ncing school
that's some good in Eastshore this winter."

At last Rosemary was ready for bed. She pattered over and felt of the
floor under the two screened windows--quite dry, so the rain, if there
had been rain, had not beat in.

"But it isn't raining," said Rosemary to herself, snapping off the
lights and trying to see out into the darkness. "When it rains we can
hear it on the tin roof of the porch; it is only cloudy and windy."

Mindful of her promise to Winnie, she opened her door--though as a rule
the Willis family slept with individual bedroom doors closed--and
listened for a moment, peering into the shadowy hall. There was not a
sound and no light shone under Winnie's door--it must be open and she
was asleep.

"How the wind does blow!" said Rosemary, safe in bed, wondering if she
ought to get up and pin the muslin curtains back for they fluttered
madly.

Before she could act on this thought, she was asleep. How long she
slept she did not know, but she woke to find Winnie standing beside the
bed.

"Rosemary!" she whispered. "Rosemary! There's the most awful racket
you ever heard!"

Rosemary sat up in bed and drew the blanket around her.

"What--what's the matter?" she stammered.

"Hush--don't wake up Shirley and start her crying," warned Winnie who
looked taller than ever in the scant gray dressing gown she had pulled
tightly about her. "Sarah wouldn't wake if the house caved in--there,
do you hear that?"

Rosemary listened intently. She shook her head.

"I don't hear anything," she said.

"Then come out in the hall and you will," advised Winnie, stalking
toward the door.

Rosemary followed sleepily. She didn't want to listen to noises and
she couldn't help wishing that Winnie had been a little harder of
hearing.

"There--hear that?" Winnie's tone was almost triumphant.

Through the whole house sounded a wail that rose as they listened and
mounted to a shriek. In spite of her desire to remain cool and calm,
Rosemary shivered.

"It woke me up," whispered Winnie fearfully. "I never, in all my born
days, heard anything like it."

"What--what makes it?" said Rosemary.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," declared Winnie. "I'm not
afraid of anything, once I know what it is; but when I don't know the
cause, I can be scared as well as the next one."

Winnie was perfectly sincere in this statement. She might have added
that no matter how badly frightened she was, she could