Fantasy Football Challenge - Football Fanatics Library

Fantasy Football Challenge - Library of Books for Football Fanatics

Fantasy Football Challenge presents
Jane Allen Junior

38 of 76

of the boxed in stairway. The next moment there was a crash and both girls darted up the stairs. "It was over that way!" insisted Judith, but in the darkness, with nothing but Jane's flash to guide them, it was impossible to tread safely through the attic, which was stored with all sorts of discarded materials. "Wait a minute," whispered Jane, her heart pounding and nerves almost jumping. They stood breathless, but not a move answered the silence. "Come down; do, Jane," begged Judith, shivering in actual fear. "Wait a few minutes," insisted Jane. "Whatever it is they know we are here!" "Jane!" breathed the other, "I am honestly ready--to faint." "Nonsense, just a few minutes." Jane could feel her companion tremble as she clung to her arm. But not a sound nor a move rewarded their brave defiance. "If only this place had a light," Jane whispered. "I suppose there is a bulb somewhere." She remembered that the fireman found none, however, and tonight even the patch of moonlight was not there. It really would have been foolhardy to attempt to go further into the low-beamed room, at the risk of running into attack, and evidently the noise had not been heavy enough to arouse anyone else in the Hall, for no sound of moving about came from the lower floors. "Do come down," begged Judith again, taking two steps herself on the stairs. "No, I shan't," insisted Jane. "I can wait as long as they can." As if that gave a cue for action a rope--surely it was a rope-- creaked and groaned and the rumbling heard first sounded again-- somewhere, it seemed from the very roof. "There!" said Jane. "They're gone and they went by that rope. Come on down. We can't do anything in this darkness," and, now satisfied that the "ghost" had been scared off, she followed Judith's precipitous escape down, and into the lower hallway. "What was it? Did you catch him? We heard it? Where is it?" To the astonishment of the two juniors the halls were dotted with heads thrust out of half closed doors, and the alarmed freshmen opened this volley of questions before Jane and Judith had recovered their breath. "No, we did not get it," replied Judith, "but we scared it off, and I have my opinion of a ghost afraid of two unarmed juniors." Judy was very brave now, and rather proud of it. "Young ladies! Young ladies!" Miss Gifford was expostulating. "You promised to stay in your rooms tonight." "Oh, they are very good girls, Miss Gifford," Jane attested, "and I can assure them that friend spook is a rank coward and has gone by way of a pulled rope. Any pulleys loose around this place?" "No, we have looked for such things," declared the matron. "But please, girls, go back to bed, and if anything else happens I promise to call you." This was a rash promise for Miss Gifford to make, but she felt the urgency of getting those questioning heads back on their respective pillows and so was willing to make concessions. "Come in my room," she said aside to Jane and Judith, and they both followed her to the open door. "That certainly is a noise made by someone who gets up to that attic," insisted Jane without waiting for inquiries, "and I am sure the sounds are made by metal chains." "That's the weird part of it," interposed Judith. "Why are chains more formidable than ropes?" asked Jane. "And in an old place like this is it would not be hard to pick up a chain or two, and you know, Judy, one old chain could make a fearful noise." "Yes--but--how does anyone get up there?" demanded Judith. "That's the mystery," admitted the matron, who had insisted on the girls remaining while the students quieted down and were safe once more until daylight. "We have looked all over the place, of course, and have not been able to find any hidden way of making ascent to that attic." "Airship," suggested Judith foolishly. "See how quickly the noise ceased," remarked Jane. "Someone recognized us, Judy, and has flown before our vengeance." "Be that as it may," added Miss Gifford with a smile of assurance, "I am convinced this thing is being done out of jealousy or even revenge. You see, I am a new matron here, and when I came I put into execution such rules as I have been trained to follow. That made

38 of 76 pages. Go to page:

Go to this Book's Directory Page