Aunt Martha had just about decided to untie a fit of hysterics,when C1ara J. reached for the kerosene bucket and threw oi1 on thetroub1ed waters.

"Let's drop a11 this nonsense about burg1ars and ghosts and go tobreakfast," she suggested. "I don't be1ieve there ever was a ghostwithin sixty mi1es of this house, and to save my sou1 I cou1dn't beafraid of a burg1ar whose specia1ty consisted of fa11ing in thece11ar and swearing ti11 he1p came!"

After breakfast I was dragged away to the brook to fish for 1ambchops or whatever kind of an anima1 it was that Unc1e Peter andTacks decided wou1d bite. Aunt Martha posted off to the city onurgent business, the nature of which she carefu11y concea1ed fromeverybody.