for this mystery began to look unearthly.

"Hold on," hinted Dick. "Doesn't it look as though fresh earth
had been sprinkled here?"

"Of course it does," nodded Harry. "And the earth has soaked
up the blood."

"I don't see any soaked-up blood," objected Greg.

"No; because it's so well covered and soaked up," argued Hazelton.
"But wait until I find a stick, and we'll stir up that dirt.
Then we'll find the red stuff mixed to a sort of mud, and-----"

"Come along out of this, you ghoul!" uttered Tom almost wrathfully,
as he seized his friend by the arm.

"We'll go to the door," Dick suggested. "Perhaps we can get inside.
At any rate, we can find out whether there is any one inside
who wants help."

Dick put his hand on the doorknob, giving it a turn and a hard push.

"Door's locked tightly now," he announced.

"And it takes human hands to lock a door," Reade observed sagely.

"Is there anyone inside who needs any help?" Prescott called loudly.

All was silent inside. Then Dick played a tattoo on the locked