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“There he is!” A voice cried from below.

“Throw down your money, old man, so I won’t have to bash your head in!”

“Lemon Brown didn’t move. Greg felt himself near panic. The steps came closer, and
still Lemon Brown didn’t move. He was an eerie sight, a bundle of rags standing at the
top of the stairs, his shadow on the wall looming over him. Maybe, the thought came

to Greg,” the scene could be even eerier.
Greg wet that his lips, put his hands to his mouth and tried to make a sound. Nothing

came out. He swallowed hard, wet his lips once more and howled as evenly as he could.

“What’s that?”

As Greg howled, the light moved away from Lemon Brown, but not before Greg saw
him hurl his body down the stairs at the men who had come to take his treasure. There
was a crashing noise, and then footsteps. A rush of warm air came in as the downstairs
door opened, then there was only an ominous silence.

Greg stood on the landing. He listened, and after a while there was another sound on
the staircase.

“Mr. Brown?” he called.

“Yeah, it’s me,” came the answer. “I got their flashlight.”

Greg exhaled in relief as Lemon Brown made his way slowly back up the stairs.

“You OK?”

“Few bumps and bruises,” Lemon Brown said.

“I think I’d better be going,” Greg said, his breath returning to normal. “You’d better
leave, too, before they come back.”

“They may hang around for a while,” Lemon Brown said, “but they ain’t getting their
nerve up to come in here again. Not with crazy rag men and howling spooks. Best you

stay a while till the coast is clear. I’m heading out west tomorrow, out to East St. Louis.”
“They were talking about treasures,” Greg said. “You really

have a treasure?”
What you Think?ou Think?
“What I tell you? Didn’t I tell you every man got a treasure?” What y
Lemon Brown said. “You want to see mine?”

“If you want to show it to me,” Greg shrugged.

“Let’s look out the window first, see what them scoundrels
be doing,” Lemon Brown said.

They followed the oval beam of the flashlight into one of the rooms and looked out the

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The English Carnival-7