The Black Jacket Mystery

in a moment went on in a milder tone. “Calm down, boy. It’s a misunderstanding. Honey and Trixie, tell Dan about the watch.”
    “I don’t know as I want to hear,” Dan snarled angrily. “It’s nothing to me.”
    “I’m sorry, Dan. Nobody meant to accuse you of stealing a thing,” Honey said gently. Then as Dan, calmed by her friendly tone, listened reluctantly, Honey explained about the loss of the watch. “So we were hoping madly you’d found it!” she concluded apologetically.
    “Well, I didn’t,” Dan muttered. Then he cast a look at Trixie, who was still regarding him doubtfully. “Even though certain parties would like to say so!”
    He grabbed for his cap and stalked out, slamming the door behind him. The two girls looked at each other. Trixie shrugged. So far as she was concerned, those boot marks meant he had been there at the cross trail. But Honey looked worried and unhappy.
    A few minutes later, as they cantered along the main trail that led into Glen Road across from Mr. Lytell’s general store, Honey answered shortly and absentmindedly as Trixie rattled off a list of the things she intended to buy there» “And some old-fashioned peppermint sticks for Bobby. Moms asked me last week to puh-leese remember to get them next time we rode that way. She’s going to break up a couple of them into the ice-cream freezer next time she makes ice cream for dessert. Dad loves peppermint ice cream.”
    “Mmmm-hmm,” Honey answered politely, but her mind was far off. “Trixie, I get the strangest feeling about Dan Mangan. He’s only as old as Mart, but he looks as if he had lived and lived and been so unhappy.”
    “I think he’s just a tough kid who’s working because he needs to make some money, and he thinks it’ll be easy on a farm in winter,” Trixie said firmly. “Or else he’s in some awful kind of trouble, and he’s hiding from the police!”
    “Trixie!” Honey was really shocked. “That’s not fair. You don’t know a thing about Dan Mangan, really.”
    But, only a few minutes later, it seemed as if Trixie might very well have guessed what he really was like. The two girls were standing in front of the counter in Mr. Lytell’s store. He had just finished counting out a dozen peppermint sticks. “Anything else, ladies?” he asked, adding the candy to the small pile of purchases on the counter.
    “I don’t think so,” Trixie said uncertainly. “Remember anything, Hon?” She turned to Honey. But Honey’s shocked eyes were fixed on an object on the shelf behind the counter—a wristwatch. Honey’s watch!
    “Mr. Lytell! Where did you get the watch?” Trixie demanded sharply.
    Mr. Lytell picked it up and swung it by the gold band. “This? Some young feller in a black leather jacket sold it to me this morning for ten dollars.”
    “Not Dan Mangan?” Trixie asked, horrified.
    “I don’t know anybody by that name. This was a dark-looking boy, sort of sharp-faced and skinny. Said he was eloping, and this watch belonged to his girl, and they’d run out of money.”
     

Strong Evidence • 12
     
    BUT THAT IS a big story!” Honey protested. “That’s my very own watch that I lost yesterday in the woods! Isn’t it, Trixie?”
    Of course!” Trixie backed her up. “If you’ll look inside, you’ll see some writing. What does it say, Honey?”
    It says For Madeleine with Love, Mum and Daddy. Moms name is Madeleine, like my really true one. Her folks gave her the watch when she graduated from finishing school.”
    Mr. Lytell opened the back of the watch carefully, shoved his glasses up onto his forehead, and studied the writing inside the case. Then he adjusted the glasses, snapped the case shut, and offered the watch to Honey. “It’s yours, all right, Honey, sure as shootin’. There’s no doubt of it.”
    Honey drew back. “It’s yours now, Mr. Lytell. You bought it in good faith.”
    Mr. Lytell shook his gray head emphatically. “Nope. I gave a young feller ten dollars for it, but it isn’t rightfully mine. To tell the truth, I didn’t think it was worth even that much. Thought it was gold-plated. But the boy looked sort of peaked and desperate, and I figured he needed money bad. Guess he was laughing at me all the time, the scalawag.” He sighed. “Take it, and don’t be so careless next time.”
    “But your ten dollars—” Honey stammered. “I haven’t that much right now. You’ll have to wait till Dad and Mom come home from their trip