eeds to the house made over to the Children's Home
Society as soon as Mr. Conant, my lawyer, can manage it," said Mary
Louise.

There being no further business before the board it was joyfully and
noisily adjourned by the smiling but flustered president.

"Now I must go interview the woman with the two little children," Dr.
Weston said to Josie and Mary Louise.

"I must see the children again," declared Mary Louise. "Poor lambs!"
But when the door leading to the office was opened the room was found
empty. The woman and two children had disappeared.

CHAPTER IV
JOSIE DONS A HENNA WIG

"Believe me, there's something shady about that woman!" said Josie to
Mary Louise. "She was ready enough to leave the kids until Dr. Weston
told her she would have to produce some kind of information about them.
That is what scared her off."

"Dear little children," said Mary Louise sadly. "I wonder if she is
their mother."

"Of course not! There wasn't a trace of resemblance."

"I know she was a decided brunette and the children were blue-eyed and
tow-headed," Mary Louise remembered.

"Color isn't such a proof as line and certain tricks of pose and
motion. They had not one single thing in common with the woman and then
she was plainly indifferent to them and they were a little in awe of
her. That happens sometimes with a mother, but if she is indifferent to
her children she usually tries to hide it and makes a show of affection
with strangers. And children just have to love their mothers a little
bit and it was easy to see those poor kiddies actually hated her. I
watched the girl, Polly, and when the woman told the boy to stop
bawling Polly had a look in her blue eyes that suggested a desire to
bite and scratch and kick or even use a hatchet if one were handy. I
think I'll look those people up."

"But how, Josie?"

"There are ways," smiled Josie. "You see, I am kind of self-elected
detective for the Children's Home Society and my work has begun
already. It is not merely to look after the children in the home but
those who might, could, would or should be in the home."

"Well, I hope you can find out something. I'd like to know about my
poor little Peter. What a precious boy he is!"

That forenoon Josie happened, as if by chance, into the department
store of Temple & Sweet's. First she gave a cursory glance at the
bargain counters where georgette blouses were being tossed about by
eager shoppers like corks on the restl