Sal and Amanda Take Morgan's Victory March to the Battle of Cowpens Read Online Free PDF Page B

They are still trying to find his relatives to tell them they inherited it. He didn’t have any children. I don’t think he’ll care if we look around a little.”
    Sam’s daddy was the attorney for the town of Cheraw, so Sam had heard all about the house.
    â€œYeah, but his ghost might! Maybe that was him that you heard when you were here before!” Ben’s voice quaked.
    â€œMom says that it originally belonged to a family named Johnson. During the Civil War, the folks heard that General Sherman was coming to Cheraw, so they hid their valuables. Some of those treasures date back to the Revolutionary War!”
    â€œOh no, not that! I thought I could escape the Revolution here in Cheraw!” Ben moaned.
    â€œAre you kidding? This town was controlled by both British and Patriots during the war. St. David’s Church was used as a hospital by both armies. Why, in January 1781, General Greene’s Continentals camped just across the Pee Dee River. They came here to rest before the Battle of Cowpens!” Sam bragged.
    â€œAnd how do you know so much about this?” Ben asked.
    â€œWell, Grammy had me do a report on it for her,” Sam replied. “She’s going to let me be a drummer in Morgan’s Victory March!”

    â€œOh, you too?” Ben felt a sudden twinge of jealousy. He thought this honor had been reserved only for him.
    â€œWell, I’m not going in there!” Ben said emphatically, turning his back to the house.
    â€œOh, come on, scaredy cat!” Sam urged. “I haven’t really seen any ghosts, and we might find some treasures!”
    â€œAnd we might get arrested!” Ben replied.
    â€œWell, I’m going to remember this. Next time you want me to do something, I’m going to remind you of this!”
    Thinking that he might need his cousin’s help someday, Ben said, “Oh, all right, but we must make a blood brother swear never to tell anyone! OK?”
    With that, Sam pulled out his scout knife and pricked both their fingers with the tip of the blade. Then, they mixed their blood together and linked their fingers. They swore a solemn oath that they would never tell anyone what they were about to do.
    Sam ran his hand along the back of the gate until it creaked open.
    â€œHow did you do that?” Ben asked.
    â€œI don’t know. I was just foolin’ around last time and it came open, so I just did it again.” They both walked through, and the gate slammed back shut.
    â€œWe’re locked in!” Ben shouted.
    â€œIt seems that way,” Sam replied. “Come on. We’ll worry about getting out later.”
    They walked up the front steps. The door was locked. Sam ran across the wraparound porch to the back. When Ben caught up to him, he was climbing through the window.
    â€œCome on, I want to see what’s upstairs!” Sam urged him. Ben followed, very unsure of what they were doing there, especially since many of the boards were rotten. They could easily fall through.

    They stepped into the parlor from the window. Ben could see some magnificent stairs winding up to the next floor. They looked like they were hanging from the ceiling. Ben whispered, “Do you think the ghost lives up there?”
    â€œI don’t know. I just want to see what is up there!” Sam whispered back.
    â€œWell, there’s nothing down here that I can see,” Ben said as his eyes adjusted to the dark, “except some pictures of people who must have lived here.”
    â€œCome on.” Sam led the way, and Ben followed reluctantly up the creaky stairs.
    The boys went from room to room. There was so much grime on the windows that it was very hard to see much of anything. Sam pulled his flashlight from his pocket and shined it across the room. About that time, they heard footsteps on the stairs!
    Suddenly, a gust of wind came from nowhere, and Ben fell back against the wall, which gave way.