Mike's Mystery (Boxcar Children #5)

Gertrude Chandler Warner

CHAPTER 1

Yellow Sands

The four Alden children could hardly wait to get back to Mystery Ranch.

Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny had planned for weeks what they would

do.

"We'll go on that dear old train!" said Violet. "Remember Mr. Carter who

helped us carry our bags, Jessie?"

"I'll carry the bags!" shouted Benny. "Mr. Carter won't be on the train

this time."

"Maybe I'll carry some of the bags, old boy," said

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Henry. "But you know we won't get off at Centerville."

Jessie nodded at her older brother. "Yes, we will get off at Yellow

Sands now. I think that is a beautiful name. Our uranium fields looked

just like yellow sand."

Grandfather said, "Sam will meet you. Maybe Sam will carry the bags."

The children laughed. "Fighting over old bags," said Benny.

"Too bad Watch has to ride in the baggage car," said Henry. "But they

don't allow dogs anywhere else on the train."

"I'll ride in the baggage car, too," said Benny. "Then he won't mind."

Mr. Alden laughed. He said, "I'm afraid you can't do that. But you can

go and see him once in a while. Then he will know you are near by."

At last the day came when they were off to Mystery Ranch where Aunt Jane

lived.

Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny loved Aunt Jane

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and they were to visit her for the summer vacation.

Once she had been a very cross old woman. But now she was a very

pleasant lady.

When they got off the train at Yellow Sands, they all looked for the old

black horse. But instead they saw Sam and Maggie with a station wagon.

Sam took care of the ranch, and Maggie took care of Aunt Jane.

"Hello, Sam!" cried Benny. "Where's Snowball?"

"Snowball's all right," said Sam smiling. "I always thought that was a

funny name for a black horse."

"I named him," said Benny. "I thought it was a funny name, too. Where is

he?"

"He is taking it easy these days," said Maggie. "He stays out in the

field all the time eating grass. This car goes faster."

"You mean you can drive it, Maggie?" asked Jessie.

"Yes," said Maggie smiling. "Sam says I drive all right."

"Let's go," said Sam. "Now that Watch is out of the baggage car, we are

ready."

Everyone carried a bag. In no time they were going

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through the new gate to Aunt Jane's house. At the top of the gate were

big letters saying,

Mystery Ranch.

How glad Aunt Jane was to see them! Watch did not care much for Aunt

Jane's new dog, Lady. But when lunch was ready, Watch lay down at

Jessie's foot, and Lady lay down at Aunt Jane's foot. So all was well.

"Oh, this place has changed in just this one year," Aunt Jane said. "You

would never know it. There is one long street down the middle of my old

hay field."

"Is it a real street?" asked Benny.

"Oh, my, yes! There are lots of stores and a church, and a school and a

High School."

"I can't imagine it," said Henry. "We shall have to go and see it soon."

"Go any time you like," said Aunt Jane. "I know you are just dying to

see that street."

"We want to see you, too, Aunt Jane," said Violet.

"Well, you've seen me now," said Aunt Jane.

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"Lunch is over. So you go along and enjoy yourselves."

"Be back for supper," said Maggie. "We are going to have a fine supper."

"Oh, we will get back long before supper," said Jessie. "We just want to

see what the old ranch looks like."

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CHAPTER 2

An Old Friend

The ranch belonged to the four Alden children. So, of course, they

wanted to see how it had changed since last summer when uranium had been

found.

Benny said, "I suppose Grandfather had to get hundreds of miners to work

in the uranium mine. And the miners have lots of children, and they must

have clothes and something to eat, and a school and a church. So that's

how the town grew."

"Right!" said Henry with a smile. "You have it all worked out." The four

children went out the back door.

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"Yes, Watch, you can come," said Henry to the dog. "Can Lady come too,

Aunt Jane?"

"No," said Aunt Jane. "Lady always stays with me."

Watch was delighted to go with the four children, so he barked and

barked. He ran along barking. On they went, past the hen houses. These

were all mended and painted. They went through a field to the street. It

was very strange to see a city street in the middle of the old field.

"There's a five and ten," said Benny, "and a big super-market! We won't

need to hoe any vegetables if we don't want to."

"What a beautiful dress shop!" said Jessie. Then she almost bumped into

a boy about Benny's age. He was walking with his hands in his pockets

and he was whistling.

When he saw the children he stopped and stared at them. Then he said,

"Hi, Ben! Don't you know me?"

Benny took one look. "Mike! Mike Wood!" he

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yelled. "It's Mike, Henry! Remember he came to the picnic on Surprise

Island?"

"Well, I'd never forget that," said Henry. "It is Mike, sure enough! You

came over to our picnic and your dog had a race with Watch."

"Yep," said Mike. "That was my dog Spotty. He's out with my brother Pat

now. I remember how he beat your dog in the race."

"Oh,

no!"

cried Benny. "He never did! Watch was the one that beat

Spotty! Don't you remember?"

"No, I don't," said Mike. "I know Spot beat Watch."

"He didn't either!" shouted Benny. "Spot was a stranger. He didn't even

know which way to run!"

"Stop, you boys," cried Henry. "Don't fight the minute you meet."

"Well, Mike started it," shouted Benny.

"I did not! You started it," shouted Mike.

"Boys!" said Henry. "Stop this minute. Aren't you friends?"

"We're friends," said Benny, "unless Mike tells lies

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about Watch. Watch won that race and I won't give in for anybody."

"Well," said Mike, "maybe he did. But it wasn't a fair race, because

Spotty didn't even know the way."

"O.K." said Benny. "That's all I care. If you say Spotty didn't beat."

"Well, maybe he didn't beat," said Mike, "but how could he beat when he

didn't know where to run?"

"Well, he couldn't," said Benny. "That's what I said. He couldn't and he

didn't. I never said it was a fair race."

"Mike," said Jessie pleasantly, "how did you happen to come out here?

You're so far from where we saw you last."

"I know," said Mike. "But we like it here. My Uncle Bob invited us to

live here when my father died. Uncle Bob said he could give Pat a job.

Remember Pat? My big brother?"

"Oh, yes," said Henry. "He was the one who almost got drowned at the

picnic."

"Well, Pat works at the mine for my Uncle Bob.

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An Old Friend 19

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Not in the mine, but outside. I do all sorts of work for the mine, too.

We all work. Mother washes the miners' clothes."

"Where's your house?" asked Henry.

"Over there," said Mike, pointing. "That pink one. The houses are all

alike, only different colors. Each house has a yard around it, but the

grass is dry and brown. My house has an electric stove and a washing

machine. It's different from our old house back home. Come and see my

mother."

"All right," said Henry. "We'd like to."

"Pat isn't home, but my mother is," said Mike. "She is making a pie,

maybe, and we could have some to eat."

They reached the door of the pink house. "Ma, look who's here!" said

Mike.

Mrs. Wood was indeed making pies. She was taking the third pie out of

the oven. When she looked up and saw Benny, she laughed out loud.

"Hello, Benny Alden!" she cried.

"You have never seen the rest of us," said Jessie,

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laughing. "But you have seen plenty of Benny, when he went to school

with Mike back in the East."

"I've heard lots about you," said Mrs. Wood. "Benny is a great talker.

He's a fine boy. It does Mike good to play with him."

"It does Ben good to play with me," said Mike loudly.

"Yes, I think it does," agreed Henry.

Mike looked up in surprise. He did not know what to say. He thought

Henry would not agree with him. "Ma makes pies for the neighbors," he

said.

"And you are surely neighbors," said Mrs. Wood at once. "So take your

choice. I have cherry, apple, and blueberry pie. All hot." She began

cutting the three pies. The smell was delicious and the pie crusts were

brown and flaky.

"I didn't really have much lunch," said Benny.

"Pull up your chairs around that table," said Mrs. Wood. "And Mike, you

get a bit of cheese out of the refrigerator."

