The Mystery of the Emeralds

have to? You mean right now ?
    Trixies best friends, Honey Wheeler and her adopted brother, Jim, lived a little farther up Glen Road, in an impressive mansion on a huge estate. The fact that the Wheelers’ wealth allowed them a staff of servants and every luxury never interfered with the young people’s close friendship. Honey and Trixie had met soon after Mr. Wheeler bought Manor House, with its stable of horses, game preserve, and swimming pool, hoping it would benefit his somewhat sickly daughter. Honey’s real name was Madeleine, but no one ever called her that now, and no one seemed to remember who first gave her the nickname. Everyone agreed, however, that it suited her perfectly, for Honey was always as cheerful and sweet as she was pretty.
    After the two girls became friends, Honey somehow forgot her ill health. There just wasn’t time to be sick, with all they found to do. Their first adventure had been helping Jim Frayne, who was running away from a cruel stepfather. It had ended with Jim’s inheriting half a million dollars from an uncle, his only relative, and being adopted by the Wheelers.

    “What are you all going to do this rainy day?” Mr. Belden inquired as he put on his raincoat and prepared to leave for work.
    “Don’t you worry about their not having anything to do,” Mrs. Belden answered. “I’ve been waiting for just such a day as this to clean out the attic and the top of the bam.”
    “Oh, Moms!ot again,” groaned Brian. “Why, we just cleaned the bam—let’s see, when was it?”
    “ Tempus fugit, dear brother,” Mart said cheerily. “It was at least four years ago, because I remember what a fuss I made when Moms wanted to throw out my magnificent collection of rocks.”
    “Will it take all day?” Trixie asked a bit impatiently. “We’re supposed to have a meeting of the Bob-Whites this afternoon up at the clubhouse. The president of the Heart Association wrote and asked if we’d help with their White Elephant Sale, and we have to talk it over and see what we can do.”
    “Well, that’s a coincidence,” Mrs. Belden said, “because I thought if we cleaned out the attic and bam, we might find some things to donate to the sale.” Trixie was suddenly all smiles. “Gleeps, Moms,” he cried, “what a perfectly spiffy idea! You can count on all the Bob-Whites to help!”
    The Bob-Whites of the Glen was a secret club that Jim had organized soon after he came to live with the Wheelers. Although they were forever getting involved in some mystery, they also found time to be of help to others. There were now seven regular members in the club—the three Beldens, Honey and Jim, Dan Mangan, and Diana Lynch. Dan’s part-time jobs and a heavy school program prevented him from joining in all of the Bob-Whites’ adventures, but he went with the club whenever he could. Di, as she was called, lived close by in another large house. Her twin brothers and sisters were much younger than she, so she welcomed membership in the club, because it gave her a chance to be with people her own age. Di had always been considered the prettiest girl in the group, with her shoulder-length black hair, fair skin, and large violet eyes.
    “I think I’ll phone Honey and Di and tell them to check and see what they can collect at their houses, and then we’ll all meet late this afternoon to see what needs mending or repairing,” Trixie said, her enthusiasm for the project growing all the time.
    “Come on, Mart,” she continued, “you and Brian get dressed and do the bam, and Moms and I will tackle the attic.”
    “I was planning to fix the muffler on my car,” Brian said. He was always fussing with his old jalopy, usually quite successfully, because he was a superb mechanic. “But the co-president of the Bob-Whites is issuing orders, so I guess the Queen of the Highways will have to wait. All set, Mart?”
    “All set,” Mart growled, “but let me tell you, Trixie Belden, one day is all I’m going to give up for any elephant, white or purple. So don’t try to inveigle me into working all week on some old wrecked piece of furniture or something.”
    Mart and Trixie frequently appeared to be engaged in a running feud, but underneath they were very fond of each other. Their birthdays were less than a year apart, and, although Mart was taller than Trixie, they looked enough alike to be twins.
    Trixie met her brother’s statement with a chilly silence as she went off to the