Mike's Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

CHAPTER 11

  Pie Day

  Everyone was tired that night. Even Mike and Benny did not talk very

  long. They put down a soft rug for Spotty, but he would not sleep on it.

  He lay down on the hard floor just under Mike's bed.

  "That's just like a dog," said Mike. "They never stay where you put

  them."

  "Lady always sleeps in Aunt Jane's room and Watch always sleeps in

  Jessie's room," said Benny. "He is really her dog, you know."

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  "No," said Mike, "I thought he was your dog."

  "Well, he is all our dog," said Benny.

  "I know what you mean, Ben," said Mike, yawning. He was too sleepy to

  argue.

  "Good night," said Ben and went to his own room.

  Both boys were soon asleep.

  Up at the mine, Mrs. Wood and Pat went to sleep in their new beds. Mrs.

  Wood wanted to get up very early next morning.

  It was about six o'clock when Mrs. Wood called Pat to a breakfast of

  eggs and bacon, toast and cereal and two glasses of milk. "I can hardly

  wait to begin a pie," she said to Pat. "You get washed at the sink and

  then come and eat. After that you can help me."

  Pat said, "I bet Mike and Ben will be up here early, too. They don't

  want to miss anything, do they, Ma?"

  "No. They don't miss very much," said Mrs. Wood with a smile.

  Just as she finished washing the dishes, the other children came to the

  door.

  "One of the men gave us a ride," said Benny. "See

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  what Violet has!" Violet had a piece of wood in her hands. There were

  big black letters on it. It was the new sign to go over the door.

  Mrs. Wood read it. "MIKE'S MOTHER'S PLACE. Isn't that grand?"

  Henry climbed up and nailed it over the door.

  "Now tell us what to do, Mrs. Wood!" cried Jessie. She was excited. Her

  cheeks were very pink.

  "Well, I have a good rule for pies," said Mrs. Wood. "You do not touch

  the crust with your hands. You put it between two pieces of wax paper

  before you roll it out. First you girls mix some flour with shortening

  in those big bowls. I'll show you."

  "Jessie knows how," said Benny. "She is a fine pie maker."

  "Yes, I am sure she is," said Mrs. Wood with a smile. "You boys turn on

  the ovens to 400. It's a wonderful stove you bought! Then set thirty of

  those tins in a row on the long table."

  Soon everyone was hard at work. Mrs. Wood said, "I shall make only two

  kinds of pie the first day. We'll

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  make cherry and apple. So you boys open the big cans, and leave them on

  the table. Just keep the dogs out of the way."

  "I'll tie them up," said Mike.

  "Oh, no," said Jessie. "Don't tie Watch. Listen, Watch, lie down!" Watch

  lay down at once and looked up at Jessie. He wagged his tail, but he did

  not get up.

  "I wish Spotty could do that," said Mike. "I'll have to tie him."

  "Some day we could teach him," said Benny. "But it will take a whole box

  of fig bars. When he starts to lie down, you give him a piece of a fig

  bar. When he gets up you say No! loud, like that."

  "I'll make some fig cookies some day," said Mrs. Wood laughing.

  They made thirty pies. The girls helped roll out the crust between two

  papers. They lifted the crust onto the tins without touching it.

  "Oh, isn't this fun!" said Violet.

  "You children seem to have fun just being kind to

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  somebody," said Mrs. Wood with a loving look at her.

  "Somebody's coming!" shouted Mike from the open door. "It's a lady from

  town."

  The lady laughed. She said, "I hear you sell pies."

  "Yes," said Mike. "But they aren't done yet."

  "When will they be done, little boy?" asked the lady.

  "I'm not a little boy," answered Mike, "but I'll ask my mother."

  "About ten o'clock," Mrs. Wood called out.

  "About ten o'clock," repeated Mike.

  "I'll be back then," said the lady. "I want an apple pie."

  "We'll save one for you," said Mike. "I'll know you by your face. It's

  pretty."

  "Well, thank you," said the lady, laughing. "Are you Mike?"

  "Yes, I'm Mike, and it's my mother making pies."

  When the pies were baked, they smelled delicious. They were nice and

  brown. The lady came back for her pie.

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  She said, "I told some people down on the street, and they are coming to

  buy pies."

  "I hope there will be enough for the miners," said Mrs. Wood. "We really

  made the pies for the men."

  "Let's make some more!" cried Jessie. "It will be too bad if the men

  don't get any."

  The girls soon rolled out more pies. The boys opened another can of

  cherries. It was lucky they did so. When the whistle blew at noon, the

  men came pouring out of the mine. They saw the new sign, and they all

  wanted hot pies. Soon all the pies were sold.

  "We haven't any left for us," said Mike sadly.

  "Yes, Mike, I saved one pie," said his mother. "It was burned a little.

  I can cut it into seven pieces."

  "I like pie burned a little," said Benny.

  The family all sat around the long table to eat lunch. Maggie had sent

  up a large basket of sandwiches and salad and pink lemonade with ice in

  it. Everyone was very hungry.