"Where's Pat?" asked Mike, getting the cheese.

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"Gone to the bank. It's pay day. He puts Uncle Bob's money in the bank

every week. You go get him, Mike, and tell him to come home and see the

company."

Mike ran off down the street. Mrs. Wood watched him with a smile.

"He's not a bad boy, is Mike," she said. "He's just a big talker."

"We know that," said Jessie, smiling too.

"He'd do anything for his friends," said his mother. "He helps the men

at the mine a lot, even if he fights, too. They joke with him and argue

with him, but they like him."

Henry said, "This is the best apple pie I ever ate."

"I agree," said Jessie. "The cherry must be even better than the apple."

Violet laughed softly. "I was going to say the same thing about this

blueberry."

"I'm glad," said Mrs. Wood very quietly. "I love to bake pies the best

of anything. I wish I had time."

"Haven't you time?" asked Jessie, puzzled.

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"No, dear," said Mrs. Wood. Her voice sounded sad. "I wash all day to

earn money to help keep us. I'm lucky to have a washing machine. Here's

Pat now."

When Pat came in, he said at once, "Hello, Ben! You used to come down to

our house and play with Mike."

"This is Jessie," said his mother. "This is Violet, and this is Henry."

"Oh, I know them all," said Pat. "They saved my life on that picnic."

"Our cousin Joe did that," said Henry. "He is a fine swimmer."

Then Mike said, "When I met Pat, he was just coming out of the bank."

"It seems too funny to have a bank here," said Jessie. "This whole place

used to be great fields of long grass."

"We have almost everything," said Pat. "We have a newspaper every day.

The newspaper office is right by the bank."

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"Oh, yes," cried Benny. "I saw the paper up at Aunt Jane's. The Daily

News. It had a big picture of the uranium mine buildings on the front

page."

"Yes, the mine is almost always on the front page," said Mike. "Here it

is. We saved this one, because Pat is in the picture. See, right there?

That's Pat. Standing by the short man. Gosh, that's funny. I've seen

that man before some place. He don't live here."

"Doesn't," said Pat.

"Well, doesn't, then," said Mike. "You say

Don't

to me often enough."

"That's very different, Mike," said Pat.

"Well, it don't sound any different to me," said Mike.

Jessie laughed. "Mike makes me think of Benny, sometimes," she said.

"They both love to argue."

"I'm not arguing," said Mike. "I'm thinking. That short man in the

picture don't-doesn't-live around here. He's a stranger. But I know I've

seen him before."

Pat looked at the picture. "I don't remember him

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at all," he said to his younger brother. "I didn't even know when they

took the picture."

Mike was very quiet for a while. He kept looking at the picture.

"We must go," said Jessie. "We want to go into every store on the street

and see all the sights."

"I'll go with you," said Mike. "I can show you everything. I've been

here two months."

It was true. Mike did know everything. He

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showed them the door of the super-market which opened all by itself. He

showed them a garage where new cars were for sale. Jessie bought five

big straw hats in one store. The sun was very hot, so they all put on

the hats. Everyone in the stores seemed to know who the children were.

Aunt Jane had put their pictures in the paper many times since they

owned the ranch where uranium had been found.

At last Jessie said, "Come on, let's go home. Maggie said she had a fine

supper."

"Thank you, Mike, for showing us," said Violet.

"See you tomorrow, Mike," said Benny.

"Yep," said Mike. He went off whistling. He didn't know then that

tomorrow would be so exciting.

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CHAPTER 3

Fire!

The children slept soundly. They all woke up once to hear a loud,

strange bell ringing. But they thought it was midnight, so they all went

to sleep again. When they came down in the morning, Sam and Maggie were

talking about a fire.

"What fire?" asked Henry.

"Didn't you hear the firebells ringing and ringing in the night?" asked

Sam. "Here comes the paper boy. The news will be in the paper."

Sam took the paper. It was full of pictures. Benny

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looked over his shoulder. "It's Mike's house!" yelled Benny at the top

of his voice.

"The paper says that it was the Wood's house that had burned to the

ground."

"Let me see the paper, Benny," Jessie cried. "I can read faster."

"I can read fast enough," said Benny excitedly. "See that picture? It's

Mike all right."

"I'm afraid it is," said Jessie, trying to read. "That lovely new, pink

house, and the washing machine and electric stove!"

"No lives were lost," read Benny. "Not even the dog. Their big dog,

Spotty, who slept in the cellar barked and gave the alarm. The fire had

started in the cellar, and by the time the fire engine came, the whole

house was burning. The fire seemed to start on all four sides of the

house.

"Nothing was saved except clothing and bedding. When Mrs. Wood saw that

the house could not be saved, she put some sheets on the floor, threw

all the clothes from bureau drawers and closets on the sheets,

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tied them up, and threw them out of the window."

"Well, wasn't that smart?" said Jessie. "That costs the most of

anything, doesn't it, Aunt Jane? The family clothes and bedding?"

"Yes, my dear," replied her aunt. "I wonder what the Wood family will do

now."

"I have to go right down there," said Benny. "I have to see Mike."

"Wait a minute, Benny," said Aunt Jane. "You must eat your breakfast,

first. When you get down there, you won't come back for a long time. I

know you!"

Benny knew that this was true, so he sat down and tried to eat. They all

tried to eat, but everyone was thinking about the fire.

"Mike could come here for a few days," said Aunt Jane, "if he has no

other place to go."

"Oh, Aunt Jane, thank you!" said Jessie. "You are very kind. But I don't

think you want Mike. He would upset everything."

"I don't mind being upset," said Aunt Jane. "Benny

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and Mike would be something amusing to watch."

"You can say that again!" said Henry, laughing.

"I ate an egg," said Benny. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, go along. I know you can hardly wait to get down to the fire,"

said Aunt Jane.

The children ran all the way. They soon saw a big crowd of people who

had come to see the fire. The little pink house was gone. Smoke was

still rising from the burned wood, and it was still very hot.

"Hi, Ben!" called a voice. It was Mike. He came running over to Benny.

He cried, "That was our house that burned, Ben. We all got out, and it

was Spotty saved us."

"What are you going to do, Mike?" asked Henry. "Where is your mother?"

"She's right over there," said Mike pointing. "She and my brother Pat

can sleep next door in the blue house, but I am going to stay with Mr.

Carter."

"Mr.

Carter!"

cried Jessie. "What Mr. Carter? Do you mean Mr. John

Carter?"

"I guess so," said Mike. "That's his name anyway.

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Do you know him? He's nice and very friendly."

"He works for Grandfather," said Jessie. "We met him last summer, but we

didn't know he was still here. Where does he live?"

"In the green house right near the mine. He has lots of rooms he don't

use."

"Doesn't"

said Benny.

"Now don't you go teaching me, Ben!" said Mike.

"Where is Mr. Carter, now?" asked Violet just in time to stop a fight.

"Right over beside my mother," said Mike. "Come on, they are looking at

us."

"Well, well, Mr. Carter!" cried Henry. "We are so glad to see you again.

You always seem to pop up when there is trouble."

"I try to," said John Carter with a twinkle in his eye. "Hello, Jessie!

And Violet. Benny is still his same old self."

"What will happen to Mike's family?" asked Henry.

"All these houses belong to the Uranium com-

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pany. So when the place cools off, the pink house will be built again,"

replied the man.

"How about the things inside? The washing machine?" asked Jessie.

"I don't know, but insurance will take care of some things later."

"Aunt Jane said Mike could come up to our house," said Violet.

"Oh, did she indeed!" said Mr. Carter, laughing. "You'll have a lively

time! Don't you want me, too?"

"You would be a big help," said Jessie, smiling.

"You can have a whole room, Mike, if you come to Aunt Jane's," said

Benny. "You'd better ask your mother if you can come."

