The Marshland Mystery

waved her hand airily.- “We ladies have a date with Captain Kidd’s ghost at Martin’s Marsh!”
    Jim grinned broadly and shook his tire iron at Trixie.
    “You get sassy with me, small fry, and I’ll tell Regan I've decided not to exercise your horse for you this morning. You know what’ll happen then!”
    Trixie clapped her hands to her head and groaned.
    “Do I? He’ll insist on my taking Susie for an extra-long run, and we’ll never get started for the marsh!”
    “Stop teasing Trixie, Jim.” Honey laughed. “Don’t let him scare you, Trix. We’ve had both Starlight and Susie out for a canter already.”
    “I went along,” a sharp little voice said. “I rode Lady.” Gaye, looking very neat in an expensive riding outfit, leaned in the doorway, watching them coolly.
    Trixie was surprised, but Honey said promptly, “That’s right. Gaye’s a splendid rider.”
    “I learned at the best school in Paris,” the little girl said grandly, “and they had really fine horses, not like these slowpokes here.”
    Trixie’s face flushed with indignation, and she turned to Jim and Honey, expecting them to defend their horses. But Honey was smiling indulgently at Gaye, and Jim was chuckling as he finished with the bike.
    “I imagine they did, at that,” Jim agreed blithely. He handed the bike over to Honey. “There you are, Honey. Have a grand time, and don’t fall into the swamp.” He turned to Trixie. “Did Brian give you the map?”
    “He left it for me.” Trixie fished the folded map out of her pocket and handed it to him. “It’s a whiz!”
    Jim glanced at it. “I’ll say! Very neat, indeed. He practically leads you by the hand and tells you what to look for when you arrive. Good old Brian!”
    Gaye stepped over and thrust her head between Jim and Honey to stare at the map. “Why are you going there?”
    “To pick some flowers,” Trixie answered shortly. “Very special ones that you wouldn’t know about.”
    Gaye looked up at her impudently. “I think I’ll ask Aunt Della to let me go with you!” she announced.
    “But it’s—” Trixie started, with a frown. She stopped as she caught Honey’s eye, and Honey shook her head warningly. Trixie finished lamely, “It’s too far for you.”
    “I guess I can do it if you can.” Gaye scowled, and she turned to Honey. “May I ask her, Honey?”
    “Go ahead, but hurry. We have to get started,” Honey told her hastily.
    Gaye darted out of the clubhouse, and they could hear her running up the cement driveway.
    “Oh, Honey!” Trixie groaned. “You know she’ll be a worse nuisance than Bobby! Besides, she doesn’t have a bike, and we’ll have to take turns letting her use ours!”
    “Don’t worry,” Honey said calmly. “I heard Miss Crandall tell the governess that Gaye must start practicing the sonata by ten o’clock sharp. There’s no chance of her tagging along with us.”
    “Then why do we wait? It’s getting late,” Trixie reminded her friend, “and I promised Dad that we’d be home before dark, without fail.”
    Honey looked troubled. “But I practically told her we’d wait until she had asked her aunt.” She looked appealingly at her adopted brother. Whenever Honey had to make an important decision, she liked to get Jim’s advice. “What do you think we’d better do?” she asked him.
    “Simple. Just go on, you kids. It’s so close to ten o’clock now that I doubt if her aunt even lets her come back here to tell you she can’t go with you. I’ll be busy here for a few minutes, and if she does show up, I’ll tell her the truth. You knew she had to practice, so you didn’t wait, but you were sorry she couldn’t go. If she gets angry, she’ll get over it.” He waved them on.
    “That makes sense,” Trixie agreed with a grin. “Come on, Honey.” And she was mounted on her bike and on her way in a minute.
    As they cycled, side by side, along Glen Road toward the first turnoff that Brian had marked on the map, Trixie was more silent than usual. She was wrestling with her conscience. She had promised her mother she would be kind to little Gaye, and she had meant to be. But she had an uneasy feeling that running off the way they had would show the child that they hadn’t wanted her along, or they’d have waited for her and told her they were disappointed she couldn’t come.
    “There’s Old Telegraph Road just up ahead, I think,” Honey called, “where that car’s crossing. Does the map say we