The Mystery of the Phantom Grashopper

she said. “I’ve just been listening to Sammy.”
    Sammy wiped his brow as if he had been laboring strenuously. “Whew! Im glad I’m not a teacher,” he said. “That’s work! ”
    Miss Lawler smiled and covered the display case with the green felt dustcover. “Sammy, why don’t you drive Trixie and Honey home?” she suggested.
    “I’ll walk down to the diner, and you can meet me there.”
    “We’ve bothered Sammy enough today,” Honey said quickly. “Trixie and I can call a cab.”
    Sammy laughed. “No problem. I’ll be happy to take you guys home, if you don t mind riding in my old truck. Come on.”
    Sammy’s yellow pickup looked old and dilapidated, but surprisingly, the engine was smooth and powerful, and the ride was almost as good as that of the Bob-White station wagon.
    Trixie spoke loudly against the volume of the radio. “I never knew a truck could ride like this.”
    For answer, Sammy speeded up, ignoring the speed limit signs. “It doesn’t look like much, but it goes,” he bragged.
    Trixie was glad to see her driveway up ahead. “Turn there,” she said in plenty of time for Sammy to slow down. “You can drop me off first. Honey’s house is up on the hill.”
    Seconds later, Trixie was climbing down from the high cab seat of the truck. “Thanks for the ride—and the coin lesson,” she said.
    The truck was already moving again. “My pleasure,” Sammy called back, backing down the driveway at a fast speed.
    That’s funny, Trixie thought, walking to the door. Sammy said he was a rock music freak, but the radio in the truck was playing old-fashioned music. Must have been WSTH.

That Oar Again • 6

    MOMS, have you seen the gold button that belongs on my Bob-White jacket?” Trixie asked on the following afternoon.
    Mrs. Belden looked up from the warm ginger cookies she had just taken from the oven. “It was on your night table,” she said.
    Trixie sighed. “I know. But it’s not there now. You know what?” she asked, helping herself to a cookie.
    “I’m positive that Bobby has it in his button collection at the tree house.”
    Mrs. Belden nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” she said shrewdly.
    “Oh, Moms,” Trixie rushed on, “I know it’s Friday afternoon, but could I please be excused from the dusting, just—”
    “—this once,” her mother completed the familiar phrase. Then she laughed. “Go ahead, Trixie,” she said, “but you’ll have to hurry. I don’t like your being in the woods by yourself, and it’s getting dark early these days.”
    “Bobby’s tree house isn’t deep in the woods, Moms,” Trixie reminded her. “The old road is just on the other side of the trees.”
    “I know.” Her mother slid the next batch of cookies into the oven. “Be sure to take your flashlight, though.”
    Trixie was already at the door. “I have it right here,” she said with a grin. “I won’t be long.”
    A few minutes later, Trixie was jogging along at a steady pace, headed into the woods. She remembered the exact location of the tree house, but getting there on foot took quite a bit longer than getting there on horseback.
    The sun was almost gone when Trixie finally reached her destination and climbed up into the little tree house.
    Bobby’s treasures were lined up on the floor in boxes and tin cans. Trixie sat down and carefully spread the button collection out at her feet. “Colored buttons, plain buttons, wooden buttons, and—jeep-ers, a black shoe button! That’s from my old Raggedy Ann doll.” Trixie mumbled to herself as she sorted through the collection. One by one, she let the buttons drop with a clink back into the tin. “And here, at last, is my Bob-White button!” she said. “No more fines!”
    With a sigh of relief, Trixie tucked the gold metal button into her pocket and returned the others to the tin. As she stood, she saw a flash of light through the trees beside the old road.
    “There must be a car driving on that road again,” Trixie said to herself. Peering through the branches, she spotted the car, coming along the old road. “Hey!” Trixie breathed. “That’s the same car that I saw following everyone a few nights ago!”
    She observed the car pulling to a stop. The driver climbed out and stood for a moment, looking around. Then he crossed in front of the car to examine the faded road sign. In the glare of the headlights, Trixie could see that he was tall and strong-looking, with dark hair cut close to his