(#24) The Clue in the Old Album Read Free Page A

story.”
    By this time, Nancy was more intrigued than ever with the case. “I’ll be here,” she promised.
    At dinner that evening, Nancy told her father about the happenings of the afternoon. “The thieves got away in a black sedan,” she said regretfully, “and the license plate was so smeared with mud I couldn’t read it. But I did notice that the car was a new model.”
    “A slim clue,” Carson Drew observed.
    “I’ve promised to help Mrs. Struthers.” Nancy smiled. “Rose needs help too. She’s rude and undisciplined, but I think with her musical heritage she’d improve under some sort of artistic training.”
    “I’m afraid it will take a good bit of training,” Mr. Drew declared.
    The next day Nancy was about to leave for Mrs. Struthers’ home when her friend Bess Marvin arrived. Attractive and slightly plump, Bess was as feminine as George Fayne, her cousin, was tom-boyish. Bess was eager to go on a shopping spree. “Grab your pocketbook and we’ll be off!”
    Nancy shook her head. “Sorry, Bess, I can’t make it.”
    “You’re going somewhere with Ned Nickerson.” Bess teased.
    “No.”
    “Then you’re working on another mystery.”
    “Yes.” Nancy smiled. “Hop in the car and I’ll drop you off at the mall.” On the way Nancy brought Bess up-to-date on her new case.
    “How I’d love to see those dolls!” Bess sighed when the girls arrived at the shopping center.
    Nancy promised to take her to the Struthers’ home soon. In a few minutes the young detective was seated in the doll collector’s living room. Mrs. Struthers explained that Rose was visiting a neighbor so there would be no interruptions.
    “You missed the most important part of my story yesterday,” the woman began in a quiet voice. “I was telling you my daughter’s dying words.”
    “Yes, said Nancy. ”You mentioned something about a clue.”
    “A clue I’ve tried unsuccessfully to find,” Mrs. Struthers confided, “though I think it may be here. Perhaps you can uncover it.”
    She unlocked a cabinet and removed a thick book. It appeared to be an old family album, covered with brass filigree work and studded with precious stones of various colors.
    “This is a very valuable possession,” the woman explained, “and is filled with family photographs.”
    “How does it tie in with the clue?” Nancy asked.
    Mrs. Struthers sighed. “As my daughter lay on her deathbed, she seemed worried about Rose’s future. She tried desperately to tell me something. Her last words were, ‘Clue in ... the old album.’ ”
    “In this one, you think?” Nancy queried as she turned the pages of the photograph album.
    “I’m not sure,” Mrs. Struthers replied. Nancy stopped to look at the picture of a pretty child of about eight years of age. She was holding a doll. “That one is my daughter, Enid, when she was a little girl,” the woman said. “And here is a picture of Enid in her wedding dress.”
    “Your daughter was beautiful,” said Nancy. “And the dress is lovely.”
    “I never saw it.” Mrs. Struthers sighed. “Enid bought the dress herself and later, when she needed money, she sold it. When she returned home, she slipped this picture into the album. I found it after her death.”
    “What was her married name?”
    “Pepito. Mrs. Romano Pepito. But Rose uses the name of Struthers.”
    “Your daughter’s final words were, ‘The doll. It’s gone. Find it for Rose,’ ” Nancy said. “Could she have meant the doll she holds in the photograph of herself as a child?”
    “I thought so at first, but that doll is here in the house. It gave me no clue.”
    “Apparently the lost doll holds a secret to something that would mean a great deal to Rose.” Nancy mused.
    “Exactly,” the grandmother agreed. “Rose may have a hidden fortune somewhere.”
    “You’ve searched the old album thoroughly?”
    “Dozens of times. But perhaps your young eyes might detect something I’ve missed.”
    Nancy was