Mystery of the Wild Ponies (9 page)

Winifred was smiling warmly at Austin.

“Then I told her I took her beach towel and her apples and she said she didn’t care anymore. She even drew my picture.”

“And we hit it off, didn’t we, Austin? You, Midnight, and I,” Winifred said.

Officer Hyde put his empty mug on the table. “Well, I must get back to the herd. Midnight will be fine in Shad’s barn till tomorrow. Then I’m taking him back to the sanctuary.” He looked sternly at Austin. “I’ll also talk to the sheriff and discuss your keeping Midnight at Shad’s, Austin.”

Austin stared at the floor.

“Austin is going home with me tonight,” said Shad. “His folks will be at my place in about an hour.”

“How about if we all meet tomorrow morning at the sanctuary?” said Officer Hyde, going to the door. “I’m sure everyone wants to see Midnight returned safely.”

“We’ll be there,” Grandfather said to Winifred. “We should going, too. Thanks for the coffee.”

Benny looked back at Austin. The boy’s shoulders were slumped in misery. What would happen to him?

The next morning the sky was blue, as if the storm had scrubbed it extra-clean.

The Aldens and Winifred left early for the sanctuary.

A crowd gathered at the sanctuary gate—the Aldens, Winifred, Officer Hyde, and Shad. Austin introduced his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Derrick, to everyone. They had arrived the night before and seemed very glad to be with their son. Officer Hyde had brought Midnight from Shad’s in a horse trailer.

He backed the trailer into the open gate and let down the ramp. Midnight walked off and immediately joined several members of the herd who had climbed over the dune out of curiosity.

“I promised we’d find Midnight!” Benny called to the horses.

“Will he be the leader again?” Violet wanted to know.

Officer Hyde nodded. “I think it’ll be all right.”

“What about me?” Austin asked nervously.

“I’ve discussed the case with the sheriff and the sheriff has spoken with our local judge,” said Officer Hyde. “Since you are underage, we decided you have to pay the fine for taking Midnight, but instead of a sentence, you will do community service.”

“But Austin doesn’t live here,” said Mrs. Derrick.

“He can stay with me, if that is all right with his parents and the authorities,” said Shad.

“And I would like to help pay the fine,” offered Winifred.

“That’s quite all right—” Mr. Derrick began.

“Please let me,” said Winifred. “I knew about the horse and should have told the authorities immediately.”

“What kind of community service will I be doing?” Austin asked Officer Hyde.

“Working with the horses,” he answered.

“You can help me take care of the herd.”

For the first time, a smile lit up Austin’s face.

Mrs. Derrick looked relieved. “I’m sorry your father and I are away so much. But running away isn’t the answer. We were so terribly worried.”

“I know.” Austin looked as though he knew how much worry he had caused them and was truly sorry.

To lessen the tension, Grandfather said lightly, “I thought you kids weren’t going to find a mystery here!”

“One found us anyway,” Henry said, grinning.

Everyone looked relieved and a bit tired after the long, eventful day before and their early morning meeting.

“Grandfather!” Benny cried. “Next time we go on vacation, we
promise
no mysteries!”

The grown-ups laughed heartily at Benny’s declaration but Henry, Jessie, Violet, and even Benny wondered silently if it was a promise they would be able to keep.

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book,
The Boxcar Children,
quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

The Boxcar Children Mysteries

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE’S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND
THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
U
NCOVERS
A
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
D
ESERTED
L
IBRARY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
O
LD
M
OTEL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
P
AINTING

T
HE
A
MUSEMENT
P
ARK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IXED
-U
P
Z
OO

T
HE
C
AMP
-O
UT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
G
IRL

T
HE
M
YSTERY
C
RUISE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
F
RIEND
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
INGING
G
HOST

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
NOW

T
HE
P
IZZA
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
H
ORSE

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
D
OG
S
HOW

T
HE
C
ASTLE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
V
ILLAGE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
I
CE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
URPLE
P
OOL

T
HE
G
HOST
S
HIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
W
ASHINGTON
, DC

T
HE
C
ANOE
T
RIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
B
EACH

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
ISSING
C
AT

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
S
NOWFLAKE
I
NN

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON
S
TAGE

T
HE
D
INOSAUR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
M
USIC

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
B
ALL
P
ARK

T
HE
C
HOCOLATE
S
UNDAE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
OT
A
IR
B
ALLOON

T
HE
M
YSTERY
B
OOKSTORE

T
HE
P
ILGRIM
V
ILLAGE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
B
OXCAR

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
AVE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
T
RAIN

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
F
AIR

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
M
INE

T
HE
G
UIDE
D
OG
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
URRICANE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
P
ET
S
HOP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
ECRET
M
ESSAGE

T
HE
F
IREHOUSE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
S
AN
F
RANCISCO

T
HE
N
IAGARA
F
ALLS
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
A
LAMO

T
HE
O
UTER
S
PACE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
S
OCCER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
O
LD
A
TTIC

T
HE
G
ROWLING
B
EAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
AKE
M
ONSTER

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
P
EACOCK
H
ALL

T
HE
W
INDY
C
ITY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
B
LACK
P
EARL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
C
EREAL
B
OX
M
YSTERY

T
HE
P
ANTHER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
Q
UEEN’S
J
EWELS

T
HE
S
TOLEN
S
WORD
M
YSTERY

T
HE
B
ASKETBALL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
OVIE
S
TAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
IRATE’S
M
AP

T
HE
G
HOST
T
OWN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
B
LACK
R
AVEN

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
M
ALL