ng."

"If there was a moon it wouldn't get through the clouds. It feels to me
as if it might rain."

"You certainly have cheerful thoughts," Clint grumbled. "I wonder if it
would do any good if we yelled."

"We might try it. Suppose we give the Brimfield cheer, Clint."

"Oh, shut up! You make me tired, Amy. Come on, now. Yell as loud as you
can. All ready?"

"Hold on I What am I to yell?"

"Yell 'Help!' you idiot!"

"Oh, all right." They raised their voices together in a loud appealing
shout. Then they listened. Not a sound answered them.

"Once more," said Clint. Again they shouted and again they listened.
Deep silence, broken only by the chirping of crickets.

"No good, I guess," said Clint despondently.

"Nobody home," murmured Amy. "Now what? I'll tell you frankly, as man to
man, that I can't go on walking all night, Clint. I'm dog-tired and my
left leg's got a cramp in it and I'm weak with hunger. Let's find a
cosy corner somewhere and go to sleep."

"I reckon we'll have to. I'm about all in, too. We'd better find a place
where there's more shelter than there is here, though. Gee, but we are
certainly a fine pair of idiots!"

"We are indeed!" assented Amy with enthusiasm. "I suppose that the time
will come, perhaps twenty or thirty years from now, when we'll be able
to look back on this night's jolly adventures and appreciate all the fun
we're having, but just now--" Amy's voice trailed off into silence.

"Jolly adventures!" grunted Clint. "Don't talk rot!"

Five minutes later they stopped. That is, Clint stopped and Amy ran into
him with a grunt.

"I suppose you haven't got a match, have you?" asked Clint.

"Right-o! You're a fine little supposer," chattered Amy.

"There's something here and I want to see what it is," said Clint. As he
spoke he moved forward a step or two and felt around in the darkness.
"It feels like a fence," he muttered, "a board fence. No, it isn't, it's
a house! Here's a window."

"A hole, I'd call it," said Amy. "Let's find the door."

They moved to the right, following the building, and promptly collided
with a tree. They had to go around that, since there was no room to
squeeze past it. Then the hut, for it was evidently no more, presented a
doorway, with a door half-open on broken hinges. They hesitated
a moment.

"Wonder what's inside," said Clint in a low voice.

"Spooks," suggested Amy, none too bravely.

"Shut up! Would you go in?"

"Sure, I would. Come