Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny followed Fran into a cozy living room that looked out on Cedar Creek. Fresh flowers in colorful vases had been placed on every table. A sunny-yellow couch and buttercup-patterned chairs were grouped together invitingly around a large stone fireplace.
“What a pretty room,” Jessie said admiringly.
“Thank you, Jessie,” Fran smiled. “It’s my favorite spot in the house.”
“Oh, a painting of Shadowbox!” Violet said in surprise.
The other Aldens followed her gaze to the picture hanging above the fireplace. It was a peaceful summer scene with the stone house peeking out from among the trees. Nearby, a black-and-white cow grazed lazily in the late afternoon shadows.
“Meet the runaway ghost!” Fran gestured to the painting with a big sweep of her arm.
The Aldens looked at one another in confusion. Before they had a chance to ask any questions, Fran spoke again.
“It’s wonderful, don’t you think?” She sounded proud.
“It’s a lovely painting,” Jessie said, “but where’s the runaway ghost?”
Henry added, “All I see is Shadowbox.”
“Oh?” Fran lifted an eyebrow. “Perhaps there’s something you’re missing.”
Henry looked again. “You can’t mean … the cow?”
Nodding, Fran brushed a wisp of silver hair back from her face. “Her name was Buttercup. But she’s known as the runaway ghost.”
The children were so surprised by Fran’s words, they were speechless. Was the family ghost really a black-and-white cow? Jessie noticed a shiny brass plaque attached to the picture frame. Sure enough, the title of the painting was The Runaway Ghost.
“Buttercup’s story begins many years ago,” Fran said, making herself comfortable on the couch, “back when Shadowbox was still part of a big farm.”
“This was once a farm?” Benny asked in surprise.
“Yes, indeed!” Fran told him. “My great-great-grandparents, Selden and Anne Gorton, started the farm back in the 1850s. They raised cows here for many, many years.”
Benny looked puzzled. “What happened to it?” he wanted to know. “The farm, I mean.”
“Selden and Anne’s grandchildren decided not to be farmers. They sold off the land in bits and pieces. Now there’s only Shadowbox and the lawns around it.” A sad smile crossed Fran’s face.
“Was Buttercup one of Selden and Anne’s cows?” asked Jessie.
“As a matter of fact, she was the very first cow they ever owned,” Fran replied.
Benny looked over at the painting. “Oh, I get it!” he said. “That’s why the bell around her neck has the number one on it, right?”
“That’s exactly right,” Fran told him. “Selden and Anne were very fond of their black-and-white cow. She was more like a family pet than anything else. It’s little wonder they were heartbroken when she disappeared.”
“What …?” Violet cried out in surprise. “How did Buttercup disappear?”
Fran shook her head sadly. “It happened in the winter of 1859.”
The Aldens inched closer. They wanted to catch every word.
“One day, Buttercup wandered too far from the barn and she was caught in a blizzard. It was a terrible snowstorm. The poor thing couldn’t find her way home,” Fran said.
“Your ancestors went looking for her, didn’t they?” Henry asked.
“Selden went out again and again, but the icy winds and the blinding snow kept driving him back. Finally, there was nothing left to do but wait out the storm. And by the time the snow stopped, it was too late.”
Benny’s eyes were huge. “Too late?”
“They never did find their treasured pet.” Lowering her voice to a whisper, Fran added, “Buttercup had disappeared without a trace.”
“How sad!” said Violet, who was taking a closer look at the painting of Buttercup.
Jessie came up behind her sister. “Well, at least Selden and Anne had a picture to — ”
“Oh, my goodness, look!” Violet broke in as something caught her eye.
Curious, Henry joined his sisters by the fireplace. Benny was close behind.
“What’s up?” Henry asked.
Violet pointed to the date next to the artist’s signature in a corner of the painting. “It’s the strangest thing.”
“Oh!” Jessie’s eyebrows shot up when she saw the date. “This painting was made in 1866. But … Buttercup disappeared in 1859. Didn’t she, Fran?”
“That’s right, Jessie. A friend of my great-great-grandparents painted that picture seven years after Buttercup disappeared.”
“Was he painting from memory?” Violet asked.
Fran shook her head. “The artist had never been to Shadowbox until after the cow disappeared.”
Benny gulped. “That’s a … a painting of Buttercup’s ghost?”
“Yes, it is, Benny,” Fran said with a nod.
“How can that be?” Jessie couldn’t believe it.
Henry added, “You don’t really mean that, do you, Fran? You can’t believe the artist painted a ghost.”
“Maybe he painted a different cow,” Violet offered as they sat down again. “Another black-and-white cow that looked a lot like Buttercup.”
“But that doesn’t explain the bell with the number one on it,” Fran pointed out. “And there’s something else,” she added. “They say the artist was just putting the finishing touches on his painting when the black-and-white cow suddenly disappeared. It was almost as if…” She stopped midsentence.
“As if … what?” Benny asked in a whisper.
“As if the cow had vanished — just like that!” Fran said, with a snap of her fingers.
No one spoke for a moment. Then Henry said, “Has anyone else seen the runaway ghost?”
Fran smoothed down the collar of her dress. “In the old days, there were many sightings reported by family members. Sometimes visitors even heard the ghostly clanging of a cowbell late in the night. I’ve never heard it myself. I’m afraid I sleep much too soundly for that. It’s been ages since the runaway ghost has been around.”
Benny looked relieved.
As Fran turned her attention back to the painting, a funny look came over her face. “I’ve had the strangest feeling lately,” she said, “that Buttercup’s trying to tell me something.”
The Aldens were startled. “Why do you say that, Fran?” Jessie wanted to know.
“Because of the mystery, Jessie,” Fran explained. “I’m talking, of course, about the one that fell into my lap.”
“Does the mystery have something to do with Buttercup?” Henry asked in surprise.
“That’s one of the things I hope you’ll figure out,” Fran answered. Then she quickly changed the subject. “But now it’s time for you to see the rest of the house.”
As the Aldens followed Fran out of the room, Violet turned to look over her shoulder. She didn’t really believe in ghosts, but she couldn’t help wondering about that painting above the fireplace. |