The Marshland Mystery

neighborhood,” Brian explained. “That’s why they’re making her move out before anything else can happen.”
    “Why can’t we go to the police and make them listen to what really happened?” Trixie asked angrily.
    “Too late. The council has already announced its decision. It’s official. The deadline for her to get moved away would be a week from this Sunday,” Brian said. “So if you can get ready for the sale, it’ll have to be held on Saturday. And that’s pretty short notice.”
    “That’s right, Trix.” Jim nodded. “Don’t forget, there’ll be posters to make and distribute and signs to letter so we can post the road that people will have to take to the marsh. Most of them don’t know the way.”
    “And there’s a little question of how we’re going to advertise the sale, without spending money that we don’t have in our treasury!” Brian warned.
    “I know a way,” Honey said eagerly. “I can get Mother and Dad to talk it up among their friends. Lots of the ladies from the Arts Club collect antiques like mad, and they’re always trying to get ahead of each other at it.”
    “Good thinking, squaw,” Mart said with a grin. They hadn’t noticed that he had strolled up. “The Beldens might do their part, too. I’ll put pressure on Moms for a new handmade quilt for my bed. The old one’s getting worn out.”
    They all laughed but Trixie. She sniffed at her almost-twin. “If you didn’t eat pizza in bed so much, it wouldn’t have to be cleaned so often that it’s getting worn out!”
    “That settles you, young feller!” Brian told him. “But let’s decide, right now, whether we hold the sale or the girls have to tell Miss Rachel it’s too much for the Bob-Whites to handle.”
    “What do you think, Jim?” Trixie asked of her copresident.
    “I’m for it,” Jim said seriously. “I think with everybody working hard, we can pull it off. How about starting right in tonight? We’ll have a meeting at the clubhouse as soon as we get through dinner and our evening chores, and we’ll map it out like a battle campaign.”
     
    When the mapping was done and each of them knew exactly what he or she would have to get done by the day of the sale, it didn’t look so forbidding. Trixie and Honey and Di were to ride out to Miss Rachel’s as often as possible to help her pack. They were to spread the word at school about the sale so their classmates could tell about it at home.
    The boys were to letter the posters and tack them up on fences and trees, where it was allowed, and then get the direction markers ready for the morning of the sale.
    “The main thing,” Trixie warned the others, “is not to say anything about how badly Miss Rachel needs the money. It’s just a closing-out sale. I think that’s what they call it.”
    “Trix is right. No use letting everybody know that she’s hard up. They’ll want the stuff for practically nothing,” Mart said promptly.
    “I didn’t think of that,” Trixie admitted, frowning. “I was just thinking that it would hurt Miss Rachel if people knew.” She sent Jim an appealing glance.
    “Agreed! So no sob stuff, kids,” Jim said crisply.
    “Okay, okay,” Mart growled, “but I hope Paul Trent doesn’t make a big thing of it.”
    “I’m pretty sure he won’t,” Jim said grimly. “Dad knows the editor of the Sun pretty well, and after Trent wrote that stuff about the Martins, Dad filled the editor in on Trent’s motives. Mr. Trent is now under orders to lay off Miss Martin, from any angle.”
    “Well, thank goodness for that!” Trixie sighed, and Honey seconded her.
    “And now, let’s get the ice carnival posters off the shelf and see how many we can salvage for the sale. It’ll saye us a lot of time—and money—if we can use them again,” Brian suggested.
    They were all soon at work on the posters and planning the next day’s schedule. Dan Mangan wouldn’t be able to do as much as the others, because his chores at Mr. Maypenny’s kept him very busy from early morning till late at night, with only enough time off to attend school and study. He was very happy living at the old farm. Mr. Maypenny was giving his young assistant more and more responsibility, now that Dan had learned to like the life and had put the past behind him. He had left the meeting early, but he had promised to drop over when he had a chance during the week and do what he could to get ready for the sale.
    “I think Trix and I should take a