Book Description

"I promised Mother I'd buy a doll for a poor child," Louise remarked as they walked along. "I thought I'd get it at Nellie Marble's shop. But you needn't go along unless you like." "Oh, I have loads of time," said Penny. "Anyway, I'd rather enjoy talking with Nellie again. I haven't seen her since she graduated." Both Penny and Louise were sophomores at Riverview High. Nellie Marble had attended the school for only two years, and the girls had never known her well. "Mother says Nellie has had a hard time of it until lately," Louise commented. "She had courage, going into business for herself." "Yes, her doll shop is paying well now, I guess. But she had a long struggle building up her trade. She deserves to succeed. She makes the cutest dolls in town." The Marble Doll Shoppe was located at the very outskirts of Riverview, not far from the Big Bear River. After a long walk, the girls came to a district where the business houses were run down and in need of paint. A swinging sign drew their attention to the Doll Shoppe, a clean, white building, which stood in sharp contrast to its neighbors. Louise opened the door. A musical bell jingled pleasantly as they went inside. "Why, look at this!" Penny cried, stopping short. Instead of the neat, tidily arranged show rooms which they had expected to find, everything was in disorder. Dolls were lying helter-skelter on the floor, many with their heads crushed. A glass counter had been broken. While the girls were staring, they heard footsteps. Nellie Marble, a thin, tired-looking girl of twenty-two, came to the doorway from the workroom at the rear of the shop. Her eyes were red from weeping. "Oh," she said in a listless voice. "I thought it might be the police." "The police?" echoed Penny. "Why, Nellie, what happened here?" CONTENTS 1 TRAGEDY FOR NELLIE 2 THE SHOW GOES ON 3 A STRANGE GIFT 4 OUT OF THE PAST 5 MISS HARMON'S WITCH DANCE 6 THE DIAMOND NECKLACE 7 A SHADOW ON THE WINDOW 8 "BEWARE!" 9 THE GREAT OSANDRA 10 MISS HARMON'S LOSS 11 MORE OF THE WITCH DOLL 12 A VOICE IN THE DARK 13 THE MEDIUM'S CONFESSION 14 DISTURBING NEWS 15 A LURKING FIGURE 16 SUSPICION 17 PENNY'S DISCOVERY 18 AN ASTONISHING ADMISSION 19 A WARNING NOTE 20 THE SECRET PANEL 21 A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE 22 IDENTIFYING A SCOUNDREL 23 INSIDE THE DOLL SHOP 24 UNDER THE KITCHEN 25 A TRIUMPH FOR PENNY