  "What do we do now?" asked Violet.

  "We don't make any more pies, that's sure," said

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  Pie Day 103

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  Mrs. Wood. "We have done enough work for today."

  "Let's have that race!" said Benny. "Let's race the dogs!"

  "O.K." said Mike. "Let's race them down behind my old pink house. There

  is a big empty lot there. Plenty of room."

  Jessie wanted to wash the dishes first. She filled the dish pan with hot

  soap suds. Then one by one, she slid the plates in, and washed them with

  a sponge. "I just love to do this," she said.

  She rinsed them in hot water and set them in the drainer.

  "We don't have to wipe them," she said. "They will dry themselves,

  because they are so hot."

  In a very short time, the children were all in the back lot with the

  dogs. They had two enormous bones from the store.

  Henry said, "Now Mike, you hold Spotty, and Jessie will hold Watch."

  "Right on this line," said Benny.

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  "Yes," agreed Henry. "Then I will take one bone and go way down there by

  the fence. Ben, you take the other bone and come with me. Let the dogs

  smell the bones first."

  The dogs wanted the bones very much. They tried to get away and follow

  Henry, but Jessie and Mike held them tight.

  "You count, Violet," shouted Henry from the fence. "Say one, two, three,

  go, and then you let g
o of the dogs!"

  When Henry and Benny reached the fence, they sat down on the ground with

  the bones. They held up the bones for the dogs to see.

  "One, two, three, go!" shouted Violet. Away went the dogs. Watch went

  for Henry. Spotty went for Benny. They ran very fast. They were very

  even. Once Spotty got ahead. Then Watch got ahead. Then they were even

  again.

  Suddenly Spotty seemed to turn. He slowed down. He skidded, like a car.

  Then he ran back, smelled around and began to dig.

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  "What's the matter?" cried Henry, puzzled.

  "What's the matter with Spotty?" yelled Mike.

  Spot went on digging. Then Watch stopped running. He trotted back to

  Spotty and began to dig, too.

  Spotty began to growl. But he was not growling at Watch.

  "Oh, isn't that strange?" said Jessie. The children came up and watched

  the dogs. The dirt flew everywhere. Spotty went on growling.

  "Something must be buried here," said Henry. "Maybe a bone."

  "It can't be a bone," said Mike. "Spotty wouldn't growl at a bone."

  "Well, whatever it is, it is buried very deep," said Henry. "Just look

  at that hole."

  Then Spotty began to growl and bark at the same time. He made a great

  noise. He put his white teeth into something, and sat back with it

  growling. It was a man's blue hat.

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  CHAPTER 12

  An Empty Can

  When Spot came up with the hat in his mouth, Benny cried, "The blue hat

  at last!"

  "The man was afraid to wear it," shouted Mike.

  "This proves that the man was up to no good," said Henry slowly.

  "And he is the man in the picture!" shouted Mike again. "And this time I

  would know him for sure."

  "I think he knows that," said Jessie. "We must tell Mr. Carter all about

  this."

  "Well, Jessie, I'm sure Mr. Carter knows it already," said Benny.

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  Mike looked at Benny with a frown. The frown said, "Benny, don't talk

  too much."

  Henry said, "Well, let's give the dogs the bones and go up and see Mr.

  Carter."

  But they did not go. Watch suddenly began to dig again. Then the

  children noticed that the ground was soft. It did not take long. Watch

  did not growl, but soon he hit something hard. Henry leaned down and

  pulled out a big empty gasoline can.

  "What do you know!" said Henry. "Lucky we found this. The man must have

  poured gasoline on the fire."

  "Spotty must have seen him come into the cellar," said Mike. "That's why

  he didn't like him."

  They all walked slowly to the mine office. They went in and told Mr.

  Carter all about the race.

  "Which dog won the race?" asked Mr. Carter, laughing.

  "Neither one," answered Mike. Then he told them about the dogs turning

  around to dig. He showed him the hat and the can.

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  "This is very, very important," cried Mr. Carter. "You have done very

  well. It won't be long now."

  Then Benny suddenly opened his mouth. He looked at Mike and shut it

  again. Mike nodded, smiling.

  When the two boys went out of the office, Benny whispered to Mike, "You

  remember Mr. McCarthy? The night watchman? He said he started to go to

  the fire that night."

  "Yes," said Mike. "And he came right back, because he saw a man running,

  and his duty was right by the mine."

  "That's right," said Benny. "You see what that means?"

  "Oh, Ben," cried Mike. "I bet that man was going to blow up the mine!

  And he set the fire to get everybody to go to the fire!"

  "Right!" said Benny. "I think we ought to tell Mr. Carter right away.

  It's neat!"

  The boys went back alone. When they told this new story to Mr. Carter,

  he said, "Good for you,

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  boys! It's a fine idea. I shall go right to work. I'll put two good men

  to work on it."

  The boys were very pleased with themselves.

