Read Online The Scarlet Slipper Mystery by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online
Authors: Carolyn Keene
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Juvenile Fiction, Detective and Mystery Stories, Mystery Fiction, Women Detectives, Girls & Women, Adventure and Adventurers, Adventure stories, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Mystery and detective stories, Drew; Nancy (Fictitious Character), smuggling, Jewel Thieves, Art Thieves, Adventures and Adventurers, Dance Schools, Mystery & Detective Stories
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represent.”
Nancy started the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.” Instantly Susie marched, stiff-legged, around the room.
“Good!” said Nancy. “And now, Carol, here’s one for you.”
Carol listened and pretended to be walking with her doll.
“That’s right.” Nancy smiled. “This is the ‘Waltzing Doll.’ As you become acquainted with more difficult music, steps to go with it will come to you at once. All you learn now are the different kinds of steps and movements. Later, when you are told the story of a ballet, you will interpret it in your own way.”
“You mean this lesson we can do any steps we want to the music? Oh, let’s all try one right now,” begged black-haired Jennifer.
“All right,” Nancy agreed. She told a story of an animal parade and dropped “Forest Frolic” over the pin of the turntable.
The little girls rose, listened a moment, then started to dance, imitating both the movements and cries of various animals of the forest. A lion roared and stalked a leaping deer. A bear growled, monkeys chattered, and a wild dog barked.
In the midst of the din, Susie suddenly stopped dancing and screamed. She pointed toward the reception room and cried out, “Look! There’s a witch out there!”
Nancy turned to see a strange sight. A woman, wearing a tight-fitting black dress and large peaked hat, with a stole covering half of her face, was tiptoeing across the carpeted room toward the desk.
“Look! There’s a witch!” Susie screamed.
For a moment, Nancy could not understand her strange actions. There was nothing in the desk she could possibly want. Suddenly, in spite of the woman’s disguise, Nancy recognized her. “Mrs. Judson!” she called out involuntarily.
Realizing she had been discovered, the woman forgot her attempts at stealth, ran forward boldly, and reached up on the wall. When her hand came down, she was holding the scarlet slippers!
“Drop those at once!” Nancy shouted, running into the reception room.
But Mrs. Judson, clutching the ballet shoes against her chest, rushed to the hall and down the stairs. Nancy raced across the reception room after the thief!
CHAPTER X
Quest for Portraits
As Nancy dashed out the front door after the thief, she saw Bess heading for the dancing school.
“Hurry! Watch the children! I have to catch a thief!”
Nancy’s ankle was still painful and Mrs. Judson outdistanced her, disappearing around the next comer. Nancy looked for her in vain and concluded she had gone through one of the stores to another street.
As Nancy paused, she realized that her scanty ballet outfit was attracting stares on the busy street. She blushed and quickly walked back to the dancing school. Her young pupils were trying to explain to Bess about the “witch” who had taken the slippers. When they saw Nancy, they all asked what had happened.
“I didn’t catch the woman,” she said.
“Miss Fontaine will feel bad,” Susie said. “She just loves those slippers.”
Bess led the children into the practice room and continued their lesson. Nancy, meanwhile, telephoned the police about the theft.
“There must be something significant about the ballet slippers to make Mrs. Judson steal them,” she thought. “But what?” She decided to drive out to ask the Fontaines about the shoes.
She got in touch with George, who promised to relieve her as receptionist at the school.
When Nancy reached home, her father was already there. He readily agreed to accompany her to Cedar Lake.
“I learned a few things today that the Fontaines may be able to shed some light on,” he said. “I talked with the airline stewardess who was on that plane you and Koff took. She told me one of the passengers spoke with a decided French accent, though his name wasn’t French. He was listed as Raymond Bull. Furthermore, he too got off the plane at River Heights.”
Nancy thought of the letter R on the palette knife. Could Raymond Bull be an artist friend of the
Nancy started the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.” Instantly Susie marched, stiff-legged, around the room.
“Good!” said Nancy. “And now, Carol, here’s one for you.”
Carol listened and pretended to be walking with her doll.
“That’s right.” Nancy smiled. “This is the ‘Waltzing Doll.’ As you become acquainted with more difficult music, steps to go with it will come to you at once. All you learn now are the different kinds of steps and movements. Later, when you are told the story of a ballet, you will interpret it in your own way.”
“You mean this lesson we can do any steps we want to the music? Oh, let’s all try one right now,” begged black-haired Jennifer.
“All right,” Nancy agreed. She told a story of an animal parade and dropped “Forest Frolic” over the pin of the turntable.
The little girls rose, listened a moment, then started to dance, imitating both the movements and cries of various animals of the forest. A lion roared and stalked a leaping deer. A bear growled, monkeys chattered, and a wild dog barked.
In the midst of the din, Susie suddenly stopped dancing and screamed. She pointed toward the reception room and cried out, “Look! There’s a witch out there!”
Nancy turned to see a strange sight. A woman, wearing a tight-fitting black dress and large peaked hat, with a stole covering half of her face, was tiptoeing across the carpeted room toward the desk.
“Look! There’s a witch!” Susie screamed.
For a moment, Nancy could not understand her strange actions. There was nothing in the desk she could possibly want. Suddenly, in spite of the woman’s disguise, Nancy recognized her. “Mrs. Judson!” she called out involuntarily.
Realizing she had been discovered, the woman forgot her attempts at stealth, ran forward boldly, and reached up on the wall. When her hand came down, she was holding the scarlet slippers!
“Drop those at once!” Nancy shouted, running into the reception room.
But Mrs. Judson, clutching the ballet shoes against her chest, rushed to the hall and down the stairs. Nancy raced across the reception room after the thief!
CHAPTER X
Quest for Portraits
As Nancy dashed out the front door after the thief, she saw Bess heading for the dancing school.
“Hurry! Watch the children! I have to catch a thief!”
Nancy’s ankle was still painful and Mrs. Judson outdistanced her, disappearing around the next comer. Nancy looked for her in vain and concluded she had gone through one of the stores to another street.
As Nancy paused, she realized that her scanty ballet outfit was attracting stares on the busy street. She blushed and quickly walked back to the dancing school. Her young pupils were trying to explain to Bess about the “witch” who had taken the slippers. When they saw Nancy, they all asked what had happened.
“I didn’t catch the woman,” she said.
“Miss Fontaine will feel bad,” Susie said. “She just loves those slippers.”
Bess led the children into the practice room and continued their lesson. Nancy, meanwhile, telephoned the police about the theft.
“There must be something significant about the ballet slippers to make Mrs. Judson steal them,” she thought. “But what?” She decided to drive out to ask the Fontaines about the shoes.
She got in touch with George, who promised to relieve her as receptionist at the school.
When Nancy reached home, her father was already there. He readily agreed to accompany her to Cedar Lake.
“I learned a few things today that the Fontaines may be able to shed some light on,” he said. “I talked with the airline stewardess who was on that plane you and Koff took. She told me one of the passengers spoke with a decided French accent, though his name wasn’t French. He was listed as Raymond Bull. Furthermore, he too got off the plane at River Heights.”
Nancy thought of the letter R on the palette knife. Could Raymond Bull be an artist friend of the
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