As soon as people discover that Trixie Belden is my sister, I’m inundated with questions. Did all those things really happen? What was it like growing up with her? You must have had an exciting life.
I just shake my head and smile. Trixie became famous when she allowed ghostwriters to write books based on our high school adventures. All the proceeds went to charity of course, but it sure did change things. It was like we all suddenly became public property. There were interviews, magazine covers, Internet sites and news groups. We all got a kick out of it at first, but then it got pretty insane and she and Jim had to go into hiding for a while.
I must admit, I did read them all. It was like taking a step back in time, but I have different memories than Trixie. She was a thirteen year old girl when this all started and I was almost sixteen. My life changed as much as hers did when I met Honey Wheeler and Jim Frayne, except in a very different way.
So I’m going tell you the way it really happened for me. I’ll leave the mysteries to Trixie so if you want all the details on that, I suggest you read her books.
“Hey,” I called to Mart in the bunk above me. “We just got a letter from Trixie. You’ve gotta read this.”
“Hang on a sec,” Mart muttered. “I’ve just got a few pages left of this Cosmo McNaught book. Can you believe I started this when we got here a month ago?”
“This is far more entertaining reading than any science fiction book,” I told him and stood up to hand in the letter. “Read it.”
Mart sighed and put down the book. He took the letter from me and began to read aloud.
“Dear Junior Counselors:
I hope you saved every cent you earned at camp the way I did working home this summer, because Dad says that I can buy a colt from Mr Tomlin next spring, and, if you help me pay for his feed — the colt’s, I mean — I’ll let you ride him sometimes.”
“Yeah, right,” Mart broke off. “You’re saving for a car and I want a new pair of skates in time for winter.”
“It’s only August Mart,” I reminded him. “Keep reading.”
“I learned to ride this summer, because some rich people from New York bought the Manor House, and they have three horses and a simply darling daughter named Honey, who is my best friend. Dad talked to the principal and it’s all set — she’ll be in my class at Junior High when school starts next month. Oh, woe! Only two more weeks until the grind begins!”
“Boy, does she know how to make friends!” Mart broke off again. “Rich, with horses and a thirteen year old daughter. I wonder what she’s like?”
“She’s way out of your league,” I grinned. “You haven’t got to the good bit yet, keep going.”
“Anyway, Honey and the Wheeler’s groom, Regan, who is super, taught me to ride. Honey was an only child, a poor little rich girl — I really mean it — until we found Jim. He’s old Mr Frayne’s grandnephew and inherited half a million dollars from him. I know Moms and Dad wrote to you that he died just before the old Mansion burned to the ground. Well, Jim ran away then, because he has a mean old stepfather who wanted to get control of Jim’s inheritance. Honey and I went searching for him last month in the Wheeler’s gorgeous trailer with Honey’s governess, Miss Trask, who is a perfectly marvellous person, as nice as Regan, in spite of being a governess. And after we found Jim, Mr and Mrs Wheeler adopted him, so now Honey has a brother.”
“Half a million dollars!” Mart whistled. “Some people have all the luck.”
“You’re almost there,” I urged.
“He’s just about the most wonderful boy in the world — almost the same age as you are, Brian — he just celebrated his birthday in July — but he’ll be in your grade at school, because he did two years in one and won a scholarship to college, too. But he isn’t a bookworm at all. He’s simply super at all sports and woodcraft. Even Regan says that he handles Jupiter, Mr Wheeler’s enormous black gelding, better than anybody else, and Mr Wheeler is going to buy another horse for himself and give a Jupe to Jim. He’s already bought him a gun and a springer spaniel puppy, Patch; so won’t you all have fun when you go hunting in the fall? Honey and I are going to make you teach us how to shoot.”
“Shoot!” Mart hooted. “I can imagine that. What a catastrophe!”
“I think you’re missing the point here,” I told him with a wry grin. “That’s our sister writing that letter. That’s our sister talking about a boy…”
Mart’s jaw dropped as he understood my meaning.
