Mystery in the Old Attic (8 page)

Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner

BOOK: Mystery in the Old Attic

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Adam and the professor stayed in the attic to look at all the old clothes, toys, and pictures. Then Grandfather suggested they come downstairs to his aunt's study so they could see her old letters.

“Don't you want to come, too?” he asked his grandchildren.

The Aldens looked at one another. They were now all on Kimberly's floor. “We'll come,” said Jessie. “But there's something we'd like to do first.”

As the others continued downstairs, Violet timidly knocked on Kimberly's door.

“Yes,” Kimberly said when she opened the door.

“We just wanted to see how you were doing,” said Violet.

“Oh,” said Kimberly, looking a little embarrassed. “Please come in.”

The Aldens sat in Kimberly's small living room. Kimberly held Juniper on her lap and told the children how lonely she was up in Michigan. “I miss all my friends and family so much. I should never have come here to go to school. I don't like the climate; neither does my dog. And I haven't been able to make any friends, except for your great-aunt,” she added.

The Aldens nodded. “Is that why you were crying last night?” asked Benny.

Kimberly nodded. “Sometimes I get so lonely I can't stand it. The people are so reserved up here.”

“What?” asked Benny.

Kimberly smiled. “I mean they don't open up much to strangers, not like in California.” Kimberly sighed. “But you know, I feel better now that I've decided to transfer to a school closer to home. I'll be leaving at the end of this term.”

The Aldens stayed and talked to Kimberly for a long time. They invited her to go skiing and sleigh riding with them before they left.

“I'd love to,” said Kimberly as she closed the door after them.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny found Grandfather in the living room with the professor and Adam. They were all laughing and talking.

“It sounds like a party down here,” said Benny.

“In a way, it is,” said Grandfather. “I have a surprise for you children.”

“What?” they asked eagerly as they curled up by the fire near their grandfather.

“Well,” Grandfather began, “I have decided not to sell this old house.”

“Yippee!” shouted Benny. Jessie and Violet jumped up and hugged Grandfather. Henry beamed.

“Professor Schmidt has very kindly agreed to look after this house for us. He's quite handy at fixing things, and what's more, he really wants to do it,” Grandfather said.

“I certainly do,” said the professor. “I've always loved living in this old house. And your grandfather has very generously agreed to let me live here for free. What's more, I'll have access to your aunt's papers and wonderful library for my research.”

“That's wonderful,” said Violet.

“I'm very pleased you're keeping this old place, Mr. Alden,” Adam said. “It would be a shame to sell something with so much of your family's history in it.”

“I agree,” said Henry, smiling. Adam looked at him and winked.

“We should celebrate,” said Violet.

“I know,” said Jessie. “Let's have another tea party.”

Everyone laughed.

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book,
The Boxcar Children,
quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car â the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner's books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens' independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible â something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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