Read Online The Mystery of the Emeralds by Julie Campbell - Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Campbell
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a kind of game. You see, I look at some new thing—a room, a person, or a scene like the van at the gas pump. Then after a few seconds I close my eyes and see how much I can remember of what I’ve seen. Then I check to see how accurate I’ve been. At first I’d leave out a lot of details, but the more I practiced, the better I got. Now a quick glance at something is all I need.”
“That sounds like fun,” Honey said enthusiastically. “Let’s all start practicing. Why didn’t you ever tell us about it before, Trixie?”
“Oh, I thought it was a little silly, I guess, but I’ve found I really see things now and don’t just look at them,” she answered.
Their discussion was broken up when they heard Mrs. Lynch call out that it was time to get dressed.
It was such a hot night that the girls decided to wear light blouses and skirts. Everyone took a long time over the delicious dinner. The restaurant was air-conditioned, and the soft music and excellent service made it a pleasant hour. As they came out, it was beginning to grow dark. Trixie, turning to Mr. Lynch, asked him if they could go for a walk along the Mall, which was quite near the motel.
“I’ve eaten so much that I need exercise,” she laughed, “and besides, I’d love to see the Lincoln Memorial while I’m here in Washington.”
“That will take us past the Washington Monument, too,” Jim said after Mr. Lynch had urged them to look around the neighborhood.
Although the Bob-Whites had seen many pictures of the capital city, none of them had actually been there, so the experience was a new one for them all. It was a beautiful evening, with a three-quarter moon shining in a cloudless sky and a soft breeze from the Potomac River beginning to cool the air. No one said anything as they approached the awesome figure of Lincoln. They were silent, too, as they read the inscription on the wall behind the great stone chair: “In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is inscribed forever.”
Walking out between the tall columns that supported the roof, Trixie said, “Just think, the Civil War hadn’t even begun when Ruth and John went to Virginia.”
“And since then we've been involved in one war after another,” Brian added. “I wonder where it will end.”
“Well, I hope it ends in peace for the whole world!” Mart said with unusual seriousness. Then, looking toward the White House, which they were approaching, he continued, “I’d sure hate to be President of the United States. It must be the hardest job in the world.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Trixie said, giving her brother a good-natured pat on the shoulder. “At least not for quite a while.” The walk back to the motel ended on a lighter note.
They spent the next day sight-seeing. The boys wanted especially to see the airplanes at the Smithsonian Institution, so in the morning they took leave of the girls, who went to the National Gallery of Art. The Bob-Whites had decided the evening before, while talking with Mr. Lynch, that it would be a mistake to try to visit too many places in the one day they had in the city. Everyone agreed, however, that the newly decorated White House was a must, so they arranged to meet after lunch and all go there together.
Trixie had somehow imagined they would be able to stroll through the White House in much the same way that her class had done at Washington Irving’s restored home, but she found this tour quite different. Later, when told that over half a million people had already visited the White House that year, Trixie understood why there was little time to linger in any one room. In the Lincoln bedroom, however, she could not resist hanging back for a longer look. Jim, who had stayed in the forefront of the group to catch every word their guide had to say, came back to where she was solemnly gazing at an intricately carved rosewood table that Mrs.
“That sounds like fun,” Honey said enthusiastically. “Let’s all start practicing. Why didn’t you ever tell us about it before, Trixie?”
“Oh, I thought it was a little silly, I guess, but I’ve found I really see things now and don’t just look at them,” she answered.
Their discussion was broken up when they heard Mrs. Lynch call out that it was time to get dressed.
It was such a hot night that the girls decided to wear light blouses and skirts. Everyone took a long time over the delicious dinner. The restaurant was air-conditioned, and the soft music and excellent service made it a pleasant hour. As they came out, it was beginning to grow dark. Trixie, turning to Mr. Lynch, asked him if they could go for a walk along the Mall, which was quite near the motel.
“I’ve eaten so much that I need exercise,” she laughed, “and besides, I’d love to see the Lincoln Memorial while I’m here in Washington.”
“That will take us past the Washington Monument, too,” Jim said after Mr. Lynch had urged them to look around the neighborhood.
Although the Bob-Whites had seen many pictures of the capital city, none of them had actually been there, so the experience was a new one for them all. It was a beautiful evening, with a three-quarter moon shining in a cloudless sky and a soft breeze from the Potomac River beginning to cool the air. No one said anything as they approached the awesome figure of Lincoln. They were silent, too, as they read the inscription on the wall behind the great stone chair: “In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is inscribed forever.”
Walking out between the tall columns that supported the roof, Trixie said, “Just think, the Civil War hadn’t even begun when Ruth and John went to Virginia.”
“And since then we've been involved in one war after another,” Brian added. “I wonder where it will end.”
“Well, I hope it ends in peace for the whole world!” Mart said with unusual seriousness. Then, looking toward the White House, which they were approaching, he continued, “I’d sure hate to be President of the United States. It must be the hardest job in the world.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Trixie said, giving her brother a good-natured pat on the shoulder. “At least not for quite a while.” The walk back to the motel ended on a lighter note.
They spent the next day sight-seeing. The boys wanted especially to see the airplanes at the Smithsonian Institution, so in the morning they took leave of the girls, who went to the National Gallery of Art. The Bob-Whites had decided the evening before, while talking with Mr. Lynch, that it would be a mistake to try to visit too many places in the one day they had in the city. Everyone agreed, however, that the newly decorated White House was a must, so they arranged to meet after lunch and all go there together.
Trixie had somehow imagined they would be able to stroll through the White House in much the same way that her class had done at Washington Irving’s restored home, but she found this tour quite different. Later, when told that over half a million people had already visited the White House that year, Trixie understood why there was little time to linger in any one room. In the Lincoln bedroom, however, she could not resist hanging back for a longer look. Jim, who had stayed in the forefront of the group to catch every word their guide had to say, came back to where she was solemnly gazing at an intricately carved rosewood table that Mrs.
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