The Girls of Central High Aiding the Red Cross

he stool before the high desk in her father's glass-enclosed office, from which elevation she could look do

n to that which lay right under her eyes upon the desk top. She looked first at the neat figures she had written upon the page of

ppened," she affirmed, as though in

e was a high school girl, she was usually so well prepared in her studies that she could give the books proper attention weekly.

strike a balance weekly, and this she was doing at this time. Or she was try

and even Chet, her brother, who was helping in the store this evening, if either

or less," she had told them, with a puzzled

any such act--Chet, o

ow Christmas will soon be on top of us, and a fellow needs all the money there is in the world to

age is becoming something to listen to with fear and tremblin

ng you--emphatically,

when you cannot find fif

Jess and Lance will be along soon and we were all going shopping together

the girl had sat in a web of mystery that fairly made her head spin! Her ledger figur

She counted them over and over again, and they came to

o right. The amount, added to the sum of the coins, was equal to the figures on the ledger. Then she did

ifty doll

n at other seasons. That was why Chet Belding was helping out behind the counters. Out the

e jewelry-store door. They burst in with a hail of merry voices and a clatter of tongues th

attention to a customer near the front of the store

Laura's desk. The young girl was still too deeply e

f the two girls who had just come in--a most attractive

s brother. "The old thing just wo

ing, any girl would have told you--went around into

?" he asked, with sympath

. This was Clara Hargrew, whom her friends called Bobby, and whose father kept the big grocery store just a block away from the Beldi

this was a short and sturdy boy who had the same misc

se) called him "Short and Long." He and Bobby Hargrew were what hopeless grown folk called "a team

shopping already," Jess Morse, the tall visitor, said. "Jus

mind scarcely on what her friends were say

d Long, with solemn countenance. "I wrote 'Not

es. "Let's have the joke!" demanded Chet.

it, Chet Belding!" cried Bobb

d Laura, now becoming mo

put it in a long, beautifully decorated Christmas box. If Purt Sweet keeps that box without opening i

imed Laura sternly

and stingy Purt Sweet is--and his mother has more money than anyb

lly, of cours

e smaller girl. "Purt got it noised abroad that he was going to

he got us all over to his house and offered each of us a drink of ice-water! And some of t

for being so piggi

urt's grade are much younger than he is. But this idea of givin

what's the matter here, Laura?" he added. "I've counted these bills and

ft to right as you count

he face of each bi

other way!" exclai

tion to his sister's trouble now. From right to left the packet of bank-not

u know about that

ngest thing!" de

k mind, "must be some of the

!" ejacul

banknote being printed wrong unless i

to the little office and heard this. "I am quite sure we h

ting them through his fingers. "I took that in myself when I sold that lavallière to the man I told you a

, Chet!" exclaimed B

of the packet and handed it to the groc

undred-dollar bill,

's the hun

interrupted Bobby

ir wondering eyes. Their exclamations drowned Mr. Belding

it o

dred-dollar bank-note! At this there certainly was a hullabaloo in and around

ther it is counterfeit or not, you took it i

y," admitted

s up to you," said

n?" asked Chet, somewhat trou

must keep his eyes open. You admit taking in this bill. If the Treasury Department

n awed silence as the jeweler turned aw

how shall I ever be able to buy Christmas presen

, Chet!" Jess

ad camped on your trail,

a hundred-dollar

" Short and

e," chuckled Bobby, who was not

d. "Well, let us go then. You can't make

of the man who passed it on

ow him again?

coat and hat while his sister put on her ou

shed him. "You will learn after this, I guess, to look at both sides

hundred, I bet,

to my Red Cross subscription," rejo

w said quickly. "We want to boost the

I got so bothered by that bank-note," declared

t we shall give a show for the Red Cross," declared Bo

Jess, clasping he

ssarioess, and so forth," laughed Lance Da

u write the play, Jess,

had been rain and a freeze. The sidewalks, as well as t

Oh! He'll

y the Belding store. A man was crossing Market

skidded. The next instant the pedestrian was knocked do

was quickly out of sight. The young people ran to the prostrate man. Nobody for

h up on his crown. He was unconscious. It was C

ht so!" he gasped. "Do

linging to his arm a

d that phony hundred-dolla

ooking under Chefs elbow down at the cri