irls who could "never go to sleep," felt
their eyelids grow heavy and a delicious drowsiness steal over them. Once
Connie roused herself enough to say sleepily: "We'll just have to form
that Detective Club, Billie, you know."

"Yes," said Billie, already half in the land of dreams. "When
we--have--the time--good night, Connie----"

"Good night, Bil-lie----."

And the next they knew it was morning! And such a glorious morning had
never dawned before--of that they were sure.

Fat Deborah, nicknamed "Debbie," who had been the cook in the Bradley
family for years, and who thought that gave her the right to tell the
whole family what was expected of them, from Billie up to Mr. Bradley
himself, cooked them a breakfast of ham and eggs and cereal and toast and
corn bread, grumbling to herself all the time.

For Debbie did not approve at all of "the young folks scamperin' off jes'
so soon as dey gets back home agin."

"Scand'lous, I calls it," Debbie confided to the pan of corn bread she
was busily cutting into golden brown pieces. "Don' know what Miz Bradley
'lows she's thinkin' on, nohow. But these am scand'lous days--they sho
is." Whereupon she put on a white apron and her dignity and marched into
the dining room.

Yet in spite of her disapproval, Debbie gave the young "scalawags" the
best breakfast she could make, and from the way the young "scalawags" did
justice to it, one might have thought they did not expect to get any more
to eat for a week at least.

Then they went upstairs to pack bags with the last minute things. Billie
and Connie went over the whole list backward to be sure they had not
forgotten a toothbrush "or something." To them it was a very important
list.

And when everything was done and their hats and coats on, they found to
their dismay that they still had three-quarters of an hour to wait for
the train.

"Goodness, why did Mother call us so early!" wailed Billie, sitting down
on her suitcase and staring at Connie. "I can do anything but wait. But
that I just can't do!"

"Couldn't we go over and call for Laura and Vi?" Connie suggested.

"My, they won't be up yet," said Billie hysterically, then chuckled at
Connie's look of dismay. "I didn't mean quite that," she said. "But Vi is
always late."

"Then I know we'd better go over!" said Connie, going over and giving her
hat one last little pat before the mirror.

But Billie had walked over to the window, and now she called out
excitedly.