The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (12 page)
Read The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve Online
Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner
copyright © 1942, 1950, 1969, 1977 by Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN: 978-1-4532-0752-9
This 2010 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media
180 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
Surprise Island
GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
Illustrated by Mary Gehr
ALBERT WHITMAN & Company, Chicago, Illinois
Contents
CHAPTER
The First Surprise
N
ow, tell us, Grandfather,” cried Henry. “We ran all the way home from school.”
“Tell us!” shouted Benny, throwing himself down on the grass beside the dog. “School is out for the whole summer, and Watch wants to know.”
“Violet and I want to know, too,” said Jessie.
Mr. Alden was sitting in the garden reading. He looked at his four grandchildren in surprise.
“Let me see, was this the day I said I’d tell you?” he asked them.
“He’s joking, Benny,” said Jessie.
“Joking?” cried Mr. Alden. “I mean everything I say!”
But he was joking, just the same, and enjoying himself, too. In the spring, he had promised his grandchildren a surprise for the summer, and now he had been waiting more than an hour for the children to come home.
“School is out,” said Violet.
“We ran all the way home,” shouted Benny.
“Yes, so you said,” said Mr. Alden slowly.
“You said the surprise was something you liked to do yourself when you were fifteen,” Henry told him.
“Yes, or even six,” said Mr. Alden, looking at Benny.
“And you said you’d tell us the minute school was out, Grandfather,” said Benny.
Mr. Alden laughed. “I certainly did,” he replied. “And now I’m going to tell you.”
The four children looked at him.
He began, “Once upon a time my father bought an island.”
“He
bought
one!” cried Henry.
“Yes,” Mr. Alden went on. “The island is small. There is nothing much on it except a small house, a barn, and a fisherman’s hut. My father wanted a quiet place to keep his best horses. Old Captain Daniel, who runs the motorboat, lives in the fisherman’s hut now. Let’s all go down to the island and look it over. If you want to stay there all summer, you may.”
“Oh, Grandfather!” cried Jessie. “We would like it better than anything in the world. It will be just like the boxcar days!”
“Couldn’t Watch go, too?” asked Benny, with his hand on the dog’s head.
“Certainly,” said Mr. Alden. “He would be lonesome without you.”
“Can we have a real stove, and cook?” asked Violet.
“You’ll have to cook,” replied Mr. Alden, “if you want to eat. I will give you some money for dishes and things. You must tell me how much money you need, but don’t make it too much.”
All the children laughed a little, because even Benny knew that their grandfather had enough money to buy anything they wanted.
“Let’s go now,” said Benny suddenly.
The four children jumped up so quickly that Mr. Alden threw back his head and laughed.
“We will go in the car as far as the ocean,” he said. “Then Captain Daniel will take us in the motorboat across to the island. We might stop and get Dr. Moore and his mother to come along and enjoy the fun. It’s the doctor’s day off.”
The children were delighted, for Dr. Moore and his mother were their best friends.
Dr. Moore did not look at all surprised when they came. He helped his mother into the big car, and off they all went toward the ocean. On the way Jessie and Violet began to plan their housekeeping.
“We have to buy bread and bottles of milk,” said Jessie. “Then we could live, even if we didn’t have anything else to eat.”
“Here’s a little book and a pen,” said Mr. Alden, taking a small blue book from his pocket.
“Write down the dishes we need,” said Violet.
Before they reached the ocean, Jessie had put down all the things they could think of. There were spoons, cups, bowls, plates, a sharp knife, a dishpan, and a big kettle.
Then they saw the ocean and the Alden motorboat tied up at the small dock. Captain Daniel, the old fisherman, was waiting for them on the dock.
“How are you, Captain?” said Mr. Alden, as they shook hands. “Just take us across to the island. If the children don’t like it, you can bring us right back again.”
The children shouted at this. “We’ll like it all right,” they said.
They climbed into the boat and were off.
“There’s our island!” cried Henry. “Our very own island!”
Benny began to wave.
“There’s nobody there, Benny. Why are you waving?” asked Grandfather. In spite of this, all the children began to wave at the island.
“And there’s our little house!” shouted Benny. “But is it big enough for all of us?”
“Oh, no,” said Captain Daniel. “That little hut is my house.” He laughed and looked at Mr. Alden.
They landed at the little dock, and walked a short way before they saw a small yellow house.
“Are we going to live in that yellow house?” cried Jessie.
“Oh, no!” answered Mr. Alden. “You children are going to live in the barn!”
“In the barn!” shouted the children, as they ran over to it.
“This is the best idea I have ever heard!” cried Henry. He opened the big door and looked in. A new floor had been laid but the children did not notice it. All of them were looking at the four box stalls along the back of the room.
“Bedrooms!” cried Benny, pointing to the box stalls.
“That’s what they are!” said Henry, opening one of the swinging doors to look in. Each stall had a large window and nothing else at all.
“Let’s bring down some straw for beds,” said Henry, looking up the stairs. “We can cover the straw with blankets.” He pointed to a pile of clean, light brown blankets.
Jessie ran over to look at the little stove. It was new, and there was an oven on top. Then Henry walked over to look at some barrels.
“Here are two empty barrels,” he shouted. “We can use them for table legs, and lay this long board across them for a table.”
“Wonderful!” said Jessie.
The older people stood in the doorway, watching the excited children.
“I’m glad the workmen left these old boxes here,” said Henry. “I can make dozens of things out of that wood—maybe a little cupboard for the dishes.”
“Oh, Henry, do you think you could?” cried Violet. “We wouldn’t need doors.”
“Of course he could,” said Benny. “He could make doors, too. Henry can make anything.”
“There is a little spring over there,” said Mr. Alden, taking the children to the window to look. “That spring never runs dry. It is always as cold as ice, even on very hot days, and it is safe to drink, too.”
“Isn’t this perfect, Henry?” said Jessie. “The most important things are settled already. Oh, I wish we could stay here tonight!”
“How about dishes?” asked Violet.
Jessie said, “We can get spoons and things at the five and ten. Are there any dishes already on the island, Grandfather?”
“Not a dish except what the captain has,” replied Mr. Alden. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry!” cried Jessie. “It’s lots more fun to buy them. Let’s get six of each thing. Then we can have company.”
“There’s still time to go back to the mainland,” said Henry looking at his watch. “We could go to the five and ten for dishes, and we could buy bread and milk for supper.”
“And I want my bear,” said Benny.
“Very well, my children,” said Mr. Alden, smiling. “You shall go back and get your things and stay here this very night.”
But just then Mr. Alden noticed that Captain Daniel had something on his mind.
“Did you want something, Captain?” he asked.
“Well, yes,” replied Captain Daniel. “I heard you say I was the only one on the island.”
“Well, aren’t you?” Mr. Alden looked at him.
“No, I’m not. I’ve got a young friend staying with me in my hut. I thought I had better tell you. He’s a good young man, handy and all, but he hasn’t been well.”
“What’s the matter with him? Who is he?” asked Mr. Alden sharply, just as Captain Daniel knew he would.
“I’ve known him all his life,” said Captain Daniel. Then he looked at Dr. Moore for help.
“Suppose I go down to the hut and talk with this man,” said Dr. Moore.
“Fine!” said Mr. Alden. “You go and see what this is all about.”
“I want to go with you,” said Benny.
“Oh, no,” said the doctor. “You go look in the windows of the yellow house, and see what you can see. I’ll be right back.”
So the children went over to look into every window, while Dr. Moore went off with Captain Daniel to see his friend.
