lling," said Violet, looking worried.
"Mother is funny about letting me go anywhere away from home
without her."

"I guess all our parents are," said Billie, then added, with a sudden
inspiration: "I tell you what! Let's all go together and ask them. Three
are always stronger than one."

"You do have a good idea once in awhile, Billie!" exclaimed Laura,
jumping out of the swing and holding out a hand to each of them. "Come
on, we can't afford to waste any time."

"Where shall we go first?" asked Violet.

"To Laura's," Billie decided. "If we can get her mother and father to
consent and then can get Mrs. Gilligan to go with us as chaperone, we'll
have a pretty good argument to give our folks. Eh, what?"

Gaily the girls set off to win Laura's parents over to their side, and
they were lucky enough to find Mrs. Jordon at home. Also Teddy was there,
sitting beside her on the veranda. At sight of Billie the boy jumped to
his feet and came running down to her.

"Hello," he cried. "I was just coming over your way, to see if Chet
didn't want to fight out our singles tournament. He's two sets ahead of
me now, and I'm thirsting for r-revenge."

"I think he'll give it to you all right," laughed Billie, as Violet and
Laura ran up the steps in front of them. "I've never seen the time yet
when Chet refused a tennis game."

"All right, I'm off then," he cried, and was starting away when she
called him back.

"Don't you want to know about my--inheritance?" she asked him, with a
demure little glance.

"Your what?" he cried, then suddenly he grasped her two hands and swung
them joyfully back and forth. "Do you mean to say," he cried, "that your
aunt really left you something? What is it, Billie? Go on, tell me."

"If you want to hear all about it just stay around for a little while,"
she laughed, leading him toward the group at the other end of the porch,
two members of which were already in animated conversation.

"May we get in on this?" she called, interrupting an eloquent appeal on
Laura's part.

"Oh, yes, come here, do," cried Laura, clutching at her dress and
dragging her into the circle. "Mother's beginning to shake her head, and
you mustn't let her, Billie. She'll do anything for you."

Mrs. Jordon laughed and made room for Billie on the divan beside her.

"Now perhaps you'll tell me," she said, "what this crazy daughter of mine
is talking about. So far I've got a sort of confused jumble of a haunted
house and v