"Yes, I'm willing, and thankful, too," said Mrs. Wood. "But tell Miss

Alden to send Mike back if he gets too much for her."

Then Benny asked suddenly, "Mike! Have you had anything to eat?"

"No!" shouted Mike. "It all burned up. I didn't have any milk, or any

oatmeal, or any eggs-"

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Fire! 33

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"Come on, Mike!" shouted Benny. "I could eat another egg myself. Let's

all go to the restaurant!"

Mr. Carter looked at Jessie and laughed. He said, "I wonder what's the

matter with me? I never even thought of breakfast! And Mrs. Wood, you

must be starved. We'll all go to the restaurant and have breakfast."

"We follow Benny as usual," said Mrs. Wood smiling. "He has the ideas."

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CHAPTER 4

At the Big Table

Let's all sit at the big table," said Henry. "Then we can talk."

"I don't want to talk. I want to eat!" shouted Mike.

"Then you can keep still all you want," said Benny. "We'll do the

talking."

"But I'll say something if I want to," argued Mike.

"Well, make up your mind," returned Benny. "You're the one that said you

didn't want to talk."

"I only said I was hungry," said Mike.

"Oh, stop it, Mike," said his mother. "All this talk

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about nothing. Don't you know you have no home?"

"That sounds awful," said Jessie. "Tell me, how did you know the house

was on fire?"

"The dog," said Mrs. Wood. "Spotty was down in the cellar. He sleeps

down there. He barked and barked. I knew something was wrong, so I went

down to see. There was fire on all four sides. I let the dog out and

woke up Mike and Pat."

"You didn't wake me," said Mike. "I was awake."

"Yes, you were, son," agreed his mother. "I will say you were going down

to get the dog yourself."

"Spotty was the most important one," said Mike, "because he can't open

doors."

"By the way, where is the dog?" asked Mr. Carter.

"He's tied up at the blue house," said Pat. "He was in the way, barking

at everyone."

"Yes, we had to leave Watch and Lady at the ranch, too," said Jessie. "A

fire is no place for dogs."

"It is very queer that the fire started in four places at once," said

Mr. Carter.

"I wonder if anyone set the fire," said Henry.

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"Oh, no!" cried Mrs. Wood. "Why would anybody set fire to our house?"

"What do you plan to do now, Mrs. Wood?" asked Mr. Carter.

"I really don't know," she answered. "I'm staying in the blue house with

my good neighbor, Mrs. Smith, for tonight."

Breakfast came then. The eight hungry people went to work on the bacon

and eggs, toast, and cereal and milk. For a minute the restaurant was

very still. Then the children heard a man say, "I heard that the boy who

lived there set the house on fire just for fun."

In an instant Mike was out of his chair. He ran over and faced the man

who had spoken. "I did not!" he shouted. "Who says I did?"

In another minute all four children were behind Mike.

"Mike never did!" shouted Benny. "He wouldn't! Who says he did?"

The man laughed a little. He was very much sur-

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prised. "Well, don't get so excited, sonny," he said.

"Don't get excited?" yelled Mike. "You told a lie about me!"

"I didn't say it," said the man. "I said I heard it."

Then Henry spoke. "Can you tell us who told you? You must know this

story is very bad for Mike."

"Well, well," said the man. "You're not afraid to stand up for a friend,

are you?"

"No, sir," said Henry.

Jessie said, "Mike likes fun, yes. He gets into trouble. But he would

never set his own house on fire."

Then Benny went right up to the man. He said, "Mike wouldn't set a fire

in the cellar anyway. His dog was there."

"So his dog was there," repeated the man. "That settles it. I believe

you."

"Who told you?" asked Mike. He was not yelling now.

"I don't know him," said the man. "He was a stranger to me. He stood

beside me in the crowd,

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watching the fire. I think that he wore a blue hat."

"I'll ask him," said Benny, "if I ever see a man with a blue hat."

The man looked at the four of them. "I wish I had as many good friends

as you have, Mike," he said. He looked at Benny. "This one here is a

wonderful friend."

"He don't always stand up for me," said Mike.

"Doesn't," said Benny.

"Now look here, Ben!" said Mike. "Don't start that again!"

"You see how Mike is," said Jessie. "He will fight over nothing. But he

would never set a fire. Come on back, boys, and eat your breakfast."

The children moved away. All this time Mr. Carter had sat still

watching. "Well, Jessie!" he said. "That was just like a play! I am very

proud of all of you."

"Why didn't you come over, too?" asked Benny.

"You didn't need me," said Mr. Carter laughing.

"You children did it much better than I would. But the man could see I

was with you if you needed help."

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Mike began to eat again.

"That gave me a good appetite," he said.

"Your appetite was all right before," said Henry, laughing.

"I like to have you with us, Mike," said Violet, laughing. "Now if you

weren't here, I couldn't eat my breakfast at all."

"That's right," said Henry. "She couldn't."

"Now everyone watch out for a man with a blue hat," said Benny drinking

the last of his milk.

"That man would change his hat, Ben," said Mike.

"Maybe he will have a black hat next time. Maybe no hat at all."

"I'll watch, too," said Mr. Carter. "You can be sure of that."

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CHAPTER 5

The Empty Room

I have to go up to the uranium mine," said Mr. Carter. "You can all come

with me if you want."

"I think I'll go to my neighbor's," said Mrs. Wood. "I'm all tired out

with Mike's doings."

"Yes, I'll go with you, Ma," said Pat. "Maybe I can help around the

place, to pay for taking us in."

"The rest of us will go with you, Mr. Carter," said Benny. "It's our own

mine after all, and we haven't seen it yet. You come too, Mike."

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The Empty

"Well, Benny, you are asking for trouble," said Henry laughing.

"I'm no

trouble"

cried Mike. "I might help you. I know a lot of things."

Soon they were on their way to the mine in Mr. Carter's car. When they

arrived, they could see great machines at work. Workmen were everywhere.

Mr. Carter stopped his car at a large building. It had a small office in

one corner.

"I'm going into the office for a few minutes," said Mr. Carter. "You may

stay in the car and watch the men. But you must not go any closer than

you are now.

"Can't we go into the big building?" asked Benny.

Mr. Carter said, "Oh, yes, you can do that. But it is empty. Just one

big room. Nothing to see. I'll be back soon."

When Mr. Carter had shut the office door, Mike said, "I bet he's going

to find out about insurance on our things and tell someone in there

about the blue hat."

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"Yes," said Benny. "Let's see what is in that empty room."

Benny got out of the car and quietly walked into the big, empty room.

Jessie followed him. They stood looking around.

"A big room going to waste, Jessie!" said Benny.

"Yes, Benny," said his sister. For a minute they said nothing more.

Jessie was thinking about what Benny had said-a big room going to waste.

"Look, Benny!" she said excitedly. "Do you remember what Mrs. Wood said

about baking?"

"Yes, I do. She said she loved to bake pies and she didn't like to

wash."

"That's just right, Benny! Now listen! If we could get a good stove-"

"Mrs. Wood could bake in it," finished Benny.

"And right here in this very room," said Henry.

One by one the others had come inside, too.

Then another gentle voice said, "I'm sure Grandfather would let us buy a

stove." It was Violet. She was smiling.

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"My mother likes to make pies the best," said Mike. "On pies she is a

wizard."

Henry laughed. "Well, now that we are all here, let's get together on

this."

"My mother could sell pies to the miners," said Mike. "There's about a

million men, I should say. We could make money. And I could eat pies

whenever I wanted to," Mike finished.

"If we had a stove," said Benny.

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"Not quite a million men," said Henry. "Maybe a hundred or more."

"Maybe we could all live up here," said Mike.

"You wouldn't want to live here, Mike," said Benny. "Wait till you see

your room at Aunt Jane's. Right next to me."

