Password to Larkspur Lane

Basic Comparisons

The 1933 edition has 25 chapters and consists of 220 pages. There is an illustration on the interior cover and the first actual page, and an illustration on the page which is opposite the title page. In addition, the title is very slightly different. It is The Password to Larkspur Lane. The 'the' was dropped in the revised version.

The 1994 printing (using the 1966 revised text) has 20 chapters and 175 pages. There is an illustration opposite the title page, and one illustration in chapter 1. There are also illustrations in chapters 5, 10, 13, and17

Covers

Inside illustration.

Text Differences

1. Helen Corning does not seem to be married in the 1933 text, but definitely is in the revised text.

2. There's nothing about Nancy entering and winning a flower contest.

3. Mr. Drew explains to the young boy about the name Icarus.

4. There's reference made to a movie 'The Lure of the Leopard' in the original text but not in the revised text.

5. In the 1933 text Nancy gets into an informal diving competition. She wins.

6. In the original text, Nancy drives with Helen Corning to find Larkspur Lane. In the revised text, Nancy is driving with George and Bess.

7. Elements of racism are evident in the 1933 text due to the presence of a black cook and the type of language that she uses.

8. As with the other reconnaissance missions, it's Nancy and Helen in the original text, and Nancy, George and Bess in the revised text.

9. It's Helen that gets her ankle hurt in the original text, and George in the revised text.

10. In the original text, Helen plays the part of Nancy's nurse. In the revised text, it's Bess that fills that role.

11. The entire story line about Morgan the servant, his attempt to steal the crystal flowers, and his kidnapping is only in the revised text. There's not a trace of that in the original text.

12. In the original text Nancy disables the crooks car and then disables the guide wires on the plane. In the revised text there's no car, and she lets the gasoline spill out of the plane.

13. In the old text, only one rescue plane lands. In the revised text, there are two rescue planes and two helicopters land.

14. The crooks used hypnotism in the original text, but not in the revised text.

Synopsis. SPOILERS!

Chapter 1

1933: Basically the same events as in the revised text.

1966: The story starts with a bird falling to the ground. A plane has trouble with its engines. The bird was a pigeon and is carrying a message of some kind. Nancy has been picking flowers to enter a flower contest. She sees an old car. Dr. Spire gets into the car and it takes off. The Pigeon Fanciers Association tells Nancy that the pigeon is not officially registered.

Chapter 2

1933: Hannah falls while in the basement and injures her back, so a girl, Effie, is brought in to help out. Nancy goes to to Dr. Spires but he's not there. A caller leaves a message in code. The doctor gets back and says he needs help in solving a mystery.

1966: Hannah falls while in the basement and injures her back, so a girl, Effie, is brought in to help out. Nancy goes to to Dr. Spires but he's not there. A caller leaves a message in code. The doctor gets back and says he needs help in solving a mystery. Nancy tells her father about what happened. The doctor was kidnapped. He administered to an old woman who slipped a bracelet to him. He heard a password used to get into the place, the password being bluebells. They go to the police and someone follows them. Someone growls at Nancy.

Chapter 3

1933: Nancy tells her father about what happened. The doctor was kidnapped. He administered to an old woman who slipped a bracelet to him. He heard a password used to get into the place, the password being bluebells. They go to the police and someone follows them. Someone growls at Nancy.

1966: He threatens Mr. Drew. Nancy talks to the police. She and her father are followed. Mr. Drew gets to see the other guy and its Adam Thorne, an escaped convict. He had been given ten years for embezzling and had been an attorney. Mr. Drew had gathered evidence against him. He informs the police. Nancy goes to a jeweler who looks at the bracelet and some kind of coat-of-arms on it. Some woman takes Nancy's handbag and pushes her hard.

Chapter 4

1933: Nancy talks to the police. She and her father are followed. Mr. Drew gets to see the other guy and its Adam Thorne, an escaped convict. He had been given ten years for embezzling and had been an attorney.

1966: She chases the women in to a department store and finds the thief who then escapes. Nancy gets her purse back. She meets Helen Corning who is now married. Helen also has a mystery, about her grandparents. Nancy meets a pigeon expert and he tells her her pigeon is the second one like that found in the area. Someone gets into the house.

Chapter 5

1933: Nancy decides to keep the pigeon for a while. Nancy goes to the jeweler, leaves and her handback is stolen. She chases the woman into a department store.

1966: They threaten Nancy and Mr. Drew. Nancy goes to the flower show and finds she's won first prize. A guy sics a dog on her. Nancy thinks she has somewhat broken the coded pigeon message. She goes to visit Helen at her apartment and they go to Helen's grandparents home. They say they have seen a circle of blue fire and Nancy sees it also.

Chapter 6

1933: She finds the woman, but the woman is able to get away. Nancy meets Helen, but there's no mention of Helen's being married. Ned is working at a camp.

1966: Helen screams and the circle vanishes. Morgan, a servant, has changed in behavior. He leaves and leaves a message behind. Nancy goes home and the pigeon escapes.

Chapter 7

1933:

1966: Nancy and Effie follow the pigeon in Nancy's car. It lands. Nancy talks to the person taking care of the pigeon. He grabs Nancy. She finds out about the place which is owned by Adolph Tooker, who also flies a plane. There's a black sedan watching Nancy's house. Effie says they tried to force their way into the house. Nancy wants to leave secretly since the sedan appears again after having left.

Chapter 8

1933: Some guy is talking to her father and threatening him. He informs the police. Nancy explains her idea about larkspurs and bluebells to her father.

