Research Holp

Notes for #31 The Mystery at Maypenny's © 1980
Page # Quote
13 Trixie is 14.
14 All of the Beldens had their share of chores to do. Getting Bobby ready for school in the morning was Trixie's Task. In the afternoon, Trixie often had free time to spend with her best friend Honey, while Brian and Mart were busy with yard work and repairs around the house.
15 Di Lynch had taken a late vacation with her parents and would not return for almost two weeks.
16 Brian and Jim, the two oldest Bob-Whites, each had a driver's license. It took all of Brian's considerable mechanical ability to keep it (jalopy) running.
17 Dan had lived there (Maypenny) ever since his uncle, Regan, the Wheeler's groom, had brought Dan to Sleepyside to get him away from the bad crowd he'd been hanging around with in New York City.
19 Maypenny-tall, gaunt old man.
21 Maypenny: "I've been an independent old cuss all my life, and it rankles me to ask for help."
22 Mr. Maypenny had refused even the highest offers, and Mr. Wheeler had finally had to admit that his money couldn't buy everything.
23 Maypenny: "Wheeler had some big shot from International Pine along with him." Brian: "You mean the same company that drained the swamp to build that new furniture factory a while back?" Maypenny: "The same. They started doing pretty well that now they want to expand. They went to Matt Wheeler and made him an offer on a parcel of land. Some of the land is his, and some is mine."
25 Jim: "Dad has plenty of money, and plenty of ways to make more without destroying wildlife."
27 The old man had lived his entire life on this small piece of land. Letters from the outside world were a rarity. He seldom even thought to check his mailbox, which was almost a quarter of a mile away, on the road to town.
28 Trixie: "Who's the letter from, Mr. Maypenny?" Maypenny: "It's from my nephew, David Maypenny."
29
  • Maypenny: "I've never even met the boy. He must be almost thirty now. I quarreled with the boy's father, my late brother, several years before David was born. My brother moved to the city - I never saw him again. I later heard that he'd married and had a son. Then I heard he'd died. I wrote to the boy's mother then, asking if I could do anything. I never got an answer to my letter."
  • Maypenny: "He has some vacation time coming, and he wants to come up here for a visit."
33 The time, according to her alarm clock, was eight-thirty. The Beldens were an early-rising family. Usually by this time the house was quiet.
34 Mr. Belden worked at the bank in Sleepyside.
35 His job gave him access to a lot of confidential information. Mr. Belden: "I was not one of the people who opposed International Pine. The fact is that there's a desperate need for jobs in this area. The days of the small family farm are gone. So, for the most part, are the doors of small storekeeper." Trixie: "What about Mr. Lytell? His little store seems to do all right."
36 Mr. Belden: "The fact is, Mr. Lytell could do twice as well by selling his store and going to work as the manager of a larger store in town. To Mr. Lytell, money isn't as important as being his own boss and living in the area where he grew up. Someone with a growing family … the choice is a long commute to work or moving the entire family out of Sleepyside. Most of the jobs in a small town are in what are called service occupations, like banking or teaching."
37 Mr. Belden: "That's why a factory like International Pine is a twofold blessing in an area like Sleepyside. They employ people directly in their factory. And because their workers need groceries and haircuts and savings accounts, they create jobs indirectly too." Brian: "Matt Wheeler knows that. That's why he considered selling some of the preserve for the factory expansion."
38 Trixie: "The man in the green car!" Mrs. Belden: "The young man's name was John Score. He represents a group called CAUSE - Citizens Alarmed and United to Save the Ecology. John Score is trying to get people around here to sign a petition against the expansion."
40 Brian: "I love that preserve, and I'd hate to see it changed. But I'd hate to see a whole way of life ruined, too. And that's what will happen if the economy in Sleepyside goes bad. The small-town way of life will disappear."
44 Honey: "Daddy got just furious when Jim said that. He said that Jim needed to be shown a thing or two." Trixie: Surely Mr. Wheeler isn't planning to send Jim away just because Jim talked back to him. It had taken the girls a long time to get him to trust them, and even longer to convince him that there were some grown-ups he could trust, too.