"We'll ask Mr. Carter what he thinks," said Jessie. "He knows everything

and he will settle it."

But it was really Mrs. Wood who settled it.

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CHAPTER 6

Mike's Mother's Place

Benny began to talk the minute he got into the car. Mike began to talk

too.

"Wait, boys," said Mr. Carter. "One at a time! I can't hear a word you

say."

"I'll talk first," said Mike.

"Well, you can this time," agreed Benny. "It's about your own mother,

after all."

"That's right, Ben," said Mike. "Thank you. Mr. Carter, my mother works

hard at her washing, but she don't-doesn't like it."

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Mike's Mother's Place

"Yes, Mike," said Mr. Carter. "But what do you want me to do about it?"

"We've thought of a good job for her," said Mike. "She loves to make

pies. So why not make pies and sell them? She gives away millions of

pies."

"Now, Mike," said Benny. "Mr. Carter won't believe you, if you say

millions."

"Well, dozens, then," said Mike.

"Good for you, Mike," said Mr. Carter laughing. "I do believe you, for I

have eaten many of those pies myself."

"Well, there you are," said Mike. "Everyone likes Ma's pies and everyone

will buy them."

Then Mr. Carter said, "I think you are wasting time telling me about

this plan. Why don't we go ask your mother? She is the one to decide."

Mrs. Wood was surprised when they all came back to Mrs. Smith's blue

house.

Henry said, "Hello, Mrs. Wood. We want you to come up to the office at

the uranium mine for a few minutes."

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"All right," said Mrs. Wood. "I'd like to go. I know the night watchman

up there, and I'd like to take him a cherry pie."

"You mean you've made another pie already?" asked Violet.

"I made four more," said Mrs. Wood. "They are for the kind people who

helped me get out of my burning house. One is for your Aunt Jane, Benny.

My neighbor gave me the shortening and filling for the pies, and I will

pay her back in washing."

Mike winked at Benny. "Maybe, yes," he said. "And maybe, no."

The children talked and laughed all the way to the mine. They could

hardly wait to show the room to Mike's mother. At last they all stood in

the big empty room.

"See this room going to waste!" cried Benny. "Now if you had a nice

stove-"

Mrs. Wood put her arm around Benny. "What a kind little boy you are,

Benny!" she said in a low voice. "I begin to see now what you are all

planning for me."

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"You mean you like the idea of making pies for a living?" asked Jessie.

"Wouldn't you get tired of making pies?"

"I'd never be tired of making pies, my dear!" cried Mrs. Wood. "I love

to mix them up, and roll them out, and fill them with cherries, apples,

peaches, or blueberries. And best of all I like to see people eat them."

A man behind them said, "I'd rather eat them than watch other people eat

them." Everyone turned around.

"The night watchman!" cried Mike. "Hello, Mr. McCarthy!"

"Hello yourself, Mike," said the man.

"Oh, Mr. McCarthy," said Mrs. Wood. "Here's a cherry pie I made for you.

I hope you will like it." She gave him the cherry pie.

"Is there anyone in the whole world that doesn't like your pies?" asked

Mr. McCarthy. He looked at the children. "What's this I hear about

selling pies?"

Mike began to jump around. "See this room!" he

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shouted. "Ma can have a stove in that corner. She can bake her pies in

it. She can sell them at that big window and we will all help her."

"Well, well," cried Mr. McCarthy. "And which of you thought of this?"

"My sister Jessie was the first to think of it," said Benny. "But I was

next to the first, wasn't I, Henry?"

"Yes, you were," said Henry. "We have to buy a sink and a refrigerator,

Mr. McCarthy. And we have to ask Mr. Gardner, the boss, for the use of

the room."

"We can ask Grandfather to let us buy the sink and things," said Violet.

"Suppose this grandfather of yours won't let you buy all that?" said Mr.

McCarthy. "After all, it will cost a lot of money. Not many men would

trust children with this plan."

"My grandfather will," said Benny. "We were all alone in the Boxcar. We

didn't know Grandfather then. And we did all right."

Mr. Carter nodded at the night watchman. He

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Mike's Mother's Place 53

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said, "Mr. Alden trusts these children. He always tries to help them

with their ideas."

The night watchman looked at Jessie with a funny little smile. "I can't

understand why you children want to work at all. Don't you own the mine?

Your grandfather ought not to let you work."

Jessie shook her head. She said, "That's not the way Grandfather thinks.

He has lots of money already. But he says everyone ought to work. Nobody

can be happy unless he has some work to do. We know he is right, for we

were very, very happy when we didn't have any money at all. Only $4!

When we get through school, Grandfather wants us all to go to work for a

living."

"There are not many grandfathers like that," said Mr. McCarthy, shaking

his head. "And I know well that Mr. Alden works very hard himself."

"What do you think of this pie business, Mr. McCarthy?" asked Jessie.

"I? Hm-m, I think the men will want so many pies, that one woman can't

make enough."

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"Maybe you'll tell the men about the pies?" said Henry.

"Tell them? I won't need to. The minute they see a sign here saying PIES

they will all come over."

"Sign?" cried Benny. "Did you say a sign? I'll tell you a good sign.

Mike's Mother's Place!"

"Oh, I'll paint the sign!" cried Violet.

"Wonderful!" said Jessie. "And what a wonderful name for this place!"

Mrs. Wood smiled and smiled, but she had tears in

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her eyes. "Yes," she said, "the men all know Mike, and they will soon

know his mother."

"We can take pictures of this place when it is all set to go," said

Henry. "They will put them in the paper, maybe."

Mr. McCarthy went over to the big window. "Yes," he said, "this big

window will be good for selling pies."

Mike went over to Mr. McCarthy. He said softly, "Did you see my fire?"

"No," said the watchman, "I missed it."

"It was a terrible fire," said Mike. "Everybody went to see it. Why

didn't you go? Aren't you interested in fires?"

Mr. McCarthy looked at Mike. He said, "Well, son, I was certainly

interested. In fact I started to go. But you see my duty was here. I'm a

watchman."

"Too bad," said Mike. "It was a sight."

"I know," said Mr. McCarthy. "But I thought I saw somebody near the

mine. So I stayed right here. I looked all around but I couldn't find

anybody."

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"Come on, Mike!" called Benny. "What are you talking about?"

Then Mike surprised everyone. He began to jump up and down and yell,

"The blue hat! The blue hat!"

"What in the world is the matter with you, Mike?" asked Henry.

Mike answered, "I think I know how to find out who wore the blue hat,"

he yelled.

Mr. Carter stared at the little boy. "Do you indeed!" he said. "You

ought to join the FBI."

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CHAPTER 7

The Blue Hat

All the children begged Mike to tell what he knew about the man in the

blue hat.

"No," said Mike. "I can't tell you now. I want to talk to Ben about

this. I want to see Ben alone."

"This is very important, Mike," said Mr. Carter. "If you know something

it is your duty to tell me."

"Oh, I'll tell you all right," said Mike. "Only you'll have to wait

about one hour."

"Why all the mystery?" asked Mr. Carter.

"Because I'm not sure," said Mike. "I'm not really sure of anything. I

want to see Pat, too."

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"Well, let's go back to the ranch," said Henry. He did not think Mike

really knew anything about the stranger.

"We have hardly seen Aunt Jane," said Violet. "We have been away almost

all the time we have been here."

"That was because there was a fire," said Benny. "We had to see about

Mike's fire."

Mr. Carter took the five children to Aunt Jane's house. Then he drove

away. He said he had other business. Watch and Lady ran out to meet the

children. The dogs were very glad to see them.

"Well," said Maggie, "you are not late. But I thought you were going to

be. And we have a very funny lunch."

"What is it?" asked Benny.

"Hot dogs," said Maggie. "Your Aunt Jane says all young people like hot

dogs."

"We do!" cried Benny. "And we don't get them very often. Hurrah for Aunt

Jane!"

