Read (#24) The Clue in the Old Album for Free Online Page B

please let me, Granny,” Rose pleaded. “And I want to play the violin like my father!”
    “All right,” Mrs. Struthers agreed. “Whom do you recommend, Nancy? I don’t know any teachers in River Heights.”
    Nancy knew an excellent retired schoolteacher and gave Mrs. Struthers her name and address. She also wrote down those of the best music and dancing teachers in River Heights. Mrs. Struthers thanked her profusely for the help.
    As Nancy left the house, she decided to talk to Janie Bond. “How in the world did that girl learn Rose is part gypsy?”
    At the school Nancy found out from some little girls who Janie was and stopped her as she started home. The child became frightened when she realized she was being questioned about Rose.
    “I don’t know anything about her,” she said sullenly, “so let me go.”
    “Who told you Rose is a gypsy?”
    “I’m not going to tell!”
    “Then I’ll ask your mother.” Nancy walked off in the direction of the Bond home.
    “No, wait!” Frantically Janie ran after her. “Don’t tell Mom the story I started!” she pleaded. “I’ll explain anything you want to know.”
    “I’m so glad you changed your mind, Janie,” Nancy said. “First, tell me who told you Rose is a gypsy?”
    “A strange woman,” Janie explained. “I was in front of our school with some kids when she drove up. She asked us if Rose had come out yet.”
    “And you said?”
    “That Rose had gone home.”
    “Did the woman look like a gypsy?”
    Janie shrugged. “She was real dark and had red hair and wore big earrings. She asked us a lot of questions about Rose.”
    “What were they?”
    “She wanted to know what time Rose came to school and what time she went home. Then she told us Rose’s father was a gypsy. That’s all.”
    “But that’s not all. You told other children.”
    “I made up the rest,” Janie admitted. “I’m sorry. Honestly I am.”
    “Rose is the daughter of a great violinist,” Nancy told the girl. “I’ve heard too that he’s a Spanish gypsy, but that’s not to his discredit. Most gypsies are fine people. Some are excellent musicians and a few are movie stars.”
    Janie felt ashamed and wanted to leave. Nancy said, “Tell me more about the mysterious woman who said Rose’s father was a gypsy. Did the lady drive up in a black sedan?”
    “Yes, and she got real mad when Billy West upset her suitcase.”
    “Suitcase?”
    “She had a little one in her hand when she got out of the car. Billy pushed against the bag and it opened. Guess what she had inside?”
    “You tell me.”
    “Dolls! I thought she must sell them, only they didn’t look new. The kids all wanted to see them, but the woman was real cross. She closed the suitcase with a bang.”
    “Did you see the dolls yourself, Janie?”
    “Sure, I was standing right there all the time.”
    “What were they like?” Nancy asked, excited.
    “Oh, they weren’t like the dolls in the stores. One had a fan in her hand. Another was a little man playing a violin.”
    Janie’s information convinced Nancy that the woman was the person who had stolen Mrs. Struthers’ fan doll. The description Janie had given fitted Nitaka!
    “Did the doll with the fan stand on a velvet box?” Nancy inquired.
    “I think so,” Janie recalled. “The woman slammed the suitcase shut so fast we didn’t get a very good look at the dolls. Billy asked her if she sold them. She said yes. Then she jumped in her car and drove away.”
    Nancy’s suspicions were confirmed. She was certain that the woman with the dolls was Nitaka and that a plot was afoot to harm Rose.
    “May I go now?” Janie asked impatiently. “I promise I won’t make up any more stories about Rose.”
    “All right, Janie,” Nancy said. “But if you ever see the woman with the dolls again, please let me know right away.” She wrote her name and phone number on a slip of paper.
    Nancy was tempted to reveal what she had learned to Mrs. Struthers, then she