The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (114 page)

T
HE
G
REAT
B
ICYCLE
R
ACE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
W
ILD
P
ONIES

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
OMPUTER
G
AME

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
C
ROOKED
H
OUSE

T
HE
H
OCKEY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IDNIGHT
D
OG

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
CREECH
O
WL

T
HE
S
UMMER
C
AMP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
C
OPYCAT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
LOCK
T
OWER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
T
IGER
’S E
YE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
S
TAIRCASE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON
B
LIZZARD
M
OUNTAIN

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
PIDER
’S C
LUE

T
HE
C
ANDY
F
ACTORY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
UMMY’S
C
URSE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TAR
R
UBY

T
HE
S
TUFFED
B
EAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF
A
LLIGATOR
S
WAMP

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
S
KELETON
P
OINT

T
HE
T
ATTLETALE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
C
OMIC
B
OOK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
G
REAT
S
HARK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
I
CE
C
REAM
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
IDNIGHT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
F
ORTUNE
C
OOKIE

T
HE
B
LACK
W
IDOW
S
PIDER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
R
ADIO
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
R
UNAWAY
G
HOST

T
HE
F
INDERS
K
EEPERS
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
AUNTED
B
OXCAR

T
HE
C
LUE IN THE
C
ORN
M
AZE

T
HE
G
HOST OF THE
C
HATTERING
B
ONES

T
HE
S
WORD OF THE
S
ILVER
K
NIGHT

T
HE
G
AME
S
TORE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
O
RPHAN
T
RAIN

T
HE
V
ANISHING
P
ASSENGER

T
HE
G
IANT
Y
O
-Y
O
M
YSTERY

T
HE
C
REATURE IN
O
GOPOGO
L
AKE

T
HE
R
OCK ’N’
R
OLL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
S
ECRET OF THE
M
ASK

T
HE
S
EATTLE
P
UZZLE

T
HE
G
HOST IN THE
F
IRST
R
OW

T
HE
B
OX
T
HAT
W
ATCH
F
OUND

A H
ORSE
N
AMED
D
RAGON

T
HE
G
REAT
D
ETECTIVE
R
ACE

T
HE
G
HOST AT THE
D
RIVE
-I
N
M
OVIE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
T
RAVELING
T
OMATOES

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

copyright © 1966 by Albert Whitman & Company

ISBN: 978-1-4532-0803-8

This 2010 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media
180 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com

Houseboat Mystery

GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
Illustrated by David Cunningham

ALBERT WHITMAN & Company, Chicago, Illinois

My thanks to
Commander Neal E. Williams
of the United States Coast Guard
for many courtesies.
G.C.W.

Contents

CHAPTER

1   Houseboat for Rent

2   Henry’s Invention

3   Trouble Brewing

4   The Auction

5   April Center

6   Something Wrong

7   Mystery in a Picture

8   A Discovery

9   The Plan

10   Trapped!

About the Author

W
hat a hot day in July! The four Alden children were sitting under the trees with their grandfather. This was the coolest place they could find.

“Oh, it’s so hot!” said Benny Alden. “Let’s go for a ride.”

“Good!” said Grandfather Alden, looking at his four grandchildren. He stood up. “I was hoping somebody would have a good idea. Henry—”

But Henry, who was older than Benny, had gone. They could hear him in the garage getting out the station wagon.

Jessie wiped her face with a large handkerchief. “Let’s ride until it gets cooler,” she said. “The weather report says this heat is going to last for a week.”

The Aldens’ dog, Watch, wagged his tail as he lay at Jessie’s feet. “Yes, Watch, you can go, too,” Jessie said.

Watch gave a bark and trotted along with the family. They all walked across the grass to the drive. Violet put her arm through her grandfather’s and said, “This family has the best ideas. Don’t you think so, Grandfather?”

“Yes, indeed,” Mr. Alden replied as he smiled at his younger granddaughter. “Somebody always thinks of something to do when we need it.”

“It’s funny,” said Jessie. “Things always seem to happen to this family when we don’t expect them. I was thinking I’d never feel cool again. But we will be cooler just as soon as the car is moving.”

Henry stopped the car in the driveway. The children, Grandfather, and Watch all got in and away they went. Every window was open as they rode along a straight highway.

Henry said, “Benny, I’m glad you thought of this. I feel better already.”