ive turned away to hide her disgust.

"Well," said the superintendent, "I am satisfied to drop the matter. I
believe you, but should I be mistaken in the matter I am willing to let it
drop at any rate because of your youth. You may go, young ladies." Then he
continued to the employes: "Be careful not to leave tempting goods under
the hands of a Christmas throng."

But the detective waited. She had missed a case--perhaps she would lose by
it, if not money, some fame as a detective.

"Miss Dearing," said the superintendent, addressing her, "be very careful
to cause no false arrests. It appears in this case you have missed the
actual culprit, and followed a line pointed out by the clerks."

"But several of the clerks--"

"Mere hearsay," interrupted the gentleman. "Now, miss," to Dorothy, "I am
sorry you have had your morning spoiled, and I hope you can make up the
lost time."

His manner said plainly that he, too, had lost valuable time, so, with a
hasty word of thanks, Dorothy and Tavia left the office.

"Well, you are the coolest kid," began Tavia with a loving little tug at
Dorothy's arm. "You go to pieces on small things, but seem to glory in a
good big scrape. I would simply have hauled off and landed one on that
high-up lady's pug nose."

Dorothy laughed at Tavia's attempt to cover up the experience with her
joke. She knew Tavia did not really want to use common slang, but
understood her way of teasing and jesting under pretense that Dorothy
would be shocked and give her a "good scolding." But this time Dorothy
disappointed her--she was too well pleased to get out of "the scrape," and
had no intention of checking Tavia's suddenly-freed spirits.

"Now for steam engines," she declared, "and if anything else happens to
prevent us from buying our Christmas gifts--"

"We will make trouble ourselves," finished Tavia, and then they darted off
in the direction of the toy department.

Some one jostled them as they neared the arch.

"That woman!" whispered Tavia. "I am perfectly sure she took that ring and
threw it in your bag."

"Hush!" cautioned Dorothy. "She can hear you!"

"I intend her to," replied Tavia. "I guess she made enough trouble for
us."

"But we only think she did," corrected Dorothy. "It is just as easy for us
to be mistaken as it was for the others."

"If she did not intend some wrong, why in the world is she tagging around
after us?" persisted Tavia.

"And if she did do wrong I cannot ima