45
  • If this disagreement with his adoptive father destroyed that trust, it could destroy the home and the friendships as well.
  • Although she denied it to the others, and even to herself, Jim was more than a friend to Trixie. He was someone very, very special.
46 Dan: "Sometimes being told off hurts a lot less than not being told at all. I am talking about myself and Mr. Maypenny. We live under the same roof and see each other every day, but he never told me about his nephew or about that visit from Mr. Wheeler that got him so upset."
48 Jim: "Dad showed me how he'd come to his decision to consider the offer from International Pine. Did you know that the population of Sleepyside has been declining at the rate of two percent per year for the past ten years? At the same time, the number of jobs has decreased five percent."
50 Dan: "Yesterday you were shocked when you heard he wanted to sell that first ten acres; today you're behind him all the way. Maybe he'll give you the same snow job next time."
52 They worried not only about the increase in pollution that the expansion might cause, but also about the change in their community. If their sons and grandsons left farming and shop-keeping behind to work in a factory, would they leave the old customs and traditions behind too?
53 On Thursday, Brian announced at the dinner table that his social studies class was going to have a debate the following week. Brian: "I'm on the affirmative team."
55 Trixie: "I think this whole thing has been harder on Dan than anybody else. He's spent so much of his life trying to find a place where he feels he belongs. He even got involved with that bad bunch in New York City - when he's not a bad person at all - just because they seemed to take an interest in him."
57 She (Trixie) pulled out Huckleberry Finn. It was an old favorite, one she'd read over and over and had never tired of.
66 When they reached the tiny clearing, they saw the glow of the slow fire Mr. Maypenny used for outdoor cooking, with the big iron kettle hanging above it.
68 Mr. Maypenny was tall and gaunt, with a ruddy, weather beaten face and white hair. David was short and round - not overweight exactly, but kind of soft-looking. His skin looked soft, too, with almost no wrinkles, and his hair was dark.
74 John Score - he was tall. But he was much too thin. His patched and faded blue jeans seemed to hang from his body, and his chest looked sunken under his blue work shirt. His hair was dark blond and straight. The hiking boots he wore were scuffed and mud-caked. He looked tired and underfed and dirty.
79 Score: "I'm from Ohio … That's what CAUSE helps them do. We show them how to fight - legally, if possible."
80 Score: "Outside the law, if we have to resort to that."
82 Brian took a deep breath of the fresh September air.
84 Di: "We went all through Wisconsin and Minnesota. I'd never seen that part of the Midwest before."
85 Di: "Mr. and Mrs. Renfer, who are friends of my parents, live in Minneapolis and have a summer cottage in northern Minnesota. They said we could come to visit whenever we liked."
87 Dan: "David Maypenny left last night. Mr. Maypenny ordered him to leave."
88 Dan: "David started telling Mr. Maypenny that he was worried about him living along in the woods. He didn't think it was safe for Mr. Maypenny to be living 'such a primitive existence' at his age. He thought Mr. Maypenny should sell the land and move to town immediately. Or he should give David power of attorney."
89 Dan: "When Mr. Maypenny got angry, I think David finally saw that this was no feeble old man. David actually looked a little frightened."
90 Halfway to the cabin, Trixie spotted something lying alongside the road. Pulling Susie to a halt alongside it, she saw that it was a dead duck. Honey: "Don't touch it, Trixie! It could be diseased."
91 Maypenny: "If I were a lonely old coot, with nobody to talk to, with nobody who cared about me, I suppose I might be willing to sign my life away to my nephew just to keep him around."
92 Mr. Maypenny saddled Brownie, his ancient but sturdy mare. Brownie never went faster than a dignified walk.
99 Trixie: "Daddy asked him last night after we'd listened to his speech, if he realized how many enemies he might have before this afternoon is over. Brian said it was a chance he had to take."