"Tell me all the news about the fire," said Aunt

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Jane. She sat at the head of the table. She gave the hot dogs to the

children, but she did not eat them herself.

"I don't like hot dogs," she said smiling. "I like eggs better."

The children took turns with the news. They told Aunt Jane all about the

fire and meeting Mr. Carter again. They told her the plans for Mrs.

Wood. Mike was very quiet. He did not talk very much.

"Mike is scared of you, Aunt Jane!" said Benny.

"I am not scared!" said Mike. "Miss Alden wouldn't hurt a fly. My

brother Pat said so."

"I certainly wouldn't hurt a nice boy like you, Mike," said Aunt Jane

laughing. "You must go up and see your new room. It is right next to

Benny's."

Maggie said, "We have been working on it all morning. A nice clean bed,

and a big empty closet for your things."

"I haven't many things," said Mike.

"Haven't you any old birds' nests and stones and model airplanes?" asked

Maggie.

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"Oh, can I keep that kind of things?" cried Mike.

"Certainly," said Aunt Jane. "There's no good living here, if you can't

have your own things."

"Oh, oh!" cried Mike. "Can I have Spotty, too?"

"Yes," said Aunt Jane. "Lady always stays in my room." She stopped. "But

what will Watch say?"

"I don't think he will say much," said Mike. "They didn't fight on

Surprise Island."

"That's right," said Henry to Aunt Jane. "They got along all right."

"I'll be fine if I have Spotty," said Mike.

"He mustn't get up on your nice clean bed," said Maggie.

"Oh, no, he sleeps down the cellar when he's home," said Mike.

Aunt Jane said, "He won't sleep down the cellar here. You can have him

in your room, but Maggie says not on your bed."

Then Mike was quiet again. He seemed to be thinking.

After lunch, Henry telephoned to his grandfather

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Blue

miles away in Greenfield. He told Mr. Alden all about the fire. He

didn't know that his grandfather knew it already. Mr. Carter had already

called Mr. Alden.

"You say you know this boy Mike?" asked Mr. Alden.

"Yes, he used to go to school with Benny. We invited him to the picnic

on Surprise Island."

"Oh, I remember," said Mr. Alden. "He had a brother who was almost

drowned."

"Good for you, Grandfather!" cried Henry. "You never forget anything.

Mike's mother hasn't any home now, and we want to give her that big

empty room at the mine to make pies in."

Mr. Alden said, "Is that all you want, Henry?"

"Almost," said Henry. "We'd like to buy a stove, and a sink, and a

refrigerator for the room. We can buy them all here."

"Go ahead, Henry," said Mr. Alden. "It's your money and your mine. It's

a fine idea and a kind one. I had a plan for that room, but it can wait.

This is

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more important. If you need anything more, ask Mr. Carter. And how is

Watch?"

"Watch is right here, looking at me," said Henry. "You speak to him,

Grandfather."

"Hello, Watch!" called Mr. Alden.

"Bow-wow!" answered the dog. He put his feet up on the telephone table

and wagged his tail.

"I heard him bark," said Mr. Alden, laughing. "And now I'll talk to the

others." Mr. Alden always did this. He talked with Violet, and Jessie

and Aunt Jane and Benny.

"I'm the last one, Grandfather," said Benny. "But I was the next to the

first to think of the stove."

"I'm sure you were, Benny," said his grandfather. "You be a good boy,

and take good care of the girls."

"Yes, I will," said Benny. "You know what? They want a blue

refrigerator! I want a white one, but I'll give in."

"Good boy," said Mr. Alden. "Good-by for now."

After the telephone call, Mike said he wanted to see Benny alone.

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"Come up and see your room," said Benny. "Then we can talk."

Mike had no idea what a lovely room he would have. He looked around in

surprise.

"This is neat, Ben," he said. "And right next to you."

"My wall paper has jet planes on it," said Benny. "Aunt Jane picked it

out for me. She's neat, too."

"Listen, Ben," said Mike. "When we were up at the mine, I remembered

something."

"What was it?" asked Benny. The two boys sat down on the floor. They put

their heads together.

"Well, you know I said we had to tie Spotty up because he barked?"

"I remember," said Benny.

"Well, he did bark. He barked at everyone, and he barked at the fire. He

was so excited. But once he growled, Ben."

"Oh, ho! I see!" cried Benny. "That's different. What did he growl at?"

"The man in the blue hat!" cried Mike. "I really

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don't remember what hat he had on. But I think I saw him at the fire. He

was the one Spotty growled at."

"I suppose Spotty never growls," said Benny.

"Never!" said Mike. "Unless he has some good reason. Now another thing,

Ben. You remember the newspaper picture of Pat? Now, I ought to have

been in that picture."

"Why?" asked Benny.

"Well, I was right beside Pat. The picture cut me off. I was always up

at the mine before you came. I knew everybody. And I saw that stranger

myself. He was a short man."

Benny nodded. "Did you talk to him?"

"No, I didn't. But I saw him talking to Mr. McCarthy. And I think he was

the man Spotty growled at!"

"Oh, you do!" cried Benny. "Then he must be the man that said you set

the fire!"

"That's right," said Mike. "Isn't that a mystery?"

"Yes, it is," agreed Benny. "The next thing to do is see Mr. McCarthy."

"Right!" said Mike. "But we won't rush it! Mr.

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Mike's Mystery

Carter said I ought to become an FBI agent." "Yes, he did," said Benny.

"And I'd like to see that newspaper picture again."

So the two boys ran downstairs to find the old newspaper.

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CHAPTER 8

Secrets

Everyone looked for the newspaper, but no one could find it.

"All the newspapers are in that box," said Maggie. "I saved them all."

"They are all here but the right one," said Benny.

"I had one, but it burned up with my house," said Mike.

"Well, never mind," said Aunt Jane. "You can always buy another at the

newspaper office."

Henry said, "Mike, you know this is the time we

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buy a stove. You can look at the newspaper any time."

"This is a very important paper," said Benny. "But I guess we can wait."

"Well, come on then," said Jessie. "What fun it will be to get all those

things! I never bought a stove before."

"Don't you think Mrs. Wood ought to go with us?" asked Violet. "She

ought to pick out the stove she wants."

"Right, as usual," said Henry. "Come on, let's go. Yes, Watch, you can

come this time." Lady stayed with Aunt Jane, as she always did.

The children stopped at the blue house. Mrs. Wood was glad to go with

them.

"Let's take Spotty, too," said Mike.

"He doesn't like to be tied up. He'd love to go."

"Will he like to go with Watch?" asked Jessie.

"Let's try," said Mike. Everyone was glad when at last the two dogs

trotted along together.

The store was a big one. There were all sorts of things in it. There

were tables and chairs and stoves

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and dishes of all kinds. Mrs. Wood looked around. She was delighted to

pick out a huge stove. It had large ovens. The refrigerator was big too.

"It will have to be big for all those pies," said Benny. "What color do

you want, Mrs. Wood?"

"Well, I don't care at all," said Mike's mother.

"The girls like blue," said Benny.

"Let's get all blue things, then," said Mrs. Wood. "Just look at that

beautiful blue sink!"

The man said, "We will put them all in for you. Where do they go?"

"In that big empty building at the mine office," said Henry. "My

grandfather said to pay you when they were all in."

"That's O.K.," said the man with a smile.

"Mr. Carter says insurance will pay for our loss from the fire," said

Mrs. Wood. "I hope so, because we lost almost everything."

"Oh, Mrs. Wood, let's buy dishes!" cried Violet.

Everyone looked at Violet in surprise. Violet was usually so quiet.

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Secrets 73

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Jessie put her arm around her sister. "You dear," she said. "We will

certainly buy dishes. Is that all right with you, Mrs. Wood?"

"Yes, I love to have you help me," said Mrs. Wood. "You have such good

ideas."