“Gosh, you’re right!” He cried. “Whoa! Who’d have thought it?”
“It looks like our little sister is growing up,” I remarked thoughtfully. “He must be some guy for her to write about him like that.”
Mart nodded and resumed reading.
“Besides Jupe, the Wheelers have a strawberry roan, who belongs to Honey, and a darling dapple-gray mare, named Lady, who belongs to Mrs Wheeler, but she lets me ride Lady a lot. Mrs Wheeler isn’t very strong. She’s slim like Honey, with the same huge, hazel eyes and honey-coloured hair. Mr Wheeler looks enough like Jim to be his father. They both have red hair and freckles and are tall and husky. Like Regan, they have quick tempers but never stay mad long. Regan is only twenty-two and loves horses and hates cars, so Miss Trask does most of the chauffeuring. She is very brisk and sort of runs the whole estate, because, of course, Honey doesn’t really need a governess any more than I do. And Mrs Wheeler can’t go out in the hot sun and see to it that the gardener keeps the grounds looking beautiful, or waste her energy planning menus with the cook, and things like that. The Manor House is run like a small hotel, with more help than I think is necessary, but the all love Miss Trask. She hires them and fires them!”
“That Honey sure sounds nice,” Mart commented. “I’ll just have to charm her with my boyish good looks and witty charms.”
“Dream on,” I chuckled. “But it sounds like things have changed a lot in Sleepyside. It’s going to be great having some friends our own age living so close.”
“You’re just jealous,” Mart sniffed. “Did you get knocked back by Denise last night?”
I rolled my eyes. Denise was also a junior counsellor. She was a pretty brunette who spent most of the time talking about her boyfriend back home and how her parents made her become a junior counsellor to keep them apart. However, that did not stop her from flirting with every guy in sight, but she really wasn’t my type.
“Yep, she’s broken my heart and now I’m on the rebound,” I replied sarcastically. “Get real!”
“It’s like you’ve got this rule or something,” Mart told me with a frown. “Did you make an oath not to date until you finish high school? It looks like Trixie may have herself a boyfriend before you even have your first date.”
I glared at him, snatched the letter from his hand and returned to the bunk below. As I lay back on the bed, I heard Mart sigh and pick up his book again. I stared at Trixie’s letter and tried to forget the sting of Mart’s words. It wasn’t that I was against dating, I just didn’t want to date just anyone and I hadn’t met the right person yet. Maybe one day…
It was late when the car pulled into the driveway of Crabapple Farm.
“Now that’s a sight for sore eyes,” Mart sighed happily. “Thanks for the lift Pete.”
“You’re welcome boys,” Mark, our boss, told us. “Thanks for all the hard work you’ve put in this summer. I’ll see you next year.”
“You can count on it Mark,” I replied.
We grabbed our bags and headed wearily for the house. We stopped when we caught sight of Moms and Dad, sitting at kitchen table, drinking coffee and talking earnestly.
“It’s good to be home,” I murmured.
“It sure is,” Mart agreed. “I’m starving!”
I grinned as we pushed open the door and Moms and Dad looked up in surprise.
“Brian! Mart!” Moms cried. “You’re home early.”
Moms jumped up to hug us and we embraced her unabashedly.
“What are you doing back so soon?” She cried happily. “We didn’t expect you home until tomorrow.”
“Can we discuss this over food please?” Mart begged. “I’m starving.”
“Didn’t they feed you there?” Dad asked him and he put an arm around us both. “It’s good to have you home.”
“It’s good to be here,” I answered tiredly. “All the kids headed home today. We cleaned up and the boss took pity on us and offered us a lift home.”
“That was good of him,” Moms replied as she began taking plates of food out of the fridge. “So how was it? Did you have fun?”
“It was great,” I admitted. “It was hard work, but it was great.”
“But it’s great to be home,” Mart added and took a bite into the drumstick Moms had put on a plate for him. “Oh…. I’ve missed your cooking. You’re the best Moms.”
