stand in line?" Billie whispered nervously to her father
a minute later. "I know I can't stand still and behave myself, Daddy.
Couldn't we go up and have a look around?"

"That wouldn't do any good," said her father, glancing at the piled-up
baggage. "It would only make more confusion. And still----" He thought
for a moment and then suddenly he strode off down the station and toward
the guard who had been friendly the night before.

Billie could hear nothing, but she saw enough to make her heart beat
faster. Mr. Bradley whispered a few words to the man who was at first
inclined to be impatient and made a quick gesture as if to wave Mr.
Bradley back to his place in the line.

However, Billie could see that whatever her father was saying was making
an impression, for suddenly the guard straightened up and began to look
interested.

"I wonder what Dad's handing him," said Chet slangily in her ear.

"Look!" cried Billie, clutching his arm. "They're going to look for
something--probably our trunk. No, they're not. Look how excited he is!
And Daddy, too! Oh, Chet, what in the world----" the last words were a
wail, and Chet squeezed her hand warningly.

"Come on, let's find out," he said. "It looks as if something was up."

The four young people came within earshot just in time to hear the last
part of Mr. Bradley's sentence.

"If it was only a few minutes ago, he hasn't had time to get far," her
father was saying with a grim light in his eyes.

Billie could stand the suspense no longer, and she rushed forward,
grasping her father's arm. The earnest conversation between the guard
and Mr. Bradley and their evident excitement had already attracted the
attention of the line of people, and now they watched Billie curiously.

"Daddy, what do you mean?" Billie cried in a voice tense with
excitement. "Is the trunk safe? Have you found it?"

"Yes. But only to lose it again," said her father, and then went on
hurriedly to explain. "The guard says he saw a trunk here only a little
while ago that answers our description, but now it's gone. He remembers
seeing a suspicious looking man hanging around, and it's barely possible
that the man may have stolen it. He also remembers seeing this fellow
drive off in a Ford car just a few minutes ago."

"O-oh!" cried Billie incredulously. "The trunk has been stolen!" Then
she whirled around and faced the guard. "Are you sure it was our trunk?
Could you describe it?"

"Yes," the guard