“During the cowboy race Mr. Portnay happened to want something from his make-up box. I heard him tell Lewis to go and get it. I was sitting on my horse near Mr. Portnay when Lewis came back with a box such as you describe. At first it looked a good bit like Mr. Portnay’s make-up chest, but our leading man knew right away that it wasn’t.
“Lewis, by mistake, had gone to your car and taken your box of albums in place of Portnay’s make-up box. Portnay laughed at the mistake, and sent Lewis back to get the right box.
“Now, in all probability, what happened was this. Instead of putting the box of albums back in your car, Lewis put it in Mr. Portnay’s car and also took from that car the make-up box. He left your box in Mr. Portnay’s car and now our leading man has gone away with it. That’s what happened to your albums, I feel sure. No one took them purposely.”
“Yes, it must have happened as you say,” agreed Mr. Martin. “I’m glad to learn the books weren’t stolen.”
“But how can we get them back?” asked Mrs. Martin.
“The albums aren’t ours—we are carrying them for a neighbor, Mr. James Cardwell,” explained Janet primly.
“Yes, that’s it,” said the little Curlytop girl’s father.
The cowboy actor looked at his watch and seemed to be trying to calculate something in his mind.
“We’re to take more scenes on location, as we call it, to-morrow,” he said.
“Do you mean here?” asked Mr. Martin. “We planned to go on, but if it means getting back the albums we can stay.”