“He’s always happy when he’s eating,” I grinned. “The food at the camp wasn’t that bad, as you can see we didn’t waste away to nothing.”
Moms and Dad laughed.
“How’s Bobby?” I asked. “Has he fully recovered? And where’s the heroine? It’s way too quiet around here.”
“And your mother and I were just starting to enjoy it,” Dad smiled. “Bobby’s fine, he’s completely recovered and back to his boisterous self.”
“So where’s Trixie?” Mart mumbled through a mouthful of food. “I’ve got a pile of washing that needs doing. Is she going to be glad to see us!”
“Trixie’s spending the night with her new friend, Honey,” Moms replied. “She’s lovely and so is Jim, you’ll both like them. They’ve been a great influence on her.”
“Trixie’s letter was full of details about both of them,” I remarked. “She seems to have had quite an exciting summer.”
“Yeah, and we spent ours chasing small fry and trying to keep them out of trouble,” Mart complained good-naturedly.
“She’ll be home in the morning and you’ll get to meet your new neighbours as well, I’m sure,” Moms smiled. “Brian, you look exhausted. Why don’t you have a shower and go to bed?”
“I think I will,” I sighed. “I’ve been dreaming about sleeping in my own bed. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
I grabbed my bag and carried it up the stairs. Flicking the light switch on, I was relieved to see the familiar walls of my room. There was no place like Crabapple Farm.
I opened my eyes as the sun poured through the window and remembered with relief that I was home. No noisy kids to take care of and keep out of trouble, no reason to get out of bed except for the smell of the bacon Moms was frying which I knew would be accompanied by eggs and hashbrowns. My stomach started to rumble. I wasn’t lying last night when I said the camp food wasn’t that bad, but it had nothing on Moms’ cooking.
I crawled lazily out of bed and pulled on some clothes. On the way to the bathroom, I stuck my head into Mart’s room.
“Wake up sleepyhead,” I called. “Can’t you smell that bacon frying?”
“My stomach woke me up,” Mart groaned. “I’ve been trying to decide what I need more: sleep or food.”
“Well, if you don’t get downstairs soon I’ll be making that decision for you,” I teased and closed the door behind me, just missing being hit by the pillow he threw at me.
I splashed my face quickly with water and headed downstairs for breakfast.
“Brian’s home!” Bobby squealed with delight, running up and hugging my leg. “Did you bring me a present?”
“Bobby, Brian was working,” Moms explained with a smile. “I don’t think he would have had a chance to get you a present.”
Bobby continued to look hopefully up at me.
“Sorry Bobby,” I grinned apologetically at him. “There was nothing to bring you home except poison ivy.”
“Poison ivy!” His eyes widened. “I don’t want that.”
He released his grip on my leg and I tousled his hair and sat down at the table.
“Did you wake Mart?” Moms asked.
“He’s coming,” I told her and began to pile my plate high with bacon, sausages, hashbrowns and eggs. “If not, there’s all the more for me.”
“I’m sure there’ll be plenty for everyone,” Moms smiled and looked up as Mart came down the stairs.
“Mart!” Bobby squealed and ran to him. “Did you bring me a present?”
Mart looked confused as Moms and I burst into laughter and he tried to prise Bobby from his leg.
“Sorry Bobby, not this time,” he told him. “Gosh, breakfast smells great.”
“You’d better get to it while you can,” Moms smiled as he hugged her.
“So when’s Trixie due back from the lap of luxury?” Mart asked as he piled his plate high. “Or won’t she slum it now that she can get breakfast in bed at Manor House?”
“Your sister’s worked quite hard this summer trying to do your chores as well as her own,” Moms reminded him. “She deserves some time off with her new friends, but I expect she’ll be here soon to feed the chickens.”
“Who’d have thought so much would happen while we were away?” I mused between mouthfuls. “Have you met the Wheeler’s Moms?”
