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Authors: Julie Campbell
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said, "is for Honey to switch rooms with me. You can be sure I won't yell if anyone sneaks in. I'll keep a flashlight handy and catch him red-handed."
"But suppose he has a gun." Honey protested. "Oh, 'I'm not worried about that," Jim said. "If he had a gun, he would have used it last night. What excuse can we give Miss Trask for wanting to swap rooms?"
I know," Trixie cried. "One of Honey's windows faces east, and the sun wakes her up at the crack of dawn. That's why she wants to swap."
"Pretty flimsy; pretty flimsy," Brian said, "but if Miss Trask is the good sport you all say she is, you'll probably get by with it."
Honey nodded. "She's like Regan. Neither of them asks a lot of bothersome questions."
"They're both too busy minding their own business," Jim added.
"Dick," Trixie put in thoughtfully, "is supposed to be busy, too, but he spends a lot of time making friends with Bobby and the dogs. That's suspicious, if you ask me."
Jim frowned. "I'd agree with you if I hadn't seen the letter of recommendation from Mr. Whitney, who is one of Dad's best friends."
"And he's so very good-looking," Honey said. "Dick, I mean. People who steal diamonds and lurk around in thickets, eavesdropping, don't look like that."
Trixie sniffed. "How do you know they don't? Besides, Dick isn't nice-looking. He's mean. His lips are too thin, and his eyes are too close together."
Mart laughed. "You girls are wacky. Didn't you ever hear the old saying about not judging a book by its cover? Whether he's handsome or looks like Dracula has nothing to do with the case."
"Trixie's right about one thing," Jim said. "I guess I should say Bobby is right. Dick is afraid of horses. When I came back from a ride on Jupe yesterday afternoon, Miss Trask called me in to the phone. I asked Dick to hold Jupe while I answered it, and he flatly refused. He said, 'You couldn't pay me to go near that rearing, prancing brute.' "
"He might have said that just because he doesn't do favors for anyone except Bobby," Trixie said. "Honestly, I was furious when he stood there grinning yesterday while I picked up the broken glass."
"That was horrid of him," Honey cried impulsively. "When Daddy hears about it, Dick will be fired."
"Don't be a tattletale on account of me," Trixie said. "Anyway, I don't think he'll be here when your father comes back."
"Why not?" Brian demanded.
"Because," Trixie said with a superior smile, "I'm sure he's our prowler. Jim will catch him tonight." Brian shook his head. "A woman convinced against her will is of the same opinion still," he said. "Just because Bobby said he showed Dick Honey's windows doesn't mean a thing. Bobby's reports are generally garbled to death."
"That's not the only thing that makes me suspicious," Trixie said. "Come on, let's take a quick swim in the lake. It must be almost time for breakfast." She started up the path, and they all raced after her.
The girls were wearing denim shorts and tops so they didn't bother to change into swimsuits. Honey had to stop long enough in the boathouse to get a cap to pull on over her shoulder-length bob. She was the last one in.
"Boy! Can she swim and dive," Mart whispered to
Trixie as they lay on their backs, floating. "She could give us all lessons."
"Honey," Trixie said, 'learned how to swim and ride at camps and boarding schools. She hardly knew her parents until this summer. That's why she had governesses. Miss Trask was the math instructor at the last school Honey went to. And," she added enviously, "Honey has already had some algebra. They taught it in the seventh grade. She'll probably get much better marks than I will."
"Oh, you'll be okay," Mart said affectionately. "It kills me to admit it, Trix, but you're really smart at times. What other reason makes you suspect Dick?"
"Let's go back to the boathouse and get dry in the sun," Trixie said. "Ill tell you then."
When they were stretched out on the hot boards of the porch, she explained. "Dick was very
"But suppose he has a gun." Honey protested. "Oh, 'I'm not worried about that," Jim said. "If he had a gun, he would have used it last night. What excuse can we give Miss Trask for wanting to swap rooms?"
I know," Trixie cried. "One of Honey's windows faces east, and the sun wakes her up at the crack of dawn. That's why she wants to swap."
"Pretty flimsy; pretty flimsy," Brian said, "but if Miss Trask is the good sport you all say she is, you'll probably get by with it."
Honey nodded. "She's like Regan. Neither of them asks a lot of bothersome questions."
"They're both too busy minding their own business," Jim added.
"Dick," Trixie put in thoughtfully, "is supposed to be busy, too, but he spends a lot of time making friends with Bobby and the dogs. That's suspicious, if you ask me."
Jim frowned. "I'd agree with you if I hadn't seen the letter of recommendation from Mr. Whitney, who is one of Dad's best friends."
"And he's so very good-looking," Honey said. "Dick, I mean. People who steal diamonds and lurk around in thickets, eavesdropping, don't look like that."
Trixie sniffed. "How do you know they don't? Besides, Dick isn't nice-looking. He's mean. His lips are too thin, and his eyes are too close together."
Mart laughed. "You girls are wacky. Didn't you ever hear the old saying about not judging a book by its cover? Whether he's handsome or looks like Dracula has nothing to do with the case."
"Trixie's right about one thing," Jim said. "I guess I should say Bobby is right. Dick is afraid of horses. When I came back from a ride on Jupe yesterday afternoon, Miss Trask called me in to the phone. I asked Dick to hold Jupe while I answered it, and he flatly refused. He said, 'You couldn't pay me to go near that rearing, prancing brute.' "
"He might have said that just because he doesn't do favors for anyone except Bobby," Trixie said. "Honestly, I was furious when he stood there grinning yesterday while I picked up the broken glass."
"That was horrid of him," Honey cried impulsively. "When Daddy hears about it, Dick will be fired."
"Don't be a tattletale on account of me," Trixie said. "Anyway, I don't think he'll be here when your father comes back."
"Why not?" Brian demanded.
"Because," Trixie said with a superior smile, "I'm sure he's our prowler. Jim will catch him tonight." Brian shook his head. "A woman convinced against her will is of the same opinion still," he said. "Just because Bobby said he showed Dick Honey's windows doesn't mean a thing. Bobby's reports are generally garbled to death."
"That's not the only thing that makes me suspicious," Trixie said. "Come on, let's take a quick swim in the lake. It must be almost time for breakfast." She started up the path, and they all raced after her.
The girls were wearing denim shorts and tops so they didn't bother to change into swimsuits. Honey had to stop long enough in the boathouse to get a cap to pull on over her shoulder-length bob. She was the last one in.
"Boy! Can she swim and dive," Mart whispered to
Trixie as they lay on their backs, floating. "She could give us all lessons."
"Honey," Trixie said, 'learned how to swim and ride at camps and boarding schools. She hardly knew her parents until this summer. That's why she had governesses. Miss Trask was the math instructor at the last school Honey went to. And," she added enviously, "Honey has already had some algebra. They taught it in the seventh grade. She'll probably get much better marks than I will."
"Oh, you'll be okay," Mart said affectionately. "It kills me to admit it, Trix, but you're really smart at times. What other reason makes you suspect Dick?"
"Let's go back to the boathouse and get dry in the sun," Trixie said. "Ill tell you then."
When they were stretched out on the hot boards of the porch, she explained. "Dick was very
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