Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

world,” said Bess.
    “Or the best actors!” said Harry.
    “Wait and see …,” said Annie. She held out her hand. “Bye, Harry. It’s been
great
knowing you.”
    Harry shook Annie’s hand, and then he shook Jack’s. Bess grabbed each of them and gave them big hugs. “You two kiddos are great!” she said, giggling. “You’re just my kind of screwballs.”
    They all laughed. Then Jack and Annie climbed up the rope ladder. Inside the tree house, Annie picked up the Pennsylvania book, and she and Jack looked out the window. “Bye!” They both waved to Harry and Bess.
    The Houdinis waved back.
    “I wish we could go home,” Annie whispered as she pointed to a picture of Frog Creek.
    “Behold a miracle!” Jack shouted down to Bessand Harry. He clapped three times.
One! Two! THREE!
    Then the wind started to blow.
    The tree house started to spin.
    It spun faster and faster.
    Then everything was still.
    Absolutely still.

    The Frog Creek woods were quiet and peaceful. The early-evening light filtered into the tree house. Jack and Annie were wearing their own clothes again.
    “Now
that
was the best escape act ever,” said Annie.
    Jack smiled. “I wanted to make Harry happy. We showed him something he’ll never be able to explain.”
    Jack looked at his watch. As always, no time had passed in Frog Creek while they’d been on their mission. “Six minutes to get home,” said Jack.
    “Yep, but first we have to write down our new secret of greatness,” said Annie.
    Jack pulled out a pencil and picked up the paper that was still lying on the floor. And under the word HUMILITY, he wrote:

HARD WORK
    “Hard work,” said Annie. “That’s so simple.”
    “Yep,” said Jack. “Sometimes the truth is amazingly simple.” He placed the Ring of Truth on top of the paper. “And I’ll leave this, too”—he took the little bottle from his backpack and placed it beside the ring—“for next time.”
    “Mist gathered at first light on the first day of the new moon on the Isle of Avalon,” said Annie.
    Jack closed his backpack. “Okay, that’s it! Let’s go! Mom’s hot dogs are waiting!”
    “Greatest in the world!” said Annie. The two of them climbed down from the ladder and headed through the trees.
    “You know what?” said Annie.
    “What?” asked Jack.
    “You know how we were supposed to learna secret of greatness from the Great Houdini?” Annie said.
    “Yep,” said Jack.
    “And we kept waiting for Harry to say or do something to make the ring glow?” said Annie.
    “Yeah,” said Jack.
    “But in the end, we learned the secret from
Bess
, not Harry,” said Annie.
    “You’re right,” said Jack.
    “So I think
Bess
was the Great Houdini that Merlin sent us to find,” said Annie.
    “Why do you think Bess was great?” asked Jack.
    “Well, she was kind and funny and friendly,” said Annie.
    “Yeah …,” said Jack, “like you.”
    “Me?”
said Annie. “Huh.” She looked a little embarrassed. “Well, also she was a loyal person. She was loyal to Harry.”
    “That’s true,” said Jack.
    “She was loyal like you are,” said Annie.
    “Me?”
said Jack.
    “Yep, you came right back when you realized I needed help,” said Annie. “Even though I’d made you really mad.”
    “Well, you were loyal, too,” said Jack. “You didn’t hold a grudge because I’d left you.”
    “Me, loyal?” said Annie. “And kind and funny and friendly? You think I’m all that? Seriously? Me?”
    “Okay, forget it,” said Jack, grinning.
    “No, I’m going to remember all those things,” said Annie. “And the next time you’re mad at me, I’m going to remind you how great I am. How loyal and kind and funny—”
    “Okay, okay, that’s enough!” said Jack. “Bye!” He took off running. He ran out of the Frog Creek woods, across the street, and down the sidewalk.
    “Wait! Slow down! You can’t escape from me!” called Annie. She ran after Jack as fast as she could and caught up with him before he reached home.

W hile doing my research for
Hurry Up, Houdini!
, I loved learning more about Beatrice “Bess” Houdini. Harry first met Bess in Coney Island in 1893 when he and his brother Dash were performing as a magic act called the Brothers Houdini, and eighteen-year-old Bess was singing and dancing with the Floral Sisters. Bess and Harry were married three weeks later. Bess became Harry’s partner onstage as he continued to develop and perform his amazing illusions. For