“Only once or twice,” Moms replied. “They seem like lovely people although Madeleine Wheeler is a bit frail. Trixie tells me she’s quite fragile and Honey certainly used to be a bit that way when she first met Trixie.”
“Great, so Trixie’s turned her into a tomboy!” Mart groaned. “That’s all we need.”
“She’s been a good influence on your sister and so has Jim,” Moms smiled. “Just you wait and see.”
“Her letter was full of gushing comments about Jim,” I remarked as I rested my cutlery on my now empty plate. “Could it be possible that our tomboy has a crush on him?”
Moms raised her eyebrows and hid a smile.
“Yeah, but would he be interested in her?” Mart retorted.
“I think you’ll be surprised,” Moms replied mysteriously. “Your sister has grown up quite a bit this summer.”
“So have I,” Mart told her. “Would you be able to take the hems down on some of my pants? There up past my ankles.”
“I can’t keep up with your growth spurts,” Helen laughed, shaking her head. “I’m sure Brian didn’t grow as quickly at your age.”
“I’ve just always been tall,” I replied and took my dishes to the sink. “I’ll wash, you can dry Mart.”
“Does that mean I can have what’s left?” Mart asked, eyeing the remainder of the bacon.
“Go ahead,” Moms told him. “I’m sure Trixie’s already eaten.”
I started on the dishes and in a while, Mart joined me to begin drying them while Moms cleared the rest of the table.
“Bobby? Have you fed Reddy this morning?” Moms asked as he chased our red setter around the back yard.
“Yes,” he called.
“Good, can you go upstairs and clear your room, please?” Moms called to him. “And I don’t mean pushing all your toys under the bed.”
Mart and I laughed at the crestfallen expression on Bobby’s face.
“Now?” He asked.
“Yes now,” Moms told him, hiding a smile. “Now scoot.”
“Can Reddy come with me?”
“No Reddy can stay outside where he belongs,” Moms answered. “Go on, I’ll be up soon to check on you.”
Bobby dragged his feet slowly up the stairs.
“I notice some things haven’t changed,” I remarked with a smile.
“We were very worried about him after he got bitten,” Moms admitted. “But it didn’t take long for him to get back to his old self.”
“Nice to see that Trixie knows her first aid,” I added. “She saved his life.”
“I guess she was paying attention to you after all,” Mart teased. “Something must have gone in.”
“I’m sure she’s looking forward to your teasing,” Moms commented. “But your father and I are very proud of her, she managed to keep her cool and do everything right in an emergency.”
“It sounds like she did,” I agreed. “No amount of study or practice can prepare you for the real thing. Trixie sure has her head on straight.”
“She’s a little embarrassed about the whole thing,” Moms warned us. “So don’t make a big deal out of it when you see her.”
“Hey, that looks like her now,” Mart interrupted, pointing out the window. “And she’s with a red-haired guy - that must be Jim.”
I looked out the window to where Mart was pointing and saw Trixie with a tall, wiry red head. They were deep in conversation and she seemed to be hanging on his every word.
Mart and I moved quickly to the kitchen door.
“Brian!” She yelled. “Mart! Jim, look. They’re home from camp already.”
Mart and I raced outside and jumped over the low stone wall of the terrace to meet her as she raced towards us. She hugged us both then dragged us to the chicken coop to meet her companion.
“You must be Jim, I’m Brian,” I began and shook hands with him. “Gee, it’s great news that you live up in the Manor House. Trixie wrote us about you and Honey.”
“ ‘Scribbled’ is the word, Jim,” Mart said with a grin. “It took us hours to decipher her message, but when we did, we decided were missing too much fun at home. So, here we are.”
“But your jobs,” Trixie said. “I thought camp didn’t close until tomorrow.”
“It doesn’t,” I told her. “But the nursery group left yesterday afternoon. With the small fry gone, there was anything for us to do but packed up the things they left behind. Our little charges were all about Bobby’s age, so you can imagine the junk they collected.”
