Mystery in the Old Attic
Read Mystery in the Old Attic Online
Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner
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
The Mystery in the Snow
The Pizza Mystery
The Mystery Horse
The Mystery at the Dog Show
The Castle Mystery
The Mystery on Ice
The Mystery of the Lost Village
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 Ballpark
The Chocolate Sundae Mystery
The Mystery of the Hot Air Balloon
The Mystery Bookstore
The Pilgrim Village Mystery
The Mystery of the Stolen Boxcar
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 IN THE OLD ATTIC
created by
GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
Illustrated by Charles Tang
ALBERT WHITMAN & Company
Morton Grove, Illinois
Contents
CHAPTER 1
The Long Trip
“W
atch, let go! I have to take these boots with me to Michigan,” said sixyear-old Benny as he tugged one end of his red snow boot.
Watch wagged his tail and obediently dropped the boot before scampering down the hallway to Jessie's room. There he began to sniff her open suitcase. “Watch, what are you doing?” said Jessie, laughing. She packed her thick white sweater and gently nudged her dog away.
“I think he wants to go with us,” said Violet as she came into Jessie's room carrying her purple ski jacket. Purple was Violet's favorite color, and she liked most of her clothes to be purple or lavender. “Do you think I will need this jacket and my wool coat, too?” Violet asked her older sister.
“No, probably just the jacket and one wool sweater,” answered Jessie. “And don't forget your boots. Grandfather says it snows a lot in that part of Michigan.”
Jessie, who was twelve years old, sometimes acted like a mother to her ten-year-old sister, Violet, and their two brothers, Henry, age fourteen, and Benny.
The children's parents had died when the children were younger, and Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny now had a home with their grandfather, James Alden, and his housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor. Even so, the Aldens were used to taking care of themselves. Just after their parents died, the children had lived all by themselves in a boxcar in the woods. Now the boxcar had a home, too â in Grandfather's backyard. The children often used the boxcar as a playhouse.
“Jessie, I can't wait to play in all that snow,” said Benny as he ran into Jessie's room carrying his pink cup and a wool scarf. “I don't have room for these things in my suitcase. Can you take them?” he asked his sister.
“Sure, Benny,” answered Jessie. Benny had had that pink cup ever since his boxcar days. He liked to take it with him wherever he went. Jessie carefully wrapped the scarf around the cup and put it in her suitcase. “Come on, Benny, I'll help you pack.”
The next day the four Alden children and their grandfather were going to board a plane bound for Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Grandfather's aunt Sophie had died recently, and Grandfather had inherited her big old house, which he planned to sell. The children were traveling with him to help him clear it out.
“Jessie, did you know that Great-aunt Sophie's house is more than one hundred years old?” Benny asked.
Jessie nodded as she took a pair of roller skates out of Benny's suitcase to make room for his sweaters. “Yes, I know. And it's so big, it even has a ballroom in it.”
Benny gulped. “That means we're going to have a lot of rooms to clean,” he said.
The next morning, Watch ran around the car as the Aldens loaded all their suitcases into the trunk.
“Oh, Watch, I wish you could come, too,” said Benny as he wrapped his arms around his dog's neck.
“He wouldn't like the long plane trip,” Grandfather said gently.
Henry nodded. “It's true, Watch. Do you know we have to take two planes? One from Boston to Detroit. Then another from Detroit to Brockton, where Great-aunt Sophie's house is. And you would not even be allowed to ride with us.”
Watch licked Henry's hands. Then Benny, Jessie, and Violet all took turns hugging their dog. Only then did Watch follow Mrs. McGregor up the steps to the front door.
“Good-bye,” the Aldens called as Grandfather backed the car out of the driveway. “We'll write!” Jessie promised.
“Don't forget to wear your boots,” Mrs. McGregor called.
“Boy, airports sure are crowded,” said Benny as he followed his family to the waiting area at the gate. All the chairs were taken, so the Aldens went over to the window, where they could see the planes take off and land.
“Look, Benny, we'll probably be on a big jet like that,” said Henry. He pointed to the Boeing 737 that was speeding down the runway. “But when we change in Detroit, we'll be on a puddle jumper.”
“A what?” asked Benny.
“He means a very small plane that only carries about twenty or thirty people,” Jessie explained.
