The Mystery Horse by Gertrude Chandler Warner
He crept past the main house and crouched down behind a wheelbarrow as the figure came into view. It was Ms. Jefferies, the snooty woman who didn’t like being on a farm! What was she up to?
Benny waited until she had passed him, and then he followed her, being careful to stay out of sight. He barely had time to duck behind a maple tree when she stopped suddenly in front of the stable. To his amazement, she pulled out a camera and began taking pictures! After a few minutes she looked over her shoulder nervously, and then darted around the side of the barn.
Benny was stumped. What should he do next? If he followed her, she might spot him, but he had to find out what she was up to! Maybe she was heading to the back stall to steal Wind Dancer!
As Benny rounded the barn, Ms. Jefferies turned around, but he quickly scrunched down behind a bale of hay so she didn’t see him. He heard the camera clicking again and again, and he couldn’t resist taking a quick peek. Now she was taking pictures of the padlocked stall door! She must be after Wind Dancer, he thought in alarm. He was so shocked, he lost his balance. When he grabbed the bale of hay to steady himself, a bundle of fur flew through the air and landed on his shoulder. Patches, the barn cat, had been sleeping in the hay!
There was a loud meow, and Benny heard Ms. Jefferies gasp in surprise. Holding his breath, he took a chance and peered around the corner of the hay bale. It was too late. Ms. Jefferies was already running through the yard, back to the bunkhouse.
Benny got up and dusted himself off as Patches wound around his legs. He reached down and patted her on the head as she purred. “You’ll never make a detective, Patches,” he told her.
A few minutes later, Benny was tiptoeing across the bunkhouse porch, when Jessie opened the door. She was clutching her robe around her, and looked worried.
“Where were you?” she asked. She pulled him inside where Henry and Violet were waiting.
“You’re not going to believe this,” he began, and told them about Ms. Jefferies. When he finished, everyone was quiet for a minute.
“Maybe it’s not what we think,” Jessie said.
“But she was up to something!” Benny scooted up the ladder to his bunk and sat down on it. “I know it!”
“We’re not sure of that,” Henry said slowly. “All she did was take a few pictures. She might be an amateur photographer.”
“So what are we going to do?” Violet shivered a little and pulled her comforter around her.
“Nothing,” Henry said. “At least not yet. Until we have something definite to go on, let’s not say a word to the Morgans.”
“We wouldn’t want to worry them for nothing,” Jessie said.
The next morning at breakfast, Mr. Morgan surprised everyone by making an announcement. “We’ve been invited to a barn raising at the Tyndall farm. Anyone who wants to help, is welcome to come along. We can use the extra hands.”
The Aldens immediately raised their hands. “Count us in!” Jessie said. She had never heard of a barn raising, but she knew it would be an adventure.
An hour later, after the cows were milked and the chickens fed, the Alden children piled into the back of a pickup truck for the short drive to the Tyndall farm. There was a steady stream of cars rolling along the country road.
“Looks like everyone in Cooperstown is here,” Mr. Morgan said to Henry when he got out of the truck. Dozens of men and women were already hard at work sawing lumber and nailing together sturdy wooden beams.
“What’s going on?” Henry asked. The Aldens followed Mr. Morgan past a man using a radial saw to trim a plank of knotty pine.
“Whenever anyone needs a new barn, everyone pitches in to help,” Mr. Morgan explained. “That’s the way it is in the country. We all depend on each other.”
“Can we build a whole barn in one day?” Benny asked.
“We’ll just get the frame done today,” Mr. Morgan told him. “All the boards will be nailed together, and by sundown, we’ll raise all four sides.”
“So that’s why you call it a barn raising,” Violet said.
Mr. Morgan nodded. “Exactly. Bob and his sons can put on the roof later.” He pointed to a man in jeans and a tattered cowboy hat. “That’s Bob. If you kids head over that way, he’ll give you each a job to do.”
“Wow,” Benny said softly. “He’s wearing a holster, like a real cowboy.”
Mr. Morgan laughed. “That’s not a holster, it’s a pouch to hold roofing nails.”
They split up as soon as Bob gave them their assignments. Benny and Jessie found themselves working side by side. Bob had given them a tape measure and they were marking lumber and sorting it into neat piles to be sawed. It was hot, dusty work, and Jessie was glad she had worn shorts and a T-shirt.
Henry and Violet were assigned to the “kitchen brigade” along with six other Sunny Oaks guests. “We need a lot of help because Mom serves sandwiches at lunch and a big dinner at six,” Joe explained. Within minutes Henry found himself peeling a mountain of potatoes and carrots while Violet rolled out pastry dough for apple pies.
The morning passed quickly, and the Aldens were happy to take a break for lunch with Mr. Morgan. They were eating ham-and-cheese sandwiches at a picnic table when they were joined by a friendly man in his late twenties.
