The Mystery of the Wild West Bandit

  Violet took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go!” she said.

  The two children walked out to where Wanda and Trigger were waiting.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” said Wanda, “Trigger will now give this pretty girl a kiss!”

  The audience chuckled as they watched the fun.

  “Jessie, please tell Tricky Trigger that you would like a kiss!” said Wanda.

  Jessie leaned close to Trigger. “Give me a kiss, please, Tricky Trigger,” she said. She giggled as the big horse smooched her on the face. The crowd laughed and clapped.

  “You have now been smooched by a horse, Jessie!” said Wanda. “How did you like it?”

  “It tickled!” said Jessie, wiping her face and smiling.

  “Tricky Trigger is a wonderful kisser,” said Wanda. “But he is also very smart. He can answer questions.” Wanda waved to Violet. “Violet, would you please ask Tricky Trigger a question?”

  Violet stepped up close to Trigger. She took another deep breath.

  “How old are you, Tricky Trigger?” Violet asked.

  Trigger seemed to think for a few seconds. Then he stomped the ground ten times.

  “Tricky Trigger says he is ten years old,” said Violet.

  “That’s right! Trigger is ten years old—just a little kid!” said Wanda.

  “He’s the same age as me!” said Violet. She smiled and petted Trigger on his soft nose.

  The crowd laughed and applauded again. Jessie looked past everyone and noticed Dapper Dallas duck behind the big stage. Then she spotted Jasper Beebe. He was walking into town from the direction of the parking lot. She noticed his silky white suit and shiny tan cowboy boots.

  Wanda had Trigger turn and nod to the audience.

  “Hello there, sir,” said Wanda to Jasper. “Come on over here. Tricky Trigger wants to ask you a question.”

  Jasper glanced around, looking confused. People in the crowd urged him to play along. Finally he walked slowly to where Trigger stood with Wanda, Violet, and Jessie.

  “Jasper looks scared,” whispered Violet. “He is shaking and his face is all shiny.”

  “I wonder why he’s so scared,” whispered Jessie.

  Just then Tricky Trigger reached over to Jasper and snatched his big white hat. Jasper screeched and took several steps backward. He almost knocked over a woman standing behind him. The crowd laughed. Trigger handed the hat to Violet. She took the hat to the still quivering Jasper.

  “Here you are, Mr. Beebe,” she said.

  “Thank you, my dear,” said Jasper. Then he retreated quickly into the crowd.

  “Enjoy the show, everyone!” said Wanda.

  “And let’s give a cheer to our helpers—Jessie and Violet Alden!”

  The crowd applauded as Jessie and Violet waved and smiled.

  Then the red stage curtain rippled. Dapper Dallas appeared and bowed to everyone. Dallas was now dressed in a sparkling sequined black and red suit. He wore black boots with silver buttons and a big red cowboy hat.

  “Dapper Dallas sure changed his clothes quickly,” Jessie said. “We just saw him wearing jeans and a plaid shirt.”

  “Maybe he’s a quick-change artist, like in a magic act!” said Violet.

  “He is a fast changer, that’s for sure,” said Jessie.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please!” said Dapper Dallas. “Let’s give Tricky Trigger and Wanda a big hand. It’s time for our stage show to begin.”

  The crowd cheered and applauded some more. Wanda led Trigger behind the stage, waving good-bye. Trigger pranced and swished his long white tail.

  “I think Trigger likes the applause!” said Violet. Jessie smiled at her little sister. Violet loved animals. She liked to see them loved in return.

  The audience sat down in the chairs facing the stage. They watched Dallas as he strutted across the stage.

  “We have a special treat for you today,” said Dallas. “We have a little lady who can sing like a bird. Her cowboy ballads will bring you to tears, I promise.” Dallas took off his hat and stepped to the side of the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: our very own…Calamity Connie!”

  Dapper Dallas disappeared from the stage as Connie appeared from between the red curtains. She wore a glittery silver and pink outfit that matched her pink boots. She had on a big pink cowboy hat. There was a guitar strapped to her shoulder.

  “She looks beautiful!” said Violet. “I can’t wait to hear her sing! I hope Henry and Benny can hear too.”

