m terribly sorry,
Mr. Swift, but your name isn't listed anywhere on Lester's schedule."

The others saw from Tom's face as he hung up that something was wrong.

"What gives?" Bud asked anxiously.

"No music for one thing." Tom reported what Mrs. Morris had told him.

"But you hired the guy!" Bud protested. "And Sandy and I talked to his
agent!"

Tom was already piecing together the mystery. He shook his head
thoughtfully. "I'm sure now the whole deal was a hoax, Bud," he
declared. "Both the first call that supposedly came from Lester Morris,
and the second one asking me to come here and talk things over."

By not responding to the second call in person, Tom went on, he had
probably saved himself from being waylaid or kidnaped by his enemies.

"Thank goodness!" Sandy exclaimed. "Still, that creepy Len Unger was
trying to get information from us."

"But how did your enemy know about the dance, Tom?" Phyl Newton put in.

Sandy snapped her fingers. "I know! I'll bet it was when we went
shopping for our dresses, Phyl, right after the boys invited us! The
department store was full of people--almost anyone might have heard us
discussing the dance!"

"Especially if he was already trailing you to pick up bits of useful
information," Tom agreed.

Bud whipped out a handkerchief and mopped his face nervously. "The
question is what do we do now, chums? A roomful of guests and no music!"

"Relax, pardners!" Chow broke in cheerfully. "Just keep things goin' for
a spell, an' I'll fix things up pronto!"

Doffing his chef's cap, Chow hustled out to his parked jeep and took off
with a roar. Mystified but hopeful, Tom, Bud, and Phyl did their best to
entertain the guests. Sandy had rushed to the telephone. In twenty
minutes Chow came rushing back.

"Hey! He has a fiddle!" Bud exclaimed.

Mounting the platform, the stout cowpoke raised his hands and shouted
for attention.

"Ladies an' gents, we'll start off with that good old dance known as the
Texas Star!"

As everyone took his place, Chow tuned up hastily. Then he tucked the
fiddle under his chin, stomped out the rhythm, and launched into a
lively rendition of "Turkey in the Straw" while he called out the
accompaniment:

"_Gals to the middle, then back so far!
Gents step up for a clockwise star!
Now shift hands and twirl t'other way,
We'll keep on dancin' till the break o' day...._"

The dance number finally ended to thunderous applause. Chow, puff