“Oh,” said Benny.
“Flight 131 is ready for boarding,” an announcer spoke into a microphone.
“That's us. That's our flight.” Henry sounded very excited.
* * *
Benny had a seat next to the window right near Grandfather. Violet, Jessie, and Henry were on the other side of the aisle. When the plane was high in the air, the flight attendant announced it would be all right to move around the cabin.
“Thank goodness. I need to stretch my legs,” said Jessie.
“When is lunch?” asked Benny as he crossed the aisle to stand by Henry's seat.
Grandfather said, “You may have to be patient, Benny. The flight attendants have a lot of people to serve on this flight.”
“Here, Benny, I'll show you where we're going,” said Henry as he unfolded one of the many maps he carried in his jacket. “We're flying over these states,” he continued as he traced a line with his finger over Massachusetts and New York. “Here is Detroit.” Henry pointed to the city in the southern part of Michigan. “From there we'll catch a small plane and fly over the rest of Michigan and Wisconsin.”
“We're going to the part of Michigan that looks like a shoe,” said Benny.
“Right,” said Henry.
Benny sat down and tried to concentrate on the map Henry had given him. But his stomach was rumbling. “Grandfather,” he said, poking James Alden in the arm. “Can you tell me again about Great-aunt Sophie and her big house in Michigan?”
“Of course, Benny.” Grandfather liked telling the story almost as much as his grandchildren liked hearing it. “When I was a boy about your age, my parents would take me to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan almost every summer. We would always stay with Aunt Sophie in her big house near the lake.”
“You mean Lake Superior,” said Benny. He noticed that Grandfather had changed part of one of his favorite stories.
“Yes. Lake Superior,” said Grandfather. “When my other cousins visited, they would stay in the big house, too. We would try to spend as much time outside as we could: fishing, camping, and visiting the copper mines.”
“Copper mines?” Benny interrupted.
“Yes, the Upper Peninsula used to be filled with working copper mines. Most of them have been shut down now.”
“Oh.” Benny sounded disappointed.
“Anyway,” Grandfather continued, “when it rained and we had to stay indoors, we would explore the old house. One summer we found a hidden passageway that connected the library to the attic, and another time we found a secret closet off the kitchen.”
“What was in the secret closet?” asked Benny, even though he knew the answer.
“Oh, old snowshoes â and some very old toys that had belonged to my father. We found an old model sailboat and a beautiful rocking horse that my uncle had carved out of wood for his children.”
Benny smiled. “I can't wait to explore the old house. I'm sure we'll find something exciting there.”
Grandfather chuckled. “You probably will, Benny.”
“Grandfather?” asked Violet from across the narrow aisle. “How come you never visited Aunt Sophie's house after you were eighteen?”
“Well,” answered Grandfather, “Aunt Sophie started coming down to visit my family more often. And at eighteen, I started college and worked during the summers, so I did not have as much time to make that long trip anymore.”
Violet was quiet. She knew how much Grandfather had enjoyed his summers in Michigan.
“I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to showing you the Upper Peninsula,” Grandfather said as he reached across the aisle to pat Violet on the arm. “There is no place as pretty, except for maybe Greenfield.”
Violet laughed.
“Oh, lunch is here,” said Benny happily as the flight attendant put a tray of chicken salad, bread, cheese, and a cookie in front of him.
“Mmm,” said Benny.
CHAPTER 2
The Old House
F
our hours later, the Aldens were in the little plane headed for Brockton's airport. Benny and Jessie could not stop looking out the window. All they could see were pine trees that stretched for miles before ending at the shores of a big blue body of water.
“That must be Lake Superior,” said Benny.
Grandfather nodded. He was looking out the window, too, over Benny's shoulder. “It's just the way I remember it. Trees, trees, and more trees,” he said, sounding very pleased.
“How come it's not snowing?” asked Benny.
Grandfather chuckled. “Don't worry, Benny. It will. There is usually snow on the ground five months of the year up here â from November to April.”
It was late afternoon when Grandfather's rental car pulled into the circular driveway in front of Aunt Sophie's mansion. Sagging steps led up to a wide porch that went all around the mansion. Painted a mustard yellow with white trim, the house had big dormer windows, two towers, eight chimneys, and a big brass knocker on the front door.