The Mystery of the Man in the Tall Black Hat Read Free Page B

Tricia. “How do they know? Were they there?”
    “Were
you
there, Tricia, when God made dolphins?” asked Barney.
    “Of course she wasn’t,” interrupted Tod. “But God says in the Bible that He made all things. That includes dolphins, frogs, and everything else.”
    “And I’d rather believe the Bible than somebody who’s just guessing what happened,” added Tricia.
    “I’m not taking sides,” Donna said, laughing. “I just think it’s going to be lots of fun watching those eggs turn into frogs. It’s sort of hard to believe! How long until they’re supposed to hatch, Tod?”
    “Maybe a week from the time they were laid.”
    “You ought to give a prize to the one of us who first discovers one with legs,” suggested Donna, as the four watched the little creatures dart about.
    “Hey, neat!” exclaimed Barney.
    Tod winked at Barney. “Barney and I know a secret. If you girls find a polliwog with legs before we do; we’ll let you in on it. You have to find it in this pond, though.”
    “I don’t think that’s such a great prize,” commented Tricia.
    “Boys’ secrets aren’t any good anyhow,” added Donna, shaking her long brown hair.
    “OK,” answered Tod. “If you don’t want to know about it we might as well call the whole thing off.”
    “If that’s the best you can do, then we’ll be the first ones to find a tadpole with legs, won’t we, Donna?” Tricia smiled, and the bridge of her nose creased into a thousand wrinkles.
    “But you’ve got to make one promise,” Donna said to the boys. “Before anyone can win, both boys or both girls have to see the polliwog legs at the same time. That way, Tod, you can’t just run out every morning to check. Barney has to be with you.”
    “It’s a deal,” agreed Tod and Barney.
    “If we find a tadpole with legs before the girls do,” commented Tod after the girls had gone, “we can keep the secret to ourselves. If they find one first they won’t believe us when we tell them about the man in the stovepipe hat, anyway.”
    The boys stretched out on the grass, too lazy to move.
    “I don’t think I want to just hang around until the legs grow on the polliwogs,” Tod said, yawning. “What shall we do, Barn?”
    When Barney didn’t offer any suggestions, Tod asked, “Want to go up to the gravel pit?”
    “Why not?”
    Mrs. Mitchell was sweeping the kitchen floor as the boys entered the house, slamming the screen door behind them.
    “Mom, is it OK if we go up to the gravel pit?”
    “It’s nearly lunchtime. Why not wait a little while?”
    “Could we take our lunch with us—sandwiches or something?”
    “Yes, I guess so.”
    “Barn, go home and pack a lunch and meet me here as soon as you can,” ordered Tod.
    Barney was out the door before Mrs. Mitchell could stop him. As the screen door slammed she put her hands over her ears and turned to Tod. “I could have made sandwiches for both of you.”
    “I keep trying to tell you, Mom. Barney is a food hog. You couldn’t make enough lunch to suit him, and then he’d complain about being hungry right after he ate. This way, if he doesn’t have enough to eat, it will be his own fault.”
    Mrs. Mitchell laughed. “Maybe you’ve got a point there. But be nice to poor Barney. He doesn’t have things too pleasant at home, and he worships you, Tod.”
    She opened the refrigerator, reached for the butter, and began making sandwiches. “Have you ever been inside Barney’s house, Tod?”
    “Once. I sure felt funny. It was almost like Mrs. Sebastian was afraid I’d get her house dirty just by my standing there.”
    “I don’t think the Sebastians wanted any children,” Mrs. Mitchell said thoughtfully, wrinkling her forehead.
    “You know, Mother, Mrs. Sebastian is so fussy she makes Barney take off his shoes before he goes into the living room. She has a mat just inside the door for him to put them on. He’d a lot rather be over at our house than at home.”
    “I’m glad he