Evening star., 1936-05-24
CHAPTER Nv.
Betty's Strange Story.

Bettys Strange Story.
A S THEY reached the bottom of
" the stairs, Wambi appeared
~ suddenly from nowhere. Betty
4 n paused with little gasp when
she saw him.
"We-we're going outside" she
blurted. I'VE want to show my bro
theirs friend around the place"
Wambi regarded them stolidly, and
Betty almost ran out the door. Bill
and Tuck were right at her heels, and
the moment they were out of earshot
of the house, Bill clutched his sisters
arm
Betty" he cried. Tell us what
this is all about!"
over her shoulder. Not yet" she
whispered. wait until we're farther
away Wambi might follow U.s."
How about going to that Summer
house?" Tuck suggested. I'VE ought
to have some privacy there"
Bettys face grew even paler at his
words. mo, mol" she replied. I'VE
can't 60 there That's the worst place
of ALL"
Bill muttered something under his
breath. A few minutes later in a
remote corner of the grounds. they sat
down under tree. and Betty breathed
a trembling sigh of relief.
Look here, Betty" Bill burst out.
eff ever saw any one scared to death.
you are. Now, what in the world is
the matter?"
RETTY paused moment before she
replied. When she spoke her eyes
were wide, and she kept her voice low.
''I wrote you and told you all about
1t over two weeks ago." she said.
But when got your next letter.
knew you had never received my let
ter. Somebody in the house has been
reading all my mail-letterS wrote,
and those I received"
Well, Of all the nerve!" muttered
Bill.
Il haven't been away from this
place once since Capt. Gregg ar
rived, almost two months ago." Betty
went on. I'm watched almost every
second. They are deathly afraid that
I'll tell what's going on here"
But what is going on?" Bill per
sisted. -..
Betty gazed at her brother for a
moment. Then she licked her lips.
Maybe you won't believe me-" she
whispered. But Capt Gregg and
Wambi are believers in some horrible
pagan religion practiced by the ma
tives of the African Congo, Capt.
Gregg knew Uncle Joel when they
80 years and just came back. He
came to see Uncle Joel and brought
Wambi with him.
Somehow, they got Uncle Joel in
terested in these things. Ever since
then, Uncle Joel has been studying a
lot of old books and he hasn't been
. himself at all And almost every
night, after I've gone to bed, can
hear them, down in the Summer
house. I don't know what they are
doing, but, oh, it sounds horrible!"
PETTY was actually trembling
again and Bill and Tuck were
speechless. Bills eyes few to the Sum-
mer house. at the bottom of the slope,
and he felt his scalp prickle.
you've heard the beat of tomtoms
In the movies" Betty went on. You
know how weird it is, how it seems to
frighten you, in spite of anything you
can do. Well, somebody, probably
Wambi, beats drum like that-low
and muff1ed and regular, until I al
most lose my mind. And now and
then there will be a wild, savage cry
and they have some kind of ghostly
light down there in the Summer
house. And in the morning, after all
this happens, Uncle Joel always looks
as though he had just stepped out Of
q grave"
"Goshi" The one word was all
that Bill could utter. His eyes and
Tuck's were glued to Betty's face and
they literally hung on every word she
spoke.
Capt. Gregg is-is-'' Betty
paused and made a gesture of fear
and loathing Il don't think he's hu-
man! Wambi seems to have sort of
awe of him and does everything that
Capt. Gregg commands. And from
a few words I overheard one day
I'm sure that Wambi was the witch
doctor of his tribe and that Capt.
Gregg got him in his power some way.
As has taught Wambi little English.
dressed him in civilized clothes and
now makes him use his black magic,
or whatever it is, as Capt. Gregg
commands"
"RUT Uncle JOEL" said Bill quick
ly, What does Capt. Gregg want
with him?"
Maybe he wants his money" Betty
replied. AT any rate, he's done
something to Uncle Joel that seems
to have deprived him of will of his
own. He spends most of his time in
bed, and then at night they help him
down to the summerhouse, and go
through these awful rites. Capt.
Gregg is the ruler in this house now.
He made Uncle Joel send the servants
away, and I think he'd send me away
Il they didn't think know too much
already. Instead, they're holding me
practically q prisoner. And what
they'll do to me eventually II don't
know"
Bill tried to force laugh. well.
they couldn't really do anything seri-
Gus, Betty" he protested. After all,
this is America, not Africa, and it's
the twentieth century"
Betty stared at him. Then suddenly
she jumped to her feet. glanced
quickly and fearfully around, and
then said, Come with me-"
They followed her back to an old
barn that stood between two gnarled
apple trees. Behind it was a large
pen.