the orchard, of course, but Seymour also keeps a few horses, cows, and a goat.”
Benny beamed.
“And you know what else is on the farm?” Grandfather asked, looking at Benny.
“What?” Henry asked, just as eager to know.
“Well,” Grandfather continued, “the orchard is supposedly haunted. At least that’s what the townspeople think!”
Benny’s eyes widened. “You mean there’s a ghost?”
“Sort of,” Grandfather said. “Everyone thinks the ghost of one of Seymour’s ancestors haunts the farm — an ancestor who mysteriously vanished in the apple orchard one day and was never seen again.”
“Oh, that’s creepy!” Jessie exclaimed. “How long ago did this happen?”
“Oh, in the 1850s,” answered Grandfather as the lights flickered overhead and the wind whipped the rain against the window-panes. “In fact, he disappeared on a windy, rainy day like this. It was on the day after Halloween, I believe.”
“And no one knows what happened to him?” Jessie couldn’t believe it.
Grandfather shook his head. “No, no one ever found out.”
“Who was this ancestor?” Henry wanted to know. “And why did he just disappear like that? Was he running away from something? Or was it some kind of Halloween joke?”
“It wasn’t much of a joke if no one ever saw him again,” Violet remarked.
Grandfather leaned back in his chair. “Well, it’s a long story,” he began. “It all started in the middle of the last century when the farmhouse was first built.”
Benny sat up straighter. He did not want to miss a word.
“The man who built the farm was an ancestor named Gideon Curtis, and he was rather eccentric.”
“Ec-what?” asked Benny.
“Eccentric,” Grandfather repeated. “He did some unusual things. For instance, he collected suits of armor and old swords, which he kept in a secret passageway he built in his farmhouse.”
“Wow,” said Benny. He was so interested in his grandfather’s story, he was not even eating the brownie in front of him.
“This collection was very valuable,” Grandfather continued. “So valuable that other people in Gideon’s family wanted a share of it. One day, a relative from Virginia, a man named Joshua Curtis, came to visit Gideon. Joshua insisted that Gideon give him some swords from his collection, swords Joshua said belonged to his side of the family.”
“Did they?” Jessie wondered aloud.
Grandfather shook his head. “Gideon didn’t think so. He told Joshua he had no rightful claim to the swords. Joshua became very angry. He threatened Gideon and his family. Then he stormed out of the house, without any of his things, not even his coat. He walked into the orchard, and no one ever saw him again. It was as if he vanished.”
“But people went out looking for him, didn’t they?” Henry asked. He had barely touched his brownie, either.
“Oh, yes,” Grandfather said as he poured cream into his tea. “Gideon and several men formed a search party. They looked for hours and hours. But no one ever found a trace of the man.”
“Didn’t he leave footprints?” Benny wanted to know.
“I’m sure he did,” said Grandfather. “But none that ever led to his whereabouts. The townspeople believe that Joshua’s ghost still haunts the orchard. And whenever Seymour has a poor harvest or other trouble on the farm, people blame the ghost. They say it’s Joshua’s revenge.”
Benny’s eyes grew very round. “You know, ghosts don’t leave footprints,” he informed his family. “Maybe that’s why no one could find any sign of Joshua in the orchard.”
“At that point he wasn’t a ghost yet, Benny!” Jessie said, laughing.
“Did the ghost — I mean did Joshua — have a family in Virginia?” Violet asked.
“No, he never married and never had any children,” Grandfather answered.
“How was Joshua related to Gideon?” Henry wondered as he poured more tea into his mug.
“They were cousins.”
“How strange that Joshua just
Benny beamed.
“And you know what else is on the farm?” Grandfather asked, looking at Benny.
“What?” Henry asked, just as eager to know.
“Well,” Grandfather continued, “the orchard is supposedly haunted. At least that’s what the townspeople think!”
Benny’s eyes widened. “You mean there’s a ghost?”
“Sort of,” Grandfather said. “Everyone thinks the ghost of one of Seymour’s ancestors haunts the farm — an ancestor who mysteriously vanished in the apple orchard one day and was never seen again.”
“Oh, that’s creepy!” Jessie exclaimed. “How long ago did this happen?”
“Oh, in the 1850s,” answered Grandfather as the lights flickered overhead and the wind whipped the rain against the window-panes. “In fact, he disappeared on a windy, rainy day like this. It was on the day after Halloween, I believe.”
“And no one knows what happened to him?” Jessie couldn’t believe it.
Grandfather shook his head. “No, no one ever found out.”
“Who was this ancestor?” Henry wanted to know. “And why did he just disappear like that? Was he running away from something? Or was it some kind of Halloween joke?”
“It wasn’t much of a joke if no one ever saw him again,” Violet remarked.
Grandfather leaned back in his chair. “Well, it’s a long story,” he began. “It all started in the middle of the last century when the farmhouse was first built.”
Benny sat up straighter. He did not want to miss a word.
“The man who built the farm was an ancestor named Gideon Curtis, and he was rather eccentric.”
“Ec-what?” asked Benny.
“Eccentric,” Grandfather repeated. “He did some unusual things. For instance, he collected suits of armor and old swords, which he kept in a secret passageway he built in his farmhouse.”
“Wow,” said Benny. He was so interested in his grandfather’s story, he was not even eating the brownie in front of him.
“This collection was very valuable,” Grandfather continued. “So valuable that other people in Gideon’s family wanted a share of it. One day, a relative from Virginia, a man named Joshua Curtis, came to visit Gideon. Joshua insisted that Gideon give him some swords from his collection, swords Joshua said belonged to his side of the family.”
“Did they?” Jessie wondered aloud.
Grandfather shook his head. “Gideon didn’t think so. He told Joshua he had no rightful claim to the swords. Joshua became very angry. He threatened Gideon and his family. Then he stormed out of the house, without any of his things, not even his coat. He walked into the orchard, and no one ever saw him again. It was as if he vanished.”
“But people went out looking for him, didn’t they?” Henry asked. He had barely touched his brownie, either.
“Oh, yes,” Grandfather said as he poured cream into his tea. “Gideon and several men formed a search party. They looked for hours and hours. But no one ever found a trace of the man.”
“Didn’t he leave footprints?” Benny wanted to know.
“I’m sure he did,” said Grandfather. “But none that ever led to his whereabouts. The townspeople believe that Joshua’s ghost still haunts the orchard. And whenever Seymour has a poor harvest or other trouble on the farm, people blame the ghost. They say it’s Joshua’s revenge.”
Benny’s eyes grew very round. “You know, ghosts don’t leave footprints,” he informed his family. “Maybe that’s why no one could find any sign of Joshua in the orchard.”
“At that point he wasn’t a ghost yet, Benny!” Jessie said, laughing.
“Did the ghost — I mean did Joshua — have a family in Virginia?” Violet asked.
“No, he never married and never had any children,” Grandfather answered.
“How was Joshua related to Gideon?” Henry wondered as he poured more tea into his mug.
“They were cousins.”
“How strange that Joshua just
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