1966: Mr. Drew has bought Nancy a new car. The two of them try to sneak out since they are being watched, but they are still seen. A car gives chase but Nancy is able to throw it off. They go to the Cornings. Mr. Drew leaves for the airport. Bess and George arrive. A little girl falls into the waer and Nancy dives in to save her from being hit by a boat.

Chapter 9

1933: Nancy visits the jeweler and finds out about the crest on the bracelet. the pigeon escapes and Nancy and Effie follow it in the car.

1966: The girl is okay. The mother of the girl says that the bracelet may belong to her relatives. She is looking for her husband's old aunt. Ned, Burt and Dave arrive. Nancy checks where the blue fire had been seen and finds bits of brown wrapping paper. Nancy finds a woman who knows where there is a house with bluebells.

Chapter 10

1933: They follow the pigeon until it lands. Nancy stops at an estate, gets out, and sees a man by a shed with a whip.

1966: They find the house, but it's the wrong one. Nancy looks at paper used for fireworks. That night Nancy sees Morgan who has returned. Mrs. Corning gives Nancy Morgan's references and she checks them out. They prove to be fake. Morgan gets a package which contains a larkspur. Morgan passes out.

Chapter 11

1933: Then there's the section with Nancy acting like she wants to buy a couple of pigeons. He grabs Nancy but she's able to get away and she and Effie flee. Nancy finds out about the estate and that it has an airplane.

1966: A doctor arrives and says Morgan has had a slight heart attack. Thorne and his gang may want to rob the Corning's, possibly with Morgan's help. Nancy finds that the Tooker estate is now empty, the crooks having fled. Nancy visits Ned at his camp job. Bess and Nancy wear the same coats, and someone pushes Bess.

Chapter 12

1933: Nancy talks to Hannah and tells her what has been going on. She talks to the doctor about his kidnapping. Nancy gets a call and finds out some nasty guy tried to get into the house. Nancy fills in Mr. Drew about what has been going on They hear a scream and a crash.

1966: George saves Bess. They make it look like Nancy is the one hurt. The Cornings have crystal flowers with jewels inside in a cabinet. The next day George and Bess sneak Nancy out. they find Larkspur Lane and the crook's hideout.

Chapter 13

1933: Effie had seen some man in the bushes. Nancy will go to Helen's grandparents house. Mr. Drew has bought Nancy a new car. She and her father try to trick the watchers.

1966: Nancy sets up a plan to catch a thief. Morgan starts to steal stuff from the crystal flower cabinet and he admits to Nancy that Thorne wanted him to steal the things. Someone grabs Nancy and she passes out.

Chapter 14

1933: Nancy and her father get to the Cornings. Nancy gets into an informal diving competition. A little child falls into the water, and a speedboat could run her over.

1966: The gang got away and took Morgan. The next day George, Bess and Nancy are in the car and return to look at the crook's hideout. There's a gatekeeper with a vicious dog. The fence around the place is electrified. George hurts her ankle. the woman who stole Nancy's handbag is there. There's an old woman sleeping in a wheelchair near to the fence.

Chapter 15

1933: Nancy saves the darling. Nancy tells a woman about the Eldridge bracelet. Nancy and Helen will go 'exploring.'

1966: Nancy talks to her. A doctor has been trying to force her to sign some papers giving him money. He threatens the old woman. Several old ladies are seen there. Nancy plans to imitate an old lady the crooks are expecting. Bess will play the part of her nurse. They get to the place.

Chapter 16

1933: Nancy finds Larkspur Lane (She's traveling with Helen, not with Bess and George). They get out of the car and study the layout of the place they find. They see a plane.

1966: Nancy walks up to the mansion in her disguise and is able to get into the old woman's room. A really nasty nurse comes into the room and Nancy hides under the bed.

Chapter 17

1933: Nancy identifies a guy in another car as one of the crooks. There's also a black cook that uses stereotypical black language.

1966: The woman says their food is drugged. Nancy gets her to the car and Bess, George and the woman leave. Nancy remains and hides in the attic. Morgan is there. The crooks get close to Nancy.

Chapter 18

1933: Helen and Nancy go back for another look at the crook's hideout. There's the same wire fence that is electrified. Helen hurts her ankle. Nancy sees an old woman by the fence.

1966: She's caught and put into an underground cistern.

Chapter 19

1933: The nurse is nasty to the old woman. Nancy talks to the old woman. The doctor tries to force her to sign over more money to him. Nancy finds out another woman is due to show up.

1966: She manages to escape by working her way up the walls and exits where the pigeons are being kept. She puts messages on three of them and sets them free. Morgan has been put in a car and he says they will take him somewhere to kill him. Nancy flattens a tire and turns on the landing lights (the crooks have their own landing field.) Then she drains the fuel from the crook's plane.

Chapter 20

1933: Nancy gets an outfit together to dress as an old lady. Helen will play the part of a nurse. Helen and Nancy use a car to get to the place and say the password to get in.

1966: The state police arrive in their own plane. Ned, Dave and her father land with them. Another plane lands and then two helicopters land. The crooks are gathered up but argue with each other and then confess.

Chapter 21

Nancy gets inside the place and to the old woman's room. She has to hide under the bed.

Chapter 22

The nurse is nasty but doesn't find Nancy. Nancy gets the old woman outside to the car. Helen and the old woman leave. Nancy is caught.

Chapter 23

Nancy is put into the cistern.

Chapter 24

Nancy gets out of the cistern the same way she does in the revised text. She releases three pigeons with messages. She sabotages a car. She disables the guide wires on the plane.

Chapter 25

The crooks try to escape. The plane catches on fire and the gasoline tanks of the plane explode. A plane lands with Ned and her father on it and police. They return to the Corning's cottage. The old woman is there.


Back to main home page index

Young adult Index