tangled growth in the front yard, through which they cut a broad
path to the house. While they were doing this, Mr. Elmer and Jan
cut and placed in position some temporary supports under the
rickety porches, and Mark was set work at the windows. From these
he knocked away all the boards, letting in floods of blessed
sunlight, that drove from their snug retreats numbers of bats and
several comical little owls.

One of the colored women--"Aunt Chloe Cato," as she called
herself, because she was Cato's wife--was sent into the kitchen to
clean it and to make a fire in the great fireplace. She could not
explain the traces of recent occupation, but "'lowed 'twere de
ghoses, kase dis yere ole Bang place done bin hanted."

"Well, it'll be 'hanted' now by the Elmer family," said Mark, who
overheard her, "and they'll make it lively for any other 'ghoses'
that come round."

"Don't ye, now, honey I don't ye go fo' to set up yo'sef agin de
ghoses, kase dey's powerful pernickety when dey's crassed," said
the old woman, whom Mark, with his love for nick-names, had
already called "Ole Clo."

At noon all hands stopped work to eat a hasty lunch, and soon
afterwards the lighter, being unloaded, was poled across the river
for the team. With the help of Captain Johnson and his crew, who
had agreed to remain over that night, most of the household goods
were moved up to the house during the afternoon and placed under
shelter.