The Pet Show Mystery

time to help the birds is right now.”
    Jim checked the desk calendar. “It has to be on a Saturday,” he said. “And we’ll need a couple of Saturdays before the show to get people signed up. So I’d say two weeks from this Saturday, at the earliest.”
    “That long?” Trixie asked in dismay. “Thousands of birds will have died by then.”
    “You’re forgetting one of the major strengths of this plan,” Honey said reassuringly. “The idea isn’t just to raise funds, it’s also to raise awareness. And we’ll be doing that the moment the first poster goes up. The whole time we’re getting people signed up for the show, we’ll also be encouraging them to feed the birds.”
    Trixie’s gloomy look brightened a little bit. “You’re right. But I can see that publicity is ten times more important for this event than for the others we’ve had. We’ll need really good posters—and lots of them.”
    “Fortunately, we know an excellent artist,” Brian told her.
    “Nick Roberts, of course!” Trixie said. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
    “Actually, Nick Roberts’s name had occurred to me in another context,” Mart said.
    “You mentioned all the prizes you’d like to award. It seems to me that ribbons and trophies might be just what we’re looking for.”
    “And Roberts’s Trophy Shop is one place in town where our credit is exceedingly good,” Brian concluded approvingly.
    “This just keeps getting better and better,” Trixie said. “Let’s not forget the idea of putting a flier in the bills Dr. Chang sends out. Only instead of just a request that everyone feed the birds, it can also be an invitation to the show! Hey, how about asking Dr. Chang to be the judge?”
    “Good idea,” Jim said. He quickly jotted it down.
    “I can’t wait to get started,” Honey said.
    “That’s just as well, because we already have started,” Jim said, turning the pad to show her a full page of notes. “And with the show just two weeks from Saturday, we’re going to have to move fast.”
    Before the meeting ended, they had drawn up a list of tasks that included talking to the school principal, contacting Nick Roberts and Dr. Chang, and getting permission to set up a sign-up table at Sleepyside Mall the following two Saturdays.
    When the meeting was over, Mart, Brian, Dan, and Di headed for home. Trixie remained behind to work with Honey on the wording of the fliers and posters.
    “We need a slogan,” Trixie said. “Something like, ‘Help our feathered friends.’ ” She wrinkled her nose at her own effort. “Something like that—only not so boring and silly.”
    “It needs to say both things—about helping the game birds and coming to the pet show,” Honey said. “The best description was when you said that Patch and Reddy could help save the game birds. It certainly caught our attention, and once you explained it, it made perfect sense. Only how do we say that to people who don’t know Patch and Reddy?”
    Trixie stared intently at her friend for a moment. Then she tore off the top sheet of the pad and began working on a fresh sheet. When she was finished, she turned the pad around to show it to Honey.
    Honey immediately began to laugh.
    What Trixie had drawn was a stick-figure dog, with a tail, floppy ears, and a bone in its mouth. The dog was holding the bone out to a small, two-legged animal with a curly topknot—presumably a quail. Above the drawing, Trixie had lettered: HELP YOUR PET HELP THE STARVING GAME BIRDS!
    “I’ll be ashamed to show this to Nick, because he’s such a good artist,” Trixie said.
    “Don’t be. If he’s been in any danger of taking his talent for granted, this will remind him of how special he is.” Honey made her observation in her usual tactful way. Only the merriment in her eyes showed that she was teasing her friend.

    The Bob-Whites found Nick Roberts in the school art studio the next morning before class.
    “Very good,” Nick said when Trixie handed him her sketch. “I think I’ll be able to do something nice with it. The pet show is a good idea, too. I saw an article in the paper about the trouble the game birds are in, and I’ve wanted to help without knowing how. Could we donate some ribbons and trophies as prizes for the show?”
    “Oh!” Trixie widened her blue eyes in mock surprise. “Gee—I hadn’t thought of it, but that’s a good idea, too. Isn’t it, gang?”
    As the others mumbled their agreement, Jim took a long list