went his
hand and before Peter and Polly knew what had happened they found
themselves each with a silver dollar clasped in a grubby fist.

CHAPTER IX
JOSIE GETS HER BEARINGS

Josie's luck in finding the partially destroyed letters left by the
careless Cousin Dink, alias Margery Dubois, alias Hester Broughton,
sometimes D. Dingus, made it possible for her to pass up the doubtful
privilege of sleeping in the clean sheets provided for her by Betty.
That afternoon she went back to her employer, received all necessary
instructions concerning the campaign she was to wage in Atlanta in the
line of household novelties and jeweled specialties and, after paying
Mrs. Pete for the room she had decided not to occupy, she took the
night train for the South.

Before she left Dorfield Josie had time to run in on the
Higgledy-Piggledies for a few moments, long enough to say "howdy" to
her partners and to leave directions for having her mail forwarded.
She found Mary Louise having a chat with Elizabeth Wright.

"You are the very one I wanted to see, dear," she cried. "I want to ask
you to keep an eye on little Polly and Peter. Make friends with them
even more than you have and if they let drop anything else about their
past please wire it to me. Now I'm going to pack up some of my own
especial duds. I may have to redisguise myself as my real self before I
get through with this adventure. In that case I must have my own
clothes with which to do it."

"Before you go, you comet you, please tell us what has happened so
far," begged Mary Louise.

Josie smiled, her ever-cheery smile.

"Nothing much except I landed my job and will get all my expenses. I
mean to do good work for my boss. If I get pushed for time I'll get an
assistant and pay her well to do his work--all that I can't accomplish
myself. I am supposed to hire canvassers when I get to Atlanta and open
up a kind of office for the time being. The letter I wrote myself
puffing Miss Sally Blossom as a person little short of perfect got the
boss going. Now I'll have to make good. I am almost sorry I boosted
myself up so in his estimation. It's an awful strain sometimes to make
good."

"But you can do it I feel sure, you funny old Josie," cried Mary
Louise. "Now be sure to write us what you do and what you find out. If
I didn't think Danny would miss me too much I'd go with you just for
the experience."

"Heavens! You with your countenance so ingenuous that you'd give th