The Woodshed Mystery (7 page)
The two Mr. Coles were delighted to see the visitors. “Go and get four chairs,” said Grandpa.
“Oh, no, we can sit on the grass,” said Jessie. “We like it.” They all sat down, so it was too late to get chairs.
“We are very glad you came at last, sir,” said Henry to Mr. Cole. “We have been waiting for you. Maybe you can tell us something new.”
“Well, my boy, I think I can,” said Mr. Cole. “I knew Andy Bean very well. I was a young man and Andy was just a big boy. Always up to something. He was good looking with a one-sided kind of smile. He always wanted to do exciting things. And we were quiet people.”
“We always come right back to Andy Bean, don’t we?” said Benny.
“Yes, your mystery is about Andy Bean, that’s why. I’m sure of that. You see I knew he had that flintlock.”
“You did!” they all said.
“Yes. He came and showed it to me as a secret. But I didn’t think much about it because I didn’t know how to shoot it.”
“Didn’t Andy know?” asked Violet.
“No. That’s why he took it up into the woods to fool with it. He had gunpowder and matches. But I suppose the gun was too rusty. So before he knew it, he had started a big fire. The leaves and grass were very dry and caught fire easily. The farmhouse was saved, but many trees were burned. I suppose Andy was afraid somebody would put him in jail. He never could stand being shut in, so he ran away.”
“He left the gun,” said Henry.
“Yes, he left the gun. But this isn’t what I wanted to tell you. You knew this already, didn’t you?”
“Most of it,” said Henry. “But we hope you know things we don’t. People keep saying someone at our house hid there and gave Andy the flintlock.”
“Not a bit of truth to it,” Mr. Cole said loudly. “People like to tell tales just to scare themselves. Andy told me he found the gun somewhere in your house. He didn’t say where. But he did say, ‘I found the whole story, too, all written out.’ Those were his own words. Then he said, ‘The other end is in the woodshed.’”
“I wonder what he meant? The other end of what?” cried Violet.
“I never knew,” said Mr. Cole sadly. “Now I’m sorry I didn’t ask him, but then I didn’t think it was important.”
“Is there anyone else we could ask?” said Jessie. “Who else was around here at that time?”
“Oh, Willie,” said Mr. Cole laughing. “But you won’t get much out of Willie!”
“No, he doesn’t talk,” said Benny.
“No, he doesn’t talk, and he doesn’t know much either. He was born that way. He can’t help it. But he was around here then, sure enough.”
Violet said, “Do you think there could be a tunnel between the woodshed and our house?”
“No, it’s too far. But if I were you, I’d hunt around in your own cellar. For Andy said the woodshed is the other end of
something.
”
“We’ll do that right off,” said Henry getting up. “Do you think we might find this mystery written down?”
“It looks that way to me,” said Mr. Cole. “Something happened in your house. That’s what makes the mystery. People had always felt there was something unusual about the old place. After Andy Bean’s disappearance, there were more stories whispered around.”
“That’s what makes it so exciting,” said Benny.
“You are new,” said Grandpa Cole. “You never lived here long ago with all these goings-on.”
“Thanks a million,” said Henry. “You helped us a lot, Mr. Cole. We’ll tell you what we find.”
The Aldens could hardly wait to get to their own cellar. Violet stopped to tell Aunt Jane all about it. Then she went down the cellar with the rest.
Henry was standing still, looking all around. He laughed and said, “Benny, where would you begin? You have good luck finding things.”
Benny was very much pleased. He said at once, “The potato pit. You can see everything else. But you can’t see the inside of the potato pit.”
“OK,” said Henry. “You and I will be the ones to get dirty. In you go!” He helped his little brother over the edge of the empty pit. He handed down a flashlight and a small shovel. Then he took an axe and jumped in.
Jessie and Violet could see the top of his head.
“How are you going to get out?” asked Jessie as she looked down.
“You can give us a box to step on,” said Henry. “But we haven’t begun yet.”
First the boys looked at the floor very carefully. They found nothing but dirt. Then they began to look at the walls.
“These walls are made of stones, aren’t they, Henry?” asked Benny. “And then plaster over them?”
“Right,” said Henry. “But maybe some of them are loose.”
He hit the wall with his axehead and said, “Listen! This isn’t stone. It’s wood!”
“Don’t tell me!” shouted Benny. “Maybe it’s a little wooden door! And all covered with plaster!”
The boys pounded away at the door. The plaster fell off in big pieces. At last they could open the door. What a noise it made as it opened!
The boys flashed the light in the door. “A big hole!” cried Benny. “Just exactly like the hole under the woodshed! This is the other end of something, whatever it is!”
O
h, tell us what you see!” begged Jessie. “Can’t we come down, too?”
“I wouldn’t, Jessie,” said Henry looking up. “It’s so dirty. We’ll look very carefully and tell you everything.”
Benny had crawled through the little door with the light. “The very same things!” he shouted. “A milking stool and an old candlestick and some more iron boxes! We’ll bring them all up.”
“How big is the hole?” called Violet.
“Just big enough for two people to sit down. You can’t stand up,” Benny called back. “Oh, boy! Here is an old plate! And here’s an old cup! All broken!”
His voice sounded strange and far away, but they could tell how excited Benny was.
“Hand them to me, old fellow,” said Henry. “And you let me have a turn in there.”
Benny crawled out and Henry crawled in.
“Find anything, Henry?” called Jessie.
“Well, yes! This seems to be a spoon. An awfully old spoon. Somebody ate in here all right.”
But that was all. Henry handed the things up to the girls. Jessie gave him a box to step on and the boys jumped out of the hole.
