The Red Trailer Mystery

by Julie Campbell

  Jim smiled and shook hands with Honey’s parents. Then he was introduced to Miss Trask and Mr. Rainsford.

  Mr. Wheeler said with a wide grin, “I’d have known you anywhere, Jim. You look exactly as your dad did when I last saw him.”

  Honey’s mother smiled up at her husband. “He doesn’t look unlike you, Matthew,” she said and added to Jim, “Come sit beside me, please. I suppose you know Honey thinks you’re just about the most wonderful person on this earth?”

  Jim flushed and turned to Mr. Rainsford. “It was nice of you, sir, to come all the way up here from New York to meet me.”

  “How did that happen?” Trixie demanded. “You didn’t know we’d found him, Mr. Rainsford.”

  The lawyer’s eyes twinkled. “No, but something had to be done about him at once. I’m going to South America on Saturday and I’ll be gone several months. I decided that if you girls hadn’t found Jim by now, I’d have to notify the police.”

  “I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble, sir,” Jim said, finally sitting down beside Honey and her mother. “I didn’t know, and my stepfather—”

  “Don’t give him a second thought,” Mr. Rainsford said. He turned to Honey’s father. “Well, Wheeler, what do you think? Do you want to take over my charge while I’m gone? We don’t have to make any permanent arrangements until after you two have tried it out. I think Jim deserves a good home, and I can’t think of a better person to look after his inheritance.”

  Mr. Wheeler laughed. “I’ll take good care of his money, but as to having me as his guardian, why I think that’s up to Jim.”

  Jim looked uncomfortable, and Mrs. Wheeler touched his hand lightly with her long, tapering fingers. “You don’t have to answer now, Jim,” she said quietly. “We’d like to take out adoption papers right away, but it wouldn’t be fair not to give you a chance to get to know us better first.”

  Jim grinned, his embarrassment gone. “It isn’t that, Mrs. Wheeler,” he said sincerely. “I know Honey and there isn’t anyone I’d rather have for a sister. But you and Mr. Wheeler don’t know anything about me.”

  “We know more than you think,” Mrs. Wheeler said quickly.

  Trixie couldn’t keep silent another minute. “He’s just great, Mrs. Wheeler,” she exploded, and then she told them all about how Jim had taken care of Joeanne and had fixed the tire on the trailer thieves’ van, and how Mrs. Smith wanted him to stay with her forever and ever.

  “If you don’t adopt him, she will,” Trixie finished breathlessly while Jim, who had tried to interrupt her several times, sighed aloud with relief.

  “Oh, heck,” he groaned, “Trixie’s trying to make me out a hero. Don’t pay any attention to her!”

  Honey reached over and tapped her father’s knee to get his attention. “Please, Daddy,” she begged. “Adopt Jim right this minute. You don’t know Mrs. Smith. She’s the smartest woman I ever heard of. If you don’t watch out, she’ll get him first.”

  Jim burst into laughter. “Mrs. Smith will have her hands full with that Darnell family.” He sobered suddenly and said to Mr. Wheeler, “I don’t know how you feel about it, sir, but as far as I’m concerned I’d consider myself very lucky if you’d consider trying me out for the rest of the summer.”

  “Consider!” Mr. Wheeler’s sandy eyebrows shot up. “We’ve been trying to tell you for the past half hour that we would consider ourselves lucky if you’d consider having us.”

  Mrs. Wheeler broke in with a tinkling little laugh. “Oh, Matthew,” she giggled, “you and all your considers. For heaven’s sake, tell the boy and Mr. Rainsford that they can consider the matter settled.”

  “Now, you’re doing it, Mother.” Honey smiled. “Oh, Jim, it is settled, isn’t it?”

  Jim’s green eyes sparkled, and a slow grin spread over his freckled face. “From where I sit, it is, Sis, so you’d better watch your step from now on.”

  Trixie knew she was going to burst into tears of joy any minute, so she jumped up and ran out.

  She turned as a husky voice behind her said, “They’re waiting for you at a table inside.” Jim gave her a little push. “In you go, kid; I’m top man around here now.”

  Trixie tossed her head, grinning. “Just wait till Brian and Mart come back from camp, Jim Frayne. Then we’ll see who’s boss around here.”

  But she followed Jim meekly through the door, already planning the fun they would have during the warm September days before school opened. She and Honey would learn to shoot so they could go hunting with the boys in the fall and in the winter there would be sledding down the steep hill from the Wheeler house and skating on the lake.

  “Sometimes,” she decided, “dreams do come true.”