100 Mr. McLane, Brian's social studies teacher, walked out onto the stage. Mr. McLane: "As you know, I am also the coach of the debate team. The debate season will be starting in a couple of weeks. I sincerely hope that many of you watching the debate today will try out for the team."
101 McLane: "Two students, Brian Belden and Mark Nelson will take the affirmative. Two other students, Todd Maurer and Jim VerDoorn, will take the negative."
103 His (Brian) low, quiet voice made him sound older than seventeen.
104 Todd was a member of the regular debate team at Sleepyside Junior-Senior High, and he and his partner had gone all the way to the state tournament the previous year.
111 Score: "This is what International Pine calls a minimum of damage. Is this what you want to happen?" Trixie realized that what he was holding was a dead duck.
116 Sleepyside Sun: After Score was wrestled off stage by two faculty members, he was taken into custody by Sleepyside police. He appeared in night court, where he was charged with disturbing the peace and fined seventy-five dollars.
117 Sleepyside Sun: The judge also warned Score to leave the Sleepyside area immediately.
120 Mr. Belden: "The town council has discovered that the parcel of land International Pine wants isn't zoned for industrial use. The council has the right to rezone the land. They're meeting Saturday to listen to public opinion. Then they'll vote on whether or not to rezone the land."
121 Dan: "Over the past three days, I've found five more dead ducks in the preserve."
123 Jim: "I understand your problem, Dan. Mr. Maypenny is your boss, as well as your friend. If he tells you to ignore what's happening, you can't very well go over his head to report it to Dad. Still, it's my father's land, and he has a right to know what's going on."
129 Honey: "Jim told Daddy about the ducks last night. Daddy called a friend of his at the state wildlife department, and the friend sent someone over to pick up the ducks. They put them through tests at the state lab to find out what killed them."
130 Honey: "Those ducks had botulism!"
132 Trixie: "Can this botulism hurt people?" Honey: "This botulism can't. The one they found in these ducks is harmless to humans. He's (man from wildlife department) going to advise everyone to stay out of the area and to avoid contact with any of the wildlife in the preserve until they've found the source and taken care of it."
135 She (Trixie) remembered the look of cold fury in Jim's eyes the few times she'd ever seen him get really angry.
136 Council Chairman: "George Gemlo, who is the head of the local office of the state wildlife department, has asked if he could make an important announcement."
138 Mr. Wheeler: "I want you all to know that my decision to agree to sell this parcel of land was not reached lightly. I had several long discussions with Peter Belden, who works for the Sleepyside bank. I also want you to know that my concern for nature and for wildlife is as strong as it has ever been. The sale of this parcel of land to International Pine is not the first step in turning my game preserve into an industrial development. It is a single step that will, I hope, improve the quality of life in this community."
140 Community Speaker: "I grew up on a farm just outside of Sleepyside. My family and friends all live here. I farmed for my dad until I got married and had a family of my own. Then we discovered that one small farm didn't make enough money to support two families. For the past two years, I've been working in Tarrytown. I started out commuting. Then that got too expensive. Now I live in a rooming house there during the week and come home to my family only on weekends. I don't want my kids to miss the small-town life I had growing up in Sleepyside. But I don't want them to grow up without a father, either. Aren't my kids and I as important as ducks?"
147 She (Trixie) tried to figure out how - and why - the young environmentalist's car had been hidden in this out-of-the-way spot.
148 The car was empty except for a mess of candy wrappers, used tissues, and an unfolded road map.
151 With his gaunt features and long, beaklike nose, he (Maypenny) looked like a startled bird.
154 Trixie: "Now, suddenly, he (Maypenny) seems confused and forgetful all the time. Maybe Mr. Maypenny is getting too old to live in these woods alone."
158 First she (Trixie) dialed long-distance directory assistance and asked for the number of David Maypenny in New York City. To Trixie's relief, the operator found only one David Maypenny.
164 Trixie: "It's a magnetic box. It's used to hide a spare key, in case the owner loses one."
165 Trixie: "Brian bought one for the jalopy right after he first got it. He was going to hide the box under the dashboard, where I just found this one. Daddy advised him against it. He said there was no point in giving car thieves a helping hand."
