and aiding her in coiling up her heavy hair.

"What lovely braids you have," observed Grace.

"Do you think so? They have made trouble enough for me."

"I suppose so much hair must be inconvenient in warm weather, but most
of us would be willing to put up with it," spoke Amy.

"I didn't mean it that way. I will tell you soon. But I ought to be
going."

"Then come with us," invited Betty. "We have plenty of room in the car,
and we can take you to your friends, to a hotel, or anywhere you like
to."

"And we can take you to our homes," added Mollie. "We have not far to
go, and, as we are only touring for pleasure, we have no schedule to
upset. Come with us. We have finished our ghost hunt."

"Then let us get away from here before my guardian happens to come
back," suggested the girl. "I will explain all I can to you, though it
is rather complicated."

"Would you mind explaining first," asked Betty with a smile, "why you
were up that tree? We have all puzzled over that so much."

"I went up there to hide from my guardian, or the man who calls himself
such," said the girl. "I suppose it seems strange, but really that was
the only thing I could think of. And it was not hard to get up, for the
branches were low. You see I had just run away from him, from this very
house, when he brought me here, and said that it was to be our home."

"This place your home!" exclaimed Mollie. "Why I thought Mr. Lagg had
bought it."

"I don't know Mr. Lagg," said the strange girl, with a shake of her
head. "But I'll explain in sections, as it were. My name is Carrie
Norton, and my guardian is Samuel Clark. At least, that is his right
name. He goes by several, according to the nature of the business he is
in."

"He must be a queer sort of man to change his name," suggested Mr.
Blackford, who had rejoined the girls.

"He is queer," agreed Carrie Norton, "and not altogether honest, I fear.
To be brief, when my parents died, several years ago, he assumed charge
of me. He had been associated with my father in business, and he said
the will provided that he was to be my guardian. I was too
grief-stricken to question that, but I was shocked when, instead of
having a comfortable fortune, as I supposed, there was little or
nothing, and Mr. Clark said I must go about the country with him,
helping him sell goods. He was a sort of commercial traveler, dealing in
different things at different times."

"Yes," said the girls.

"Finally w