The Ghost of Popcorn Hill by Betty Ren Wright

CHAPTER ONE
    â€œ Ho-Ho-Ho! ”
    â€œ Ho-ho-ho! ”
    â€œStop laughing,” Martin said. He glared across the dark room at his little brother’s bed.
    â€œI’m not laughing,” Peter protested. “I thought that was you.”
    â€œWell, it wasn’t.” They listened for a while, and then Martin went on with his story. “So Jimmy Adams couldn’t find his kitten, and everybody thought it was dead or something.”
    Peter moved restlessly under his covers. “I don’t like this story,” he said. “It’s too sad.”

    â€œNo it’s not,” Martin said. “Because they found the kitten finally, and do you know where he was?”
    â€œHow would I know that?”
    â€œHe was in the salad bowl, in the kitchen sink. All covered with French dressing and sound asleep.” Martin chuckled to himself, and then he stopped again to listen. “You did laugh before,” he said. “During the sad part.”
    â€œDidn’t.”
    â€œDid.”
    Both boys lay very still, and Martin discovered he had goose bumps. He knew he had heard a laugh.
    â€œI’m scared,” Peter whispered, sounding as if he might cry.
    Martin took a deep breath. “Forget about who laughed,” he ordered. “Think about something nice. Think about tomorrow when we get the dog.”
    Peter stopped sniffling. “It’ll be the biggest dog in the whole world,” he murmured in a dreamy voice. “I can’t wait.”
    â€œSo go to sleep,” Martin said. “Tomorrow will come faster.”
    A minute or two later, soft snores told him Peter had taken his advice. That was the trouble with being three years older. You had to stay awake and do all the worrying. Now that he’d started thinking about the dog they were going to get tomorrow, he had to worry about that . Would it really be the biggest dog in the world? That was what both boys wanted. A big dog could pull their wagon around the yard. In the wintertime he could drag their sled up Popcorn Hill. He would be the perfect pet, but Martin wasn’t at all sure they were going to get him.
    The trouble was their father. He insisted that a big dog wouldn’t fit in their little old cabin. A big dog would cost too much to feed. Remember, we moved to Popcorn Hill when I lost my job, and we have to save some money , he’d told Martin and Peter about a hundred times in the last few months. Let’s be sensible about this .
    â€œI don’t want to be sensible,” Martin whispered unhappily into the darkness. “I want a big dog as much as Peter does.”
    And then, to his horror, it happened again. “ Ho-ho-ho, ” something laughed. “ Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! ”
    It was the scariest sound Martin had ever heard.

CHAPTER TWO
    Dog Day
    Peter woke up first.
    â€œToday’s the day,” he shouted in Martin’s ear. “Wake up, wake up, wake up!”
    Martin yawned and pushed back the covers. The boys dressed quickly and went out to the kitchen, where their mother was making oatmeal for breakfast.
    â€œYou’re up bright and early,” she said cheerfully. “I bet I know why.”
    â€œIt’s dog day,” Peter explained, as if he were the only one who kept track. Martin and his mother grinned at each other.

    â€œIt certainly is,” Mrs. Tracy said. “I’m as excited as you are.”
    â€œNo, I’m the most excited,” Peter said. “I’m the most excited person in this house.”
    Martin opened the screen door and went outside. The cabin was small—one long room that was both kitchen and living room, and two bedrooms. The bathroom was a little house at the end of the yard, and the water they needed came from a pump next to the porch. It isn’t much of a place , Martin’s father had said when they moved in. But it will have to do for now. And look at that view!
    Martin looked at the