Quotes from Carole Marsh

Of course, he didn't know four kids were going to show up and show off their detective skills, said John. Even when they weren't supposed to, Mother added and Michele was relieved to see she was smiling.

And we had seen a man at the amphitheater dressed as a pirate—the same day the prop room keys disappeared, Brian said. Yeah, moaned Michele. The same day we were looking in the trunk where the head was! Mother gave John a stern look. And you saw another pirate in the graveyard that night, said Jo Dee. Now Mother really glared at John who looked like he wondered if these were the same kids who had stayed with him all summer. They all grinned at John and giggled.

As Mother headed the car for the highway, she said, You two sure got quiet in the back seat. I thought you'd be telling Jo Dee and Brian good-bye all the way across the bridge. Michele and Michael giggled. We are, they said, as they perched on their knees facing out the back window. They each gave the skull and crossbones sign and Jo Dee and Brian returned it.

Papa, their grandfather, was taking them so they didn't have to leave a car and "pay through the nose." He liked to be frugal with his money. Grant thought of someone paying a parking bill through their nose, and snickered. Papa was always saying things that Grant didn't understand yet.

If I had something valuable, I'd keep it in my pocket where I could keep an eye on it," Michael said. "Sure," said Wendy. "With all the holes you have in your pockets, that would be a real safe place.

I think I know where it is, she thought. Then she whipped around and said loudly, "But I need your help." Stacy blushed. She had said the words loud enough that everyone in the great room had turned to look at her. Quickly she ducked her head and sat down on the sofa with the others. "Help with what?" Michael asked, giggling. "Making a fool of yourself?

Remember, there are a lot of things to be careful about, both here and at Biltmore House. You don't want to get into any trouble." Stacy figured she meant for them not to break anything like a valuable antique or some old person's leg, by running through the lobby.

This table once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte," he said. "You mean the Napoleon we read about in our history book?" Staci asked. "The guy with his hand under his coat scratching his bellybutton?" Wendy added.

There are two hidden doors in the paneling of the Billiard Room. But they're not really secret panels. They were just there for the men guests to go from the Billiard Room to the Smoking Room with ease." Secret doors so the men could sneak off and smoke? If she tried that, her mom would bowl her down the alley for sure, Stacy thought.

Good grief," Michael said as he sat down in one of the 64 enormous upholstered chairs. "My feet don't even think about touching the floor." "This table is longer than the bowling alley," Trent said. He shielded his eyes with his hand and peered down the long wooden table as though he couldn't see the other end. "If you wanted someone to pass you the salt shaker it would take thirty minutes for it to get here," Wendy agreed.

Every night instead of watching television, Sandburg would read to his family." "I sure hope Mom doesn't start that," Michael muttered.

Let's write ourselves a better ending than this.

Grant said, "I think I like the idea of hanging my stockings twice! But I would not like to run into Old Buck...and get bucked, or something.

He kept saying weird things to me in Elizabeth English." "Like what?" Christina asked. "Like 'Me thinks I never forget a face,'" Mimi said. "Me thinks that makes no sense," said Grant.

Be sure and check Teach's Hole," Mother advised. "I wish they would put my teacher in a hole," said Michael.

They each closed their closet doors and scampered down the staircase. The guide was just about to close the heavy front door when they reached the downstairs hall and hurried breathlessly out the door. "Thought I'd lost you two," the guide said. "Are you coming down into the basement kitchen with us?" "No thank you," Michele said, "but we enjoyed our tour." It was surely an acting job to say that, she thought.

That surely must be what happened," she said to Brian. "A caretaker found the head and returned it and . . ." ". . . and you can be in the play," Brian finished for her. "I sure hope so—then we can quit this wild goose chase and eat lunch. Besides, I wish I could see you stumble around up there forgetting your lines," he teased.

Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Michael. "You to put your clothes on," said Jo Dee laughing. "Yo ho ho!" Michael jumped up. "Wait for me!

Can we take these outside under the trees and look at them?" Michele asked. "And let the little ones read in here?" she added in a motherly tone. She could hear Brian groan under his breath at her play-acting. But it worked, she thought, biting her tongue so she wouldn't get tickled.

They both found the pages they were looking for and began reading aloud together at the same time. "Blackbeard . . ." Michele laughed, "You go first.

Michael and Jo Dee had given up long ago. They had brought the bottle and clue along and were playing "drop the mystery clue in the bottle." As far as Michele was concerned, they might as well drop it back in the ocean.

Their motto was You Don't Have to Come Back . . . You Just Have to Go Out.

They all fell onto the sand, then huddled up beneath the long wings of the hang glider. "Think we could borrow this thing for a little while?" Christina asked. "Think we could all go to jail with your Papa for stealing airplanes?" Alex retorted.

I still don't believe it," Christina said. "I shook hands with the president." "You shook—that's what you did!" Alex teased her. "Your hand was shaking like a leaf.