didn’t hear us call, he would have recognized Reddy and known we were near. He wouldn’t run away from us, Trixie."
"I’m not so sure of that," Trixie said. "Maybe something’s happened so he feels he has to hide from everyone. We haven’t seen a newspaper since we left home. Suppose a reporter discovered Jim didn’t die in the fire, after all? There would be another front-page story about the missing heir, and Jonesy would start looking for Jim again."
"Oh, golly," Honey groaned. "I can’t bear to think of anything so awful happening. If Jonesy should find Jim before we do, he’ll beat him and tie him up, the way he did the time Jim ran away before."
"Jim will never let that happen," Trixie said. "And that’s what worries me. We shouldn’t waste any more time. Let’s ride to Wilson Ranch this afternoon and see if he got a job there."
Honey glanced up at the sky. "We would never be able to make it before it rains. It’s going to pour any minute. We ought to start for home right away."
Sure enough, it was already sprinkling when the girls returned their horses to the riding academy, and they had to run ah the way to the Swan to keep from getting soaked. The rain kept up a steady drumming on the roof of the trailer all day, and the girls were forced to play indoor games and read, but it was hard to control their impatience.
At last Trixie said restlessly, "I can’t stand being cooped up here any longer. Let’s dash over to the restaurant and play some Ping-Pong before dinner."
"All right," Miss Trask agreed. "I’ll take a nap, but wear your slickers and rubbers. If either of you should catch cold, it would ruin the trip."
"We won t," Honey assured her. "And please don’t let the dogs follow us. They’ve already brought in so much mud that Trixie and I’ll have to spend most of the morning scrubbing the place."
They raced around the park in their oilskin capes and hoods and sloshed up the steps to the cafeteria veranda. Everybody in Autoville seemed to have gathered inside and out of the clubhouse, and people were waiting in line for the use of the Ping-Pong table.
"Oh, dear," Trixie complained. "There’s nothing to do here, either. I wish we could fall asleep and not wake up until it’s time to start looking for Jim tomorrow morning."
Honey was examining a magazine at the newsstand. "This quiz looks like fun," she said. "Let’s find out how smart we are." She bought two copies of the magazine, and Trixie followed her to a quiet corner of die library. "Ready, get set, go," Honey said. "The one who gets through first and has the most right answers is the smartest."
Trixie scribbled a few answers in the blank spaces after the questions in the test, but in a short while her thoughts began to wander. "I always get sleepy on rainy days." She yawned, bored. "Wish I’d stayed back at the Swan with Miss Trask and taken a nap."
"I’m sleepy, too," Honey admitted. "Let’s doze right here in these comfortable chairs. We can finish the quiz later."
It seemed to Trixie that she had hardly closed her eyes when she was awakened by the sound of whispering on the other side of the thin beaver-board wall that separated the library from one of the back rooms in the cafeteria.
"—abandoned barn," someone was saying, "on that truck farm.Perfectly safe. Hasn’t been used in years. Doubt if the farmer even remembers it’s there."
"You’re taking an awful chance", came a whining whisper. "We were better off where we were."
Trixie sat up. That voice, she felt sure, belonged to Jeff!
"Don’t be stupid," the other voice said hoarsely. "Those kids rode into the clearing after we passed them on the highway. If they saw that net and guessed—"
"Those dumb kids!" Jeff snorted. "They wouldn’t suspect anything even if they did happen to notice the net. What do you think they are, state troopers?"
"I’m taking no chances," the other man insisted. "They didn’t look dumb to me, and you could tell by the way
"I’m not so sure of that," Trixie said. "Maybe something’s happened so he feels he has to hide from everyone. We haven’t seen a newspaper since we left home. Suppose a reporter discovered Jim didn’t die in the fire, after all? There would be another front-page story about the missing heir, and Jonesy would start looking for Jim again."
"Oh, golly," Honey groaned. "I can’t bear to think of anything so awful happening. If Jonesy should find Jim before we do, he’ll beat him and tie him up, the way he did the time Jim ran away before."
"Jim will never let that happen," Trixie said. "And that’s what worries me. We shouldn’t waste any more time. Let’s ride to Wilson Ranch this afternoon and see if he got a job there."
Honey glanced up at the sky. "We would never be able to make it before it rains. It’s going to pour any minute. We ought to start for home right away."
Sure enough, it was already sprinkling when the girls returned their horses to the riding academy, and they had to run ah the way to the Swan to keep from getting soaked. The rain kept up a steady drumming on the roof of the trailer all day, and the girls were forced to play indoor games and read, but it was hard to control their impatience.
At last Trixie said restlessly, "I can’t stand being cooped up here any longer. Let’s dash over to the restaurant and play some Ping-Pong before dinner."
"All right," Miss Trask agreed. "I’ll take a nap, but wear your slickers and rubbers. If either of you should catch cold, it would ruin the trip."
"We won t," Honey assured her. "And please don’t let the dogs follow us. They’ve already brought in so much mud that Trixie and I’ll have to spend most of the morning scrubbing the place."
They raced around the park in their oilskin capes and hoods and sloshed up the steps to the cafeteria veranda. Everybody in Autoville seemed to have gathered inside and out of the clubhouse, and people were waiting in line for the use of the Ping-Pong table.
"Oh, dear," Trixie complained. "There’s nothing to do here, either. I wish we could fall asleep and not wake up until it’s time to start looking for Jim tomorrow morning."
Honey was examining a magazine at the newsstand. "This quiz looks like fun," she said. "Let’s find out how smart we are." She bought two copies of the magazine, and Trixie followed her to a quiet corner of die library. "Ready, get set, go," Honey said. "The one who gets through first and has the most right answers is the smartest."
Trixie scribbled a few answers in the blank spaces after the questions in the test, but in a short while her thoughts began to wander. "I always get sleepy on rainy days." She yawned, bored. "Wish I’d stayed back at the Swan with Miss Trask and taken a nap."
"I’m sleepy, too," Honey admitted. "Let’s doze right here in these comfortable chairs. We can finish the quiz later."
It seemed to Trixie that she had hardly closed her eyes when she was awakened by the sound of whispering on the other side of the thin beaver-board wall that separated the library from one of the back rooms in the cafeteria.
"—abandoned barn," someone was saying, "on that truck farm.Perfectly safe. Hasn’t been used in years. Doubt if the farmer even remembers it’s there."
"You’re taking an awful chance", came a whining whisper. "We were better off where we were."
Trixie sat up. That voice, she felt sure, belonged to Jeff!
"Don’t be stupid," the other voice said hoarsely. "Those kids rode into the clearing after we passed them on the highway. If they saw that net and guessed—"
"Those dumb kids!" Jeff snorted. "They wouldn’t suspect anything even if they did happen to notice the net. What do you think they are, state troopers?"
"I’m taking no chances," the other man insisted. "They didn’t look dumb to me, and you could tell by the way
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