Mr. Parker had been called downtown to attend a meeting, Penny discovered upon entering the house. Unable to tell him of her trip to the museum, she tried to interest Mrs. Weems in the story. However, the housekeeper, who was eager to start for a moving-picture theatre, soon cut her short.
“Excuse me, Penny, but I really must be leaving or I’ll be late,” she apologized, putting on her hat.
“I thought you were interested in mystery, Mrs. Weems.”
“Mystery, yes,” smiled the housekeeper. “To tell you the truth, though, I can’t become very excited over an old stone, no matter what’s written on it.”
After Mrs. Weems had gone, Penny was left alone in the big house. She sat down to read a book but soon laid it aside. To pass the time, she thought she would make a batch of fudge. But, no sooner had she mixed the sugar and chocolate together than it seemed like a useless occupation, so she set aside the pan for Mrs. Weems to finish upon her return from the movie.
“I know what I’ll do!” she thought suddenly. “I wonder why I didn’t think of it sooner?”
Hastening to the telephone she called her chum, Louise, asking her to come over at once.
“What’s up?” the other inquired curiously.
“We’re going to carry out a philanthropic enterprise, Lou! I’ll tell you about it when you get here!”
“One of these days you’ll choke on some of those big words,” Louise grumbled. “All right, I’ll come.”