The Mystery off Old Telegraph Road

## Plot

Trixie and Honey attend an Art Fair at the high school and a talented artist, Nick Roberts, alerts them to the plight of the school art program.  Determined to help, the Bob-Whites organise a bike-a-thon to raise money but someone doesn't want it to go ahead.  Honey's cousin Ben is making life difficult for everyone and Nick withdraws his support of the fundraiser, making them both suspects.  But a charred bank note and an abandoned house has Trixie intrigued and she sets out to solve the mystery off Old Telegraph Road.

## Characters

* Trixie Belden
* Jim Frayne
* Honey Wheeler
* Brian Belden
* Mart Belden
* Diana Lynch
* Dan Mangan
* Helen and Peter Belden
* Bobby Belden
* Miss Trask
* Regan
* Ben Riker
* Nick Roberts
* Amy Morrison
* Nick Roberts Senior
* Mr. Crider
* Sergeant Molinson
* Mrs. Vanderpoel
* Mr. Maypenny
* Mike Larson
* Jerry Vanderhoef
* Bill Wright

## Chapter Titles

1. The Art Fair
2. A Shattered Vase
3. Big Plans
4. A Ruined Picnic
5. Depression
6. A Piece of Charred Paper
7. Posters and Apologies
8. The Sign-Up
9. Mysteries
10. Suspicious Coincidences
11. At Mrs Vanderpoel's
12. The Trophy Shop
13. Sinister Warnings
14. A Confession
15. Bob-Whites Divided!
16. At the Abandoned House
17. Explanations
18. New Friends

## Trivia

* Ben Riker had come to stay as he had gotten in to trouble at boarding school and had been sent to stay with the Wheelers, hoping the Bob-Whites would be a good influence on him (p. 14-15).
* Jim, Brian and Dan all had driver's licenses (p. 18).
* Brian is a senior and tells Trixie he considered taking art classes at Sleepyside High to help improve his anatomical drawing, but from what he's "heard, they just aren't good enough" (p. 37).  I thought the problem was with the lack of funding for materials, not with the quality of the art program.
* Helen Belden was an art major and gave up her artwork after she married as they couldn't afford it because of the cost of art supplies (p. 38).
* The Bob-Whites decided that the bike-a-thon should be held as soon as possible, before school let out for summer!  They decided to have it in two weeks time on a Saturday and the length of the ride is 25 miles (p. 39).
* In the living room of Crabapple Farm, hung a landscape that showed a narrow stream lined with bare-branched willow trees.  Helen painted it before she was married and her maiden name was Johnson (p. 46)
* Honey and Trixie have their first fight when Trixie makes a sarcastic comment about having to do everything herself, because she resents the time Honey and Jim spend with Ben (p. 61)
* It is Sunday and Peter Belden is out of town for a few days to return on Wednesday.  Brian says grace, which is something I can't remember ever happening in the Belden household before (p. 74).
* Trixie learns from Mr Crider that Nick's family moved from New York to Sleepyside the previous year because his mother was ill.  Mr Roberts is a master engraver and Nick works on the evenings and weekends as a sign painter (p. 86).  In many ways, he is like Dan but without the support of friends to bring him out of his shell.
* 'The other Bob-Whites all knew that Mart Belden had a special feeling for Di Lynch, a feeling that Di returned.'  And later: 'Trixie's feeling for Jim was well known, too, and Honey liked to do as much as she could to encourage it' (p. 104).
* Nick helps Trixie once she has been tied up, but it is Jim who tackles one of the escaping counterfeiters and becomes the hero (p. 186-188).
* The Bob-Whites have their usual reunion and explanation of how they rescued her, before Trixie remembers Nick was even there (p. 192)
* Nick has his license and drove his father's car to the abandoned house (p. 198).
* Molinson tells Trixie that she will get a $5000 reward, but Trixie says it belongs to Nick as he discovered the counterfeiters first (p.209).  The money will be used for Nick's college tuition.
* Nick sketches Trixie being told off by Molinson and gives it to her.  He says that he'd like to do a nice drawing of her one day and Trixie refuses, but Jim tells him that he will hold him to that (p. 210)

## References

1. ↑ "The Mystery off Old Telegraph Road." Trixie-belden.com. N.d. Retrieved September 5, 2021 from http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/series/book20.htm