The Gatehouse Mystery

afternoon off. When you get back from that, it'll be time to take Marjorie into town. She's getting off early today because she worked overtime last night." He put his big freckled hands on his hips. "Between then and dinner time you can give Jim a lesson, if you've cleaned the cars. The sedan could stand a coat of wax."
    Dick placed his own thin hands on his hips, frowning. "And what, may I ask, are you going to be doing all day?"
    "Me?" Regan's eyes were very green. "I'm going to clean out the stable, that's all. And tonight I'm going to watch wrestling matches on television." He chuckled Wryly. "I'd invite you to join me, but you're going to he too busy. And if you don't take care of that poison ivy, you won't be able to see by then, anyway." He strode off into the stable.
    "What's eating him, Miss Honey?" Dick asked in a bewildered voice.
    ' Miss Honey to her, Trixie thought, because she's the boss's daughter. But I'm fresh as paint.'
    As though reading her mind, Honey said quickly, "Please don't call me 'miss,' Dick. And Regan is cross because he had to do a lot of driving last evening and this morning. He hates it, you know. Cares about nothing but the horses." She came closer and stared at the rash on his face. "You'd better take his advice, Dick. If that rash spreads, both of your eyes may close. Why don't you see our doctor when you take Miss Trask into the village? He'll give you some pills and a salve. IH go in now and make an appointment for you, if you like. Miss Trask will be shopping for hours, and she won't need you, except when she's through, so you can carry the cartons from the supermarket to the car."
    "That's very nice of you," he said, "but I won't bother, thanks. If she's going to spend a lot of time in the village, I'll come back out here and give the sedan a coat of wax. Then I'll be free to give Jim a driving lesson before dinner. I don't like to break my promise to him."
    "Well, that's very nice of you," Honey said with a quick smile. "Did Miss Trask tell you how to get to the dead-end road out on the other side of the woods? Its the safest place to practice steering if you think Jim's ready for that this afternoon."
    "Sure," Dick said affably. "You go right at the end of Glen Road, then you go right again. I know how to get to that little country lane. No traffic on it, huh?"
    "That's right," Mart said. "We call it Hoyt Lane. Mr. Hoyt owns the farm, and his house is the only one on the road. He's busy right now, harvesting, so I doubt if you'll even pass his truck if you and Jim go there this afternoon."
    "Fine," Dick said. "And go we will. If your brother is teaching him how to shift gears now, Jim will be ready to get the knack of steering this afternoon. He's a bright boy, Jim is."
    "He certainly is," Trixie said, forcing her bps into a smile. "How do you suppose you got that poison ivy, Dick?"
    He narrowed his eyes. "If you must know, Miss Nosy, it was taking care of your little brother. Bobby ran into the woods the other day, and I ran after him."
    "Oh, my," Trixie said, pretending to be very upset. "Then I guess Bobby has a rash now, too. He's very allergic." She slipped her arm through Honey's. "Well, I'm not going to worry. Moms is armed to the teeth with all sorts of remedies which work like magic." They strolled off, followed by Mart. "Let's take a look-see at our clubhouse." As soon as they were some distance from the garage, he added, "That guy couldn't speak the truth if it were written out for him in words of one syllable. Ever since Bobby had that bad attack in May, he never goes near anything that remotely resembles poison ivy."
    "That's right," Trixie said. "He's even wary of Virginia creeper and wild blackberry vines. If he ran into the woods, it was at a spot where he knows there is no poison ivy."
    "I know," Honey said. "He's much smarter than I am. Besides, we've had men out here spraying ever since we bought the place. There's hardly any poison ivy growing now in the woods near the house and the stable and the garage."
    "There's plenty right there," Mart said, pointing to the shrubbery at the foot of the lawn. "If we're going to spend a lot of time fooling around the cottage, we'd better try to get rid of it. Trixie hasn't got the brains Bobby has."
    "We'll encourage the wild honeysuckle and the wisteria," Trixie said. "They choke out everything. The wisteria, Mart, is what ruined the roof of the cottage. Do you think you boys can fix it so it won't leak?" Mart went