she cries and talks about her children, and says
she's lost them. Goodness, I shouldn't wonder but that Laura is right
after all. There certainly is something mighty strange about it."

And when, a few minutes later, she told the story to her chums they
agreed with her, even Vi.

"Why, I never heard of such a thing," said the latter, looking
interested. "You say she seemed frightened when you went in, Billie?"

"Terribly," answered Billie. "It seemed as if she might faint or
something."

"And the children," Laura mused delightedly aloud. "I'm going to find out
who those children are and why they are lost if I die doing it."

"Now look who she thinks she is," jeered Vi.

"Who?" asked Laura with interest.

"The Great Lady Detective," said Vi, and Laura's chest, if one takes
Billie's word for it, swelled to about three times its natural size.

"That's all right," said Laura, in response to the girls' gibes. "I'll
get in some clever work, with nothing but a silly old photograph album as
a clue, or a motive--oh, well, I don't know just what the album is yet,
but an album is worse than commonplace, it is plumb foolish as a center
around which to work. Oh, ho! Great Lady Detective! Solves most marvelous
and intricate mystery with only the slightest of clues, an old photograph
album, to point the way! Oh, ho!"

CHAPTER VIII

AN INVITATION

The girls could never have told exactly why, but they kept the mystery of
the album and Miss Arbuckle's strange actions to themselves, with one
exception.

They did confide their secret to fluffy-haired, blue-eyed Connie Danvers.
For they had long ago adopted Connie as one of themselves and were
beginning to feel that they had known her all their lives.

Connie had been interested enough in their story to satisfy even the
chums and had urged Billie to describe the pretty children in the album
over whom Miss Arbuckle had cried.

Billie tried, but, having seen the pictures but once, it was hardly to be
expected that she would be able to give the girls a very clear
description of them.

It was good enough to satisfy Connie, however, who, in her enthusiasm,
went so far as to suggest that they form a Detective Club.

This the girls might have done if it had not been for an interruption in
the form of Chet Bradley, Teddy Jordon and their chum, Ferd Stowing.

The boys had entered Boxton Military Academy at the t