  “Henry and Benny are backstage, not very far away,” said Jessie. “They’ll be able to hear Connie sing.”

  Dallas reappeared with a stool and a microphone. Connie tripped as she sat down on the stool. Members of the audience gasped as she almost fell off the stage.

  “Don’t mind me, folks,” Connie laughed nervously. She scrambled to sit down. “Now you know why they call me Calamity Connie!”

  The audience laughed with her. Dallas placed the microphone stand in front of Connie’s stool. Then he left the stage without a word.

  “She looks kind of nervous,” said Jessie. “I wonder what’s wrong.”

  “Maybe she’s scared to be in front of all these people,” said Violet. “That’s how I would feel.”

  “You were great with Trigger,” said Jessie.

  “Trigger made me feel safe,” said Violet. “I could forget the crowd.”

  “Animals can do that,” said Jessie.

  Calamity Connie settled on the stool. She strummed her guitar. The audience became quiet.

  “I hope you all know the words to ‘Home on the Range,’” said Connie. She began to sing and play. The audience joined her. By the time everyone got to the last verse, Connie had a lot of fans. She sang lots of audience favorites. The whole town filled with songs like “Streets of Laredo” and “Oh, My Darling Clementine,” led by Connie’s voice. When the last song ended, Connie tuned her guitar nervously. She looked back at the closed curtain.

  “Bravo, Calamity Connie!” yelled Jasper Beebe. He stood and applauded louder than anyone else. The rest of the crowd stood up and kept clapping. They started chanting for more songs.

  Connie kept looking back at the curtain.

  “She seems more nervous than ever,” said Jessie.

  “I wonder what’s wrong,” said Violet. “Everyone loves her. She should be happy!”

  Just then, Bart walked over from the side of the stage and whispered something to Connie.

  “Oh no!” Connie cried. “I wondered what was going on back there!” Connie leapt from her stool and ducked back between the curtains. Her stool clattered to the floor. The microphone stand teetered for a few seconds.

  “Everything’s okay, folks,” said Bart. “The show will continue in a moment or two.” He grabbed the stool and ran behind the curtain.

  “We should go see what happened!” said Violet. “Henry and Benny might be in trouble!”

  Jessie and Violet raced around to the backstage door.

  CHAPTER 6

  More Trouble!

  Jessie and Violet found Henry and Benny backstage. Costumes were scattered all over the floor. Henry, Benny, and Nellie were trying to sort through them. Jessie and Violet knelt down to help.

  “Where is my costume for the play?” Connie cried. She surveyed the mess of clothes. “I have to change right away!”

  “And I can’t find the pajama top I’m supposed to wear,” said Bart.

  “Here is your nightshirt, Bart,” said Nellie. She handed him a big blue shirt.

  “That’s not it, but it will have to do,” said Bart. He grumbled as he headed off to a curtained dressing room.

  “Is this your dress, Connie?” Violet held up a pink striped dress.

  “Yes, thank you, Violet!” Connie took the dress and raced away.

  “Where is my sheriff’s shirt with the badge?” cried Wanda. “I can’t be the sheriff without my badge!”

  “Here it is, Wanda,” said Benny.

/>   “Thank you, Benny!” she said. “Someone please tell Jack I’ll be there in a second. He’s with Trigger right outside.” She ran to another dressing room.

  Jessie peeked out the backstage door. She saw Jack holding Trigger. “Wanda will be here soon,” she said.

  “What’s going on in there?” Jack asked.

  “Someone tossed all the costumes on the floor and mixed them up,” said Jessie. “Did you see anyone go in here earlier?”

  “Nope,” said Jack. “My job is to open and close the stage curtains. And I take care of the horses. I don’t have time to see what anyone else is doing.” He looked away. Jessie walked back inside.

  “Does everyone have their costumes?” asked Henry.

  “I think so,” said Nellie.

  Henry surveyed the piles of clothes, shoes, hangers, and hats. “What a mess,” he said. “We should clean this up for you.”

  “We can clean this up later,” said Nellie. She sighed and shook her head. “This isn’t fun anymore,” she said softly.

  Dapper Dallas appeared, wearing a black suit and black hat and boots. “What happened here?” he asked.

