Kurt with Lux and his enterprising sister Clevi
were at the extreme front.
When it became very still, Kurt turned around.
"Come along! Where are you all?" he called back.
"We are coming," several voices answered from some children immediately
behind him. It was Max, Hans and Simi, and then Stoffi and Rudi behind
them, but they were all. Kurt halted.
"Where is the whole troup?" asked Kurt. "Let us wait till they catch up.
We must all stay together up there."
But none followed. All the answer Kurt got to his question was the
screaching of an owl.
"Oh, they've gone, they were afraid," said Max. "They were there,
though, when we came into the woods."
"The cowards!" Clevi cried indignantly,
"To be afraid of trees! That certainly is funny."
"Well, we aren't afraid anyway; otherwise we shouldn't be here any more.
Call to those who are gone," Max called back.
"Come on now, come!" Kurt commanded. "There are eight of us left to
sing, so we must all sing very loud."
On they went speedily till they could see the end of the woods. One of
the gray towers was peering between the trees. They had at last reached
their goal.
"Here we stop!" said Kurt, "but we must not go outside the woods. The
Wildenstein ghost might otherwise step up to us, if he walks around the
terrace. Here we go!"
Kurt began and all the others vigorously joined him:
Come out, you ghost of Wildenstein!
For we are not afraid,
We've come here in the bright moonshine
To sing the song we've made
Come out, come out, and leave your den;
You'll never scare the folks again.
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