Research Holp

Notes for #10 The Marshland Mystery © 1962, 2005
Page #	Quote
5	Brief April showers had been falling off and on since early morning, but now as the junior-senior high school at Sleepyside-on-Hudson let out for the weekend, the skies were clear.
6	Trixie's sixteen-year-old brother Brian had said, "We're brothers and sisters helping each other, as well as having good times."
8	If Jim, Mart, and Brian hadn't tutored her in both math and English during that holiday trip, she would have failed both subjects at school. I thought it was only Jim and Brian who did the tutoring. Honey was taller than either Trixie or Di, though she was a few weeks younger. She was slim and athletic.
9	Di was always ready to follow Trixie's ideas. She thought there was no one like Trixie. Trixie: "It's a surprise for Miss Bennett."
10	Di: "It (Miss Bennett's book of pressed herbs) spilled all over, and everything got mixed up and broken." Honey: "She can get new ones can't she?" Trixie: "I suppose she could, if she didn't have rheumatism and have to walk with a cane." Honey: "I'm sure none of us would know an herb from a weed." Trixie: "Brian does. It was in Miss Bennett's class that he first got the idea of becoming a doctor."
11	Di: "Could we take some money from the club treasury and buy some for Miss Bennett?" Trixie: "I think Brian would okay it, as treasurer, only there's no place you can buy them." Di: "Then what you're thinking about is our going someplace tomorrow and finding some specimens for her."
12	Honey: "I'm sure Jim will think it's a great idea." Her eyes twinkled as she glanced at the identification bracelet on Trixie's wrist. Trixie's cheeks got red and flashed a reproachful look, then pulled her sweater sleeve down over the gift. Honey and Di knew it wasn't a sentimental gift, but they liked to make Trixie blush.
13	Jim was a junior at Sleepyside High and planned to go to college in a year.
15	Mart: "Tomorrow we males are booked to labor from dawn till sundown. Didn't you hear Dad tell Brian we'd put in Mr. Maypenny's corn tomorrow?"
16	Mart: "Sedley Swamp is no more. It is now part of our new concrete super highway!"
18	Mart: "I wish you'd mean it even half the time you say 'I bet.' I'd be rich with all the money I'd win from you. It's (Martin's Marsh) about a half mile east of Sleepyside, beyond the old Martin Manor House ruins."
22	Mart: "It's probably the Landmarks Society examining our pegged floors again.
23	Mart: "Wonder what the ladies are looking at this time. Could be the old butter churn on the back porch!"
24	A man had set up a camera on a tripod and was apparently getting ready to photograph a small girl dressed in a vivid costume and holding a violin in her hand. She was very slight and frail-looking, with long golden curls. She must be about seven years old or eight.
26	Mrs. Belden: "That young man, Paul Trent, is preparing an article about the little girl for the Sun. She's a famous violinist."
28	Mrs. Belden: "Go get that little dog and tie up Reddy." Trixie: "Mart, would you?" Mart: "Reddy's your dog."
34	Trixie: "I saw her picture on a poster in front of the Music Hall last week when Mrs. Wheeler took Honey and me to hear the string quartet. She's Gaye Hunya." Brian: "She gave a recital at Carnegie Hall when she was only five years old. Her father was a famous European violinist."
37	Gaye: "He gave it to me! (Oscar, the chameleon) Didn't you boy?" Bobby nodded vigorously, while he stared admiringly at Gaye and shyly thrust a thumb into his mouth.
38	Gaye: "And now run along and be a good boy, and I'll give you one of my latest photos." "Aren't small children a nuisance? They bore me silly!"
42	The two pairs of (Lynch) twins were still small and had two nurses to care for them. Di received an extra allowance for taking the nurses' place on their days off.
