The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (66 page)
Read The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve Online
Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner
T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
S
AN
F
RANCISCO
T
HE
N
IAGARA
F
ALLS
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
A
LAMO
T
HE
O
UTER
S
PACE
M
YSTERY
T
HE
S
OCCER
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
O
LD
A
TTIC
T
HE
G
ROWLING
B
EAR
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
AKE
M
ONSTER
T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
P
EACOCK
H
ALL
T
HE
W
INDY
C
ITY
M
YSTERY
T
HE
B
LACK
P
EARL
M
YSTERY
T
HE
C
EREAL
B
OX
M
YSTERY
T
HE
P
ANTHER
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
Q
UEEN’S
J
EWELS
T
HE
S
TOLEN
S
WORD
M
YSTERY
T
HE
B
ASKETBALL
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
OVIE
S
TAR
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
IRATE’S
M
AP
T
HE
G
HOST
T
OWN
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
B
LACK
R
AVEN
T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
M
ALL
T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
HE
G
YMNASTICS
M
YSTERY
T
HE
P
OISON
F
ROG
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
E
MPTY
S
AFE
T
HE
H
OME
R
UN
M
YSTERY
T
HE
G
REAT
B
ICYCLE
R
ACE
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
W
ILD
P
ONIES
T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
OMPUTER
G
AME
T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
C
ROOKED
H
OUSE
T
HE
H
OCKEY
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IDNIGHT
D
OG
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
CREECH
O
WL
T
HE
S
UMMER
C
AMP
M
YSTERY
T
HE
C
OPYCAT
M
YSTERY
T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
LOCK
T
OWER
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
T
IGER
’S E
YE
T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
S
TAIRCASE
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY ON
B
LIZZARD
M
OUNTAIN
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
PIDER
’S C
LUE
T
HE
C
ANDY
F
ACTORY
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
UMMY’S
C
URSE
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TAR
R
UBY
T
HE
S
TUFFED
B
EAR
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF
A
LLIGATOR
S
WAMP
T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
S
KELETON
P
OINT
T
HE
T
ATTLETALE
M
YSTERY
T
HE
C
OMIC
B
OOK
M
YSTERY
T
HE
G
REAT
S
HARK
M
YSTERY
T
HE
I
CE
C
REAM
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
IDNIGHT
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
F
ORTUNE
C
OOKIE
T
HE
B
LACK
W
IDOW
S
PIDER
M
YSTERY
T
HE
R
ADIO
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
R
UNAWAY
G
HOST
T
HE
F
INDERS
K
EEPERS
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
AUNTED
B
OXCAR
T
HE
C
LUE IN THE
C
ORN
M
AZE
T
HE
G
HOST OF THE
C
HATTERING
B
ONES
T
HE
S
WORD OF THE
S
ILVER
K
NIGHT
T
HE
G
AME
S
TORE
M
YSTERY
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
O
RPHAN
T
RAIN
T
HE
V
ANISHING
P
ASSENGER
T
HE
G
IANT
Y
O
-Y
O
M
YSTERY
T
HE
C
REATURE IN
O
GOPOGO
L
AKE
T
HE
R
OCK ’N’
R
OLL
M
YSTERY
T
HE
S
ECRET OF THE
M
ASK
T
HE
S
EATTLE
P
UZZLE
T
HE
G
HOST IN THE
F
IRST
R
OW
T
HE
B
OX
T
HAT
W
ATCH
F
OUND
A H
ORSE
N
AMED
D
RAGON
T
HE
G
REAT
D
ETECTIVE
R
ACE
T
HE
G
HOST AT THE
D
RIVE
-I
N
M
OVIE
T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
T
RAVELING
T
OMATOES
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—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—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 book. And so she continued the Aldens’ adventures, writing a total of nineteen books in the Boxcar Children series.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Albert Whitman & Company, 6340 Oakton Street, Morton Grove, IL 60053-2723.
ISBN 978-1-4532-0775-8
Copyright © 1961, 1989 by Albert Whitman & Company. All rights reserved. THE BOXCAR CHILDREN is a registered trademark of Albert Whitman & Company.
70 69 68 67 66
Printed in the U.S.A. 40
The Woodshed Mystery
GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
Illustrated by David Cunningham
ALBERT WHITMAN & Company, Chicago, Illinois
To all readers everywhere,
including Guam, who have written to me
about the Boxcar Children,
this new mystery is dedicated.
Contents
CHAPTER
