s didn't loiter much after that. They skipped along
briskly and soon were ahead of Mrs. Merrill and Alice and Frances.

"I'll tell you what," said Betty, as they turned into her own yard, "let's
put the cart up on the porch while I get my doll and then when we get
through eating our apples we'll be all ready to go walking."

She picked up the front end and Mary Jane took the handle end and they set
the cart up at the end of the porch and went into the house. Fortunately
Mary Jane took Georgiannamore along with her into the house; if she
hadn't--but then, that's getting ahead of the story.

The little girls had no more than gone inside before Mrs. Merrill, Alice
and Frances turned the corner and strolled along toward the Holden house.

"Funny where those girls have gone," said Frances, looking at the empty
porch.

"They've hid our Taffy Apples somewhere, I just know they have!" said
Alice. "Frances, we ought to be smart enough to find them so quickly they
won't try teasing again."

"I don't believe they've hidden the apples," said Frances thoughtfully,
"because Betty would be so hungry she wouldn't bother with teasing till
after she was through eating. Maybe they've gone into the house to get
Betty's doll and cart."

"But why would they bother to take Mary Jane's cart indoors if Betty was
just going in for her doll?" asked Alice.

Before Frances or Mrs. Merrill could suggest an answer, the two little
girls themselves came out of the front door, turned to look at the porch
and then stood there, as though fastened to the floor--they were that
surprised.

"Why--why--" said Mary Jane, "I left it right here!"

"Well, nobody ever stole anything before," said Betty. "Maybe the boys
just hid it!"

"No, they didn't," replied Frances, "because they haven't come home from
school yet. They stopped to see Jimmie's new chicken house and they won't
be home for an hour."

"What's the trouble?" asked Mrs. Holden, who, hearing voices, came to the
front door to invite folks in for a visit.

"Trouble enough, Mother," said Frances, worriedly. "Mary Jane left her
brand new doll cart on our porch and it's gone!"

"And we just went in to get my doll," explained Betty, getting very
excited. "We just went in a little minute and then we were going to eat
the taffy apples and now they're gone too--oh, dear!"

At that minute, yes, things really do happen this way sometimes, who
should go by the house but the big friendly policeman