FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29  
30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   >>   >|  
int little old road tavern just half a mile back of them. "You're wondering just why I'm so curious about the country up here, I can see, fellows," Hugh was saying about the time we meet them, "and, as we all belong to the same school, and our dearest wish is to see Scranton High win the prize that is offered by the committee in the Marathon, I don't mind letting you in. I know something about this country up here, and have traced on a surveyor's chart the ordinary course a fellow would be apt to take in passing from the second tally post, that old tavern back of us, along this road to the canal, and from there across the old logging road to Hobson's Pond, where there's going to be the last registering place before the dash for home. Well, I've figured it out that a fellow would save considerable ground if he left this same road half a mile below, and cut across by way of the Juniper Swamp trail, striking in again along about the Halpin Farm" His remarks created no end of interest, for there were several others among the bunch who had also entered for that long-distance race; and, naturally, they began to figure on how they might take advantage of Hugh's discovery. It was all for the honor and credit of good old Scranton High; so that it really mattered little just which fellow crossed the line first, so long as he "saved the bacon." "It sounds pretty fine to me, Hugh," said Julius, "only I don't like one thing." "What's that, Julius?" demanded the Juggins boy. "By following that Juniper Swamp trail and the old road Hugh mentions, we'd have to pass close to that deserted stone quarry; and say, the farmers all vow it's sure haunted." CHAPTER II ON THE OLD QUARRY ROAD When Julius made this assertion, the other fellows looked at each other in what might be said to be a queer way. In fact, they had all heard certain absurd stories told in connection with the old quarry that had not been worked for so many years that the road leading to it across country had grown up in grass and weeds. Some adventurous boys who went out there once declared it was a most gruesome place, with pools of water covered with green scum lying around, and all sorts of holes looking like the cave Robinson Crusoe found on his island home to be seen where granite building rocks had been excavated from the towering cliffs. It was K.K. who laughed first, actually laughed scornfully, though Julius took it all so serious
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29  
30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Julius
 

fellow

 

country

 
quarry
 
laughed
 

Juniper

 
tavern
 

fellows

 
Scranton
 

QUARRY


looked

 

assertion

 

mentions

 

Juggins

 

demanded

 

CHAPTER

 
haunted
 

deserted

 

farmers

 

Robinson


Crusoe

 
island
 

scornfully

 

cliffs

 

towering

 
granite
 

building

 

excavated

 

covered

 

worked


leading

 

connection

 

absurd

 

stories

 

gruesome

 
declared
 
adventurous
 

passing

 

ordinary

 

traced


surveyor

 

registering

 

logging

 
Hobson
 

letting

 
curious
 

wondering

 

belong

 

offered

 

committee