But Sammy kept on his way, never turning his head to look back. On he plodded through the snow that was still falling.
"He's real mad this time," said Bob.
"Yes, I guess we'll have to apologize, same as Jed Burr did," agreed Frank. "Come on!"
Together they raced after Sammy, and, catching up to him, they grasped him by either arm. They spoke quickly and eagerly by turns.
"We didn't mean anything."
"We were only fooling."
"Maybe there is a hermit on Pine Island after all."
"We—we apologize!" burst out Frank.
He said it in such a comical manner that Sammy, hurt as his feelings had been, could not stand out against his chums any longer. A smile came over his face, and then Bob and Frank laughed too.
"All right, Sammy," declared Frank. "We believe you. Tell us about the hermit. Maybe we can go up there and see him."
"And about the ghost, too," added Bob.
"There isn't any ghost that I know of," cried Sammy, quickly, "and I didn't mention any."
"Bob means the hermit," said Frank quickly, winking at his chum to show that he must not speak of that subject again. "Tell us about the hermit, Sammy."
"Well, I'll tell you all I heard," went on the lad who so loved to dig after mysteries. "It was Benny Lane, the cripple boy, who told me. I was walking along with him one day, about a week ago, and we saw old Silas Dolby, the miser, just ahead of us. I just happened to say that Mr. Dolby lived like a hermit, and Benny said that it was so, for his uncle had once seen a hermit."
"And of course that set you going right off," spoke Bob.
