Free Carolyn Keene_Nancy Drew Mysteries 050 by The Double Jinx Mystery Page B

“I’m sorry I frightened you, but I sure felt terrible for a while. It was kind of fun, though, being waited on and mothered by Hannah. That may never happen again!”
    Nancy laughed. “Don’t become ill just to try us out!”
    She now turned serious and told what she had found out that day. Ned was astounded at the amount of sleuthing she had done, and said he was sorry he had not been able to help.
    “But I’ll make up for it,” he promised. “Tell me more about Kammy.”
    Nancy told him all she knew. “I want to visit the university and talk to her. And also, if Petra, her wryneck, isn’t found soon, I want to hunt for it.”
    Nancy did not add that the reason she had not gone to the university was because she had been extremely weary. The same feeling began to return and she told herself it must be because she was hungry.
    Hannah appeared with two individual portable tables on which were piping hot chicken broth and delicious fruit salad arranged artistically on beds of lettuce leaves.
    The food looked delicious, but suddenly Nancy had no appetite. She forced herself to eat something but was so sleepy she could not finish. Finally she confessed her tiredness to Ned.
    “I guess I’ve just been running around too much,” she said. “I’m sorry, but I can hardly keep my eyes open. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll rest for a little while.”
    Ned looked disappointed. “Hannah promised a surprise. I think it’s some kind of croquette with a spicy cream sauce.”
    Nancy did not know what to say. Her eyes now were half closed and they burned. Again she murmured, “I’m sorry,” and went to her room.
    Hannah came to her doorway a few minutes later and asked Nancy if she was ill.
    “Oh no,” Nancy assured the housekeeper. “Just dreadfully sleepy.”
    “Then you take a nice nap,” Hannah Gruen told her. She went out into the hall and closed the door.
    The housekeeper expressed her concern to Ned. But when he told her Nancy’s remark about overdoing, the woman conceded the girl’s conclusion was probably true. Nevertheless, Hannah was concerned about Nancy’s symptoms but tried to dismiss her anxious thoughts.
    “She never lets up.”
    Nancy undressed and went to bed. She fell into a deep sleep but awakened about midnight, her face burning. She felt very sick. Finally she decided to go tell Hannah Gruen.
    Nancy slowly made her way down the hall and opened the door to the housekeeper’s room. To her surprise Hannah was not asleep. She was propped up in bed reading.
    “Oh, Hannah,” said Nancy, “would you mind coming to my room? I feel so ill.”
    The kindly woman jumped up, put on her robe and slippers, and followed Nancy back to her bedroom.
    She turned on the bright light and peered at the girl. “Nancy, I believe you have picked up the same thing Ned has!” she exclaimed. “I’m sure you are having an attack of ornithosis. You might say that now there’s a double jinx on this house!”
    Mr. Drew had heard the talking and had come to Nancy’s room. When he was told her symptoms, he agreed with Hannah.
    “It’s a good thing none of us is superstitious,” he said. “If we were, it would be easy to believe that a devil is working against some of us.”
    “I’m not so sure one isn’t,” Nancy spoke up feebly. “But who is he?”
    Seconds later she fell asleep. Her father and Hannah conferred as to whether they should give her some of Ned’s medicine or telephone the doctor. Mr. Drew decided they ought to call the physician first.
    When Dr. Black heard of Nancy’s condition, he said, “I’ll drop over early in the morning. If Nancy is asleep now, don’t awaken her, but later give her one dose of Ned’s medicine.”
    At seven o‘clock the next morning he came to the house and said indeed Nancy did have ornithosis. “Fortunately her case is lighter than Ned’s, so she’ll be up and around just about when he is.”
    After the doctor had gone, Mr. Drew talked with Hannah in the