"Where will you put the dishes?" asked the storekeeper. "You're not

going to live up at the mine, are you?"

"Live there? Oh, no," said Mrs. Wood. "But we can put the dishes up

there for now."

"Why

couldn't

you live there?" asked Benny, suddenly. "You've got to

live

somewhere"

"And it will take a long time to build the pink house again," added

Henry.

"Yes, I don't like to stay too long with Mrs. Smith," said Mrs. Wood. "I

shall have to live somewhere. I wonder if there is anyone at the mine

all night?"

"There are four watchmen," said Henry. "I found that out. Then Mr.

Carter lives in the green house. That's the nearest house."

"I shall talk with Mr. Carter," said Mrs. Wood.

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"But we must pick out the bowls and dishes, first."

"What lovely colors!" said Jessie.

There were plates and cups of all colors, pink, blue, yellow, green,

violet and light orange.

"Why don't you have one plate of each color?" asked Benny. "That would

make six."

"I must have seven," said Mrs. Wood with a laugh. "Because you must all

come to supper sometime."

Jessie said firmly, "I think you need a dozen, Mrs. Wood. That would be

two of each color."

"Yes," said Benny. "And then I could use the pink cup-I mean if I ever

came to supper."

Jessie laughed. "Benny has a pink cup at home," she told

Mrs.

Wood. "He

loves it because he had it in the Boxcar. I certainly would not like to

break that pink cup."

"We must have knives and forks, spoons, and pans, too," said Mrs. Wood.

The storekeeper seemed to be thinking. At last he said, "Mrs. Wood, may

I say something? I wouldn't buy too many things if I were you."

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"Why on earth not?" cried Mike.

"Well, I can't say too much," said the man. "But I know your friends are

going to give you some things."

"Oh, how kind they are!" cried Mrs. Wood. "I never thought of such a

thing!"

"Don't tell I told you," said the man.

"We won't tell, any of us," said Benny. "It would be awful if you bought

things, and then people gave you the same things."

"Really, I think you have bought enough, now," said the storekeeper.

"Let's leave it. You can ride in the truck if you want to. You children

ride in the back with the stove, and Mrs. Wood can sit with the driver."

"I want to sit with the driver, too," said Mike.

"All right," said the storekeeper. "Get in."

The two dogs were waiting outside the store. At last, all the things,

children and dogs were in the truck. Everyone laughed as the truck went

by.

They waved to the children. The children waved back. The dogs barked and

barked.

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Mike said, "How are you going to get that heavy stove into the room at

the mine, Mister?"

The driver smiled. "I'll have plenty of help," he said. "You wait and

see."

"I suppose you telephoned," said Mike.

"No, but the storekeeper did," said the driver. "We all have some

secrets, don't we? Just look over there, right by the mine office!"

The truck slowly came to a stop. The children stared at the crowd, and

then they all laughed and laughed.

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CHAPTER 9

Quick Work

When the truck stopped at the mine office, a crowd of workmen stood

waiting. The men were all smiling. Henry, Benny and Mike jumped out of

the truck and helped Jessie and Violet out.

The driver helped Mrs. Wood down from the high seat. "We'll help you

move these things into the building," said one man. "You tell us where

you want them to go."

Mrs. Wood and the children and the driver went in. They looked around.

The dogs ran around barking.

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Quick Work

Just then Mr. Carter came out of the office.

"Oh, Mr. Carter, hello!" said Henry. "You are just the man we want."

"I want to see him too," said Mrs. Wood. "I want to ask him something."

"Ask away, my lady," said Mr. Carter with a smile.

"Well," said Mrs. Wood slowly, "I can hardly wait to make a pie. And I'd

love to live right here in this room with my two boys."

"That's just what I said!" shouted Benny. "I said you've got to live

somewhere, and why not here?"

"Yes, you did, Benny," agreed Mrs. Wood. "That is what gave me the idea.

You see, Mr. Carter, the boys say there are watchmen up here all night.

They would help me if I needed anything. And it wouldn't take long to

put up some rough boards and make two rooms, would it? It would be so

handy for me to start my pies early in the morning."

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" cried Jessie. "We can help Mrs. Wood, too,

Mr. Carter."

"Yes, I think it could be done," said Mr. Carter.

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"I have talked with Mr. Gardner, the big boss, Mrs. Wood. He says if I

say O.K., he says O.K."

"Oh, isn't this fun!" shouted Benny. "Who would put up the rough

boards?"

Mr. Carter laughed. He pointed at the workmen who were bringing in the

stove.

"Would they?" asked Violet softly.

"Yes, they would," said a workman who heard what Violet had said. "We

have time off today."

"Then you could make the rooms today!" shouted Mike. He never liked to

wait for anything.

A workman laughed at Mike. "You'll have to help us, son," he said.

"Oh, yes, I will," said Mike. "I'll be the one to tell you where the

things go."

"That is called a boss," said the man. "Boss Mike."

Benny said, "Mike would be a good boss. He really would. And so would I.

You see, that window will make Mike's room, and the next window will be

Mrs. Wood's room. Every room will have one window so that it will have

plenty of light."

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"Not so bad!" said the man. "There is water in the office already. So we

will just get longer pipes to go to your sink."

What a noise there was! Men were cutting holes in the floor for the

pipes. Others were pounding away at the pipes. The dogs barked and

barked. Mr. Carter telephoned three times and soon some long boards

arrived at the door. More men came.

"My room can be small," said Mrs. Wood. "Just big enough for a bed."

"Mine ought to be bigger," said Mike. "Because Pat and I will have two

beds, and I want another bed for Ben. I want him to sleep up here

sometimes."

"That will be easy," said a man. "One small room, and one big one. Are

you going to sleep here tonight?"

"No," said Mike. "No beds."

"What did you say?" shouted Benny. "Look out of the window!"

Another truck had just come. A bed was sticking out of the back. It was

an Army cot.

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Mr. Carter ran down the steps and said a few words to the driver.

Violet thought the driver said, "I'll be back soon," but she was not

sure. The driver saw the children. He called, "Come on, kids! Help me

take out these things."

The boys were delighted to help. They found some folding chairs under

the cot.

"Where did these things come from?" asked Henry.

"From the neighbors," said the driver. "Everyone wants to help Mrs.

Wood. These came from the store, but- " He stopped and said, "Don't ask

me any more questions."

But Benny went right on. "What are those barrels for?"

"Two barrels of flour," said the driver.

"For pies," said Violet.

"Oh, barrels are very useful," said Benny. "Just put a board across two

barrels and it makes a seat."

"It makes a table, too," said Jessie. "Remember our table in the barn on

Surprise Island?"

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Soon the children sat in a row on the long board. They were all watching

the rooms go up.

"This is like a ball-game," said Henry.

"It's like a race," said Benny.

Henry said, "Some day we ought to have a race. We ought to have a fair

race for Watch and Spot."

"Do you think so?" asked Mike. "Watch is a very fast runner."

"Oh, ho!" cried Benny. "You're afraid Watch will beat again!"

"No, I am not!" cried Mike. "Spotty is a fast runner, too."

"Now, boys, no fights!" said Henry. "Just enjoy yourselves. Who's coming

now? It's a woman in a car."

"My neighbor from the blue house!" cried Mrs. Wood. She went to the

door.

"Mike, come help Mrs. Smith with that box."

Mrs. Smith came in smiling. She shook hands with everyone. Then she

said, "Mrs. Wood, all your friends want to help. They have looked over

the things they

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can spare and everyone is giving you something. It's a Surprise Party."

"How kind you are!" said Mrs. Wood with tears in her eyes.

"We planned to have it next week, but Mr. Carter telephoned that now is

the time. So everyone is coming today."

"Well, Mr. Carter is right," said Mrs. Wood. "This is the time I need it

most."