  "We are working with the FBI, really, Ben," said Mike proudly.

  "And I suppose the most important thing is not to talk," added Benny.

  "I suppose so," said Mike sadly. "It's too bad we like to talk, Ben."

  When the children came home to supper, Aunt Jane was delighted. She

  loved to hear them all talk. Maggie laughed and laughed at Mike and

  Benny, but they were careful what they said.

  The children ate everything on the table. They ate hamburgers and rolls

  and tomatoes and beans and corn, and they drank many glasses of milk.

  When everything was gone, Benny said, "Aunt Jane, did you know Mike

  could stand on his head?"

  "No, I did not," said Aunt Jane.

  "He can stand on his head forever," said Benny.

  "Now, Benny, not forever," said Henry.

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  "But you never saw him," said Benny.

  "I'll show you!" cried Mike. He put his head on the rug, and slowly

  lifted himself in the air.

  "Good!" cried Aunt Jane. "That's wonderful, Mike."

  Spotty went over to his young master, lay down and put his head on his

  paws. He shut his eyes.

  "Spotty thinks you are going to stay there forever, Mike," said Jessie.

  "I am," said Mike. His voice sounded funny, upside down.

  "That's enough, old boy," said Henry. "Come on down!"

  "Oh, no," cried Benny. "He can stand there forever, I tell you!"

  "But I don't want him to stand there forever," said Aunt Jane. She could

  not help laughing. "It isn't good for you, Mike!"

  "Why not?" asked Mike. "I don't mind."

  "Yes," said Benny, nodding his head. "Mike can stay there all night,

  unless he goes to sleep."

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  "I could go to sleep standing on my head," said Mike, upside down.

  "Oh, come on, Mike," said Henry. "Get up! You've been there long

  enough!"

  But Mike did not move. "I'm very comfortable," he said. "You can all

  read a book. And I'll just stand on my head and rest."

  At last Aunt Jane begged him to stop. "Please, Mike!" she said. "I

  believe you can stand there a long time."

  "All night?" asked Mike. "Do you believe I could stand there all night?"

  "Yes! Yes!" cried Aunt Jane. "Only do come down! It's a wonderful

  trick."

  So Mike stood on his feet at last, and fixed his hair. "I could have

  stayed there a lot longer," he said.

  Then Henry made Watch do his tricks. Watch sat up and begged. He

  "spoke." He was a "dead" dog. He shook hands with everybody. Then Maggie

  gave him a big bone.

  The boys did tricks all the evening. They had only

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  An Empty Can 113

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  two fights. Then Mike said
suddenly, "Aunt Jane-" Then he stopped.

  "Go on," said Aunt Jane.

  "Well, I ought to say, Miss Alden," said Mike.

  "No, you call me Aunt Jane. I wish you would."

  So Mike went on. "Aunt Jane, you gave me that newspaper, you know."

  "Yes, I did."

  "Well, you said you didn't look at it. Will you look at it now?"

  "Certainly I will, if you want me to," said the lady.

  "It's just the picture," said Mike, taking it out of his pocket. "Just

  look at my brother, Pat, and remember I was right here, standing beside

  him. But the picture cut me off." Mike pointed. He gave the picture to

  Aunt Jane.

  But Aunt Jane suddenly saw the picture of the short man. She frowned.

  Then she cried, "I know that man! He is one of the men who tried to buy

  my ranch. I'd know him anywhere!"

  Henry was excited. "That was last summer. It was

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  the time you were alone in the house. We all went to the store, and the

  men came while we were away. Are you sure, Aunt Jane?"

  "Of course I'm sure!" cried Aunt Jane. "I never liked those three men.

  I'd know them anywhere."

  "Well, Mike, what do you think about that!" shouted Benny.

  Just then the telephone rang. It was for Benny.

  "Hello," said Benny.

  "This is Mr. Carter," said the voice. "You can tell the rest about this.

  We found a lot of wires behind the mine. Someone was going to blow it

  up. Thanks to you and Mike, we got the wires out."

  "Good!" said Benny. "And listen to this! Aunt Jane knows the man in the

  picture. He is the man that just got out of jail, I bet."

  "What? What? I'll be right down," said Mr. Carter.

  When he came down, he asked Aunt Jane many questions. At last he said,

  "We know the man, and we can prove it. I don't think it will be very

  long now. We just have to find him."

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  CHAPTER 13

  The Party

  Mr. Carter had said, "It won't be long now." But it was longer than he

  thought. Nobody saw the man. Benny and Mike were always watching, but

  they never saw him. There seemed to be no stranger in town.

  The pie business was doing well. Every day Mrs. Wood and the girls made

  sixty pies. The boys sold them all.

  "We are making money," said Jessie. "People are very good to us. And the

  insurance helped."

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  "Yes, my dear," said Mrs. Wood. "I think I can earn a good living this

  way."

  "Yes," said Violet. "We have so much practice, we can make them faster

  and faster!"