Henry took some things and started for the kitchen. There was Sam, sitting on the cellar stairs.
“Well, Sam,” said Henry. “How long have you been here?”
“Ever since you came down,” said Sam. “Your aunt told me to.”
“But we weren’t in any danger in our own cellar,” said Henry. “Sometimes Aunt Jane treats us like little children.”
Sam grinned a bit and said, “To tell the truth, I guess I want to know what’s going on. I’ll help you carry that stuff outdoors.”
Soon everything was spread out on the grass in front of Aunt Jane.
The boxes held gunpowder and bullets. There were no guns this time. Aunt Jane looked at everything. She said, “Now, we know a little bit more. This plate is over two hundred years old. And we know there were two hiding places.”
“Why should people want to hide?” asked Benny. “They just wanted to hide their ammunition.”
“Yes, Benny,” Violet said. “But you see the Redcoats wanted to catch the men, too. I’m sure someone hid in both these caves. Someone sat on that milking stool and ate from that plate.”
“Good for you, Violet,” said Henry, smiling. “I’m sure you are right.”
Then he said to Aunt Jane, “Let me tell you about that door in the potato pit. I would never have dreamed there was a door if I hadn’t been looking for one. A very clever man made that door. First it was made of wood, but the edges were not straight. They were curved to look like stones. Then the plaster was put on to look like stones, too. It took a long time to make that door.”
“Yes, Henry,” said Aunt Jane. “Think of all those years when your grandfather and I lived here as children. Nobody ever found that door. And we used to play hide and seek in that hole. We poured potatoes into it and hid in the potatoes.”
“I wonder if Grandfather would have any ideas,” said Jessie slowly. “I know he had to go back to work. But he might remember something.”
Everyone looked thoughtful for a moment.
“Oh, I’m all tired out thinking!” cried Aunt Jane suddenly. “It must be suppertime.” She looked tired and almost as if she were going to cry.
“Dear Aunt Jane!” cried Violet. “This is too exciting for you. I’ll tell Maggie to get supper right away. I’ll help her.”
“So will I,” said Jessie quietly. “We’ll get supper in two shakes.”
The three worked as fast as they could to get supper on the table. In no time, Maggie went to get Aunt Jane.
“We have your favorite things, Miss Jane,” she said. “Chicken salad and hot rolls and early asparagus.”
“And a cup of good strong tea, I hope,” said Aunt Jane.
“Yes, sure enough, a cup of good strong tea,” said Maggie. She helped Aunt Jane into her chair at the table. Maggie was a bit worried. She said so to Jessie when they were getting supper. “Your Aunt Jane must be getting too tired. She doesn’t ever speak quickly like that any more.”
“We’ll be more careful of her,” said Jessie. “We mustn’t upset Aunt Jane.”
“Maybe all this talk is too much for her,” said Violet. “You must remember that once upon a time she really loved Andy Bean.”
“I suppose she did,” said Maggie. “But that was a long time ago.”
“But this brings it back,” said Violet quietly.
Aunt Jane ate her supper well and drank her tea. As the family finished eating, they heard a voice talking to Maggie in the kitchen.
“It’s only Willie,” Henry said. “He must be selling Maggie some more asparagus.”
“Good,” said Benny. “I hope she will buy it.”
Benny had not heard the talk about Aunt Jane. He went on now with his own ideas. “But to go back to Andy Bean. Mr. Cole said there was a written story somewhere. Where do you suppose that story ever went? And what did it say? And where did Andy get it?”
Suddenly Aunt Jane’s cheeks looked bright pink. She spoke quickly and, for her, quite loudly. It was hard for the children to tell whether she was angry or just tired.
“Andy Bean!” she exclaimed. “All the trouble he’s made! Running away and all. I’d like to shoot Andy Bean!”
Everyone turned in surprise toward Aunt Jane. She had not sounded like this for a long, long time.
Henry was by her side in a second. “Don’t you worry any more, Aunt Jane!” he said in a loving voice. “Come on, I’ll carry you to bed!”
“No, Henry! Really, I’m all right.”
But Jessie and Violet and Maggie rushed over to her. Henry lifted his tiny aunt very easily and carried her to bed. By that time she was laughing.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I just got to thinking how nice it would have been if Andy hadn’t run away!”
“It’s all right, Miss Jane,” said Maggie. “Put on your very best lacy nightdress and you’ll go to sleep early.”
Maggie sat by Aunt Jane until she fell asleep.
Benny and Henry bought the asparagus and paid Willie.
“Did you work for Andy Bean’s father?” asked Benny.
“Yep.”
“Don’t bother Willie. He couldn’t have been more than a boy then,” Henry said to his brother. “Just put the asparagus in the refrigerator. Then we’ll go outdoors and talk all we want. I hope tomorrow Aunt Jane will be herself again.”
A
unt Jane was all right the next day. But she was surprised when Henry said he wanted to go up to the woodshed again.
“Why?” she asked.
“Well,” said Henry, “if someone lives there, we might find something new any day.”
“Take Sam with you,” said Aunt Jane as usual.
“Poor Sam!” said Benny. “He doesn’t want to go.”
“Well, I don’t know,” said Sam. “I’m getting interested in this woodshed.”
They could not find Watch so they went along without him.
Soon the five of them reached the woodshed. Everything was in order. There was one
egg
on the shelf. As they stood there, they heard somebody coming through the woods.
“Quick!” whispered Henry. “Someone’s coming. Climb that tree!”
A tall tree stood right by the door. Even Violet was good at climbing trees. She went first. Benny was after her in a flash. “Hurry!” he whispered to Jessie. He went out of sight in the heavy leaves. He gave Jessie his hand and helped her up. Henry was last.