the five dollars?"

"True--very true," admitted Laura, much amused.

But she did not think it so funny that evening when, as the girls sat
about a fire they had made in the open, singing and telling jokes, and
Lizzie was washing up the supper dishes, a sudden shrill whoop arose
from the cook-tent.

"Gee! what's that?" demanded the slangy Bobby.

"A mouse!" declared Nellie. "That funny girl must be just as much
afraid of them as _I_ am."

"I hope it's nothing worse than a mouse," Lil said, tremblingly.

Laura had sprung up on the instant and run to the cook tent. Liz had
dropped a pile of plates, and some of them were broken. She had
deposited herself stiffly in a campstool. Her body was quite stiffened
and her eyes fairly bulged--and it was not easy for Liz Bean's eyes
_to_ bulge!

"What is the matter, Liz?" demanded Laura, seizing her by the
shoulder.

"I seen him," gasped Liz.

"You have seen whom?"

"_Him_."

"But that doesn't mean anything to me," declared Laura, shaking her.
"Who _is_ he?"

"The feller I was tellin' you about. That feller that give me the five
dollars."

"_What_?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" uttered Liz, solemnly. "He was standin' right
yonder--just at the edge of them woods. I took the cover off the stove
and the fire flashed out and showed me his face--just as plain!"

"You've been dreaming," said Laura, slowly.

"Git out!" ejaculated Liz, with emphasis. "I never fell asleep yet
washin' greasy dishes--no, Ma'am!"

"Well!"

"I know what it means," Liz said, solemnly. "Yes, I do."

"What _does_ it mean?" demanded Laura, doubtful whether to laugh or be
serious.

"He's dead," said the odd girl.

"Dead?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"But why should he appear to you, even if he _were_ dead?" demanded
Laura, seeing that she must never let this superstition take root in
the camp. "Do you suppose he's come to try to get his five dollars
back?"

"My goodness to gracious!" said Liz. "No. The ha'nt of a man that
owned a bank wouldn't come to bother a poor gal like me for money,
would he?"

CHAPTER XII

THE "KLEPTOMANIANTIC" GHOST

The other girls crowded around then and wanted to know what had
happened. Laura pinched Liz and said:

"She dropped those plates. Guess we won't make her pay for the broken
ones, girls. Go on, now. I'll finish helping Liz wipe them."

So the matter of the "ha'nt" did not become public property just then.
In fact, Mother Wit talked so seriously to the maid