The Mystery of the Phantom Grashopper

by Campbell, Julie

  “Pay ’tention, Reddy,” Bobby said. “This is how you roll over.” Bobby rolled over in the leaves that covered the lawn. “See? Now you do it. Roll over!” Reddy wagged his tail and licked Bobby’s face.

  “No, no! Don’t kiss! Roll over!” Bobby rolled over once more. “Like that, see?”

  Trixie and the others burst out laughing. “Who is training whom?” Mail asked as they all emerged from the shadows.

  “Hi, everybody!” Bobby shouted. “I teached Reddy a neat trick. Watch!” He picked up a large stick and threw it with all his might. “Go fetch, Reddy!” he ordered.

  The big dog bounded across the yard after the stick. Trixie and Honey exchanged glances—Reddy was not famous for his discipline.

  “Pay ’tention,” Bobby urged. “Reddy’s a smart dog; you’ll see.”

  Reddy came bounding back with the stick in his mouth. He dropped it at Trixie’s feet.

  “Good boy, Reddy!” Bobby said, patting the dog vigorously.

  Brian shook his head. “That wasn’t right, Bobby,” he said. “Reddy should have brought the stick back to you.”

  Bobby shrugged. “Why? I don’t want it.”

  This brought more laughter.

  Looking at Honey and Jim, Bobby brightened. “Oh, Honey and Jim, are you going to stay for dinner?”

  Brian poked Bobby in the ribs, making him squeal with delight. “You bet they are,” he said.

  Jim and Honey followed the Belden young people into the kitchen. “We couldn’t help it, Mrs. Belden,” Jim said in mock apology. “Trixie and the boys forced us to come for dinner.”

  “Good! We like company,” Mrs. Belden said. She was very fond of Honey and Jim and treated them as if they were her own children. “As long as you’re here,” she suggested, “why not spend the night?”

  “That’s super, Moms!” Trixie exclaimed. “Honey and I both have dental appointments in the morning. We’ll go together.”

  “And we’ll do some work on my Car,” Brian, already making plans, said to Jim.

  Bobby clapped his hands. “Stay! Stay!” he shouted. Honey laughed. “We thought you’d never ask,” she said. “Of course we’ll stay.”

  “Terrific,” Trixie said. “Now tell us what we can do to help, Moms.”

  “Well,” Mrs. Belden said, “the boys can bring in some firewood. We’ll pop com after dinner.”

  “Oh, boy!” Bobby whooped, heading for the living room. “I’ll go fix the pillows on the floor right now.”

  “And, Trixie,” Mrs. Belden continued, “we’re all out of hot mustard. Would you and Honey go down to Mr. Lytell’s for a jar?”

  “That’s a long walk, Moms,” Brian said quickly. “Jim can drive them down in my car, if he can get it started. Mart and I will bring in the wood.”

  “Thanks, Brian!” Trixie and Honey chorused.

  A few minutes later, Jim, Honey, and Trixie were rattling down Glen Road in Brian’s old jalopy. “It’s not a limousine,” Trixie said, “but it’s better than walking!”

  At Mr. Lytell’s small country store, they parked in front and hurried inside. They were the only customers there, and Mr. Lytell was getting ready to close for the day.

  “A jar of hot mustard, please,” Trixie ordered.

  Mr. Lytell placed the mustard on the counter and waited for Trixie to fish coins from her pocket. “Having a big dinner party?” he asked, eyeing Honey and Jim.

  “No, just the family,” Trixie answered the inquisitive storekeeper. Honey and Jim exchanged amused glances.

  “I see that young fella with the yella truck is back in town,” Mr. Lytell said as he counted out the change. “I saw you and Honey riding with him the other day.”

  “I think you’re mistaken, sir,” Honey said politely. “Sammy is new in Sleepyside.”

  “Can’t tell me that!” Mr. Lytell snapped. “That yella truck was up and down here all summer long, drag racing on the old Louis Road. And that young fella and his roughneck friends were in this place lots of times.”

  Trixie looked at Honey and Jim and shrugged. “If you say so, Mr. Lytell,” she said. She picked up the jar of mustard and opened the door. “Good night, Mr. Lytell. Thanks.”