"There are two sheets and two blankets in that box," said Mrs. Smith.

"And more are on the way."

Another car came while she was talking. Then another and another. Soon

the room was full of women with baskets and boxes. They brought

everything that Mrs. Wood needed.

"Oh, oh!" said Jessie. "Isn't this fun, Violet? Look how fast the men

are making shelves!"

"I'll put my pink cup on the shelf," shouted Benny.

"Look out of the window!" shouted Mike. A man was helping someone out of

a car. It was Aunt Jane

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86 Mike's Mystery

with her bright blue eyes and pink cheeks. She had a newspaper in her

hand. Lady walked beside her.

All the children rushed over to Aunt Jane. All but Mike. He just stood

and looked at the paper in her hand.

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CHAPTER 10

Mike's Idea

Oh, Aunt Jane," cried Jessie. "I'm so glad you came! Mrs. Wood is going

to live here and make pies and sell them."

"Yes, I know," said Aunt Jane, laughing. "I know all about it. A little

bird told me."

"Who told you?" asked Benny.

"Well, it was a big bird, after all," said Aunt Jane. "It was Mr.

Gardner, the big boss. He sent a car for me.

Aunt Jane went into the big room.

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Mike went up to her and held out his hand. She gave him the newspaper

with a smile.

She said, "Maggie found it. I haven't had time to look at it, but I am

sure it is the right one, Mike."

Then everyone tried to tell Aunt Jane about the two new rooms.

"They have doors!" said Benny. "Two doors, one in each room." The man

who was putting up the doors laughed at Benny.

Jessie showed Aunt Jane the barrels of flour. Violet showed her the

shelves. There were many dishes already on the shelves.

Aunt Jane had brought some things with her. A man came in with them. He

had some big kettles and long spoons, and some small pans and small

spoons.

"You have to get your own meals, Mrs. Wood," said Aunt Jane. "I thought

the other cooking dishes would be too big for you."

"You are right, Miss Alden," said Mrs. Wood. "I must cook for my family,

too. Where is Mike?"

Mike was not there.

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"But where is he?" cried Jessie. "He was here just a minute ago."

"He's all right," said Mrs. Wood, laughing. "Mike can take care of

himself pretty well. He must have some new idea."

Mike did have a new idea. He was in the office, talking to Mr. Carter.

The newspaper was open on the desk, and they both were looking at the

picture.

"See that man?" asked Mike. "He is the one Spotty growled at. He is

wearing a hat, but you can't see if it is blue or not. Spotty must have

seen him before."

"I have seen him before, too," said Mr. Carter, frowning.

"Where?" asked Mike.

"I don't know where," answered Mr. Carter.

"Well, he was at the fire," said Mike. "I saw him myself."

"And he has been at the mine," said Mr. Carter, "for here is his

picture."

"I don't think he is a very good man," said Mike. "He looks rough to

me."

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"He looks rough to me, too," said Mr. Carter. "We must keep our eyes

open, Mike."

There was a rap at the door.

"Come in," called Mr. Carter. It was Benny.

Benny said, "Oh, here you are, Mike! We lost you. I have another idea."

"Sit down," said Mr. Carter smiling. "We'll all sit down, and you tell

us your idea."

"Well," began Benny, "you know Mike was making a new dog house for

Spotty."

"No, I didn't know that," said Mr. Carter.

"Well, he was," said Benny. "And you know how Mike is. He isn't very

neat."

"I am too, neat!" cried Mike.

"No, Mike. Listen! You had boards in the cellar. You had some boards by

the heater, and some boards by the stairs, and some boards on both sides

of the room."

"Well, yes, I did," said Mike. "But they were neat. They were standing

up, neatly."

"But I mean they were on all sides of the cellar,"

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cried Benny. "Don't you see? That's why the fire started on all sides of

the house!"

"Good for you, Benny," said Mr. Carter. "The firemen think the fire was

set by somebody."

"I didn't. I never did!" shouted Mike.

"Be quiet, Mike!" said Mr. Carter sharply. "I never said you did. I said

somebody."

"Well, who?" asked Mike. "Who would set our house on fire with Spotty in

the cellar?"

"I don't know yet," said Mr. Carter.

Then Benny said, "Think hard, Mike. What did you ever say to make anyone

mad at you?"

"I never said anything."

"Yes, you must have," said Benny. "You know you talk a lot, Mike."

Mike began to think. "Maybe I did say something one day. But it was last

summer," he said. "Maybe I said I was glad Miss Alden didn't sell her

ranch to those three men. Remember that, Ben? Maybe I said I would know

them in a minute if I saw them."

"Oh, my," said Mr. Carter.

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Benny said, "But Mike, you wouldn't know them, because you never saw

them!"

"I know it," said Mike. "I'm sorry now I said it. I suppose that man in

the picture heard me, and he thought I knew him."

"Well, Mike," said Mr. Carter slowly, "you see that's why the story

started that you set your own fire. The man in the picture may have

heard you, and he was afraid of you. That would make him want to do

something to hurt you the first chance he got."

"We can't prove it," said Benny.

"We will, though," said Mike. "You just wait."

"Yes, Mike, I think we will. Now, boys, I am going to tell you

something. I know you both talk too much. But you must not talk too much

about this."

"I won't," said Benny.

"I won't," said Mike.

"The three men who wanted to buy Miss Alden's ranch last summer are

known to be bad men. When they found the uranium by accident, they did

not tell anyone. They tried to buy the land for almost noth-

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ing. They were wanted in another state by the FBI. When they came to

this state, the FBI caught them and put them in jail. But one of them is

out now, I hear."

"Are you in the FBI?" asked Benny.

"I work for your grandfather, but I help the FBI too. I think this man

may be one of those three, but you can't see his face clearly in the

picture."

"They were mad because Aunt Jane wouldn't sell the ranch," said Benny.

"Right," said Mr. Carter. "He may do something to the mine if we don't

stop him. So we are having two more night watchmen. Your mother will be

perfectly safe up here."

"Let's go and help them settle things for the night," said Benny.

Things were going very well without them. Everyone was rushing around

fixing the rooms. A real table was set up for the pies. One barrel of

flour was opened. Pat came in with some more men. They were bringing big

cans of cherries and peaches and blue-

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berries and apples. They had great bags of sugar. There were piles of

pie tins.

"Oh, how kind everyone is!" cried Mrs. Wood.

At last the oven worked, the refrigerator worked, and the sink worked.

The cans of beautiful fruit were ready for pies. The rolling pins and

boards were ready on the table.

Benny and Mike were in time to help set up the beds. Jessie and Violet

began to put on the white sheets.

Then Mike surprised them all. He said, "Ma, I'd rather stay down at the

house with Ben. You see, Miss Alden fixed up a nice room for me. She

said I could bring all my things, and have Spotty in my room. I don't

think it would be very nice for me to refuse it."

"Well, Mike!" cried Mr. Carter. "You certainly are getting to be a very

nice, kind boy!"

"I'm very glad you are going to stay with us," said Aunt Jane with a

smile.

"Yes, Mike," said his mother, "that was very thoughtful of you."

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"I want to go with Ben," said Mike. "We can talk." "Right! Right!" said

Henry. "You can certainly talk!"

"I will take care of you, Ma," said Pat.

"Yes," said his mother smiling. "Pat will take care of me, and Mr.

Carter says there are six night watchmen now instead of four. I wonder

why?"

Mike and Benny looked at each other. They did not wonder at all.

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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 go 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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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!"

"It was a very good idea," said Henry, "having Mike's Mother's Place. I

never get tired of selling pies. The men are so glad to get them."

Mrs. Wood said, "When you go back to school, I can hire two girls to

help me. I know two nice girls."

"Some day we ought to have a party," said Jessie. "The people have been

so kind."

"A Pie Party!" cried Benny. "Give everybody a pie."

