Titus and Mathilda Jones
Mathilda Jones in "Fiery Eye."
Although Titus Jones took part in a lot of the stories,
he was never drawn in any of the illustrations.
The uncle and aunt of
Jupiter, Titus and Mathilda Jones are the owners of the
grand Jones Salvage Yard. Titus Jones is "a small
man with an enormous mustache" and his wife Mathilda
is a lovable if strong-minded woman who loves to "put
boys to work."
Although not wealthy, Titus and Mathilda provide a lot of
opportunity for the creative trio of Jupe, Pete, and Bob
to acquire equipment and supplies to outfit them as the
Three Investigators. Headquarters for the Investigators
just wouldn't be the same if it wasn't in the Jones
Salvage Yard, and Jupe's outdoor workshop gives the boys
ample workspace to stay close to Jupe's home without
being bothered by adults or other kids.
Titus Jones was a performer in the circus, playing a
calliope, but he has abandoned that life for one of
collecting junk. He drives a hard bargain for things to
sell in the salvage yard but also manages to find lots of
unique stuff that people always want to buy. He's good-hearted
and generous not only to the boys but to others in the
community; the painting on the salvage yard wall that
makes Red Gate Rover possible wouldn't exist if Titus
hadn't given lots of things to the local artists, who
then repaid the favor with the painting. Titus is also
aware of Jupe's intellectual capabilities and doesn't
mind teaching him a lesson every so often to keep him
humble, such as in "Talking Skull" when Titus
hides Gulliver's trunk where Jupe can't find it.
Like Titus, Mathilda Jones wants to make sure that
Jupiter is raised right and consequently does not give
Jupe and his friends a lot of spare time to just sit
around. Despite this apparent strictness, Mathilda has a
soft spot for boys and as Robert Arthur puts it, her
"heart is as big as she is," which really shows
in "Stuttering Parrot," when she gives away a
lot of building materials (plus some extra cash) to
Carlos so that he can fix up his house. And of course,
Mathilda has a unique exclamation that she uses on
occasion: "Mercy and goodness and sweetness and
light!"
Although the Three Investigators books are aimed at
teenage boys and girls who like mystery stories, it's
interesting to see that one romance is portrayed in the
series, that of Titus and Mathilda. It's Titus who brings
home an iron deer to set up outside the Salvage Yard gate
and then remarks to Mathilda, "Now I'll have two
dears."
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