The Ringmaster's Secret Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER I - The Golden Charms

  CHAPTER II - A Suspicious Groom

  CHAPTER III - The Cruel Ringmaster

  CHAPTER IV - An Amazing Aerialist

  CHAPTER V - A Strange Attack

  CHAPTER VI - Stunt Riding

  CHAPTER VII - Meeting a Challenge

  CHAPTER VIII - A Quick Switch

  CHAPTER IX - A Dangerous Performance

  CHAPTER X - The Clue in the Scrapbook

  CHAPTER XI - A Unique Admission

  CHAPTER XII - A Secret Search

  CHAPTER XIII - Blackout

  CHAPTER XIV - George’s Discovery

  CHAPTER XV - New York Yields a Lead

  CHAPTER XVI - A Lucky Hunch

  CHAPTER XVII - The Hunt Narrows

  CHAPTER XVIII - Dodging Spies

  CHAPTER XIX - Terror at the Circus

  CHAPTER XX - Last Links in the Mystery

  THE RINGMASTER’S SECRET

  Nancy is given a beautiful gold bracelet and finds that one of the horse charms is missing. When she learns the unusual story behind the jewelry, she sets out to solve the fascinating mystery.

  The bracelet had been presented to a former circus performer by a queen who loved horses. For some reason the performer had to sell the bracelet but would not reveal her true identity.

  Clues lead Nancy to Sims’ Circus, where she meets Lolita, an unhappy young aerialist who has a horse charm wrought exactly like those on Nancy’s bracelet. The young detective joins the circus and is soon caught up in its exciting life. It becomes apparent that someone opposes Nancy’s investigation and tries to deter her.

  Nancy’s clever deductions help her to find the original owner of the bracelet, to reunite a mother and daughter who had been separated for years, and to bring much happiness to Sims’ Circus.

  “Now we can get out of this prison,” George cried.

  Copyright © 1974, 1953 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

  Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., a member of The Putnam & Crosset Group, New York. Published simultaneously in Canada. S.A. NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES® is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-07732-0

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  CHAPTER I

  The Golden Charms

  “OH, Nancy, I worry so about your doing that trick riding,” remarked Hannah Gruen, looking fondly at the slender attractive girl in jodhpurs and a tight-fitting coat.

  Eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew was about to leave the house for a morning riding lesson. She had paused to look at the mail on the front-hall table.

  “Who knows, Hannah, the trick riding may come in handy someday when I have a mystery to solve,” she replied, putting an arm affectionately around the Drews’ housekeeper. The kindly middle-aged woman had acted as a mother to her since Mrs. Drew’s death many years before.

  Nancy added with a smile, “If you’re worrying about my safety, I haven’t had a spill in months. Senor Roberto is too good a teach—why, look!” she interrupted herself. “Here’s a letter and the mystery package from New York!”

  “What do you mean, Nancy?”

  “Didn’t I tell you, Hannah? Aunt Eloise sent a card saying she was mailing me a gift that has an unusual story.”

  Nancy opened the letter from her aunt and began to read part of it aloud:

  ... and the shopkeeper, who purchased it on a buying trip in Europe, said it had been presented to a woman circus performer by a queen who loved horses. The performer was in dire need of money and had to sell it but would not reveal her true identity...

  As Nancy paused, Hannah Gruen remarked with a sigh, “And I suppose that you’re going to try to find this circus performer and help her out of her troubles. That’s what you always do. Well, open the box and let’s see what the mysterious gift is.”

  Nancy unwrapped several layers of tissue paper before she came to Aunt Eloise’s present. Then, holding up an exquisite gold bracelet, she exclaimed, “Look at all those darling little horse charms on it! One, two, three, four, five of them! Oh, oh, a sixth one is missing.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Hannah. “The bracelet’s beautiful enough without the other horse.”

  “Yes, it’s perfectly lovely.”

  “Oh, oh, a sixth charm is missing!”