“By the time we finished cleaning the cabins,” Mart added, “we decided that we’d never be junior counselors again. Our boss took pity on us; and, since he had to drive through Sleepyside on his way home, he dropped us off here last night.”
“Boy, am I ever glad to see you two,” Jim said enthusiastically. “Maybe you can talk your wacky sister into turning the diamond she and Honey found over to the police.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
“Wacky, yes,” Mart jeered, “but the finder of diamonds, no. When her imagination gets going, a piece of coal becomes a priceless ruby overnight.”
“Truer words were never spoken,” I agreed. “When you’ve known Trixie as long as we have, Jim, you’ll stop listening to her tall tales.”
“I’m beginning to catch on,” Jim said, grinning. “Last night she heard a mysterious prowler that nobody else heard, and she suspects our new chauffeur and gardener.”
“A man or a mouse,” Mart said, shaking his head, “it makes no diff to Trixie. They’re all crooks if they so much as poke their noses out of their lair after dark.”
“Is that so?” Trixie demanded. “Mice don’t live in lairs, smarty. We did so find a valuable diamond. Wait until you see it.”
Suddenly, a girl about Trixie’s age appeared at the top of the path.
“Trixie! Jim!” She yelled as she raced down the hill. She skidded to a stop as she noticed Mart and I and added quite demurely, “ Oh, your brothers came home from camp sooner than they expected.”
She smiled shyly at us and I couldn’t help but smile back. She had shoulder length hair the colour of warm gold, hazel eyes and a slim figure. I heard Mart inhale quickly as he took her in and I hope my own reaction wasn’t as obvious.
“That’s right,” Trixie said. “The one on my left with the funny-looking crew cut is Mart. The other odd looking creature is Brian. I hate them both at the moment. They don’t believe we found a real diamond, Honey.”
Honey shyly held out her hand, firstly to Mart who shook it eagerly, and then to me. Our eyes met for a brief second and I felt a rush as our hands touched and could not stop the smile from spreading on my face. She blinked quickly and looked away.
“But it is a real diamond,” she told us. “You can see for yourselves. I brought it with me.”
Honey reached into the pockets of her shorts and brought out the stone. The facets glittered in the early morning sunlight as she handed it to me. Our hands touched briefly again and I could feel my face redden. I studied the diamond closely, hoping no one was looking at me.
“Holy cow!” Mart gasped. “I asked for bread and she gave me cake. Where on earth did you girls ever find it?”
“That’s not so important now,” Honey said soberly, “as where we’re going to hide it. I don’t dare keep it in my jewellery box any longer.”
“Why not?” Trixie asked. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing’s happened,” Honey said. “Not yet. But when I woke up this morning, I remembered what you said yesterday that gave me goose pimples. You said that Nailor might be one of the gang that stole the diamond. Why, Trixie if he is, he could have sneaked into my room last night when we were asleep and taken it. The jewel box, I mean. If he knew the diamond was in it, it wouldn’t taken long to find the secret compartment.”
Her pretty face was clouded with worry and I looked at her closely.
“Wait a minute, puh-leeze,” Mart interrupted. “You’re moving too fast for me. Let’s start with where you found the diamond, and then decide where we’re going to hide it.”
“Oh,” Trixie cried excitedly, “then you don’t think we ought to turn it over to the police?”
“Not me,” Mart said, arching his sandy eyebrows. “If there’s a mystery lying around loose waiting to be solved, I want a crack it before the experts take over.”
“How about you, Brian?” Trixie asked me.
“We-ell,” I said thoughtfully, turning my thoughts back to the situation at hand. “When I know more about it, I might feel the way Mart does. We were going to have a swim after breakfast, but I guess that can wait.”
I stretched out in the long grass by the chicken coop.
“Let’s hear it, Trixie,” I told her. “And don’t exaggerate anymore then you have to.”
I guess it must have been at that stage that I lost the diamond, but you have to forgive me when I tell you that I had other things on my mind.
