by Charles Tang
“And she’s here!” Mr. Reeves said with excitement. “I must speak to her immediately.”
“We want to know how you knew those kinds of posters would be for sale in San Francisco,” Henry said.
“Very well, a man named Perkins called me and said he’d have the posters for sale on Friday. I don’t fly so I popped onto this train so I could be there by Friday. You say the girl has the posters with her? I suppose she’s the redhead sitting with your brother and sister.” Mr. Reeves stood up and went toward the table where Annie, Violet, and Benny were sitting. Henry and Jessie followed.
They reached Annie’s table just as Mr. Reeves was introducing himself. He gave Annie his card, bowed to her, and then asked, “I understand you have some posters to sell. I wonder if they really are the ones I’m traveling out to see.”
“I don’t think they could be,” Annie said. “No one knew I was bringing them out to California except my aunt.”
“A man called Perkins called me,” Mr. Reeves said. “I’ve done business with a friend of his before.”
“Bob Perkins?” Annie asked. She seemed very surprised.
“Yes, do you know him?”
“He’s my uncle. I don’t actually know him,” Annie admitted. “But I’ve talked to him on the telephone and he knew I was bringing the posters . . . I forgot that . . . but why?” Annie’s voice trailed off and she said, “I wonder why he called you without telling me about it.”
“I’m a fairly well-known collector,” Mr. Reeves said. “It’s natural that he might call me. May I see the posters now? Perhaps we can strike a bargain before the train gets into San Francisco.”
Annie shook her head. “I’m not selling.”
“But, my dear, I’ve come all the way from Chicago!”
“I’m sorry,” Annie said. “I talked it over with my aunt and we decided I shouldn’t sell.” To the Aldens, she added, “My aunt says she’ll send me an allowance if I really want to live with Uncle Bob.”
“I would make you a very fair offer,” Mr. Reeves said. “A very fine offer if the posters are in the condition your uncle promised.”
“I’m sorry,” Annie said firmly.
“Your uncle did promise to sell them to me, you know.” Mr. Reeves seemed quit disappointed.
“They weren’t his to sell,” Annie said simply. “The posters are an inheritance from my grandparents and they were left to me and my aunt. It is our decision.”
“I see.” Mr. Reeves bowed and said, “Well, children. Let us go back to our table and have lunch before it gets too cold.”
When they rejoined Aunt Jane, Mr. Reeves said, “This is a nuisance but I shall just have to turn around and go back to Chicago. She has no intention of selling the posters. Her uncle was mistaken.”
“So it was her uncle who called you,” Aunt Jane said quietly. “I wonder why.”
“It seems he had no right to offer the posters for sale,” Mr. Reeves said. “Ah, well, perhaps the trip across the country has been good for my nerves.”
He stood up abruptly and bowed. “It’s been a pleasure. You are fine children. Good bye to you all.”
Mr. Reeves turned to leave the dining car. Henry stood up and said, “I think I’ll follow him, just to be safe.”
“I’ll go with you,” Jessie said.
They followed Mr. Reeves to his room and then went up to Annie’s room to wait for her. When she arrived, Henry asked, “Will you check on your posters just to make sure they’re safe?”
Annie went into her compartment and in a few minutes she came out smiling. “Everything is fine. Thanks a lot.”
“We’re going back to the observation lounge,” Jessie said. “Do you want to come along?”
“No. I think I’ll feel safer if I sit right here,” Annie said. “Besides, my ankle is still a little weak. I’ll just sit here and think.”
“Why do you think your uncle called Mr. Reeves to sell your posters?” Jessie asked.
Annie shook her head and looked troubled. “I really don’t know Uncle Bob. My aunt never talks about him but it’s clear she doesn’t like him. When I began to quarrel with her, I wrote to him. He telephoned me a few times and then he said he really wanted me to come out to California to live. He was the one who suggested I could sell the poster to pay for my education.”
“So you’ve never even seen him?” Henry asked.
She said, “He’s coming to meet me in Emeryville where the train stops and we’ll take the bus into San Francisco. He said he’ll be wearing a red tie.”
“We’ll help you find him,” Jessie promised.
“Thanks,” Annie said. “You’ve been good friends. See you at five.”
At exactly five p.m. the train pulled into the station in Oakland, California. There was a bus waiting to take all the passengers who were going to downtown San Francisco.
Annie said, “Won’t you wait and meet my uncle?”
“That would be very nice,” Aunt Jane said. “We’d like to invite you to visit us while the children are here.”
“There’s a man over there in a green jacket and a red tie,” Benny said. He pointed to a dark-haired slender man.
Annie and the others went over to the man. She said, “Uncle Bob?”
“Annie? Is that you? I’m so glad to see you.” Her uncle put his arms around her and hugged her.
Violet looked very upset and she said to Henry, “I know that man. He was on the train with us. He’s the one with the beard and sunglasses.”
“How would you know that?” Henry asked.
“I recognize his ears,” Violet said. “I’m certain I’m right.”
When Henry looked doubtful, Violet called out to Annie, “Come here, please, I have something to say.”
Annie stepped away from her Uncle Bob and came over to Violet and Henry.
Violet said, “Annie, he’s the one who tried to steal your posters. He had on a fake beard and sunglasses but I’m certain it’s him. Here, let me show you.”
Violet dropped her suitcase onto the ground and knelt beside it. She opened up the suitcase and pulled out her sketch pad. She began to flip through the pages as she said, “You’re an artist, Annie. You’ll see what I mean. Look at his ears. Now look at the ears on this man in the sketch. They are the same, aren’t they?”