  “Do you think it really was Sammy?” Honey asked when they were back in the jalopy.

  “I doubt it,” Jim said. “Mr. Lytell might have seen that old truck, though. Sammy may have bought it from someone around here.”

  As Jim started to back out onto the road, Honey warned, “Hold it, Jim; there’s a car coming.”

  “It’s coming pretty fast, too,” Trixie added. “It looks like a big station wagon.”

  Jim looked over his shoulder to watch the approaching car. As the big wagon passed the lighted storefront, the young people had a glimpse of the driver and passenger.

  “I think that’s Miss Lawler and Sammy!” Honey exclaimed.

  “And Miss Lawler was driving,” Trixie observed. “She said she couldn’t drivel”

  “Miss Lawler looked like she was scared,” Honey pointed out.

  Jim turned onto the road. “Sammy’s probably teaching her to drive,” he said. “Glen Road is good for beginners—you don’t meet many other cars here. Everybody’s a little scared when they first start driving. You and Trixie’ll find that out.”

  They were almost home when another car came down Glen Road toward them. “Gleeps,” Trixie said. “Glen Road is turning into a regular freeway!”

  Jim chuckled as the car went by. “Glen Road isn’t private, Trix,” he said. “Anybody can use it.” He signaled and turned into the driveway at Crabapple Farm. “I hope those beans are ready.”

  Everyone agreed that the dinner of brown bread, baked beans, and frankfurters was delicious. Mrs. Belden’s huge bean pot was scraped clean, and not a crumb of brown bread remained.

  When they had finished eating, the young people ordered Mr. and Mrs. Belden out of the kitchen. “Go sit in the living room and relax by the fireplace,” Trixie said. “We’ll be in as soon as we clean up the dishes.”

  Trixie and Honey filled the sink with soapy water while the boys cleared the table. Everyone helped dry and put away dishes and silverware.

  The boys were already in the living room, and Honey was hanging up her towel, when Bobby came bursting into the kitchen.

  “Trixie, I almost forgot,” he said. “I found a lot of neat things in the woods today. You and Honey can wash them for me, please.” He dropped a fistful of things on the counter. ’Thanks 1” he added, running back to the living room.

  “Here we go again,” Honey said with a smile, taking the towel down from the hook.

  Trixie spread Bobby’s newest possessions out on the counter. “More lucky stones,” she groaned. “Two white ones, one black, and one brown this time. And jeepers! Another old baseball card!”

  Gingerly, Trixie pushed the muddy card aside, revealing a small round piece of metal under it.

  “What’s that?” Honey asked, peering over Trixie’s shoulder.

  “Some kind of coin, I think,” Trixie said, picking it up. She washed it quickly and took a closer look. “Honey! This is a Chinese coin! See the writing?”

  “Let me see,” Honey said, bending to look.

  As they studied the coin, Trixie’s face paled. “Honey, this might be one of Mr. Quinn’s coins! We’d better ask Bobby where he found this.”

  “Wait, Trixie,” Honey said quickly. “Were not sure this coin is from the stolen collection. Let’s not get everybody excited until we can find out.”

  “How’ll we do that?” Trixie asked. “Mr. Quinn is out of town.”

  “The library is right across from the medical building,” Honey pointed out. “We can stop there after we’re done at the dentist.”

  “You’re right,” Trixie said, drying off the coin and putting it in her pocket. “I think they have Mr. Quinn’s papers on his coin collection. We’ll check and see if this coin is mentioned.”

  They washed Bobby’s lucky stones, and Trixi
e dropped them all into the bottom drawer of the cabinet. “The ’junk drawer,’ ” she told Honey.

  “Don’t forget the card,” Honey said.

  “Ugh. Can’t wash that.” Trixie grimaced and dropped the dirty card into the drawer with the stones. “Let’s go see what everybody else is up to,” she urged, heading for the living room.

  The Beldens and their guests sprawled on the floor in front of the fireplace, talking and laughing and listening to music on WSTH. Mart convinced his mother to demonstrate her ability with tongue twisters for Jim and Honey, and soon all the young people were convulsed with giggles.

  After a while, Mr. Belden brought out the old-fashioned com popper, and everyone took turns shaking it over the glowing embers. As they munched on the tasty hot popcorn, the music from the radio stopped abruptly.