45	Mr. Belden: "The legend is that Captain Kidd was a friend and business partner of old Ezarach Martin who owned all the land for miles around the swamp. So it was natural to suspect that Kidd buried a lot of his treasure in the swamp." Trixie: "Maybe we'll find some of his loot!" What happened to her treasure map she claimed to have in Happy Valley? Mr. Belden: "Hardly possible. He was executed two hundred and fifty years ago, and I'm quite sure at least two hundred and fifty treasure hunters have dug in that swamp without finding anything."
50	Gaye: "I learned at the best school in Paris and they had really fine horses, not like these slowpokes here."
53	Honey: "There's the old Telegraph Road up ahead."
55	There wasn't a hint that this road not so long ago had been a highway from the river to the rich interior valley.
57	Honey: "Brian drew a tree with a zigzag of lightning hitting it. There was a road beyond it just a little way."
58	Three stories high, part of its gambrel roof still covering the upper story, it stood in the midst of tall trees and a vast tangle of vegetation. Honey: "I suppose that's the old Martin mansion where the partner of Captain Kidd lived." Trixie: "Dad said that people only suspected that he was Kidd's partner, but I bet he was all right. You know, I've heard about old places like that having secret passages underneath, especially when something unlawful was going on, like pirating."
59	Trixie: "Suppose we just happened to find a trap door or a secret panel, and there was a tunnel, and …"
61	Trixie was standing, peering over a broken wall into a small plot of ground at the rear of the house.
63	This time, the house was small and neat behind a whitewashed picket fence. The brick walk to the front door was swept clean and the plots of bright-colored spring flowers were carefully set out and well cared for. Tall maples stood stiffly like soldiers along either side of the walk.
64	Honey: "Isn't it the cutest ever? I always wanted to live in a cottage just like this!"
66	It was another quarter of a mile to the edge of the swamp.
67	Trixie: "The only one I remember is tansy, and that's because I remember a very old herb book of my grandmother's that had a recipe for tansy cakes that were eaten at Easter."
68	Trixie: "They were taken as a tonic. And the fresh tansy leaves were soaked in buttermilk for nine days and then the buttermilk was used to bleach freckles." Trixie's freckles, though not so numerous as Marts, were a great annoyance to her. Moms always told her they would disappear when she was a little older, and Dad thought they were cute, but Trixie had her doubts about both opinions.
78	Mart always felt better when he and Trixie were on good terms, though it was almost always his fault when they squabbled.
79	Regan: "Sgt. Rooney wants to talk to you up at the house."
81	Sgt. Rooney of the State Police.
82	Honey's mother had been in her room resting all day.
84	The butler was admitting Paul Trent at the front door. Mart: "For a minute there I thought he might be a mind reader!" Trixie: "Not after watching him quarterback Central High last year!" Paul Trent: "What's going on, sonny (Mart)?"
85	Mitzi, Gaye's maid, shrieked.
86	Miss Crandall was moaning as she recovered from her faint, and Gaye's governess and the maid were hovering about her.
89	Jim was taking two extra subjects, preparing for his entrance into college in a year.
96	Trixie: "I just know you're (Brian) going to be the best doctor in the whole world some day because you never mind doing things for people." Her mother was reading and resting as Trixie came into the living-room. Saturday afternoon was her time to relax, with Bobby safely asleep and dinner preparation still a couple of hours off.
99	Trixie: "May I go see if Regan's fixed Bobby's bike? If he has, I'll bring it home so Bobby can ride in the park with me tomorrow after Sunday school."
102	Sometimes Regan let Trixie take out Lady instead of Susie, but a lecture always went with it, and warnings to take good care of the part-Arabian Lady.
107	Trixie stepped farther into the barn. Now she could see the outlines of an old-fashioned buggy. Above it, a shallow loft stretched the width of the barn. A rickety ladder, minus a lower rung, leaned against the loft.
111	It was like the rhinestones that Moms had sewed on her costume when she was eleven and had played the Fairy Queen in the school play.