  Nancy slipped the dainty bracelet over her wrist and held up her arm to look at the effect. The tiny horses gleamed in the light and seemed to be almost alive, they were so perfectly wrought. Each displayed a different gait, and all were gracefully poised.

  “I wonder which gait the sixth horse had,” Nancy mused.

  “There are only five gaits, aren’t there?” Mrs. Gruen asked.

  “Yes. It’s possible the missing figure wasn’t a horse at all,” Nancy said.

  Turning the bracelet around and around, she continued to admire it and to scrutinize the jewelry thoroughly for any sign of the original owner—the person who would not, according to the story, reveal her identity. There were no initials on the bracelet, and the simple scroll design on the wristlet did not seem to hold the answer.

  “Do you suppose the circus performer was a European?” Nancy asked, “or an American who was working over there?”

  “Now, Nancy,” said Mrs. Gruen, “you know I wouldn’t have the least idea.”

  The girl’s blue eyes suddenly sparkled and she snapped her fingers. “I can start checking right away by asking Senor Roberto some questions. You know, he used to be with the Sims Circus.”

  “Yes, and I wish he’d never left it and opened that riding academy here in River Heights,” Hannah declared. “Then you wouldn’t have learned how to ride without a saddle and jump onto a moving horse and—”

  Nancy laughed. “It’s fun. And by the way, did you know the Sims Circus is coming to town tomorrow?”

  “You bet it is,” said a young voice from the back of the hall.

  Nancy and Hannah turned to see six-year-old Teddy Brown, a neighbor, who had come in the back entrance. The red-haired, freckle-faced boy was grinning broadly.

  “And don’t forget, Nancy,” he went on, “you promised to take me to see the circus men put up the tents and everything.”

  “That’s right, Teddy. We’ll leave your house at five o’clock tomorrow morning.” Nancy tweaked his nose affectionately. “That’s very early. Sure you’ll be up?”

  “You bet! I’ll be seeing you at five tomorrow morning.”

  The youngster ran off as quickly as he had appeared. As the back screen-door slammed behind him, Nancy removed the bracelet and handed it to Hannah Gruen.

  “Please put this away for me,” she requested. “I won’t be gone long.”

  “And promise me you’ll be careful,” the housekeeper pleaded. “I wouldn’t want your father to come home from his trip and find that you—”

  “Don’t say it, Hannah!”

  Nancy kissed her and promised to be careful. Seated in her convertible, her reddish-blond hair blowing in the soft summer breeze as she drove along, Nancy made a charming picture. But her expression was serious and her thoughts were on the circus performer. The young detective wondered what misfortune the woman had met.

  Ten minutes later Nancy parked the car in the driveway of the riding academy and walked to Senor Roberto’s office. Hitch, the stableman, greeted her with his usual glum manner. The groom, whom Nancy knew only by his nickname, never changed his dour expression.

  “The boss ain’t here,” he muttered. He suddenly shook his finger at Nancy. “If you know what’s good for you, Miss Drew, you’ll
stay away from circus ridin’.”

  “Circus riding?” Nancy asked, puzzled. “I haven’t been doing any circus riding.”

  “Yes, you have too.” Hitch’s voice was rising angrily. “That’s what Roberto tries on everybody who shows a leanin’ for it. But I’m tellin’ you, quit it! Stop now! Right now!”

  Nancy stared in amazement at Hitch, whose eyes were blazing. What could be back of his outburst, she wondered. A hatred of Roberto?

  “Nobody what ain’t been brought up in a circus has got any right to try imitatin’ circus folks!” Hitch shouted. “I tell you—”

  The tirade ended abruptly when the stableman saw Senor Roberto walking across the outdoor riding ring toward his office. The irate helper ambled off, saying he would bring Nancy’s mare. She stepped outside.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Drew,” the riding master said with a smile. “Sorry to be late.”

  “I didn’t mind waiting,” Nancy replied. “Hitch and I were talking. He—er—seemed a bit upset.”

  “About the circus, no doubt,” Roberto commented. “Hitch will never get over his dismissal from Sims’. He doesn’t talk about much else.”

