The Marshland Mystery

how it seems to Gaye, but maybe Miss Crandall is really worried about Gaye’s health and thinks she’s better off resting than running around, getting even more tired than she’s been.” Honey tried to see the other side of it, though her sympathy was with Gaye.
    A little later, as Trixie helped her mother prepare the late Sunday afternoon dinner, she found that Mrs. Belden agreed with Honey.
    “Gaye must be quite a handful for her aunt,” Mrs. Belden told Trixie. “I hope she won’t get any more ideas of hiding from Miss Crandall the way she did yesterday. I’m glad that was all straightened out so there won’t be any silly stories in the paper about ‘kidnapping’ her.”
    “I’m glad, too,” Trixie admitted. “I was worried over what that reporter said to us about a stunt to sell tickets. He almost said I had thought it up and the Bob-Whites were mixed up in it.”
    “People say things when they’re angry—or humiliated, as he apparently was by Sergeant Rooney’s teasing him,” Mrs. Belden explained gently. “I’m sure he didn’t mean half of it.”
    “He sounded as if he did,” Trixie said stubbornly, “and this morning he tried to make a big thing out of it to Miss Crandall, and she almost believed him.”
    “I’m sure Honey’s father settled all that for good. Stop thinking about it. It’s all over.”
    Trixie was almost able to believe that—until she came down to breakfast the next morning.

The Twisted Story ● 15
     
    MORNING, EVERYBODY,” Trixie said cheerfully, bouncing into the kitchen and dropping her books and sweater on the chair by the door so she could grab them and run for the bus when it was due.
    Her father and mother and the boys were all at the table, eating quietly. Only her mother managed a subdued “Good morning, dear.”
    Trixie looked around at them. “What’s wrong?”
    Mart nodded glumly toward her place. “Look at your little surprise. Second column, front page.”
    It was only then that she noticed the morning newspaper lying across her plate. She dashed to pick it up and look where Mart had told her to.
    The heading was GAYE GOES FOR A RIDE. Trixie gasped and looked weakly around the table. Bobby was the only one who wasn’t watching her. He was busy eating.
    Mr. Belden said sternly, “I don’t know what you said or did to antagonize the young man who wrote that column, but it seems to have had a bad effect.”
    Trixie sank into her chair and bent her head over the paper. She read silently for a couple of minutes, then read the last paragraph of the article over again out loud, hardly believing it.
    “ ‘Miss Trixie Belden of Sleepyside Junior-Senior High School took a prominent part in the finding of the missing child. Miss Belden, age thirteen, has acquired quite a reputation for solving mysteries. It is even rumored that the Bob-Whites of the Glen, an exclusive group at the school, are thinking of changing their name to The Belden Private Eyes and specializing in publicity stunts for a selected list of clients. Miss Trixie “Sherlock Holmes” Belden is their president, as it happens.’
    “Oh!” Trixie’s eyes flashed. “That’s not fair! He makes it sound as if the Bob-Whites, and especially Trixie Belden, had arranged the whole thing for publicity!”
    “It could be taken that way,” her father said grimly. “Can’t we make him take it back? Can’t you talk to the editor of the Sun?” Trixie demanded.
    Mr. Belden shook his head. “I’m afraid not. He’s been clever enough not to make a direct charge that any of you arranged Gaye’s,disappearance. He hinted at it, of course. But he didn’t actually say so. The best thing you and the Bob-Whites can do is to ignore that part of the story.” He frowned. “I’d advise you to avoid any comment on it to him. Just ignore it.”
    “Dad’s right, dear,” Mrs. Belden assured Trixie, who was frowning rebelliously. “After all, it’s probably only his idea of teasing you.”
    Mart growled, “I’d like to take a poke at him!”
    “You’ll do nothing of the kind!” his father said.
    There was general silence for a moment as the three Bob-Whites exchanged resigned looks and then went on eating their breakfast.
    Mrs. Belden sighed as she saw their faces. She looked appealingly at their father. “You could say something to the editor about the rest of the article, though, couldn’t you? I mean where he says that Miss Martin thought she was seeing a ghost when Gaye came out