The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (53 page)

“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.

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 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.

“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.

“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.

W
hen 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.

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.

“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, 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.

“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.”

“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 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 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.”

M
r. 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.”

“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.

“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.”