  “We interrupt this program for a word from our news department,” the announcer said.

  Everyone stopped talking and tamed to listen.

  “The valuable antique weather vane, thought stolen from the roof of Sleepyside’s Town Hall, has been found.”

  Trixie jumped up. Honey gasped.

  “A young man, recently employed as assistant caretaker—”

  Trixie said excitedly, “He means Sammy!”

  “—discovered the weather vane in a small room directly beneath the belfry of Town Hall. The weather vane, shaped like a grasshopper, was wrapped in canvas and apparently undamaged. Station manager and owner Raymond Perkins will be presenting the assistant caretaker with a check for one thousand dollars tomorrow. Well have more details on the morning news. Now, back to our music.”

  “That’s impossible!” Trixie exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “I was in that room on the day after Hoppy was stolen, and it was completely empty! If Sammy found Hoppy in that room, then somebody had to put him there later.”

  “Are you absolutely certain the room was empty?” Brian prompted.

  “Positive!” Trixie insisted.

  “Wow,” Mart breathed. “It looks like Hoppy’s a phantom weather vane!”

  The Stranger Appears Again • 16

  TRIXIE WAS OUT OF BED, bending and touching her toes, when Honey opened her eyes the next morning.

  “Do you always wake up so full of pep?” Honey asked, yawning.

  Trixie laughed. “It’s just nervous energy,” she said. “I’m excited about Hoppy and nervous about going to the dentist.”

  Honey giggled.

  “I’m going to wear the same jeans I wore yesterday,” Trixie said. “They feel good and comfortable now. You’ll find clean tops in the second drawer.”

  The girls dressed quickly and went down to the kitchen for breakfast. Brian, Mart, and Jim were already at the table, helping themselves to scrambled eggs.

  Trixie hurried through breakfast, impatient to get downtown. “We have a lot to do this morning,” she told the boys.

  Jim grinned and looked at Honey. “I guess it’s a good thing I went up to Manor House this morning and brought over your bike,” he said. “It’s outside with Trixie’s.”

  “Thanks, Jim!” Honey said, delighted. “I’m so glad we adopted you,” she added.

  “Don’t forget to brush your denticles,” Mart reminded the girls.

  A few minutes later, Trixie and Honey were pedaling down Glen Road as fast as they could. They reached town in record time.

  The girls stopped at the medical building and put their bikes in the bike rack.

  Honey looked over at the common, diagonally across the street. “It’ll sure be good to have Hoppy back up there on Town Hall,” she said.

  “Look, there’s Sammy,” Trixie said. “Let’s go over and congratulate him.”

  They hurried across the street and onto the grass of the common. “Congratulations, Sammy!” Trixie called.

  “We heard the great news on the radio last night,” Honey told him. “You must feel pretty good!”

  “Like a million bucks,” Sammy bragged. “A thousand, anyway.”

  “Did you get the reward money already?” Honey asked.

  “Naw,” Sammy grumbled. “Old man Perkins wants to have some kind of ceremony when he presents the check.”

  “That’s a nice idea,” Trixie said.

  Sammy scowled. “I wish he’d just give me the money. I earned it—I should get it now.”

  Trixie changed the subject. “We saw you last night.”

  Sammy looked alarmed. “Oh, is that so? When? Where?”

  “Riding with Miss Lawler in a big station wagon,” Trixie said. “On Glen Road.”

  “Were you teaching Miss Lawler to drive?” Honey asked.

  “Teaching Cis? That’s a laugh. She’s known how to drive for a looong time,” Sammy said. “That station wagon belongs to her.”

  Trixie and Honey exchanged glances. Honey began to say something, but Trixie motioned her to stop.

  “I have to get to work,” Sammy said. “I don’t like to work on Saturdays, but I’ve got a lot of stuff to do.”

  “Are you going to repair Hoppy’s base?” Trixie asked.

  “Yeah,” Sammy said. “I’ll fix it up real good.” Trixie glanced up at the cupola. “How do you get up there?”

  “Why do you care?” Sammy queried.

  “I was just wondering,” Trixie said. “It’s too tall for a ladder. Is there any way to get up there from outside the building?”

