The Secret of the Scarecrow (8 page)
Read The Secret of the Scarecrow Online
Authors: Carolyn Keene
“That's when you took her?” Bess asked.
Leanne nodded as she placed the plate of cookies on the table.
“I put Autumn inside the suitcase and wheeled her home,” Leanne explained. “You'd
be surprised what fits inside a Hudson's Apparel suitcase.”
Hudson's Apparel
, Nancy thought.
H . . . A!
Nancy pulled the red, round
HA
out of her jacket pocket. “Did this come from Hudson's too?” she asked.
“Yes!” Leanne said. “Those tags are on all of our suitcases. It must have fallen off when I was trying to put Autumn inside.”
“No wonder they're on sale,” George muttered.
“I'm really sorry,” Leanne cried. “You guys are great detectives . . . but I'm a terrible classmate.”
Tears welled in Leanne's eyes as she said, “I even lied about being allergic to hay so I wouldn't have to make a scarecrow for Darcy's.”
“You're not terrible, Leanne,” Nancy said with a smile. “You made a mistake and everybody makes mistakes.”
“Even me,” Bess said. “I left the scarecrow on the porch when I should have kept her inside. So we're even!”
Leanne finally smiled. “I was going to bring
Autumn back after Trixie's tea party,” she said. “Honest!”
“What's important is that we found Autumn,” Nancy said. “And just in time for school tomorrow.”
“Yippee!” Bess cheered. “This calls for another celebration!”
“Totally!” Leanne agreed. She smiled at the pretty table in the garden and said, “Tea party, anyone?”
Monday morning Bess brought Autumn to school as promised. Later that week the whole
class gathered on Main Street for the unveiling of Darcy's new fall window.
“She's perfect!” Bess swooned when they saw Autumn seated on a bale of hay surrounded by pumpkins.
“I hope you got the mouse out,” Deirdre muttered.
Nancy, Bess, and George ignored Deirdre. The important thing was that Autumn was where she belongedâin the window of Darcy's Department Store!
“Well done, boys and girls!” Ms. Franklin announced. “Now everyone will want to shop at Darcy's Department Store.”
“That's what I was afraid of,” Leanne whispered.
Nancy felt bad for Leanne. She looked across the street at Hudson's Apparel and their boring store window. That's when she got an idea. . . .
“Leanneâwhy don't we design a window just for Hudson's?” Nancy asked. “Something other than luggage and a stuffed squirrel?”
“Yes!” Bess said excitedly. “We can dress up some mannequins in Hudson's prettiest fall clothesâ”
“And put them on a hayride!” George suggested.
Leanne's eyes shone brightly. “My mom and dad will love the idea!” she said. “But why do you want to do it?”
Nancy remembered what Mimi Franklin said and smiled.
“Because
every
store window should be well dressed,” Nancy declared. “Especially in the fall!”
What's the dish on making a great scarecrow? You don't need hay or straw. Just a paper plate, a few fun craftsâand lots of imagination!
â¢Â 1 Paper plate
â¢Â 2 Plastic eyes or round buttons
â¢Â Bunches of hair-colored yarn
â¢Â Colorful markers or crayons
â¢Â Orange, red, or brown construction paper
â¢Â Glue
â¢Â Red or orange ribbon
â¢Â Scissors
Glue yarn at the top of the plate to make the hair.
Cut construction paper in the shape of a hat. Glue the hat on the top of the plate.
To make a face, glue plastic eyes or buttons onto the plate.
Draw on a triangle-shaped nose.
Underneath the nose draw a cheery smile.
Tie the ribbon into a bow and glue it on the bottom of the plate.
Add your own special touches like rosy-red cheeks or a sprinkle of freckles. Or glam up the hat with feathers, stickersâeven autumn leaves!
When your scarecrow is done, hang it on the front door. It's the perfect welcome for friendsâ
and for fall!
Join the
CLUE CREW
& solve these other cases!
#1
Sleepover Sleuths
#2
Scream for Ice Cream
#3
Pony Problems
#4
The Cinderella Ballet Mystery
#5
Case of the Sneaky Snowman
#6
The Fashion Disaster
#7
The Circus Scare
#8
Lights, Camera . . . Cats!
#9
The Halloween Hoax
#10
Ticket Trouble
#11
Ski School Sneak
#12
Valentine's Day Secret
#13
Chick-napped!
#14
The Zoo Crew
#15
Mall Madness
#16
Thanksgiving Thief
#17
Wedding Day Disaster
#18
Earth Day Escapade
#19
April Fool's Day
#20
Treasure Trouble
#21
Double Take
#22
Unicorn Uproar
#23
Babysitting Bandit
#24
Princess Mix-up Mystery
#25
Buggy Breakout
#26
Camp Creepy
#27
Cat Burglar Caper
#28
Time Thief
#29
Designed for Disaster
#30
Dance off
#31
Make-a-Pet Mystery
#32
Cape Mermaid Mystery
#33
The Pumpkin Patch Puzzle
#34 Cupcake Chaos
#35 Cooking Camp Disaster
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Aladdin paperback edition November 2013
Text copyright © 2013 by Simon and Schuster, Inc.
Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Macky Pamintuan
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN and related logo, NANCY DREW, and NANCY DREW AND THE CLUE CREW are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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Designed by Lisa Vega
The text of this book was set in ITC Stone Informal.
Library of Congress Control Number 2012949908
ISBN 978-1-4424-5353-1
ISBN 978-1-4424-5355-5 (eBook)