167 Suddenly Trixie stopped, pointing to a small clearing. Honey: "It's a tent!"
168 Score: "What I'm doing here is hiding out. I have been, ever since Mr. Maypenny paid my fine and got me out of jail Mr. Maypenny said it was a 'spunky thing to do,' and gave Dan the money to get me out and told him to bring me back here."
169 Score: "He told me I was the only hope he had of being able to save his land. He said he wanted me to stay on, to try to find some more evidence of the damage International Pine was doing so that he could use it to stand up to them if the rezoning went through."
171 Score: "When I said I do what I have to do to protect myself, I didn't mean that I hold young women captive. I'm against violence to any living thing."
174 Honey: "He (Jim) thinks we should all meet at the boathouse this afternoon for a picnic."
176 Trixie: "International Pine is lot like a puzzle, Bobby." Bobby: "You said it was like an ice-cream cone. You said International Pine only had one ice-cream cone, and it was chocolate or vanilla, but not both."
179 Because of their special friendship, she and Jim were sensitive to one another's moods.
180 Jim: "How about it guys? Who wants to be an honorary girl?" Brian: "I've always wanted to see how the other half lives."
181 Brian: "I don't think I like being a girl. It's too tiring."
182 Honey: "Jim you can tell us. We have to trust one another, or there's no point in even having a club like the Bob-Whites."
183 Jim: "I've been holding back partly because I didn't want to worry you. Now that you know I'm holding back, you'll probably worry even more if I don't tell."
185 Jim: "The ducks are being planted. Somebody, somehow, has got hold of a small quantity of botulism toxin." Brian: "That toxin can't be easy to get."
187 Her (Di) violet eyes reflected her hurt of being left out.
191 What they saw instead was a shiny new car with New York State license plates. Trixie: "It's David Maypenny!"
192 She (Trixie) peered through the darkness into the backseat. There was a burlap bag tied with rope and filled with something lumpy.
197 Sgt. Molinson: "You (Trixie) be at the station at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll listen to your story then. From past experience, I'd say it will be a very entertaining one. But if you say one more word tonight, I'll arrest you, too!"
198 Honey's blond hair was a tangled mess, with twigs and leaves still stuck in it from her race through the woods.
203 Sgt. Molinson: "He's (David Maypenny) an imposter. His real name is Lawrence Howard, and he's wanted for fraud in five states." Honey: "What did he do in all those states?" Sgt. Molinson: "He's never been charged with a violent crime. He preyed on lonely old people with no families. He'd convince them that they should turn over their property and money to him."
204 Sgt. Molinson: "Then he'd vanish, leaving them broke." Trixie: "How did David - Lawrence Howard - know about Mr. Maypenny? And where did he get the botulism toxin?"
205 David Maypenny: "I'm a medical technician at a laboratory in New York City. Lawrence Howard worked there until about two months ago. We used to go out to dinner. He asked me a lot of questions about myself and my family. I've been on vacation. When I got back, I got a call from a friend of mine telling me someone had broken in last week and stolen some of our botulism toxin."
206 David Maypenny: "I've been wanting to get in touch with my uncle for a long, long time, but I never dared. Hearing that he'd been willing to meet me - that is, to meet Lawrence Howard posing as me - gave me the courage I needed."
207 Jim: "He (Dad) woke me up early this morning and told me he'd been up all night, thinking about what had happened. He said that the whole thing had gone too far. He called the president of International Pine and the chairman of the town council. He wanted to work out a compromise. At the meeting he asked the president of International Pine if there was another piece of land he could use for the expansion - something closer to town away from the preserve."
208 Jim: "When Dad heard the president say 'new building,' … he reminded him of that big warehouse on the edge of town. Within ten minutes, the president of International Pine had made an offer for it, and the chairman of the council had accepted."
209 Honey: "Would you write an excuse to our principal so we can go to school?" Sgt. Molinson: "If it will get you kids back into school and out of mischief, I'll write you the best excuse you ever had."