o
breakfast looking very pale and worried.

"What is the trouble, Nan?" questioned her mamma. "What has happened?"

"Oh, mamma, I scarcely feel like telling," answered Nan. "I am afraid
you'll laugh at me."

"I fancy you had best tell me," went on Mrs. Bobbsey.

"I saw the ghost last night--or rather, early this morning."

"What, the ghost that I saw?" shouted Bert.

"I think it must have been the same. Anyway, it was about that
high"--Nan raised her hand to her shoulder--"and all pure white."

"Oh, Nan!" shivered Freddie. "Don't want no ghostses!"

"I don't want to see it," put in Flossie, and edged closer to her mamma
as if fearful the ghost might walk into the dining room that minute.

"This is certainly strange," came from Mr. Bobbsey. "Tell us all about
it, Nan."

"Oh, papa, you won't laugh?" and Nan's face grew very red. "I--I--didn't
think of it then, but it must have been very funny," she continued.

"It's not very funny to see a ghost, Nan," said Mrs. Bobbsey.

"I don't mean that--I mean what I did afterward. You see I was asleep
and I woke up all of a sudden, for I thought somebody had passed a hand
over my face. When I looked out into the room the ghost was standing
right in front of the dresser. I could see into the glass and for the
minute I thought there were two ghosts."

"Oh!" came from Flossie. "Two! Wasn't that simply dreadful!" And she
crouched closer than ever to her mamma.

"As I was looking, the ghost moved away toward the window and then I saw
there was but one. I was so scared I couldn't call anybody."

"I believe you," said Bert. "It's awful, isn't it?"

"This is certainly strange," said Mr. Bobbsey, with a grave look on his
face. "What did you do next, Nan."

"You--you won't laugh, papa?"

"No."

"I thought of my umbrella. It was resting against the wall, close to the
bed. I turned over and reached for the umbrella, but it slipped down and
made a terrible noise as it struck the floor. Then I flung the covers
over my head."

"What did you want the umbrella for?" questioned Freddie, in great
wonder. "'Twasn't raining."

"I thought I could--could punch the ghost with it," faltered Nan.

At this Bert could hold in no longer, and he set up a shout of laughter,
which was instantly repressed by Mr. Bobbsey.

"Oh, Nan, I'm sorry I laughed," said her twin brother, when he could
speak. "But the idea of your poking at a ghost with an umbrella!"

"It was more than you tried to