The Mystery of the Phantom Grashopper

and gulped. “I’d better get my books,” she said, pushing her chair back from the table. “Thanks for the good breakfast, Moms.” When Trixie and her brothers climbed into the station wagon a few minutes later, Trixie could tell that Honey had some kind of good news.
    “Jeepers,” Trixie said, “for somebody who didn’t get an extra day off from school, you sure look happy this morning.”
    “I am happy,” Honey said. “Wait till you hear this! Mr. and Mrs. Perkins were visiting with Mother and Daddy when Jim and I got home yesterday. I told Mr. Perkins about our plans for a walk-a-thon to raise money for recoppering the weather vane, and I asked him if he’d announce the walk-a-thon over WSTH.”
    “What did he say?” Trixie asked.
    Honey looked smug. “Are you ready for this? Mr. Perkins suggested that we all go to the station and make the announcement ourselves I He’s arranged a taping session for tomorrow afternoon, right after school.”
    “Gleeps!” Trixie thumped her hands against the books in her lap. “Honey, that’s great!” she said.
    “Mirabile dictu!” Mart agreed.
    Brian shook his head as Trixie glared at Mart. “Honey used to be so shy she could barely say hello,” he said, “and now she’s going to be on the radio!”
    “We can all be on the radio,” Honey reminded him. Elated, the young people began making plans. It was agreed unanimously that Mart should write the announcement. There was some good-natured argument about who should actually do the talking. “Jim—he’s the club copresident.”
    “It was Trixie’s idea!”
    “But Brian is the best speaker.”
    “No—Honey should do it. She got permission.” “Wait a minute!” Mart whistled and signaled for time-out. “Let’s not tax our brains so severely before school even begins. I suggest we have a meeting after school in the clubhouse.”
    Everyone agreed.
    Jim pulled into a parking space in front of the school building. “End of the line,” he called. “All out.”
    Trixie consulted her watch. “We’re twenty minutes early. If Honey and I go to homeroom now, the teacher will put us to work sorting books or something.”
    “You’re right,” Honey agreed. “She can always find something to keep everyone busy.”
    Mart wagged a finger under Honey’s nose. “Now, now, Honey—idle hands get into mischief,” he reminded her primly.
    Honey burst out laughing. “Oh, Mart, you should be a homeroom teacher!” she said.
    Trixie had an idea. “Let’s drive downtown and see if the storm did any damage,” she suggested. “We’ll be back in plenty of time.”
    “Not me,” Brian said, getting out of the wagon. “I’m going over to the gym to shoot some baskets.”
    “I’ll join you,” Mart said, climbing out.
    “We’ll see you at noon in the lunchroom,” Trixie called as Jim pulled out into the street
    There wasn’t much storm damage downtown. The streets had large puddles of water, and there was some debris—mostly newspapers and loose trash can lids. A few of the older trees had lost some branches. Workmen were busy clearing the sidewalks of twigs and muddy leaves.
    The big front windows of some of the stores and the newspaper office had been taped for protection from the wind.
    Jim drove slowly, and Honey and Trixie checked out both sides of the street
    “The church, the library, the dress shop,” Trixie counted off each building as they passed. “Everything looks okay,” she said, sounding relieved.
    “Town Hall is all right” Honey added as they passed the common. “I was worried about Hoppy last night.”
    “Me, too,” Trixie admitted. “I sine hope we can raise the money to have him replated. Let’s not forget to say hello to him today.” Trixie poked her head outside the car window.
    “Hello, Hop—” she began, then gasped. “Hoppy’s not on the roof! He’s gone!”
    Honey leaned out her window and stared up at the bare cupola.
    Jim pulled over to the curb to look for himself. “Mr. Johnson said that the base needed repairs. That wind last night must have knocked Hoppy off his perch.”
    “Poor Hoppy,” Honey sighed.
    Trixie was out of the car already, scanning the ground around Town Hall. “I can’t see Hoppy anywhere on the ground,” she said.
    “Maybe he landed on the other side of the building,” Honey suggested.
    Jim nodded. “That’s the direction the wind was blowing last night,” he said. “I just hope Hoppy was strong enough to take the