114	Paul Trent was probably hanging around with his tongue out for the news in case anyone found Gaye.
115	When Trixie pushed the (clubhouse) door open all the way, the person she saw was Jim Frayne. He was surrounded by books and papers and was concentrating so hard on studying that he didn't know she was there. She started moving backward quietly, pulling the door closed after her. Unfortunately, she caught her heel against a bit of uneven planking and tripped, falling flat on her back. Jim: "Now what are you up to? That's no way for a lady to come calling on a gent."
117	Brian: "Where's that bike of Bobby's you were supposed to bring home? The little imp woke up from his nap half an hour ago and has been yowling ever since that he wants to take a ride on his bike. I had to give him my stop watch to play with to keep him quiet."
118	Brian: "If he wrecks it, I'll sue you." Brian: "I happen to know that the old lady who lives in the cottage out there is very respectable. In fact, she's the last of the Martins, Miss Rachel. She's lived in that cottage ever since the big Martin place burned forty years ago.
122	Something cast a moving shadow across the window, and she distinctly heard a footstep on the gravel. Jim: "It was probably one of the assistant grooms or Mike the gardener. Wonder what happened to Nailor.
127	Trixie: "Miss Rachel Martin was wearing old-fashioned buttoned shoes with pointed toes."
129	Jim: "Did you look well inside there (barn)?" Trixie: "It was so dark and cobwebby I felt sure Gaye would never hide in there. At least, I never would." Jim: "I hid in a place like that once, when I was running away from my stepfather. It was scary after dark, with the funny noises and mysterious shadows."
130	Miss Rachel: "I didn't know then that you were Peter Belden's daughter. You Beldens have lived in Sleepyside almost as long as we Martins."
131	Jim: "Maybe when the old family mansion burned down, she had no other place to go. I imagine that this was cottage was the servants' quarters originally."
134	Sgt. Rooney: "There's a lot of dangerous quicksand in there (swamp) and some of it is close to the footpath."
136	Sgt. Rooney: "Miss Martin's respectable. Her folks owned half of Westchester County when Indians owned the other part."
138	Miss Rachel: "Emily's curls were like that (golden ones down to her waist), and looked just like spun gold when the sun shone on it."
143	Paul Trent: "Yeah, Miss Trixie's a smart little cooky. Everybody knows that. I'll see she gets credit. This little stunt could sell a lot of tickets for the Arts Club! Hooray for the Bob-Whites!"
150	Honey: "Gaye's maid told Miss Trask that Miss Crandall doesn't dare to cross Gaye too often, because Gaye gets even by pretending to be too ill to practice and has to be coddled and bribed before she'll give in."
154	Trixie: "Hang it (shirt) on the service porch."
155	Trixie: "Who was she (Emily)?" Brian: "Rachel Martin's little sister. She was drowned in the swamp on the night that the Martin mansion burned down. Dad says that talk around the bank is that Miss Rachel blames herself for the little girl's death, and living there is a sort of a way of punishing herself."
156	Brian: "Dad says the fire was supposed to have started in the summer kitchen from grease that caught on fire on the stove. Miss Rachel, as Emily's big sister, had punished her for some mischief and sent her to bed without supper. When the fire started, the servants forgot all about little Emily, and it was Rachel herself who found her unconscious from the smoke and brought her down through the smoke and flames."
157	Brian: "She put the little girl safely on the lawn and then ran back inside again to get some papers of her father's. When she came back, Emily was gone." Mart: "And when they did find her in the swamp it was too late." Brian: "Miss Rachel blamed herself. She had a nervous breakdown and was in a sanitarium for months."
161	Mrs. Belden: "That woman (Miss Crandall) is a monster! She accused that poor little darling of just pretending and tried to drag her to her feet. She actually shook her!"
169	Honey: "Paul Trent came over to see Miss Crandall a while ago and told her that he still thought that somebody had put Gaye up to hiding and pretending she had been kidnaped!" Trixie: "I hope that she showed him the door!" Honey: "She believed him at first and called Dad in to listen. Dad really told Mister Trent what he thought of him!"