Annie looked at the sketch. Then she looked at her uncle. Then she looked at the sketch and then she turned kind of white and asked, “Are you really my Uncle Bob?”
“Of course I am.” The man laughed and pulled out his driver’s license with a picture on it. “I guess it’s right to be cautious. After all, you’ve never met me even though you are my only niece. I’ll carry the posters.” He tried to take the portfolio from Henry but Henry held on tight.
“I met a man on the train who said you’d promised to sell him my posters,” Annie said. “That wasn’t your decision to make, Uncle Bob.”
“Don’t be silly,” her uncle said. “I was just trying to help. Here, son, I’ll take those posters.” He tugged and Henry held on tighter.
Annie took a deep breath and said, “I don’t think so. You tried to steal my posters on the train. You were wearing sunglasses and a beard but you were the same size and coloring. And I have a drawing of your ears.”
Uncle Bob pretended to laugh. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “How could I be on a train with you and then meet you here? You kids are making up crazy stories.”
“No, sir,” Henry said. “I think it’s quite simple. You got off the train in Salt Lake City. We chased you and Benny tore a piece out of your coat.”
“I think you might remember that if you try,” Jessie added.
“Annie, I don’t know who these people are but you should come home with me. I’m your uncle.”
“These people are my friends,” Annie said decisively. “They will help me get to the airport and I’ll fly home to Aunt Ellen tonight. I was a silly girl to think I was ready to make it on my own.”
“Al
l right,” Uncle Bob said. “You go, but leave the posters with me. That old lady has plenty of other money and these should have been mine.”
He made a grab for the posters but Henry was too fast for him. He jerked the portfolio away from Uncle Bob.
“I still say the posters are mine,” he shouted. “They belonged to my parents.”
“We have a will,” Annie reminded him.
“That will is unfair,” he said. “My parents were unfair! They never should have cut me out! It isn’t fair!”
“I’m sorry for you, Uncle Bob. You must be very unhappy. But I can’t stay here.”
“If we don’t hurry, we’ll all be staying here,” Benny said. He pointed to the bus and said, “Our bus is leaving. We’d better go, too.”
The Alden children, Aunt Jane, and Annie all picked up their suitcases and ran for the bus. They were the last ones on board but there were plenty of seats so they were able to sit together.
Aunt Jane smiled at Annie and said, “You showed very good sense, Annie.”
“It was Violet who had good sense,” Annie said.
“You were quick to see that he was the same man,” Henry said to his little sister. “That was good work.”
Violet smiled and said, “We all helped.” Then she said to Annie, “I’m glad you’re coming with us. You can meet our Uncle Andy.”
Aunt Jane said, “We’ll call your Aunt Ellen when we get home and see if you can spend a few days sightseeing with us. Then you can go home to Boston. I know your aunt will be glad to see you.”
“Yes,” Annie agreed. “And I will be glad to see her.”
“And I’ll be glad because you will be living in Boston again,” Violet said. “We live in Greenfield and that isn’t far away at all.”
“We can be good friends,” Annie said and hugged her.
“And I’m glad because we solved the mystery of the long train ride,” said Benny. “It was a very good mystery, too. I was surprised right up until the very end.”
“So were we all,” Violet said as she squeezed into the seat beside him.
About the Author
GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER 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
THE BOXCAR CHILDREN
SURPRISE ISLAND
THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY
MYSTERY RANCH
MIKE’S MYSTERY
BLUE BAY MYSTERY
THE WOODSHED MYSTERY
THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY
MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY
SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY
CABOOSE MYSTERY
HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY
SNOWBOUND MYSTERY
TREE HOUSE MYSTERY
BICYCLE MYSTERY
MYSTERY IN THE SAND
MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL
BUS STATION MYSTERY
BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY
THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY
THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY
THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY
THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING
THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO
THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY GIRL
THE MYSTERY CRUISE
THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST
MYSTERY IN THE SNOW
THE PIZZA MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY HORSE
THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW
THE CASTLE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE
THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE
THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL
THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC
THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH
THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT
THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN
THE MYSTERY ON STAGE
THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC
THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK
THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON
THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE
THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR
THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE
THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN
THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE
THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY
THE HURRICANE MYSTERY
THE PET SHOP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE
THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO
THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO
THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY
THE SOCCER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC
THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER
THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL
THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY
THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY
THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY
THE PANTHER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS
THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY
THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY
THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP
THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN
THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL
THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK
THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY
THE POISON FROG MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE
THE HOME RUN MYSTERY
THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES
THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME
THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE
THE HOCKEY MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG
THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL
THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY
THE COPYCAT MYSTERY
THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE
THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN
THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE
THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE
THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY
THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP
THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT
THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY
THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY
THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY
THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY
THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE
THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY
THE RADIO MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST
THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR
THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE
THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES
THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT
THE GAME STORE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN
THE VANISHING PASSENGER
THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY
THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE
THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY
THE SECRET OF THE MASK
THE SEATTLE PUZZLE
THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW
THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND
A HORSE NAMED DRAGON
THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE
THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE
THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES
THE SPY GAME
THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY
THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY
SUPERSTAR WATCH
THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS
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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 © 1996 by Albert Whitman & Company
978-1-4532-1347-6
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