The Mysterious Code

cooky jars. Inside one of them she found a pair of
captain’s epaulets from the Civil War. Since Honey’s mother had no idea to whom
they may have belonged, she told Honey the B.W.G.’s could keep them to sell at
the show.
    Diana, Trixie, and
Honey helped Mart sand the two gateleg tables.
    Wednesday, at
school, a bulletin announced a special teachers’ meeting to be held at White Plains. This meant the schools would not be open Thursday or Friday.
    After they had left
the clubhouse on Wednesday evening, Trixie remembered that she had left her
math notebook there. Brian had promised to help her finish her assignment that
night, so the weekend would be free for club work.
    “I’ll go back and
get the notebook,” she said, “then I’ll catch up with you.”
    All the Bob-Whites
carried flashlights, because the path to the clubhouse led through the woods.
Trixie threw the light ahead of her as she neared the clearing'where the
clubhouse stood. Snow covered the ground, and her footsteps were silent.
    A rabbit darted
across her path. Startled, Trixie dropped her flashlight, and in the arc of
fight it made as it fell, two dark figures loomed. They were leaving the
clubhouse area and climbing into a waiting car. With a growl from the exhaust,
the car was off down the byway to Glen Road.
    Terrified, Trixie
gave the quick emergency call of the club, a double whistle: “bob,
bob-white! bob-white!”
    Jim, Brian, and Mart
came running. When she could get her breath, Trixie told them what had
happened. The boys listened intently, but as Trixie finished her account, Mart
looked dubious.
    “You’re seeing
things again,” Mart said. “We only left here a second ago. Where were they
then?”
    “It wasn’t a second.
It was more than five minutes, and, anyway, Martin Belden, I know what I saw.
    Brian had gone ahead
to see if he could discover anything. He ran his flashlight around the door,
then under the window.
    “Someone was here,”
he said. “There are footprints, two sets of them. What on earth would anyone
want to be snooping around here for? They must have kept watch on us and waited
for us to go. Let’s get Regan and come back. Mart, you take Trixie home.”
    “Nobody is going to
take me home, Brian Belden,” Trixie said. “I’m going right along with you. Why
do we have to get Regan? We’re not sissies. Let’s go on through the woods down
to Glen Road. Where are Di and Honey?”
    “They were so far
ahead they didn’t hear you whistle,” Brian said. “They’re probably at home by
now. All right, Trixie, if you say you’re going with us, you will. Some girls
just never seem to know their place.”
    “And some boys think
they know everything,” Trixie said and strode off through the woods, the boys
following close behind her.
    There was definite
evidence that someone had gone over the path recently. Their steps were fresh
in the banked snow. The boys followed the path till it opened onto the byway to
Glen Road. Then, dejected, they turned back home.
    “That’s a warning
for us,” Trixie said. “Someone has read in the Sun about the jewel box
and the antiques we have in the clubhouse. We’ll have to guard them night and
day.”
    “You know we can’t
do that,” Jim said.
    “We can, with
a burglar alarm,” Trixie said. “One that would sound in Regan’s quarters,
maybe.”
    “Say, I’ll ask him
about it—right away!” Jim said. “See you tomorrow.”
    “Wait a minute,
Jim,” Trixie said. “We’d better not say anything about what happened tonight
except maybe to Regan. Moms might not want us to work at the clubhouse at night
if she thought anyone might try to break in. We can keep a sharp lookout
ourselves.”
    When they got back
to Crabapple Farm, the house was nearly dark. The family had gone to bed. “We
don’t have to answer any questions tonight,” Trixie said, relieved.
     
    The next day after
breakfast Mrs. Belden said, “Trixie, I have a book Mrs. Vanderpoel wants. It’s
about herbs, and she’s going to try to grow some indoors this winter. Will you
please take the book over to her? Take Bobby with you on his sled, please.”
    “Yes, Trixie, take
me. I want a ride!” Bobby cried and went to get his coat and cap.
    “All right, Moms,”
Trixie said, “but I thought it would be a good chance today to go out and try
to locate some more furniture for the boys to repair, and maybe list some of
the antiques we want to borrow to exhibit at our show.”
    “It is