we're up to?" she ventured, dubiously. "He will ask you what you want them for, won't he?" "No, indeed," cried Doris. "That's just the beauty of Father. He'd never ask me why I want them in a hundred years. If I choose to explain to him, all right, and if I don't he knows that's all right too, for he trusts me absolutely, not to do anything wrong. So, when he comes down, as I expect he will in a week or so, he'll probably say, 'Pirates all right, daughter?' and that's all there'll be to it." Sally was at last convinced, though she marvelled inwardly at this quite wonderful species of father. "But now, let's look at the books," went on Doris. "I'm perfectly certain we'll find something in them that's going to give us a lift." She unwrapped the bundle and produced three volumes. One, a very large one,[Pg 70] was called "The Book of Buried Treasure." Another, "Pirates and Buccaneers of Our Own Coasts," and, last but not least, "The Life of Captain Kidd." Sally's eyes fairly sparkled, especially at the last, and they hurriedly consulted together as to who should take which books first. At length it was decided that Sally take the "Buried Treasure Book," as it was very bulky, and Doris would go over the other two. Then they would exchange. This ought to keep them fully occupied till fair weather set in again, after which, armed with so much valuable information, they would again tackle their problem on its own ground—at Slipper Point. [Pg 70] It was two days later when they met again. There had not been an opportunity to exchange the books, but on the first fair morning Sally and Genevieve rowed up in "45," and Doris leaped in exclaiming: "Let's go right up to Slipper Point. I believe I've got on the track of something—at last! What have you discovered, Sally?" [Pg 71] [Pg 71] "Nothing at all,—just nothing," declared Sally rather discouragingly. "It was an awfully interesting book, though. I just devoured it. But it didn't tell a thing that would help us out. And I've made up my mind, since reading it, that we might as well give up any idea of Captain Kidd having buried anything around here. That book said he never buried a thing, except one place on Long Island, and that was all raked up long ago. All the rest about him is just silly nonsense and talk. He never was much of a pirate, anyway!" "Yes, I discovered the same thing in the book I had about him," agreed
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