The Happy Valley Mystery

their skates. At first Trixie waved them off, but when she saw Honey and Diana accepting help as though they had never seen a skate before, she changed her own tactics. “I’ve got to quit being such a tomboy,” she thought and smiled quickly in gratitude as Ned laced her skates for her... loose around the toes, pulled tight near the ankle, and loose again at the top. Then he slipped some rubber guards over the blades so Trixie could walk across the wood floor to the ice.
    Over by the jukebox, a man in Danish costume—the coach Ned had mentioned—turned off the music and took up a megaphone to make an announcement.
    “We have visitors here from New York,” he said. “They are members of a club called the Bob-Whites of the Glen, in Westchester County, New York. They have just staged a very successful ice carnival in their city, for the benefit of the Central American earthquake victims. We hope they will now give us a demonstration of some of their skating. Most of you saw them during the warm-up period at the gym last night. If they skate as well as they hit the basket, we’ll have to surrender the Des Moines Club Trophy. First, Miss Honey Wheeler and Miss Trixie Belden.”
    “Oh, no,” Honey said under her breath to Trixie. “We just can’t do it. They shouldn’t ask us. All these people watching. Trixie, we had to practice days and days for the carnival. I don’t even remember what we’re supposed to do.”
    “Well, remember fast!” Trixie hissed. “Ned must have put them up to this. He should have said something to us, to give us a chance to refuse. We have to do it, Honey. We just have to.”
    Honey, inspired by Trixie’s courage and determination, bent and slipped the rubber guards from her skates. “What do we do first?” she asked desperately.
    “Around the rink a few times just skating,” Trixie said, “hand in hand. Then the spiral glide. I’ll take the boy’s part.”
    Honey stumbled as they started out. “Chin up!” Trixie commanded her. Then they swung into a long, easy glide to the music. “There, that’s better. Around the rink once more....”
    Determinedly Trixie guided Honey through all their pet exhibition dancing—figure eights, forward outside figure eights, the bunny hop, and, finally, a ballet jump.
    The crowd applauded excitedly as they finished.
    “They’re just being polite,” Honey said. “We never looked worse. On that snowplow stop, I leaned so far forward I was lucky not to fall on my face.”
    “Whatever you do, don’t act the way you feel,” Trixie said. “Bow, smile, wave. There, thank goodness that’s over.” They sat down on the bench.
    “That was excellent,” the Danish instructor called through the megaphone. “Thank you, girls. No wonder the carnival was so great a success. Now we will let our visitors rest for a while, and Dot Murray will give an exhibition of figure skating.”
    It was an exhibition all three girls from Westchester County, and the three boys, too, wouldn’t forget for a long time. Jim led Dot across the board floor and removed her skate guards for her. On the ice, she stood tall, poised, and graceful. She laughingly kissed her hand to the audience, then to Jim.
    Trixie’s heart hit the top of her stomach with a dull thud. Then she completely forgot her unfamiliar jealousy as she watched the lovely figure in white dance around and around the rink, in perfect time to the music. She did everything the girls had done, and more, and did it far better. Her ballet steps were perfectly timed and exquisitely executed. When she ended her performance with a series of Arabian cartwheels, Trixie clapped so vigorously she almost fell off the bench.
    “She’s good, isn’t she?” Jim asked, crowding down on the bench next to Trixie.
    “She’s out of this world! She’s unbelievable! And isn’t she perfectly beautiful?”
    Jim nodded. “Yes, she is, Trixie. And do you know something else? I know a girl who’s the best sport in these United States. I saw you falter when Honey didn’t want to go out on the ice. Then I saw your head go up. That’s it, Trixie! They can’t beat courage, no matter how well they skate.”
    Jim left her then, to lead Dot back over the board floor. Trixie’s heart sang. The whole world was sunny again—so sunny she didn’t realize for a while what had happened when Ned sat down by her and spoke to her. “You sure goofed again, Trixie,” he said.
    “What do you mean?” Trixie asked, her