”

“You shouldn’t even think of such a thing!” Judy chided. “It would be frightfully dangerous.”

Bart made no answer.

“You’re not considering it, are you?” Judy demanded, alarmed by his silence.

“I’ve considered it for years,” Bart answered soberly. “I think about it all the time, in fact. I’ve just about decided--” he deliberately broke off, and finished: “Now to tell you more about bats--they hang to the ceilings by their feet, head down. Their bodies are covered by their long, folded wings when they sleep. One can pick them off the wall, and they make no fuss.”

“Ardeth, must you have a bat?” Judy tried to discourage her.

“Oh, yes, if I can get one without causing too much trouble. But how will I get it to camp?”

Bart had pulled up at the end of the private road. From the back end of the truck, he brought out a cardboard box with a cover.

“We can use this,” he suggested. “I may not get a bat for you though. I haven’t long to ramble through the cave this trip.”

Tucking the cardboard box under his arm, the cheerful young milkman stepped from the truck. Alertly he gazed at a sizeable slick of oil on the roadside, remarking that it evidently had leaked from the parked truck.

“Apparently, it stayed here quite a while last night before turning around and pulling out,” he added.

“What would a truck be doing down here late at night?” Judy speculated.

“I wouldn’t know,” Bart answered with a shrug. “Interesting question though.”

He started off down the path which led to Calico Cave. Before vanishing from view amid the bushes, he paused to fling over his shoulder: “Don’t try to follow me, even if I’m not back in a few minutes. Wait in the milk wagon.”

Ten minutes elapsed, then fifteen and twenty. Eagerly the girls began to watch the path for their friend to reappear.

The rising sun beat down harder and harder on the milk wagon, causing Judy and Ardeth increasing discomfort. They became restless.

“It’s taking Bart an awfully long time,” Ardeth remarked uneasily. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked him to get a bat for me. If anything should happen--”

“He’ll be along soon,” Judy said. “I think I hear him coming now.”

She was right, for a moment later, the young milkman emerged from the tunnel of branches at the trail’s exit.

“Did you get one?” Ardeth cried eagerly.

“Sure did,” Bart responded.

Coming over to the milk truck, he opened the punctured lid of the cardboard box, so that the girls could peep at the frightened creature flopping inside.

“After you’ve displayed him at camp, better let him fly away,” the milkman advised. “He’ll find his way back to the cave.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to keep him shut up,” Ardeth replied. “That would be cruel. I promise to let him go by tonight.”

“Fine!” Bart approved, climbing into the milk wagon and starting the motor. “Now I want you girls to make me another one.”

“Another promise?” asked Ardeth, carefully holding the box Bart had placed in her hands.

“Yes, I want you to stay away from here unless you’re with a forest ranger or some man.”

“Away from the cave, you mean?” Judy questioned, rather surprised by the request.

“From the cave, and also away from this private road.”

“But why?”

“I’ll tell you,” Bart said soberly. By this time he had turned the milk truck around in the narrow road and had headed it up the hill. “There’s something going on here that will bear investigation.”

“The truck tire tracks, you mean?” interposed Ardeth, mystified by the remark.

“At first, that didn’t seem very disturbing,” Bart said. “But I’ve since made a discovery. That was why it took me so long.”

“You didn’t run into anyone in the cave?” Judy asked quickly.

“No, but someone has been there recently. Last night probably.”

“How do you know?”

“Someone had trampled the path to the cave. Boot tracks. Then inside the entrance chamber, I found cigarette butts and long marks, showing where heavy objects had been dragged across the floor. Boxes, I’d judge.”

“All removed?” Judy questioned.

“Yes, no sign of anyone or anything in the cave now.”

“You think someone must have come here last night in that truck and used the cave?”

“Obviously, Judy. But don’t quiz me, because I’ve told you everything I learned. I’m not venturing any guesses as to who it was or why the person or persons came here late at night. My advice is just to keep clear of the place until we can learn what’s going on.”

“Judy and I are returning to camp this morning,” Ardeth informed the young milkman. “So even if we wanted to prowl around, we wouldn’t have an opportunity.”

“That’s all to the good then,” Bart grinned. “There may be no cause for alarm, but it’s just as well not to take chances.”

At the turn-off onto the paved road, he said goodbye to the Scouts and resumed his milk route.

Triumphantly, Ardeth and Judy bore their captured bat to Calico Cottage where they displayed it to Miss Meadows. Though they related how they had obtained the creature, they did not repeat Bart’s warning or mention what they had learned about the big truck.

Miss Meadows seemed to have forgotten the disturbance of the previous night completely. After making a show of admiring the imprisoned bat, she chirped:

“While you girls were away, I cleaned the cupboards.”

“They’re very neat and tidy now,” Judy said, opening the double doors to inspect the rows of china.

“At the back of the cupboard, I found a key,” Miss Meadows remarked casually. She produced it from her apron pocket. “Apparently, it fits a door. But which one I wouldn’t know.”

Judy rocked back on her heels and looked quickly at Ardeth. Neither spoke for a moment.

Finally, Judy trusted her voice. Taking care to keep it steady, to give no hint of her excitement and hope, she said quietly: