r it."

"Better join the expedition," Dick laughed.

"Betty tells me there are no less than seven back doors to this place,
and the sherbet may be melting at any one of them."

"Oh, Dick, it's serious!" Betty said, crossly. "Dot Mead called up the
caterer and he said it had been delivered," she explained to Polly.

"A tragedy!" Bob exclaimed. "I must have sherbet; the party will be
ruined without it."

"Of course it will," Betty answered; "you can't do just with chicken
salad. It's got to be found. You go that way and we'll go this. Look at
every door, and perhaps we'll find it."

They started in opposite directions, but when they met outside of the
Assembly Hall a few minutes later the sherbet was still missing.

"I'm going to tell Mrs. Baird," Betty said; "maybe she can suggest
something to do. Dick, you wait here with Polly and Bob. I'll be right
back."

And she disappeared through the window.

"Do you suppose," Polly said, suddenly--"I have an idea. Come with me,
both of you." She ran down the road, regardless of satin slippers, as
far as the gym. "They may have left it here by mistake," she said to the
boys.

Bob ran to the door. "Here it is!" he exclaimed. He pointed to the six
buckets packed full of ice.

"What will we do with it?" Dick inquired. "Carry it back to Betty?"

"No; we'll unpack it here--ugh! The ice is all slushy." She stood back
to save her dress.

"We'll do it," Bob said. "You look out. Here Dick, dump them."

"You'll ruin your clothes," Polly protested. "Wait and I'll get some one
from the house."

"Never!" Dick declared, "wait even an instant while this precious stuff
melts; I should say not."

"All right, you unpack it; be careful of the tins, the covers fall off
sometimes, and the salt gets in the ice cream," she warned. "I'll go
find Betty."

She found her on the Senior porch. She was just coming out with one of
the maids.

"We've found it!" Polly called to her.

"Jemima! where?" Betty demanded.

"At the gym. The driver must have just dumped it down at the first door
he came to. The boys are unpacking it."

Fifteen minutes later the sherbet, a little melted and, perhaps a trifle
salty, was served in glass cups and no one but the agonized Seniors and
Dick and Bob knew of the narrow escape.

The rescuing party joined Lois and Jim over in one corner of the room.

"It's delicious," Bob said, feelingly. "Jim, did you ever unpack ice
cream cans that were completely sur