170	Honey: "It (Martin's mansion) must have been the biggest house in the valley."
171	Honey: "Goodness knows, ours is only half that size and Dad says its a white elephant. That was probably a whole herd of white elephants." Trixie: "Miss Bennett's collecting all sorts of herb recipes for her book. She says that when the pioneers were living in deep forests miles from any doctors, they had to make up remedies for practically everything. They learned a lot from the Indians."
178	Bobby had faith in Brian because Brian never teased him as Mart did.
180	Brian: "So, Mart, Trixie didn't really fib. It was like you telling Diana that you did all right in that math exam, when actually you only passed by the skin of your teeth."
182	They all knew he was anxious to have Di admire him. Trixie: "You mean she didn't really knock herself unconscious?"
184	Miss Crandall cornered Gaye, took her firmly by the arm and lead her into the house. The door was closed in Bobby's face. Honey: "The course of true love has hit a detour."
186	Mr. Belden: "I don't know what you said or did to antagonize the young man who wrote that column, but it seems to have had a bad effect." This was something that always bugged me. Everybody automatically blames Trixie in this book for just about everything.
187	Sun article: It is even rumored that the Bob-Whites of the Glen, an exclusive little group at the school, are thinking of changing their name to The Belden Private Eyes and specializing in publicity stunts for a selected list of clients. Trixie: "Can't we make him take it back?" Mr. Belden: "I'm afraid not. He's been clever enough not to make a direct charge."
189	Trixie: "What did she (Miss Rachel) sell?" Mrs. Belden: "Marvelous hooked rugs that she made herself and old-fashioned patchwork quilts that people from all over the valley came to buy. You children each have one of her double-wedding-ring quilts on your bed."
197	Miss Rachel: "Mr. Trent is a thoughtless young man. He came here asking me some very personal questions about my family history, and when I hesitated to answer them, he made insulting remarks about my ancestors."
199	Trixie: "What a lovely brass box!" It was about a foot wide and six inches deep, and it was deeply embossed on all sides with the writhing forms of dragons. On top, a larger, ferocious-looking dragon with five claws on each foot was devouring a smaller one. Miss Rachel: "My great-grandfather brought it from China on one of his voyages." Trixie: "Look at those green eyes! He's gorgeous." Miss Rachel: "He should be! He's an imperial dragon. Only imperial dragons have five claws. Imperial dragons always won (the battle).
202	Gaye: "I'd dig up the gold, and I'd give it to Aunt Della, and then I wouldn't ever have to play my old violin again or go traveling all the time when I'm tired!"
205	Mr. Belden: "There's quite a lot of indignation because she's (Miss Rachel) been neglected all this time. There seems to be something magical about printer's ink. Once the public reads a story about something in a newspaper, most of it believes that story is true, even if it is denied in the next issue." Brian: "Bud Brown, whose dad is on the city council, told me they had a special session today, and decided to take steps to protect her."
207	Trixie bounced out of bed the moment she heard the delivery boy whistle at the gate. She hurried out the front door to get the paper.
208	Mr. Belden: (reading from paper) "Special session (of the council) to discuss draining Martin's Marsh and starting to put that access road in." Trixie: "Will Miss Rachel have to sell her cottage?" Mr. Belden: "Actually she doesn't own any of that property. The bank does. The board planned to let her stay there as long as she lived, but now —"
210	The city council had voted unanimously to begin work on the access road not later than early fall.
212	Honey: "Did you hear her (Miss Rachel) telling Di that one of the first things she remembers is her great-grandmother Molly walking with her in that rose garden?"
214	Mart: (reading from paper) "Miss Rachel Martin has been notified that she has to move."
217	Brian: "Nobody ever found any trace of the fortune Ez was supposed to have made from trading."
221	Honey: "It sounded more like a shotgun. Dad took me duck-hunting last fall, and his gun sounded just like that."
227	There was silence except for the ticking of the old grandfather clock. Trixie: "Seventeen hundred and fourteen."
228	Trixie noticed the small drawer at the foot of the clock. Trixie: "It's locked! Let's turn burglar!" She pulled a bobby pin from Honey's hair.
