The Black Jacket Mystery

waiting to be transported to the lake for distribution when they were won. The whole town was joining wholeheartedly in the benefit for the little school library in faraway Mexico.
    Saturday morning came. There was still no word from Regan about Dan. Mr. Wheeler had told Regan to stay on in the city until the case was decided one way or the other, and the boys were doubling as assistant grooms, doing their own regular chores and getting last-minute tasks done before the carnival.
    Honey came rushing into the clubhouse, the finished leprechaun costume over her arm. Her eyes were dancing. “The most wonderful surprise—” she began. But as Trixie looked up excitedly from pinning the clown costume on Mart, Honey clapped her hand over her mouth.
    “Oh!”
    “Ouch!” Mart yelled. “That pin went in an inch!” But Trixie ignored him. “Is Dan back?” she demanded happily.
    Honey shook her head. “Not that I know of. It’s something else, but I promised not to tell you.” Mart groaned. “Here we go again! Hurry up and let me out of here, so you can tell her!”
    “I don’t intend to! It’s too elegant a secret to tell anybody. It would spoil it!”
    Mart peeled off the almost-finished costume. “Can’t hang around to hear it, but I bet it’s a world-shaker!” And he grabbed up his jacket and marched out.
    Honey giggled. “I know another secret, too. Mart’s new jacket is almost finished. I nearly brought it along to show you just now. I didn’t know he was here!”
    “We’ll give it to him after the show—an extra prize, we’ll tell him, for winning us the lumber for our floor here!” Trixie loved surprising people.
    Honey danced around the room, throwing a lace mantilla around her shoulders and draping it over her head. “I adore my costume! Don’t you love yours?”
    Trixie nodded. “Only I feel sort of silly with my blond mop and a high comb tied on with a string so I’ll look like a señorita!” She grimaced at herself in the mirror as she perched a tall comb on top of her head and it fell down on her nose. “Hope it doesn’t blow right off my head when were doing our fast spins!” She set it straight again and did a twirl.
    In her dungarees, wool sweater, and sneakers, and with the comb tilting precariously over all, she made a funny picture, even to Honey, who was her most enthusiastic admirer. “Oh, Trixie, you’re a card!” she giggled.
    “If that’s Spanish, I’ll take vanilla!” a voice remarked from the doorway. Brian and Mart both had their heads stuck in, but as usual it was Mart who spoke. “Hey, did she spill that secret yet?” he went on.
    “Indeed, I did not!” Honey laughed. “So don’t come sneaking in hoping to hear anything. You’ll all have to wait till tonight. That’s final!”
    Mart groaned. “Cruel wench! Just for that, we won’t tell you who’s down on the lake, practicing like mad!”
    “Dan!” Trixie shouted. “Is it Dan, Brian?”
    “None other, my sweet!” Brian laughed. “Regan cleared up the whole thing for him, thanks to the letters from Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Maypenny. Dan’s one of us.”
    “Hey, that’s swell!” Trixie rejoiced.
    “Too bad be couldn’t be a Bob-White, but I guess he’s too sophi—sophi—” Trixie had bogged down, as usual. “Whatever it is.”
    “Pretty close, toots,” Mart told her with a grin. “The word is sophisticated, only it doesn’t really fit Dan. I know he’s panting to join us, even though he kidded our club when he first came to Sleepyside.”
    “Should we have a conference meeting and vote on inviting him?” Trixie asked eagerly. “This noon?”
    “I’ve got two votes here,” Mart said, pointing to himself and Brian, “and you two. And Jim will go along. That just leaves Di, and she always votes the way you two do. So why waste time conferring when we’ve got so much work to do getting ready for tonight at the lake?”
    “Okay,” said Madam President Trixie. “He’s in! And we’ll tell him tonight.” She looked thoughtful suddenly. “Gleeps! Honey’ll have to fix up another jacket.”
    “Say, mine’s too small, anyhow. I can let him have it till Honey gets around to making me one that fits. Would you, will you, Honey?” Mart was sensitive about his wrists hanging out two inches from the jacket sleeves.
    “Well...Honey winked aside at Trixie and pretended to look doubtful. “I suppose I could—somehow or other.”
    But Mart still wanted Dan to have the jacket, even