  “Someone is having fun with us again,” said Nellie. “Although Bart and I don’t think it’s much fun.”

  Dallas looked around and smiled. “Well, I’m sure glad that my clothes were already in my dressing room!”

  He walked over to a bulletin board with a sign on top that said Today’s Scenes. It had colorful notes tacked all over it. The Aldens watched as he grabbed a bright yellow note from the middle of the board and read it. Then he pinned the note back to the center of the board.

  Bart, Connie, and Wanda came out of their dressing rooms. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” said Bart.

  “As they say in Broadway, the show must go on!” said Dallas. “Let’s go, actors, it’s show time!”

  Connie took her place at the piano. Bart got into a bed on the stage and pulled up the covers. Nellie sat in a chair next to the bed. She brought out a handkerchief.

  “Is everyone ready?” asked Dallas.

  “Yep,” said Bart.

  “Ready,” said Nellie.

  Connie waved.

  “Okay, kids, skedaddle to your seats,” said Dallas. “And wait for your cue.”

  “What does skedaddle mean?” Benny asked as the children headed to the front of the stage.

  “It means hurry up!” said Jessie, laughing. “I’ll tell you how to spell it later.”

  The red curtains rippled again. Dapper Dallas appeared. “Greetings once more, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, bowing. “Allow me to introduce myself.”

  The curtain slowly opened. Piano music floated out from the stage.

  “My name is Dastardly Dallas,” growled Dallas with an evil sneer. “When it comes to money, I always get what I want.”

  The curtain opened wide. The stage revealed Connie at the piano. Her fingers raced over the piano keys as she played. In the center of the stage, Nellie sat by the bed. She held the handkerchief to her mouth and sobbed. Bart was propped up on pillows. He looked very weak and sick.

  “Is Bart okay?” Benny asked.

  “Bart is okay, Benny. Remember that this is a melodrama,” said Jessie. “Melodramas exaggerate everything.”

  “That’s right,” said Henry. “And Bart is just acting.”

  “I remember what you told me,” said Benny. “A melodrama is a play!”

  “It’s just make-believe,” said Violet. “But Bart is a good actor!”

  “He is!” said Benny. “I thought he was really sick.”

  The play began. Violet took her camera out of her pocket and took pictures. Dallas approached Nellie and Bart. “Pay the rent!” he yelled. He pointed his finger at them.

  “But we already paid the rent!” said Nellie. “Please, can’t you see? My husband is very sick!”

  “You may have paid the rent,” said Dallas, “But I raised the rent!” He sneered again and laughed.

  “You raised the rent last month!” cried Nellie. “We can’t afford to pay you more rent!”

  “Pay the rent, or I will throw you out!” yelled Dallas.

  “Please, have mercy,” said Bart. He lifted his head from the pillows. Then he fell back with a loud moan.

  Nellie hugged Bart. “Oh, please, is there someone out there who can save my poor sick husband and me from Dastardly Dallas?” she cried.

  “That’s our cue!” said Henry. The Aldens stood up and started to boo and hiss.

  “Dastardly Dallas, you are not a nice man!” yelled Violet.

  “You won’t get away with your dastardly deeds!” yelled Benny. He smiled. He was happy that he remembered his big line in the play.

  “Good job!” whispered Jessie. “Sheriff Dooworthy, where are you?” she yelled.

  “Oh no, not Sheriff Dooworthy!” said Dallas. He looked around, looking afraid. “She will take me to jail!”

  “You should go to jail,” said Nellie. “You are dastardly in your deeds!”

  “Dastardly!” yelled the audience. They were on their feet. Connie was banging on the piano keys. Her loud music added to the angry mood.

  “I think I hear the clopping of horse hoofs,” said Henry. “Help is coming!”

  “Hurray! Here comes Sheriff Dooworthy!” said Jessie.

  Wanda appeared on the stage riding Tricky Trigger. Trigger clopped across the stage. He nodded his head and snorted.

  “Yay, Tricky Trigger!” yelled Violet and Jessie. “Get that Dastardly Dallas!”

  The audience joined in the cheers. Wanda jumped off Trigger. She put her hands on her hips. “Your days of terrorizing tenants are over, Dastardly Dallas!” she said.

