Read Online The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell - Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Campbell
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mother said you were still asleep. I smuggled some dry cereal and hard-boiled
eggs out of our kitchen, but he’d already eaten. At least, he was just starting. He’d shot a rabbit and was cooking it over an outdoor spit. He gave me
a piece; and, Trixie, I never tasted anything so delicious.”
81 71 Trixie grinned. “You and your birdlike appetite!” “I’m hungry all the time now,” Honey admitted,
smiling. “I had eggs and cereal for breakfast, rabbit with Jim, and that bacon smelled so good I had a sandwich while I was waiting for you.” She sobered
suddenly. “But I had an awful dream last night. The worst nightmare I ever had. I’ll tell you about it on the way over to our place. Regan’s waiting to
give you a lesson in posting.”
“Tell me, now,” Trixie said, bringing her dishes to the piled-up sink. “I’ve got to do some straightening-up around here before I can leave for the stables
with you.”
“I’ll dry.” Honey slipped a dish towel off the rack. “I learned to do dishes and make beds at camp, so I’ll help.” “Wonderful,” Trixie cried enthusiastically.
And,
with Honey’s assistance, it took them less than half an hour to tidy up the house. While they swept and dusted, Honey related her dream.
“I was walking through the woods,” she said, with a reminiscent shiver. “It was so real I still can’t believe I
was only dreaming. Anyway, I was walking along toward the Miser’s Mansion and it was all quiet and* creepy the way it is in the thick part of the woods,
when suddenly I heard something rustling along the path ahead of me. It was a great big black snake with a thick white stripe down its back, and it was
coming toward 72 me as fast as it could. I just stood there, too scared to move or scream or anything. You know how it is in dreams-you’re just rooted
to the spot.”
Trixie nodded sympathetically. “And then what?” “And then, just as it reached my feet, I woke up,” Honey continued. I was dripping wet with cold perspiration,
and I guess I must have cried out without knowing it, because Miss Trask was bending over me, wiping my face with a damp washcloth and speaking softly.”
Trixie wondered why it was always Miss Trask, and never Honey’s mother, who came when Honey was frightened, but she said nothing.
“I told her about the dream,” Honey went on, “and she said it was perfectly natural for me to have a nightmare like that after what happened to Bobby, yesterday.
I’m surprised you didn’t have a nightmare yourself, Trixie.”
“The whole thing was a nightmare to me,” Trixie said, “and I was so upset I couldn’t sleep long enough to have a bad dream.”
“You didn’t seem upset at all,” Honey cried admiringly. “You were perfectly wonderful. I don’t know how you did all the right things without losing your
head.”
They cut across the lawn to the path that led to the Wheeler estate, and Honey said, “Oh, I meant to tell you
84 73 the first thing. Jim isn’t mad at you any more-He said he was sorry he lost his temper yesterday, and when I told him about MY dream, he said you
were right. lie shouldn’t have frightened me with stories about ma-d animals, because the chances of my being attacked -by one are about one in a million.”
She flushed. “I told him I was scared of everything, anyway, so he hadn’t really made things any worse.”
“Well, I shouldn’t have accused him of lying,” Trixie said quickly. “And I’m glad he’s not mad. I like Jim and I feel awfully sorry for him. If you ask
me, I think he’s jumped out of the frying pan into the fire by running away. I can’t believe his stepfather could be any meaner to him than old man Frayne
would be.”
“I don’t know about that,” Honey said as she walked along the narrow path behind Trixie. “Jim’s terribly afraid of Jonesy, What worries me is that his stepfather
may be
eggs out of our kitchen, but he’d already eaten. At least, he was just starting. He’d shot a rabbit and was cooking it over an outdoor spit. He gave me
a piece; and, Trixie, I never tasted anything so delicious.”
81 71 Trixie grinned. “You and your birdlike appetite!” “I’m hungry all the time now,” Honey admitted,
smiling. “I had eggs and cereal for breakfast, rabbit with Jim, and that bacon smelled so good I had a sandwich while I was waiting for you.” She sobered
suddenly. “But I had an awful dream last night. The worst nightmare I ever had. I’ll tell you about it on the way over to our place. Regan’s waiting to
give you a lesson in posting.”
“Tell me, now,” Trixie said, bringing her dishes to the piled-up sink. “I’ve got to do some straightening-up around here before I can leave for the stables
with you.”
“I’ll dry.” Honey slipped a dish towel off the rack. “I learned to do dishes and make beds at camp, so I’ll help.” “Wonderful,” Trixie cried enthusiastically.
And,
with Honey’s assistance, it took them less than half an hour to tidy up the house. While they swept and dusted, Honey related her dream.
“I was walking through the woods,” she said, with a reminiscent shiver. “It was so real I still can’t believe I
was only dreaming. Anyway, I was walking along toward the Miser’s Mansion and it was all quiet and* creepy the way it is in the thick part of the woods,
when suddenly I heard something rustling along the path ahead of me. It was a great big black snake with a thick white stripe down its back, and it was
coming toward 72 me as fast as it could. I just stood there, too scared to move or scream or anything. You know how it is in dreams-you’re just rooted
to the spot.”
Trixie nodded sympathetically. “And then what?” “And then, just as it reached my feet, I woke up,” Honey continued. I was dripping wet with cold perspiration,
and I guess I must have cried out without knowing it, because Miss Trask was bending over me, wiping my face with a damp washcloth and speaking softly.”
Trixie wondered why it was always Miss Trask, and never Honey’s mother, who came when Honey was frightened, but she said nothing.
“I told her about the dream,” Honey went on, “and she said it was perfectly natural for me to have a nightmare like that after what happened to Bobby, yesterday.
I’m surprised you didn’t have a nightmare yourself, Trixie.”
“The whole thing was a nightmare to me,” Trixie said, “and I was so upset I couldn’t sleep long enough to have a bad dream.”
“You didn’t seem upset at all,” Honey cried admiringly. “You were perfectly wonderful. I don’t know how you did all the right things without losing your
head.”
They cut across the lawn to the path that led to the Wheeler estate, and Honey said, “Oh, I meant to tell you
84 73 the first thing. Jim isn’t mad at you any more-He said he was sorry he lost his temper yesterday, and when I told him about MY dream, he said you
were right. lie shouldn’t have frightened me with stories about ma-d animals, because the chances of my being attacked -by one are about one in a million.”
She flushed. “I told him I was scared of everything, anyway, so he hadn’t really made things any worse.”
“Well, I shouldn’t have accused him of lying,” Trixie said quickly. “And I’m glad he’s not mad. I like Jim and I feel awfully sorry for him. If you ask
me, I think he’s jumped out of the frying pan into the fire by running away. I can’t believe his stepfather could be any meaner to him than old man Frayne
would be.”
“I don’t know about that,” Honey said as she walked along the narrow path behind Trixie. “Jim’s terribly afraid of Jonesy, What worries me is that his stepfather
may be
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