The Mystery of the Galloping Ghost

1 * The Twilight Rider
     
    “I can’t believe we’re
in Minnesota !”
four-teen-year-old Trixie Belden exclaimed. She turned to look out the side
window of the car, then swiveled around to look out the back. Facing forward again, she rested her forearms on
the seat ahead of her.
    “If
you really don’t believe it, just look— there’s another lake,” Honey Wheeler
said from the front seat. “ Minnesota is the land of ten thousand lakes, and I’ll bet we’ve seen a thousand of them
since we left the Wadena airport!”
    “We
saw another nine thousand from the air,” Trixie added. “It was so beautiful—all
those little pools of deep blue water, surrounded by all those deep green
fields and forests.” She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes,
remembering the trip from Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson , New York , where she and Honey
lived. Then she quickly opened her eyes and sat up again, afraid of missing a
single new sight.
    “That’s
what I love about riding in a small plane like the one Daddy’s company owns,”
Honey said. “It flies closer to the ground, so you get to see everything much
better.”
    “What
I love about your father’s plane is that it’s one reason I was able to come on
this trip,” Trixie said.
    “What I’d love is a little silence while I wrestle with this infernal
machine,” the driver of the car said gruffly.
    Both
girls looked at Bill Regan, who had hardly spoken since they’d set off from the
airport in the rented car. Though the Wheelers’ groom knew everything in the
world about horses, he’d always admitted that he didn’t understand or like
cars. Now he was driving a strange car over strange roads, and his usual
easygoing personality was temporarily altered.
    Honey
put her finger to her lips. Trixie nodded and sat back. I don’t want to do anything to ruin this vacation, she thought.
    It
had all come about quite suddenly—as suddenly as an evening phone call from
Honey Wheeler, who’d said, “Guess what! We’re going to Minnesota for two whole weeks!” Honey was so
excited that the whole story had come out in bits and pieces, interrupted by
happy exclamations.
    “It’s
all because of the Murrows ,” Honey had said. “They’re
horse breeders and trainers, and they’re from Maple Lake , Minnesota .
Won’t it be a wonderful place to visit? The Murrows aren’t wealthy and can’t afford expensive breeding stock or high-priced
trainers, but they produce really outstanding Arabian horses. Daddy met the Murrows at a horse show, and he was impressed with them. So
he’s sending Regan out to study their operation, and I convinced Daddy to send
us along. Don’t you just love it?”
    “I
do!” Trixie had agreed, her freckled face already
radiant. “My parents won’t, though. You know how they feel about taking advantage
of your parents’ generosity, and I can’t possibly afford a dream trip like this
for myself.”
    “I
knew you’d say that,” Honey had retorted. “But look, Regan is flying in Daddy’s
company plane. One passenger or three won’t make any difference in the cost.
Once we’re there, we’ll stay with the Murrows , free
of charge. The trip will hardly cost anything. Besides, if you don’t go, it
will wreck my vacation. So how can you say you’re taking advantage?”
    Trixie
knew that Honey had meant what she said. With some difficulty, she’d managed to
convince her parents, as well. Two days later, the girls were in northern Minnesota .
    I
wouldn’t want to make a trip without Honey, either, Trixie
thought. Not that there would be much danger of that. In a big family like
mine, vacations don’t come along too often.
    Trixie’s
family consisted of her parents, her two older brothers—Brian and Mart—and a
younger brother, Bobby. The Beldens were a very
close-knit family. Trixie squabbled frequently with her older brothers, but
they never doubted her loyalty or affection. And, although she complained about
having to baby-sit for six-year-old Bobby, she enjoyed reading him stories and,
most of the time, answering his endless questions.
    Gee, Trixie thought, I hope I don’t spend the whole two weeks feeling homesick.
    “Look!”
Honey exclaimed just then, pointing straight ahead.
    Trixie
looked and saw a huge bird in flight. It was gray, with a tiny head and a long,
thin neck. The bird might have been laughable, if it hadn’t been for the slow,
graceful motion of its long wings. “If Ichabod Crane
came back as a