The Mystery of the Uninvited Ghost

day.”
    “Did you see Bobby’s frog hunter?” Trixie asked. “No, but we did find some other trespassers. Remember Dan’s old gang?” Brian asked. “Five of them were sacked out around the remains of a campfire where they’d cooked their supper.”
    Deeply troubled, Trixie said, “Did you wake them? You didn’t, did you? That would have been a dangerous thing to do I”
    “No,” Jim assured her. “Afterward, we thought maybe we should have, but there were five of them to our three. They could have come out of their sleeping bags with knives in their fists. They carry them.”
    “I know,” Trixie whispered. “Do you suppose—” She broke off to listen to a sound that seemed to come from the backyard. She decided it had to be Reddy.
    Jim finished Trixie’s question: “—that Dan’s gone back to the gang? We hope not, but it is possible.” Trixie could tell from her brothers’ faces that the question had been discussed.
    “We’ve decided to call the police,” Brian said.
    “No, Brian!” Trixie begged. “You’ll just get Dan deeper in trouble if Mrs. Wheeler reported the recovery of the missing ring.”
    Gently Jim said, “Trix, how can he be in worse trouble? He’s missing. He doesn’t have his wallet, so he has no money. That means he’s without food and shelter. As for that gang out there—whether Dan’s with them or not, they spell danger. We have to call the police.”
    Tearfully, Trixie finally agreed. She listened while Brian talked to Sergeant Molinson. The last time Dan’s gang had been in the area, Mr. Maypenny had been injured. Those teen-agers from the city played rough. When Brian hung up the phone, she asked, “Well, what did he say?”
    “He says it’s too soon to act, but he’ll remain on the alert. No one’s filed charges against the gang for trespassing, and there’s no law against sleeping.”
    “Agreed!” Mart said wearily, and he stretched and yawned widely. “We all need a good night’s rest.”
    “Also, Dan hasn’t been gone long enough to be considered a missing person. The sergeant’s sorry that we’re worried, and were to keep him informed.” Brian tousled Trixie’s sandy curls. “He also asked about you, Trixie. He said, If Detective Beldens on the job, she’ll know when she needs help.’ ”
    Trixie was much too worried about Dan Mangan to take bows for either past or future performances. “What are we going to do about Dan?” she asked.
    “Keep on looking for him till we find him,” Brian answered. “What else?”
    “We’re getting up early,” Mart said. “I'll set my alarm.”
    “Can we join you?” asked Hallie.
    “No,” said Brian. “We think it’s far safer if you two keep a lookout for Dan around here till we see what that gang is up to.”
    After agreeing on a time to meet the Beldens the next day, Jim left for home.
    Mart and Brian were preparing to resume their search for Dan when the rest of the Beldens got up Saturday morning. The radio was on, and suddenly a news item set nerves to tingling: “Police report an attempted break-in at Glen Road Inn. It would seem that the intended robbery victim was an elderly invalid. Because she was in a wheelchair, the guest couldn’t reach her telephone before the burglar made his escape through a window. Authorities state that a local youth with a past record of juvenile offenses is reported missing and may possibly be involved. Now for the weather....”
    Trixie yelled, “I told you we shouldn’t report Dan missing! Now see the trouble he’s in!”
    Brian turned off the radio with a forceful click. “We’re doing what we can, in any way we can, to find Dan.”
    Hallie almost whispered, “Did anybody see and recognize Dan? Maybe he isn’t in the woods. Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.”
    “That’s possible,” Mart agreed.
    Mrs. Belden spoke with deep pity. “Dan could be in Timbuktu, and people would still suspect him after that report. They won’t remember that he was a victim when he was in trouble before. First impressions aren’t easily forgotten.”
    “My first impression was that I liked Dan,” Hallie said loyally.
    “Me, too,” Bobby said, “but I don’t like frog hunters. Frogs catch mosquitoes, and mosquitoes bite. So I think frogs belong where the mosquitoes are and not in moneybags.”
    Mr. Belden was a banker, and his children recognized the equipment used in a bank. He lowered his paper and asked, “What’s that about a