Mrs. Wood laughed. "Not a whole pie, Benny," she said. "We could give

everybody a piece of pie, and some coffee."

"And milk," said Benny.

"Well, all right, milk," agreed Mrs. Wood.

"Have it Saturday night, when all the men could come," said Violet.

"Have it

this

Saturday night!" shouted Benny.

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"We can ask Mr. Carter and Mr. Gardner," said Henry.

"And we can make pies all day," said Jessie, "and have the party in the

evening."

Everyone thought this was a fine idea. When they told Mr. Gardner he

laughed. He said, "Go ahead. I'll help you. It will surely be very

lonesome here when you four Aldens go back to school in the Fall."

Mrs. Wood and Jessie and Violet wore white. They made white caps.

They made white caps for the boys, too. They made big white aprons. The

boys got a printing set and printed MIKE'S MOTHER'S PLACE on the front

of their big aprons. They had many cans of milk and hot coffee.

Then the people began to come to the party. The two dogs ran around

having a wonderful time. They loved everybody, and they were good dogs.

There were plenty of chairs, because Mr. Carter had sent them. He sent

movies too.

He said, "I have some beautiful pictures of the

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South Seas. The people will like to see the banana trees and the

monkeys."

When it was dark, the movies began. The people sat in rows and watched

the show. They clapped and laughed at the monkeys. Watch had a chair

between Jessie and Benny. He watched the picture with the rest. Next

came Mike and then Spot. Mr. Carter sat on the end near the door. All

the windows were open and the door was open. Benny whispered to Mike,

"This would be a good time for somebody to blow up the mine."

"No, the watchmen are there," Mike whispered.

Mike put his arm around Spotty's neck. Everyone looked at the picture

except Mike. He never knew why he looked out the door, but he did and

Spotty looked too. He saw a man walking slowly by. Then suddenly he felt

the hair on Spotty's neck move. Spotty looked at the door and growled.

Mr. Carter heard Spotty growl. He jumped up, and dashed out of the door.

Mike and Spotty dashed after him.

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They all saw a man running in the darkness. But Spotty could run faster

than the man. Soon he caught the man's leg. He held him, growling, until

Mr. Carter came. Mike never knew how strong Mr. Carter's hands were.

The watchmen ran up and soon the man was taken away.

"The man in the blue hat!" cried Mike.

"Yes, Mike, I think it is," said Mr. Carter. "Spotty knew him."

"Spotty ran faster than he did in the race," said Mike.

"I guess he did," said Mr. Carter. "Now, Mike, don't say a word. Just go

back quietly."

"Can't I tell Ben?" asked Mike.

"Yes, if you whisper. Don't let anyone else know about this. It will

spoil the party."

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CHAPTER 14

Ben or Mike?

When Mike and Spotty went back, Mike whispered, "Ben, we just caught the

man in the blue hat."

"You did?" said Benny. "Did he have on a blue hat?"

"He didn't have on any hat at all," said Mike. "I told you he wouldn't."

"I wish you had told me before," said Benny. "Watch and I would have

come, too."

"I had no time," said Mike. "Sh-h-h, don't say a word!"

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Ben or Mike?

Then the show was over. The lights went on. Everyone sat around eating

pie and drinking coffee. Mr. Carter came back very quietly.

The boys looked at him but they did not say a word.

"It's all over," Mr. Carter whispered to Mike and Benny.

"Where is that man?" asked Mike.

"Well, he is in jail again. This time he will stay there," said Mr.

Carter. "That man was wanted in four states! You boys helped me a great

deal. "And best of all, you did not talk."

"Wait till I tell Henry!" cried Benny. "He thinks I can't stop talking."

"I'll tell him myself," smiled Mr. Carter. "And Jessie will like to

know, too. She's a mother to you, Benny."

"Yes, I know," said Benny.

"She always keeps care of you, Ben," said Mike.

"Takes

care of me," said Benny.

"Well,

takes

care, then," agreed Mike. He didn't

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even start to argue. Benny was quite surprised.

With everyone gone, the Woods, the Aldens and Mr. Carter were left alone

in the big room.

Mr. Carter said, "Please sit down, all of you. I want to tell you

something."

When they were quiet, he said, "The hunt for the man in the blue hat is

over. The man has been caught, and the mystery is solved."

"Oh, how?" asked Aunt Jane in excitement.

Then Mr. Carter told her about the man. He told her about Spotty

growling.

"You don't need to growl any more, Spotty," said Mr. Carter. He patted

the dog's smooth head. "The man has gone away."

"Well, I am glad," said Violet softly. "I know it was exciting for the

boys, but I didn't like it at all."

"No," said Mr. Carter, looking at Violet with a smile, "neither did I."

"Well," said Mike, "now it's all over, it was my mystery, wasn't it?"

"Oh, no, it wasn't!" cried Benny. "It was mine!"

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Ben or Mike 125

[PICTURE NOT SHOWN]

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"My dog found the blue hat!" shouted Mike.

"But my dog helped him. And Watch found the tin can!" said Benny.

Then Mike suddenly stopped. He said, "Yes, Ben, I think it was your

mystery after all. Because it was your mine."

"Well," said Benny slowly, "maybe it was yours, because it was your

house that burned up."

"Well, well!" said Henry, smiling at Mike. "How you have changed, Mike!"

"That's what I say," said Mrs. Wood. "Mike is getting to be a very nice,

thoughtful boy. He doesn't argue so much. I said it did him good to play

with Benny."

Henry laughed. "And you remember I said it was good for Benny to play

with Mike! They are quite a pair."

"Yes, boys, you are quite a pair," said Mr. Carter. His eyes began to

twinkle. "Let me give you something to think about. Maybe you two boys

will be together next summer, too. But not here."

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"Where," cried Jessie, "will we all be together?"

"Well, you children will all be together, but the rest is a secret."

"Oh, a secret? Grandfather's secret, I suppose," said Henry. "He is

always a little ahead of us."

"Yes, I can tell you that much. You children and Mike, and your

grandfather are included in the secret."

"And Spotty and Watch?" asked Mike.

"Yes, Watch, but not Spotty."

The children were thinking hard. They had no idea what it was all about.

Jessie asked the last question. "Will you be there, too, Mr. Carter?"

"No," said Mr. Carter. He looked at Jessie with a funny little smile.

"And I shall certainly be very sorry for myself."

After that, Mr. Carter shook his head at every question. He would not

tell another thing.

Then Mike said, "I'm not going to ask Mr. Carter any more. He don't want

to tell us. I mean

doesn't."

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"Well, well, you're learning, Mike," said Henry. "Maybe you'll be a

schoolteacher yet."

"Oh, no, I won't. I'm going to be an FBI man," said Mike.

"Yes, and he may," said Mr. Carter. "He and Benny talk all the time. But

I want you all to know that they know when to keep still."

Benny was thinking. Then he went over to Mr. Carter and put his hand on

Mr. Carter's shoulder. "I think this really was Mike's mystery," he

said. "It was his dog that found the hat. And he would have found it if

I had stayed home with Grandfather, and never come out here at all."

"Good for you, Benny," said everyone.

"What a kind boy you are, Benny," said Mrs. Wood.

"That was good of you, Ben," said Mike. "Thank you."

Mike was so polite that everyone laughed. But it was Mike's mystery

forever and ever.

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One warm night four children

stood in front of a bakery,

No one knew them. No one knew

where they had come from.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny used to live alone in a

boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather and

are spending the summer out west on Mystery Ranch.

The excitement begins when they meet their old friend,

Mike. When Mike is blamed for starting a fire, the Boxcar

Children know he's innocent. But can they discover who's

really behind Mike's Mystery - before it's too late?

Look for more Boxcar Children adventures. The books in

this exciting series are available in hardcover from Albert

Whitman Company.

ALBERT

WHITMAN

COMPANY