“It’s another of those horrid old bats,” she gasped, bending down as an indistinct little shape fluttered past her.  “I shouldn’t think they could live in the closet without air or anything to eat.”

“It probably flew in when you opened the door the other day,” Violet suggested.

Once more Billie bent down and felt her way into the narrow closet.

“Don’t try to stand up, girls,” she cautioned.  “You’re apt to get an awful bump on the head.”

“I’ve already had one,” said Violet, rubbing the bumped spot tenderly.  “Goodness, it smells musty in here.”

“Girls, it’s a trunk!” cried Billie, leaning down to examine the bulky object she had seen at the other end.  “A pretty big one, too, and oh,” as she attempted to lift one end, “awfully heavy.”

“A trunk,” Laura repeated excitedly.  “That sounds interesting.  Can’t you pull it out, Billie?”

“I’ll try,” replied Billie, adding with a chuckle:  “But I shouldn’t wonder if you girls would have to help by pulling me.  My, but it’s heavy!”

However, after much hauling and pulling, Billie finally succeeded in backing out of the closet, pulling the trunk after her.  Then standing up and brushing the hair out of her eyes, she regarded it gleefully.

“Everything in the house is mine,” she reminded them, as she stooped down again to examine the lock, “so I have a perfect right to look in anything I find.”

“Well, nobody’s arguing about that,” said Laura, sitting down on the floor, regardless of a fine coating of dust, and helping Billie in her examination.

“Hasn’t it any key?” asked Violet eagerly.

“Of course not, silly,” Laura answered.  “What would be the use of a locked trunk if you kept the key around where everybody could see it?”

“Well, I didn’t even know it was locked,” Violet said, rather heatedly for her.

Billie jumped to her feet and gave the trunk a sudden jerk.

“Girls!” she cried, “did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” they chorused eagerly.

“But, didn’t you hear it rattle when we pulled it out of the closet?  I thought so then.  Now I’m sure.  Oh, girls!”

“What is the matter, Billie?”

“I jerked the trunk,” explained Billie, while the color tinged her face, “and it jingled!  Yes it did, it actually jingled!”

“Billie!” cried Laura looking wide-eyed and awed, “do you mean it sounded like money?”

For answer Billie reached down and gave the trunk another jerk.  Sure enough, there was the unmistakable jingle of metal against metal as though the trunk were filled with coins.

Their hearts beating fast, hardly able to speak with excitement, the girls stood and stared down at this new discovery.

“I—­I feel like Captain Kidd!” gasped Billie, her cheeks crimson now.  “Like Captain Kidd when he found the treasure.  Girls, do you really think it is money?”