The Mystery of the Antique Doll

I think that’s much more colorful, and more educational, too!”
    “Sour grapes,” Trixie said.
    Mart gave her a little smile, as Trixie felt Bobby’s small hand slip into hers.
    “Trixie, forget about Mart,” Bobby wheedled, as he snuggled up against her side. “Give me three more big kisses.”
    Trixie forgot about Mart, just as Bobby had asked, and gave her little brother some extra good-bye kisses and hugs.
    “Okay, Bobby,” she said at last. “Now you take good care of Reddy.”
    “And Moms, too,” Bobby said solemnly.
    The two girls were finally able to get out the door. They ran all the way along the footpath to the Manor House. In a matter of hours they would be on the plane, winging their way to a whole new world!



6 * The Parisian Doll

    TRIXIE ADJUSTED the pillow behind her head. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and tried not to listen to the excited beating of her heart. She could see through a crack in the curtain that separated the cockpit from the passenger section of the small plane. A warm blue glow emanated from the control panel, and the reassuring sight of the Wheelers’ pilot, Bob Murphy, sitting at the controls helped Trixie settle down. The plane’s engines hummed steadily.
    Closing her eyes, she reviewed the evening’s events and tried to feel a little bit sleepy. Honey and Trixie had eaten an elegant dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. Later, they all sat around the roaring fire in the living room and discussed their plans for the trip.
    Mrs. Wheeler was planning to attend a showing at one of the couturier houses Saturday afternoon. But Honey and Trixie weren’t interested in fashion at all. At the sight of their crestfallen expressions, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler decided that the girls could be on! their own Saturday afternoon.
    Trixie felt so grown-up she didn’t even have the slightest desire to cheer when the driver came in to announce that the limousine was loaded and it was time to go.
    At the airport, Trixie was amazed at the size of the Lear jet. From the outside it had looked small, but inside it was roomy and comfortable.
    “Put your seat belts on,” Mr. Wheeler said, as he settled in and lifted his briefcase to his lap. “I’m going to work for a little while, but I’ll draw the curtain across the aisle so the light won’t keep you up.”
    “You should both try to sleep,” Mrs. Wheeler advised the girls fondly. “I know it might be difficult, but otherwise you’ll feel simply awful tomorrow.”
    Trixie and Honey did as they were told, flipping off the overhead light switches. Trixie gazed out the small window at her side. The pavement seemed to move as the plane taxied out to the runway. They stopped for about four minutes, and then suddenly the engines went into high gear. The plane moved swiftly forward. Trixie felt just as if she were glued to the back of the seat as the small jet drove forward at incredible speed.
    “We go about 180 miles an hour right before takeoff,” said Mr. Wheeler. “That’s pretty fast, isn’t it?”
    Trixie was about to comment, when suddenly the plane lifted off the ground. At that moment, she felt as if her stomach had stayed behind, but soon she was able to look down and see the twinkling lights of Westchester rapidly falling away below them. The plane banked gently, then flew straight as they gained altitude. After a while, Trixie could no longer see any lights below, and she realized they were out over the ocean, heading for France.

    A slight jolting sensation pulled Trixie out of her dreams. Thinking that her eyes had been closed only for a second, she rubbed them and tried to focus out the window. It was daylight, and the plane had just touched down. She saw a sign that said ORLY.
    “Are we here already?” she asked. “Didn’t we just take off?”
    Mr. Wheeler laughed heartily as he pulled back the curtain that separated him and Mrs. Wheeler from the two girls.
    Mrs. Wheeler was just sitting back down. “Why don’t you girls freshen up in the bathroom,” Mrs. Wheeler said, smiling. “It’s right at the back of the cabin.”
    “You go first,” Honey mumbled sleepily. “I need more time to wake up.”
    Trixie emerged a few minutes later, feeling a good deal better. Her hair wouldn’t behave at all the way it should, but Trixie didn’t mind. The plane taxied along the runway until it reached a small hangar. By the time Honey had freshened up, the plane had stopped and the passengers were ready to get