“I hope it is for the best,” she said to Josie, with a note of cheer in her voice.
“Sure it is for the best! Brace up, Ursula! I can’t see what good it is to worry so much about it. Do what you think is right and then trust in the Lord. What harm could come of writing to old friends? No harm in the world. I’m glad you have told them as to your whereabouts.”
In her heart Josie could not help a feeling of impatience over Ursula’s timidity. Josie herself never acknowledged fear of anything, known or unknown. She had a philosophy that carried her through all dangers.
“I wish she would buck up and not give in to this nameless fear about what Cheatham might or might not do,” Josie mused. “Of course, if I had two little brothers like Ben and Phil I might not be so sure of myself,” she continued, “but what under Heaven could happen to those kids here in Dorfield?”
It was Christmas Eve and the Higgledy Piggledy Shop was closed for a week. It had been a strenuous time and all of the girls were tired and needed a rest. Orders of all descriptions had poured in and in the midst of the rush Josie had been employed in her capacity of detective to track a lavender suit belonging to a dressy woman, who sent it to a cleaner by her colored maid. Suit and maid had disappeared off the face of the earth. Josie had found both maid and suit. The maid was the same color but the suit, alas! was a vivid scarlet. Cleaners are also dyers.
Josie was glad the rush was over. Even her iron nerves were stretched by the Christmas rush. She was alone in the shop. It was good to be alone even if it did happen to be Christmas Eve. The partners had gone for the week. Mary Louise had come in laden with parcels, her cheeks glowing with the crisp December air and her eyes shining from the joy of giving. She had insisted upon taking Josie home with her for the holidays but to no avail.
“I’ll come and have Christmas dinner with you. I have a lot of things to do and loose ends to tie up and I’ll get it over with while the shop is closed. I’m not lonesome, dear, so don’t worry about me. Go on home to your Danny and forget your spinster friends.”
“Oh, Josie, how funny to call yourself a spinster! You won’t be a spinster for years and years.”
“Look in the dictionary and see if I’m not one already. That book says a spinster is one who spins and also an unmarried woman. I certainly am an unmarried woman even though I’m not a very old one as yet. I am also a spinster in that I am spinning a web in my mind in which to catch poor Ursula’s unscrupulous stepfather. I may never need the web but I am on the alert in case I should have to spread it out in the path of the unwary. I’ll see you to-morrow, dear. Good-bye! It was like you to get those presents for Ben and Philip. Ursula was very happy over them. She is planning a lovely to-morrow for them. She is a wonderful girl but I wish she would cheer up.”
Night closed down on Dorfield. It was a white Christmas. Josie could hear the sleigh bells ringing, as merry parties passed the shop. She made herself cosy by the open grate which was one of the attractions of the Higgledy Piggledy. She settled herself snugly in a winged chair, an antique they were selling on commission, and drawing her reading light closer with a contented sigh she opened her book—a new detective story.