She darted toward an old-fashioned bureau which stood in the room, flopped down on her knees, and drew out the lower drawer. "Oh, girls," she cried, "look here."
The others gathered around her to see boxes in which were the treasures of a forgotten owner,—strings of beads, half-worn white kid gloves, a fan with ivory sticks, combs, and ornaments of various kinds.
"Let's each take something home to her mother," proposed Esther Ann. "I speak for the fan."
"Oh, Esther, do you dare?" asked Reba.
"Why not? They don't belong to anyone," came back the old argument.
"Some one else will most likely take them if we don't," remarked Reliance conclusively.
This satisfied the less venturesome, and they all sat down on the floor to make a selection. Reba chose a quaint, silver buckle, Reliance selected a mother-of-pearl card-case, Edna decided upon a tortoise-shell comb.
"Wasn't it lovely that we should find them?" said Esther Ann enthusiastically. "It will be so nice to be able to take home presents. I am glad no one else found them before we did."
"I wonder how long the back door has been opened," said Reba. "Has it always been?"
"I don't know. I never tried it till the other day," Esther Ann told her.