dead give away. And yet to keep on was
almost impossible.

Poor little Billie! Afterward she could laugh at it, but at the time it
seemed nothing short of a nightmare. She knew that Laura and Vi and
Rose and Caroline were awake and waiting for the terrible moment when
Miss Ada should discover the conspiracy.

If she could only keep on snoring for a minute longer! thought Billie
desperately. And then the unbelievable thing happened. Instead of
commanding her in no uncertain tones to get out of bed, Miss Ada
turned--slowly but surely turned--and marched out of the room.

Not until the door was shut could Billie believe that she was really
safe. And not until she heard Miss Ada's footsteps die off down the hall
did she dare to stop snoring.

Then she drew a long breath and stretched out arms cramped by lying so
long in the same position. And in the dark stillness of the dormitory
she heard four more sighs--distinct and very plaintive.

For a full five minutes the girls lay still, hardly daring to breathe,
afraid that Miss Ada would change her mind and come back again.

But as the minutes passed and nothing happened, their courage returned
and Billie began to feel jubilant. She must be a good actress indeed to
fool Miss Ada!

And then----

Five ghostly figures sat up in bed, pushed back the bed clothes, and
slid silently to the floor. Once on their feet they shed their
nightgowns and their dark dresses only made a blurr in the blackness of
the room.

Still noiseless as mice, they drew out the precious baskets from under
the beds and crept over to where Billie was waiting for them.

"Where do we go from here, girls?" said Laura in a hysterical whisper.
"Goodness, but I'm scared to death."

"Keep quiet or you'll have something to be scared about," Billie
directed in a fierce little whisper. "Come on--I think the road's
clear."

They tiptoed to the door, and Billie opened it cautiously and peeped
out. There was no one in sight, and she stepped out into the hall
quickly, motioning to the girls to follow her.

Caroline, the last to leave the dormitory, stopped for a moment and
looked about at the sleeping girls. Then, satisfied that they were
really asleep and that none of them suspected the prank, she followed
the other girls out into the hall and closed the door carefully behind
her.

They found their fellow conspirators in dormitory "F" already up and
stirring. The lights were lit, hampers were out on the t