  “I presume he’s rather keyed up because the circus is coming here tomorrow,” Nancy remarked.

  “To tell you the truth, Miss Drew, Hitch is beside himself. He has declared he won’t go near it, but I wonder if he can resist. Anyway, I’m going. I want to see what acts they have now and say hello to my old friends.”

  As Roberto finished speaking, Hitch led Nancy’s mare into the ring. The beautiful gray horse nuzzled the girl as she stroked the animal’s velvety nose. Nancy swung into the saddle and walked her horse counterclockwise several times around the ring.

  Then Senor Roberto called out, “Trot!”

  Nancy automatically sat still for a few strides, then started posting, remembering to take the up motion when the mare’s left foreleg was forward in order to get the correct diagonal. The riding master smiled in satisfaction at the rhythm and grace of Nancy’s performance.

  Next came the canter. Half an hour later, Nancy was ready for stunt riding. First Hitch removed the saddle, looking darkly at Nancy as he carried it away.

  Once more she mounted the horse, this time with only the blanket between herself and the mare. Nancy slapped her gently on the flank and the horse began to canter slowly. Being an ex-circus horse, Belgian Star was considerate of her rider.

  She seemed to know just the right speed to use, too, as Nancy stood up on the mare’s back. Keeping her balance, Nancy went twice around the enclosure. On the third lap she caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure crouching on the ground outside the split-rail fence.

  The next moment, a large stone sailed through the air directly at Belgian Star’s head. The horse reared almost straight up, and Nancy was thrown off.

  CHAPTER II

  A Suspicious Groom

  ON THE far side of the ring Senor Roberto had witnessed the accident in alarm and dismay. He rushed toward Nancy, who lay still on the turf where she had fallen. As he reached her, the girl’s eyelids flickered open.

  “Miss Drew!” the riding master cried.

  He kneeled beside her, hoping that she had broken no bones and had not hit her head.

  “Miss Drew!” he murmured over and over. “Are you all right?”

  Nancy nodded slowly and struggled to a sitting position. Then, with Senor Roberto’s assistance, she got to her feet. To the man’s amazement, her first words were, “Is Belgian Star all right?”

  It was typical of Nancy not to think of herself. She had been in many tight spots while solving the various mysteries that had come her way, but the safety of innocent persons involved had always been her chief concern. Starting with The Secret of the Old Clock, she had proved herself adept in handling difficult situations and bringing many criminals to justice. This had been particularly true in her most recent case, which had come to be known as The Clue of The Velvet Mask.

  “Miss Drew,” said Senor Roberto, “you look very pale. We’ll go into my office and I’ll fix you some tea.”

  Nancy was not to be sidetracked in her concern for Belgian Star. The horse had left the ring and was now out of sight.

  “Where did Star go?” she asked. “Is she all right?”

  “Well,” said Senor Roberto, raising his eyebrows high, “my first concern is for you. But if you insist upon knowing about the horse, I’ll find out.”

  Nancy managed a wan smile. “I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful,” she said, “but someone hurled a stone at Star’s head. It may have injured her.”

  The riding master stared in amazement. “You say someone threw a stone at the horse?” he asked.

  Nancy nodded. “A man who was lying on the ground outside the fence tossed it. There’s the stone over on the grass.” She pointed.

  Senor Roberto looked worried. “I understand now why you were anxious about the mare,” he said. “We’ll look into this at once. Have you any idea who the person was?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Nancy replied. “I didn’t see his face.”

  Suddenly the riding master bellowed, “Hitch! Hitch! Come here at once!”

  The stableman did not appear instantly. But after the third summons he ran from the building.

  “Were you out here when Miss Drew fell?” the riding master asked him.

  “Why, no, sir,” the groom replied. “I didn’t even know there’d been any trouble.”

  “Did you see anyone outside the fence?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Did Belgian Star run into her stall?” Roberto questioned him.

