“Hey! Look here, fellows. A rifle shell!”

THE MYSTERY HUNTERS
AT THE
HAUNTED LODGE

BY CAPWELL WYCKOFF

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THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY
Akron, Ohio New York

Copyright, MCMXXXIV
The Saalfield Publishing Company
Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Chapter Page

I The Mystery Hunters 7

II The Story of the Haunted Lodge 15

III Planning an Expedition 24

IV A Strange Conversation 30

V The Start Upriver 38

VI Strange Treatment 49

VII At Bronson’s Cabin 59

VIII The Upstairs Window 68

IX Inside the Haunted Lodge 78

X A Council of War 85

XI A Disturbed Night 94

XII A Surprise Visit 107

XIII In the Grip of the Storm 117

XIV New Quarters 126

XV Mysterious Knocking 137

XVI The Quarry Shed 147

XVII The Black Shadow 157

XVIII Down River 167

XIX An Interview with a Client 178

XX An Unexpected Event 185

XXI The Straw Ride 194

XXII Barry’s Great Discovery 204

XXIII The Raiders 216

XXIV At Grips with the Black Shadow 229

XXV The Mystery of the Lodge 240

CHAPTER I
The Mystery Hunters

The High School at Cloverfield was quiet as the hands of the clock approached the three-o’clock hour. Then a gong pealed out and the building became a very beehive of sound. The thump of many feet and the hum of voices was heard. Healthy, wholesome young boys and girls poured out of the side doors and swarmed over the campus. Overcoats were pulled tighter as the nip of the keen Vermont air was encountered.

Two boys had come out together, and they paused to wait for two others. The boy with the clean-cut, manly face and the sparkling eyes was Barry Garrison, an outstanding boy in the Cloverfield High School. He had been the right halfback on the school team this year and had helped to lead it to a glorious record of no defeats and first place on the Conference list. He was an all-around athlete and stood well in his senior-year studies. Although Barry Garrison would have turned the idea aside with a good-natured laugh, he was the most popular boy in the high school.

His lifelong chum was Kent Marple. Kent’s father owned the local hotel, and the boy had enjoyed many advantages in life. He and Barry had been friends ever since they had been small boys. Young Marple was broader than Barry, with a heavy shock of black hair and a chin that was a trifle determined. He had played fullback on the football team during the past season.

These two boys did not seem to be in any hurry. Barry leaned against a maple tree and whistled softly, while Kent glanced from one side door of the school to the other.

“The twins must have been kept in,” Barry observed.

“Maybe they are clapping erasers for the teacher,” Kent grinned.

“If they are, they’ll clap ’em clean,” Barry laughed. “The Ford twins always finish