  Dallas hung his head and put out his hands. Wanda wrapped his hands with rope. Then she tied the rope to Trigger’s saddle horn.

  “Let’s go to jail,” said Wanda. She hopped back onto Trigger and led Dallas off the stage.

  The audience cheered.

  “Thank goodness for Sheriff Dooworthy!” said Nellie. She kissed Bart on the cheek. The curtain closed.

  The audience applauded. The curtains opened again and Nellie and Bart stood and bowed. Connie stood and bowed with them. Then Wanda reappeared with Trigger. They both bowed to cheers. Finally Dallas appeared, waving and smiling. He took off his hat and bowed.

  “Dapper Dallas seems to like being the star,” said Jessie.

  “Yes, he does,” said Henry.

  Violet was studying the curtain. “How does the curtain open and close?” she asked.

  “That’s Jack’s job,” said Jessie. “He told me earlier that he’s in charge of closing and opening the curtains.”

  “Where is Jack now?” asked Benny.

  “I think he’s outside waiting for Trigger,” said Henry.

  “He doesn’t get any applause for his work,” said Violet. “That’s sad.”

  “I guess it is sad,” said Henry. “But is he the one pulling the pranks?”

  “He is grumpy,” said Benny.

  “But he loves animals,” said Violet. “People who love animals are good.”

  Jessie gave her sister a hug. “You might have a point there, Violet,” she said. “We’ll see if we can figure out who is causing Bart and Nellie so much trouble.”

  Dallas, Bart, Nellie, and Connie had climbed off the stage. They visited with the audience. Wanda brought Tricky Trigger around to join them. Trigger bowed for people to stroke his neck. Dallas signed autographs while Bart and Nellie talked to visitors.

  “Look,” said Jessie. “I see Connie outside the saloon. She’s talking to Jasper Beebe.”

  The children watched as Connie shook hands with Jasper Beebe. She looked over at the Aldens then ducked into the saloon.

  “I wonder what they were talking about,” said Jessie.

  “Let’s see if we can find out,” said Henry. “It’s time to help get lunch ready.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Barbeque, Sarsaparilla, and Questions
r />   The audience and other visitors explored Wildcat Crossing and enjoyed the sites and activities. Jack had pony rides set up for children. Wanda showed off her trick roping skills to the delight of a small crowd. Dapper Dallas’s voice boomed as he told stories about the Old West. Some people visited the historic museum and library.

  The Aldens headed to the saloon. They had work to do.

  “There’s Connie,” said Jessie. “She’s already hard at work.”

  “Hey there, Aldens,” said Connie. “I’m putting barbeque beef on homemade rolls. I need someone to wrap them up, please.”

  Henry and Violet washed their hands and helped wrap sandwiches into paper.

  “I can run the cash register,” said Jessie.

  “Thank you!” said Connie. “Nellie is busy at the souvenir shop and Bart is busy in the office.”

  Jessie took money from a line of customers. Henry and Violet handed them their wrapped sandwiches.

  “Benny, you can give people their drinks!” said Connie. She showed Benny the cooler and put him to work.

  Benny handed each person a cold bottle of sarsaparilla from the cooler. He had fun explaining what Henry had told him about the spicy old-fashioned drink. “It’s made from sarsaparilla roots and licorice,” he explained to each customer who wondered. “It’s kind of like root beer.”

  Jasper Beebe appeared near the end of the line of hungry customers. Violet noticed that Connie looked away when it was his turn to pay for his food.

  Soon the line was much smaller. “It looks like we have plenty of sandwiches wrapped up to sell,” Connie said to Henry and Violet. “You should eat too!”

  “And I can take over the cash register,” said Nellie, putting on an apron. “Bart’s running the souvenir shop.”

  “Thank you,” said Jessie.

  “I’m ready to eat,” said Benny. “And have my very first sarsaparilla!”

  Connie put four sandwiches on a tray along with napkins. “Benny will get your drinks!” she said, smiling.

  “I don’t think I can carry that many!” said Benny.

  Henry grabbed the tray while Violet helped Benny carry bottles of sarsaparilla. They headed toward an empty table near Jasper Beebe.