Read Online The Mystery of the Blinking Eye by Julie Campbell - Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Campbell
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“There’s safety in numbers, you know. He’s pretty sure he can’t do anything if we all stick together. Moral: All stick together!”
“I think you’re right,” Trixie said soberly. “He’s probably furious after seeing how many of us there are.”
“I don’t think I can stand it if things keep happening as fast as they have happened!” Barbara exclaimed.
“I can,” Ned said quickly. “I love it. Gosh, it’s a real mystery, for sure. About the only thing I can do when I get back home is to join the police force and get to work. What are we going to do now?”
“I have an idea,” Brian said. “How about us guys going to Lou Tannen’s Magic Shop while you girls explore the grocery stores and delicatessens on Fiftieth Street and Second Avenue?”
“That’ll be neat!” Mart said. “Then we’ll all get dinner together back at the apartment. Is it a deal?” he asked the girls.
“It’s a good idea, except for one thing,” Honey answered slowly. “We just got through agreeing that we should all stay together from now on.”
“Of course!” Brian exclaimed. “Now it’s my turn to be a birdbrain.”
Jim laughed. “Not you, Brian. Anyway, I don’t think we all have to stay together all the time. How about splitting up into two sections? Dan and I will go with the girls, and you and Mart can go with Ned and Bob to the magic shop. Will that be okay?”
“I don’t see why not,” Brian replied. “Mart can put on a magic show for all of us after dinner back in the apartment. See if you can find some of those card tricks you used at my birthday party, Mart.”
“I will if you six will promise not to come home with just a can of spaghetti and meatballs,” Mart agreed.
“He likes kooky foods,” Dan explained in mock seriousness, “like gnat’s eyebrows....”
“And Brazilian fried ants...”, Jim added. “Chocolate-covered...” Dan went on.
“Ugh, I won’t have any appetite for dinner, I can tell that,” Barbara said, rubbing her stomach.
“There are chocolate-covered ants in jars at some of those grocers,” Dan insisted. “I saw them.”
“Grasshoppers, too,” Bob said. “Even in a store in Des Moines I saw some canned grasshoppers.”
“And preserved grubworms,” Jim said. “Yummy!”
“That’s enough!” Trixie said. “This is where we part. We’ll see you not later than five-thirty back at the apartment.”
“If you turn out a dinner we can choke down, we may put on the magic show for you,” Mart called back. “ ‘Mart, the Mysterious Manipulator of Magic’ —that’s me.”
“For that, we’ll put pink whipped cream on your fried grasshoppers,” Barbara said. “We like you, Mart.”
“Like this,” Mart answered, drawing one finger across his throat.
When Jim and Dan and the girls got back to the apartment, they found Miss Trask, Brian, Mart, Bob, and Ned in excited conversation. Jim unloaded the grocery purchases on the kitchen table. Then they went into the living room to see what all the excitement was about.
“The joint has been cased, pillaged, plundered, spoliated,” Mart said out of the side of his mouth. “Oh, hush, Mart!” Miss Trask said. “This is serious.” She repeated what she had been telling the boys. “My sister was sleeping restfully at the hospital, so I decided to come back here. Soon after I returned, a man came to the door and told me he wanted to look at the apartment.”
“What did he look like?” Trixie asked quickly. “Dark, short—I think he was a foreigner,” Miss Trask answered. “I asked him who had sent him and why. He said the owner was planning to sublet the apartment.”
“Dad and Mother don’t want to sublet the apartment, I’m sure,” Jim interrupted.
“I’d never heard that they did,” Miss Trask went on, “but he said that he was a prospective tenant, that the custodian had told him to come on up to the apartment and he would meet him here.”
“I hope you didn’t fall for
“I think you’re right,” Trixie said soberly. “He’s probably furious after seeing how many of us there are.”
“I don’t think I can stand it if things keep happening as fast as they have happened!” Barbara exclaimed.
“I can,” Ned said quickly. “I love it. Gosh, it’s a real mystery, for sure. About the only thing I can do when I get back home is to join the police force and get to work. What are we going to do now?”
“I have an idea,” Brian said. “How about us guys going to Lou Tannen’s Magic Shop while you girls explore the grocery stores and delicatessens on Fiftieth Street and Second Avenue?”
“That’ll be neat!” Mart said. “Then we’ll all get dinner together back at the apartment. Is it a deal?” he asked the girls.
“It’s a good idea, except for one thing,” Honey answered slowly. “We just got through agreeing that we should all stay together from now on.”
“Of course!” Brian exclaimed. “Now it’s my turn to be a birdbrain.”
Jim laughed. “Not you, Brian. Anyway, I don’t think we all have to stay together all the time. How about splitting up into two sections? Dan and I will go with the girls, and you and Mart can go with Ned and Bob to the magic shop. Will that be okay?”
“I don’t see why not,” Brian replied. “Mart can put on a magic show for all of us after dinner back in the apartment. See if you can find some of those card tricks you used at my birthday party, Mart.”
“I will if you six will promise not to come home with just a can of spaghetti and meatballs,” Mart agreed.
“He likes kooky foods,” Dan explained in mock seriousness, “like gnat’s eyebrows....”
“And Brazilian fried ants...”, Jim added. “Chocolate-covered...” Dan went on.
“Ugh, I won’t have any appetite for dinner, I can tell that,” Barbara said, rubbing her stomach.
“There are chocolate-covered ants in jars at some of those grocers,” Dan insisted. “I saw them.”
“Grasshoppers, too,” Bob said. “Even in a store in Des Moines I saw some canned grasshoppers.”
“And preserved grubworms,” Jim said. “Yummy!”
“That’s enough!” Trixie said. “This is where we part. We’ll see you not later than five-thirty back at the apartment.”
“If you turn out a dinner we can choke down, we may put on the magic show for you,” Mart called back. “ ‘Mart, the Mysterious Manipulator of Magic’ —that’s me.”
“For that, we’ll put pink whipped cream on your fried grasshoppers,” Barbara said. “We like you, Mart.”
“Like this,” Mart answered, drawing one finger across his throat.
When Jim and Dan and the girls got back to the apartment, they found Miss Trask, Brian, Mart, Bob, and Ned in excited conversation. Jim unloaded the grocery purchases on the kitchen table. Then they went into the living room to see what all the excitement was about.
“The joint has been cased, pillaged, plundered, spoliated,” Mart said out of the side of his mouth. “Oh, hush, Mart!” Miss Trask said. “This is serious.” She repeated what she had been telling the boys. “My sister was sleeping restfully at the hospital, so I decided to come back here. Soon after I returned, a man came to the door and told me he wanted to look at the apartment.”
“What did he look like?” Trixie asked quickly. “Dark, short—I think he was a foreigner,” Miss Trask answered. “I asked him who had sent him and why. He said the owner was planning to sublet the apartment.”
“Dad and Mother don’t want to sublet the apartment, I’m sure,” Jim interrupted.
“I’d never heard that they did,” Miss Trask went on, “but he said that he was a prospective tenant, that the custodian had told him to come on up to the apartment and he would meet him here.”
“I hope you didn’t fall for
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