The Mystery of the Headless Horseman

three stared at each other. All at once, Trixie’s fears returned in a rush. So that was what had been bothering her all morning! Di had been avoiding the Bob-Whites! Something must have happened to upset her so much that she didn’t want to share the news with her best friends. What could be that bad?
    So many possibilities came rushing into Trixie’s mind at once that she forgot to be annoyed with Mart for listening to their conversation. She didn’t even notice the other boys climb onto the bus.
    “Something wrong, Trixie?” Jim’s quiet voice asked over her shoulder. “You look as though you’ve just thought of something you wish you hadn’t. Come on, tell Uncle Jim all about it. It can’t be that bad.”
    For a long moment, Trixie didn’t answer him. She was beginning to think it was that bad. She concentrated on remembering the events of the morning. She had seen Di twice, once at her locker and once at the telephone in the lunch court. Both times Di had seemed not to see her. On the second occasion, however, Di had almost dropped the telephone in her haste to hurry away before Trixie could say a word.
    Trixie also remembered how she and Di had known each other since they were in kindergarten together. They had never been really close friends until Di became a member of the Bob-Whites.
    When jolly Mr. Lynch became a millionaire, Di had had a hard time getting used to living in the huge house that was now her home. At one point, Di had even been afraid of Harrison, her own butler!
    But all that was in the past. Trixie now found herself growing more and more certain that whatever was worrying Di this morning had something to do with the UNICEF bazaar the following day.
    All the Bob-Whites had worked hard for weeks, collecting donations of handmade quilts, hand-hooked rugs, plants and pots, and baked goods of all kinds. There were to be gaily decorated booths for games and sideshows, for art exhibits and macramé displays. The booths had already been set up on the Lynch estate. All of the proceeds from the bazaar were to be donated to UNICEF—the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.
    Even though Mr. and Mrs. Lynch could not be there, they had insisted on lending their beautiful grounds to the Bob-Whites for what promised to be the biggest fund-raising event the little town of Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson had ever seen.
    “Consider it part of our donation,” Mr. Lynch had said, his eyes twinkling. “Though if Harrison hadn’t offered to help you, it might have been a different story. As it is, we know we can rely on all of you to see that everything is a big success.”
    But now Trixie found Mart’s words echoing over and over in her mind. Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark. What can it be?
    She sighed, then said to Jim, “We’re worried about Di. We think she’s got something on her mind she doesn’t want us to know about.”
    “I did notice that she was extra quiet today,” Brian said. “Maybe she’s not feeling well.” His dark eyes showed his concern.
    “I don’t think that’s it,” Trixie answered, “though maybe you noticed more than I noticed, without noticing you were noticing—if you know what I mean.”
    She stopped, aware that she was sounding confused again. Someday Brian was going to become a doctor and work at the school that Jim planned to open for underprivileged orphan boys. Trixie suspected that Brian sometimes practiced guessing what was wrong with people, even if they only had the sniffles.
    “It seems to me,” Dan said, “that there’s one easy way of finding out what’s worrying Di.” He made a small motion with his hand toward the front of the bus. “Here she comes now. Why don’t you ask her?”
    Trixie held her breath and looked at the tall, slim, dark-haired girl who had just gracefully climbed the bus steps. Di hesitated when she saw all the Bob-Whites watching her. Then she made her way slowly toward them and stopped at Trixie’s side.
    Trixie did not need more than one quick glance to confirm that her hunch had been right. Di was struggling to keep her lips from quivering. She was on the verge of tears!
    “Di? What is it? What’s wrong?” Trixie asked in a low voice. She reached out and gently pulled Di into the seat beside herself and Honey. “Is it something to do with our plans for tomorrow?”
    “You can tell us,” said Honey. “It really can’t be as terrible as all that.” She tried to laugh. “We’ve