  Sammy eyed her curiously for a moment. “Nope,” he answered. “Only way up there is from inside the building. There’s a room with a ladder that—”

  “I know,” Trixie interrupted. “I guess that means whoever stole Hoppy got up there from inside the building.”

  “The building was locked,” Sammy said abruptly. He looked directly into Trixie’s eyes. “And I don’t have the keys,” he added in a menacing tone.

  Honey coughed self-consciously. “I—I can’t wait to see Hoppy,” she said.

  Sammy’s face brightened. “You want to see Hoppy? Follow me!” He swaggered off, heading for the front door of Town Hall.

  Honey pulled Trixie back. “Let’s not,” she said. “Sammy makes me feel creepy today. Besides, we don’t want to be late for the dentist.”

  “We have lots of time,” Trixie insisted. She ran to catch up with Sammy. “How did you ever find Hoppy?” she asked as they went inside the building.

  Sammy laughed. “It was easy. I just looked in the right place,” he bragged.

  Trixie and Honey followed him up the stairs and into the small room with the ladder.

  The room was dim and dusty, just as Trixie remembered, but now it wasn’t empty. A large canvas-wrapped bundle stood in one comer.

  Sammy lifted a portion of the dirty canvas, and Trixie and Honey saw the copper face of the big grasshopper, with two green glass eyes staring straight at them.

  “Oh!” Honey gasped. “I didn’t realize Hoppy was so big.”

  “Hello, Hoppy,” Trixie said softly. She bent to touch the old weather vane.

  Instantly Sammy dropped the canvas back over the weather vane. “Keep your hands off it!” he warned.

  “I wasn’t going to hurt Hoppy,” Trixie said, flushing. She took a deep breath to calm herself and surveyed the room. “I still can’t understand it,” she said, puzzled. “I was in this room right after Hoppy was stolen, and it was empty. Somebody must have carried Hoppy into Town Hall and put him in this room.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Sammy said with a shrug. “But right here’s where I found it, and that Perkins guy didn’t say anything about where it had to be to collect the reward. Easiest thousand bucks I ever made.”

  “I’ll bet it is,” Trixie muttered to herself. She glanced at her wristwatch. “Honey and I have to go now,” she said. “We’ve got appointments with the dentist.”

  “See ya around,” Sammy called as they went down the stairs.

  As they were crossing the common, Trixie glanced over her shoulder to make sine no one was near. “Sammy is lying,” she said to H
oney.

  “What do you mean?” Honey asked.

  “He couldn’t have just found Hoppy sitting there in that room,” Trixie declared. “I think he put Hoppy there himself.”

  “But, Trixie, that would mean—”

  “I know what it would mean. It would mean that Sammy stole the weather vane. And when he heard about the reward, he brought it back and pretended to find it in that room.”

  “But how could Sammy steal the weather vane?” Honey asked. “You heard him say that there’s no way to get up on the roof except from inside the building.”

  “I know,” Trixie admitted. “I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

  The girls entered the dental clinic and registered with the receptionist. Trixie was called almost immediately. An examination revealed no cavities, and a quick cleaning was all she needed. Honey was called next.

  Half an hour later, they were on their way out the door.

  “We must use the right toothpaste,” Trixie said.

  Honey nodded. “Now we’ll have plenty of time for the library,” she said.

  The public library was on the edge of the common, directly across from the medical building. Comfortable and delightfully old-fashioned, the big white building was originally one of the first homes in Sleepyside. Now it made a perfect place for reading.

  The librarian was busy at her desk when Trixie and Honey entered the main reading room.

  Trixie spoke softly to her. “Could you help us?” The librarian looked up and smiled. “I’ll try,” she said.

  Trixie reached into her pocket and took out the coin Bobby had given her to wash. “We’d like to see any information you have on Mr. Quinn’s coin collection,” she said. “We need to know if he has a coin like this.”

  The librarian took a look at the coin. “Oh, no,” she said. “Mr. Quinn’s Oriental coins are all Chinese. This is a Japanese yen. Mr. Quinn doesn’t collect Japanese coins at all.”

  Trixie shrugged. “I guess that’s that,” she said, hiding her disappointment. “Thanks anyway.”