Read Online The Mysterious Visitor by Julie Campbell - Free Book Online

chewing her pencil again. "We’ve probably forgotten all sorts of important things. I think we should add to the list paper plates and napkins and straws. If we cause the servants a lot of extra work, Di, Harrison will raise a fuss, and then your mother may not let you attempt to give another party by yourself."
    "I wish he’d get mad enough to quit," Di said crossly. "The way he acts, you’d think he owned our place. I hardly ever see my little brothers and sisters, because Harrison doesn’t like children that age. He’s afraid they’ll break something in the living room or put their sticky hands on the slipcovers, so the twins spend most of their time in the nursery when they’re not outdoors." She turned to Trixie. "You may not believe me, but I had fun taking care of Bobby yesterday. You don’t know how lucky you are to have a little brother you can hug and kiss whenever you feel like it."
    "Oh, I know," Trixie said sympathetically. "Bobby is an awful nuisance sometimes, but he really is so cute. And I have no business complaining when I have to take care of him. Moms always pays me twenty-five cents an hour when I do, and I get an allowance of a dollar a week, too." She added shamefacedly, "You’re right, Di; I guess I am a pretty lucky girl."
    "That reminds me," Di said worriedly. "How am I going to earn some money so that I can contribute to the club like you both did?"
    "Let’s not worry about that now," Honey said quickly. "Your party is the most important thing. If it’s a success without Harrison having anything to do with it, maybe your mother will decide you don’t need a butler."
    "Maybe," Di said without much hope. She peered over Honey’s shoulder at the list. "We’ve forgotten about prizes. What games do you think we ought to play?"
    "Oh, I know a wonderful game," Trixie cried. "Murder at Midnight! It’s more fun."
    Di shuddered. "It sounds delightful. I’m beginning to think you are a goon, Trixie. Or should I have said ‘ghoul’?"
    Trixie laughed. "To win a prize in this game, you can’t be either a goon or a ghoul. You’ve got to have brains. There are all sorts of ways of playing Murder at Midnight, but this is the way we play it at our parties. First you deal out the cards. The person who gets the Queen of Spades is the murder victim. The person who gets the Ace of Diamonds is the murderer. But, of course, he doesn’t let anybody know that. Then you choose up sides. Half of the gang goes out of the room with the Queen and the Ace. The murderer tells his side who he is, and they leave all sorts of clues around, trying to baffle the other side. The person who is smart enough to guess who the murderer is gets first prize."
    Honey giggled. "Who gets the booby prize? The Queen of Spades?"
    "No," Trixie told her. "The ‘detective’ who asks stupid questions and sort of blunders around. There’s always somebody like that at every party." "I’m going to give myself the booby prize right now," Diana said, smiling. "But that game does sound like fun, Trixie, and our house is so big it’ll take practically all evening to find the clues and solve the mystery."
    "You can’t tell," Honey argued. "At every party there’s always somebody who’s awfully smart, too. He or she might solve the mystery very quickly. To be on the safe side we really ought to think up some more games. Got any more ideas, Trixie?"
    "Well, there’s that relay of passing a paper bag and having each person in line eat whatever wrapped article he or she grabs on to," Trixie said thoughtfully.
    "That sounds good," Diana said, laughing.
    "Or how about bobbing for apples?" Trixie asked. "It’s the thing to do on Halloween, isn’t it?"
    "No," Di said emphatically. "Y ou don’t mind getting your hair wet, because it’s naturally curly, but a lot of girls wouldn’t like it."
    "Personally," Honey said, "I think we’re all too old for that kind of game. After Murder at Midnight, if there’s time, I think we ought to play