The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (38 page)
Read The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve Online
Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner
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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 © 1953, 1981 by Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN: 978-1-4532-0760-4
This 2010 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media
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New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
Mystery Ranch
GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
Illustrated by Dirk Gringhuis
ALBERT WHITMAN & Company Chicago, Illinois
Contents
CHAPTER
1
The Door Bangs
A
n exciting summer began for the four Alden children with the bang of a door.
The big house where they lived with their grandfather had been as quiet as a house can be with four children in it. Their cousin, Joe, had gone to Europe with his new wife, Alice. Everything seemed peaceful, until the afternoon when the door banged.
It was Mr. Alden.
Benny said, “Hi, Grandfather!”
“Hello,” Mr. Alden answered.
That was all. He went straight to the front room and shut that door loudly too.
“Well!” thought Benny. “What in the world is the matter with Grandfather?”
He ran upstairs to the room where Jessie and Violet were reading.
“Listen!” Benny cried. “Something terrible must have happened to Grandfather. He banged the door, and all he said was ‘Hello.’ He always says, ‘Well, hello, Benny, and how are you today?’”
Jessie shut her book quickly and sat up straight.
“Did you tell Henry?” she asked.
“No,” answered Benny. “I just told you, and that’s all the time I had.”
“Hen-ry!” called Jessie.
“What’s the matter?” asked Henry, coming down the hall. He knew by Jessie’s voice that something had happened.
“Benny says that Grandfather came in and banged the door, and hardly spoke to him.”
Henry stood still in the door. “Where is our grandfather now, old fellow?” he asked his little brother.