  “Yes, she did. Star seemed pretty excited. I’ve been tryin’ to calm her down.”

  While the riding master told his hostler about the accident, Nancy noticed that Hitch was wearing the same kind of clothes and old soft hat as the figure she had seen on the ground. And his suit had fresh dirt on it! Her suspicions were instantly aroused. She looked beyond the fence to determine whether the man might have had time to take a circuitous route back to the stable.

  “He could have done it easily,” she told herself, staring at the thick woods that came up almost to the fence of the riding ring. “And Hitch is out of breath from running.”

  Nancy turned to Senor Roberto, “How long was I unconscious?” she asked.

  “Oh, twenty or thirty seconds—that’s all,” the riding master replied.

  Then Nancy turned to Hitch. “How did you get all that fresh dirt on the front of your clothes?”

  Hitch suddenly looked uncomfortable. He did not reply for a few seconds. Instead he countered, “I’ve heard you’re a detective. Is it true?”

  Nancy, somewhat taken aback by his question, acknowledged that she was known as an amateur sleuth.

  “Then I guess I’d better tell the truth—seein as how you’ll find it out in the end,” Hitch said. “I walked around through the woods to watch you do the circus stunts. While I was lookin’, I seen a feller lyin’ on the ground by the fence. The next thing I knew he threw somethin’ at your horse. Then when I seen you fall off I got so scared I beat it. That’s when I tripped and fell down in the dirt.”

  “Have you any idea who the man was?” Señor Roberto inquired in a cold voice.

  Hitch said he had not seen the man’s face and was sorry now he had not waited to find out.

  “I’m mighty glad you’re all right, Miss Drew,” he added, and then he walked back to the stable.

  There was nothing more Nancy could do. Despite the groom’s story, she felt sure he had thrown the stone. But why had he tried to harm her and Belgian Star?

  “I’ll watch him from now on,” Nancy decided.

  She told Señor Roberto that she felt fully recovered from her spill, and if Belgian Star was all right, she wanted to continue her riding lesson.

  The riding master was about to demur, then changed his mind. He believed a rider who had fallen off should immediately remount his horse if he had not been injured.
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  Hitch brought Belgian Star from the stable. Nancy and the riding master carefully examined the mare’s nose, and though there was a bruise on it, the horse did not seem to be suffering any pain.

  “Are you game to go on with your lesson?” Nancy asked the mare, putting her arms around the animal’s gracefully arched neck.

  For answer, Belgian Star went into the ring and waited for Nancy to mount. This time the girl circled the enclosure several times before attempting to stand up on the horse’s back.

  “Am I imagining it, or is someone peering at me from among those trees?” she asked herself, trying to shrug off a distrustful mood.

  As she rounded the curve on the next lap, Nancy was sure she was not wrong—someone was watching. A feeling of uneasiness came over her.

  She had just about decided to practice stunt riding when she heard a voice call her. She turned abruptly to see two girls running from the woods. They climbed onto the fence, laughing.

  “Bess! George!” Nancy cried. “Where did you come from?”

  She immediately rode Belgian Star over to them. She noticed that blond, blue-eyed and slightly plump Bess Marvin had a sketching pad and pencil in her hands.

  “Hold it!” Bess ordered.

  Nancy obediently sat still while her friend quickly sketched. Meanwhile, Bess’s cousin, George Fayne, leaned over the fence and patted Belgian Star. She was slim and athletic looking. Her dark-brown hair was cut very short.

  “Pretty nice horse,” she remarked. “Is your dad going to let you buy her?”

  “Oh, Señor Roberto wouldn’t part with this mare for anything,” Nancy replied. “She’s a darling. I wouldn’t ride any other horse out here.”

  “Let’s see you do some stunts,” George urged.

  “Yes, please do,” said Bess. “I want to make several sketches.”

  “All right,” Nancy agreed. “But, Bess, first tell me, when did you take up sketching?”

  “Just this afternoon.” Bess giggled. “You might say I was inspired by reports of your fine riding.”