Free The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell Page B

won’t attack you. But a wild dog that has been ill-treated will, simply because it’s afraid
    of being attacked first. I feel sorry for that mongrel,” he added, more to himself than to the girls. “I know what it’s like to run away from someone who
    beats you for no reason at all.”
     
    “Oh, gosh, Jim,” Trixie cried impulsively, “I hope your uncle gets well and takes you away from that old Jonesy,”
     
    Jim shrugged. “It doesn’t look as though he will now, but don’t you worry about me. I’ll get along.” He grinned. “And don’t bother to bring me any more
    food for a couple of days. I’ve enough to last me for quite a while.” He waved good-by to them from the window as they started down the path.
     
    99 87 “Jim is really wonderful,” Honey said enthusiastically. “I’m not nearly as scared of that dog as I was. I almost feel sorry for the poor thing, myself.”
     
    “Me, too,” Trixie said. “Say, would you like a bike lesson, now, if Mother doesn’t need me?”
     
    “Oh, yes,” Honey cried. “I’m dying to start.”
     
    Trixie found a big, cheerful-looking woman in a stiff white uniform bustling around in the kitchen. “Your little brother’s doing fine,” she told Trixie,
    “and your mother is taking a nap. I’m fixing sandwiches and soup for lunch.”
     
    “I’ll help,” Trixie offered.
     
    The nurse laid her hand on Trixie’s shoulder. “No, thank you, dear. You had a dreadful experience yesterday. Run along and have some fun and try to forget
    all about it.”
     
    “All right,” Trixie said. “I’ll be out on the driveway if you need me, and please give Bobby my love.” Honey had her first bicycle lesson that morning,
     
    and after a few tumbles she got on very well.
     
    “You’re really doing swell,” Trixie said, watching her pupil admiringly. “I guess all the horseback riding you’ve done has given you a marvelous sense of
    balance.”
     
    Honey flushed with pleasure. “Do you think I’m
     
    100 88 good enough to coast down that little slope from the garage?” she asked.
     
    “Sure.” Trixie grinned. “At the rate you’re going, you’ll be coasting down your own driveway in no time.” Honey started at the entrance to the garage and
     
    swept past Trixie, with her light-brown hair flying behind her. “Whee,” she yelled excitedly, “I never had so much fun!”
     
    At that moment, the big laundry truck lumbered into the Belden driveway, and almost simultaneously Honey lost control of the bicycle. It began to weave
    from side to side, right in the path of the truck as Trixie shouted, “Steer to the right, Honey. Steer to the right!”
     
    Honey jerked the handlebars violently to one side and crashed to the ground, helplessly tangled between the two wheels. The truck driver slammed on his
    brakes
     
    just in time and stopped in a swirl of gravel not two feet from where Honey lay.
     
    “Say, what goes on here?” he demanded crossly as Trixie tried to extricate Honey. “Whyn’t you look where you’re going?”
     
    Trixie ignored him as he strode past them with the bundle, muttering angrily to himself. She helped Honey to her feet. Then she saw the ugly gash on Honey’s
    knee.
     
    “Oh, that must hurt,” she cried sympathetically.
     
    101 89 “We’d better go in the house and bathe it and put on some iodine.”
     
    Honey giggled. “My brand new dungarees, torn to shreds.” She stopped suddenly and turned deathly pale. “Oh, oh,” she moaned. “It’s bleeding. I’m going to
    faint. I can’t stand the sight of blood.”
     
    Trixie remembered, then, how white Honey’s face had been the day before when she saw her sucking blood from Bobby’s toe. With one quick movement, she sat
    Honey down on the lawn and pushed her head between her knees.
     
    “You’re all right, Honey,” she said quietly. “You’re not going to faint. just keep your head down. I’ll be right back.” And she raced to the brook to