229	Trixie: "I saw a girl in a TV show use one of these to open a door." Honey: "Empty!"
230	Trixie: "You could have an auction sale this fall. Jim could be the auctioneer, because he has been studying about old Colonial furniture like yours."
232	Jim: "Miss Rachel won't be around at the end of the summer. She has to move out by a week from Sunday."
235	Honey: "I can get Mother and Dad to talk it up among their friends." Mart: "I'll put pressure on Moms for a new handmade quilt for my bed. The old one's getting worn out." Trixie: "If you didn't eat pizza pie in bed so much, it wouldn't have to be cleaned so often that it's getting worn out!"
238	Jim: "Dad has quite a bit of influence with the editor of the Sun, and after that stuff Trent wrote about the Martin's, Dad made a visit. Mr. Trent is under orders to lay of Miss Martin." Dan wouldn't be able to do as much as the others, because his chores kept him busy from early morning till late at night, with only enough time off to attend school. Mr. Maypenny was giving his young assistant more responsibility. That, or keep him so busy he doesn't have time to get into trouble.
242	Jim: "I can just about guarantee that instead of hundreds of dollars, you'll have a couple of thousands by the time the day's over."
244	Mart: "I heard Moms make a date at the beauty parlor for this afternoon at three, and if you don't get home to take Bobby off her hands, there's going to be one wrecked beauty parlor in Sleepyside." I didn't quite buy that one. Bobby may be spoiled, but would the Belden's allow him that much lee-way?
246	A shallow drawer appeared out of the carved side of the rosewood desk. When the drawer was drawn out to its full length, the only visible contents were a thin packet of letters in yellowed envelopes with foreign stamps on them.
247	Miss Rachel: "It's only a letter from Ezarach to his bride, Molly. He says he's sending her a gift of great price on their first wedding anniversary."
250	Trixie felt sure it was a birthday gift. Her fourteenth birthday was only a week away.
252	Bobby spotted Mart's package and made a beeline for it. Trixie: "Bobby! Leave my dragon box alone!"
253	Brian: "Why did I ever let myself be talked into playing chauffeur for a bevy of females?" Trixie: "Because one of them has bee-yootiful hazel eyes! And it isn't me!" She dashed out into the hall so fast that the pillow Brian hurled after her missed its target.
262	Trixie: "Gaye didn't run away for spite. She hoped to find some hidden gold. To give you (Aunt Della) so she wouldn't have to work so hard all the time."
263	Miss Crandall: "Her father was a great violinist. But he was undisciplined and died in poverty. I made up my mind Gaye would have something when she grew up. Every cent except for expenses is in a trust fund for her." Honey: "Maybe if you told her …" She was remembering how she and her mother had misunderstood each other before Trixie had come into their lives.
264	Miss Crandall: "I want Gaye to have a long vacation while we both learn to be a real family. You see, I really love my niece though i haven't shown her so."
266	The box's dullness had bothered her (Trixie). She would shine it up. The dull, brassy look disappeared. A rich golden glow took its place.
268	Mr. Belden: "We'll drive in to see my friend Sam Lee Fong tomorrow morning."
269	Mr. Belden: "He has A-one standing with the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a Chinese expert." The Museum would pay several thousand dollars for such a perfect specimen of the art of the T'ang Dynasty of a thousand years ago. They mayor and his four councilmen came out to explain that they had acted hastily. Mayor: "You are welcome to stay till next summer."
270	Miss Rachel: "I would like to move into a small home in town with a shop of my own — to start my own business again." On Trixie's birthday there was a party for her in the clubhouse. Miss Rachel was there, and there was a box with a beautiful orchid corsage and a card that said, With love, Gaye and Aunt Della. Mart pulled her curls and called her his "twin" in front of everyone, because now for a whole month, they were both fourteen.