show!”
During a brief intermission Nancy wandered out into the audience. Before she got all the way down the center aisle, a woman close by uttered a piercing wail.
“My pocketbook! It’s been stolen!”
Immediately the entire room was thrown into confusion. In the resulting excitement, Nancy spied David Dorrance slipping out the exit.
Forgetting her part in the show, Nancy sped after the fleeing man. When she reached the door, he was hurrying toward an alley.
“Wait!” she called.
The man turned, but did not pause. Nancy spied two little boys directly ahead and shouted:
“Stop that man! Don’t let him get away!”
The boys attempted to block his path, but he shoved them away angrily. Nancy ran after him as fast as she could. The long evening gown impeded her progress.
Nevertheless, she began to gain on the thief. At the end of the alley, the man darted around a corner. He saw a long coil of barbed wire lying on the ground. Seizing it, he threw it in such a way that Nancy could not fail to run against the sharp barbs.
Unsuspecting, she ran straight into the wire. Her gown caught in a dozen places, tearing badly. Aghast, she halted.
“Oh, this beautiful gown!” she thought, seeing that it had been torn beyond repair. “I’ve ruined Katherine’s chances completely!”
Out of breath and disheveled, Nancy returned to the clubhouse. It was time for the second half of the fashion show to begin.
Suddenly in the throng Nancy saw David Dor rance!
“Why, Miss Drew, what has happened to you?” he asked, walking over to her.
The man was perfectly composed. There was no indication, either in his breathing or the color of his face, that he had been running.
“I mistook him again for the pickpocket!” Nancy thought, chagrined.
“Just a little accident,” she replied, and dashed to the dressing room. A sudden thought came to her.
“It’s uncanny that Dorrance and the thief are so often in the same place! I’m going to talk to the police about it!”
Nancy found Katherine and Helen waiting for her. When they saw the ruined gown, they were dismayed.
“Oh, Nancy, how did it happen?” Helen managed to say at last.
Nancy told about pursuing the pickpocket. “I ought to stick to sleuthing and give up trying to model in fashion shows,” she concluded grimly. “The two certainly don’t mix.”
“What are we to do?” Helen asked, sinking into a chair. “The dress can’t be mended.”
“I don’t appear in the show again until tomorrow afternoon. That gives us twenty-four hours. Couldn’t you duplicate the dress, Katherine? You had a good bit of material left over.”
“In so short time! No, no.”
“Maybe part of it could be saved,” Nancy added. “The sleeves are in perfect condition.”
“And so is all the back except the train,” Helen encouraged her. “Couldn’t you just make a new front and replace the train, Katherine?”
“I could sew all night, if necessary,” Nancy offered.
The designer made a hasty examination of the gown. A minute later her eyes lighted up. “I can do it!”
The girls hastened to Katherine’s shop. For two hours they sewed steadily. By then it was evident that the work could be finished in time.
“We go home now and rest,” Katherine urged. “I finish the dress tomorrow.”
The young designer locked the shop, and the three girls walked down the street. At the comer Nancy left the others to go to police headquarters. There she reported her suspicions regarding Dorrance and his double.
“It seems strange to me that those two men should always be in the same place at the same time,” she said to Chief McGinnis.
The officer gave her a friendly smile. “Do you think they are brothers—twins maybe?” he asked.
“They look enough alike,” Nancy replied. “At first I thought only one was a thief, but now I’m wondering whether Dorrance is really innocent.”
“I’m glad you’ve told me this,” said the chief. “As you know, my men
During a brief intermission Nancy wandered out into the audience. Before she got all the way down the center aisle, a woman close by uttered a piercing wail.
“My pocketbook! It’s been stolen!”
Immediately the entire room was thrown into confusion. In the resulting excitement, Nancy spied David Dorrance slipping out the exit.
Forgetting her part in the show, Nancy sped after the fleeing man. When she reached the door, he was hurrying toward an alley.
“Wait!” she called.
The man turned, but did not pause. Nancy spied two little boys directly ahead and shouted:
“Stop that man! Don’t let him get away!”
The boys attempted to block his path, but he shoved them away angrily. Nancy ran after him as fast as she could. The long evening gown impeded her progress.
Nevertheless, she began to gain on the thief. At the end of the alley, the man darted around a corner. He saw a long coil of barbed wire lying on the ground. Seizing it, he threw it in such a way that Nancy could not fail to run against the sharp barbs.
Unsuspecting, she ran straight into the wire. Her gown caught in a dozen places, tearing badly. Aghast, she halted.
“Oh, this beautiful gown!” she thought, seeing that it had been torn beyond repair. “I’ve ruined Katherine’s chances completely!”
Out of breath and disheveled, Nancy returned to the clubhouse. It was time for the second half of the fashion show to begin.
Suddenly in the throng Nancy saw David Dor rance!
“Why, Miss Drew, what has happened to you?” he asked, walking over to her.
The man was perfectly composed. There was no indication, either in his breathing or the color of his face, that he had been running.
“I mistook him again for the pickpocket!” Nancy thought, chagrined.
“Just a little accident,” she replied, and dashed to the dressing room. A sudden thought came to her.
“It’s uncanny that Dorrance and the thief are so often in the same place! I’m going to talk to the police about it!”
Nancy found Katherine and Helen waiting for her. When they saw the ruined gown, they were dismayed.
“Oh, Nancy, how did it happen?” Helen managed to say at last.
Nancy told about pursuing the pickpocket. “I ought to stick to sleuthing and give up trying to model in fashion shows,” she concluded grimly. “The two certainly don’t mix.”
“What are we to do?” Helen asked, sinking into a chair. “The dress can’t be mended.”
“I don’t appear in the show again until tomorrow afternoon. That gives us twenty-four hours. Couldn’t you duplicate the dress, Katherine? You had a good bit of material left over.”
“In so short time! No, no.”
“Maybe part of it could be saved,” Nancy added. “The sleeves are in perfect condition.”
“And so is all the back except the train,” Helen encouraged her. “Couldn’t you just make a new front and replace the train, Katherine?”
“I could sew all night, if necessary,” Nancy offered.
The designer made a hasty examination of the gown. A minute later her eyes lighted up. “I can do it!”
The girls hastened to Katherine’s shop. For two hours they sewed steadily. By then it was evident that the work could be finished in time.
“We go home now and rest,” Katherine urged. “I finish the dress tomorrow.”
The young designer locked the shop, and the three girls walked down the street. At the comer Nancy left the others to go to police headquarters. There she reported her suspicions regarding Dorrance and his double.
“It seems strange to me that those two men should always be in the same place at the same time,” she said to Chief McGinnis.
The officer gave her a friendly smile. “Do you think they are brothers—twins maybe?” he asked.
“They look enough alike,” Nancy replied. “At first I thought only one was a thief, but now I’m wondering whether Dorrance is really innocent.”
“I’m glad you’ve told me this,” said the chief. “As you know, my men
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