“Are you Mr. Morgan?” he asked. “I’ve been hoping to catch up with you all morning. I’m Jed Owens.” He sat down next to Violet.
“Ed’s the name,” Mr. Morgan said, extending his hand. “Are you from Cooperstown?”
“No, I’m just visiting from up north. I’m Bob’s cousin.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay.”
“I’m sure I will. Cooperstown is a nice place.” He hesitated. “You know, I’m hoping to get a few days’ work before heading back home. Could you use an extra hand at Sunny Oaks?”
Mr. Morgan looked him over carefully. “I can always use help around the place. What kind of farming do you do?”
“Well, a little of everything. Dairy, poultry, vegetable . . . and I’m good with horses.”
“Sounds good to me,” Mr. Morgan said, getting up. “You can start tomorrow morning. Check in with me around five-thirty.”
“I’ll be there,” Jed said. “And thanks.”
It was barely sunset when Mr. Morgan nudged Benny on the shoulder.
“It’s time to raise the sides, so you’d best stand clear.”
“Raise the sides?” Benny looked up, puzzled. He had been squatting in the dust, pulling bent nails out of a pine board.
Mr. Morgan laughed. “This is the moment we’ve all been working for. Look around you, boy. You’re standing right smack in the middle of where the new barn will be!”
“I am?” Benny gulped. He took a slow look around, and realized that the four walls had been assembled on the grass, and men were attaching guide ropes. In just a few minutes the barn would be standing by itself!
“Wait on the sidelines,” Mr. Morgan cautioned as he went to lend a hand. “We don’t want any accidents to happen.”
“No sir!” Benny agreed, and he scampered over to join Jessie and Violet. They watched in amazement as Mr. Tyndall shouted to the workers, and right on cue, all four sides suddenly started to rise from the ground.
“Steady now!” Mr. Tyndall yelled. Everyone started clapping and laughing as the sides stood straight up, pointing skyward.
“Look at that!” Benny said. “It’s a real barn, now, except for the roof.”
Jessie and Violet hugged each other. It felt like a real celebration!
At the end of the day, all four Aldens, tired but happy, piled into the back of the Morgans’ pickup truck. Violet craned her neck for a last look at the barn frame, which stood out against the darkening sky.
“Just think,” she said, “we helped build a real barn today.”
“We sure did,” Benny said sleepily. He nestled his head against her shoulder and was about to drift off when Bob Tyndall hurried over to the truck.
“Hey, little g
Benny sat up straight and watched in amazement as Bob took off the tan leather pouch that looked like a holster and handed it to him.
“You’re giving it to me to keep?” Benny said, thrilled.
“It’s all yours. It’s even got some roofing nails inside.”
“Wow!” Benny immediately fastened the pouch to his belt. “I’m going to wear it every day,” he said. As the truck rolled down the road to Sunny Oaks, Benny ran his hand over the smooth leather pouch. This was a day he would never forget!
CHAPTER 7
A Day at the Fair
The following afternoon, the Aldens finished their chores early and rode into town with Mr. Morgan and Sarah.
“I always stop at the post office for the mail while Dad goes to the hardware store,” Sarah said. “Then we both head straight to Hilary’s for chocolate ice cream sodas.”
The post office was crowded, and Benny spotted Ms. Jefferies picking up a large manila envelope at the counter. “Look who’s here,” he whispered. “And for once, she’s smiling!”
Ms. Jefferies turned quickly toward the door and nearly bumped into Sarah and Violet. “Sorry—oh, it’s you,” she said, recognizing the children.
“Hi, Ms. Jefferies,” Sarah said politely. “We would have been glad to pick that up for you.” She pointed to the manila envelope, and Ms. Jefferies shook her head and turned pink.
“No, I . . . it’s nothing,” she said.
“We always pick up mail for our guests,” Sarah went on. “It’s really no trouble—”
“I told you no thanks!” Ms. Jefferies blurted out. She clutched the envelope to her chest and hurried out of the post office.
Benny looked up in surprise. “What was she so mad about?”
Sarah shrugged. “Maybe she was just in a hurry. She might have a lot of stops to make.”
Benny smiled. “Like at Hilary’s, for a chocolate ice cream soda,” he said, and everyone laughed.
Later that afternoon, Jessie was delivering fresh towels to the bunkhouse guests. She tapped lightly on Ms. Jefferies’s door. When no one answered, she let herself in and left the towels on the sturdy pine dresser. She started to leave when she noticed a pile of photographs on the dresser. Suddenly she realized that they were photographs of Wind Dancer!
But how did Ms. Jefferies get them? Wind Dancer was hardly ever out of the stable! Something very strange was going on. But Jessie didn’t want Ms. Jefferies to come in and think she was snooping. She quickly moved toward the door. But in her hurry, she stumbled over Ms. Jefferies’s briefcase. Setting the briefcase upright, she noticed the gold initials on the top. “A.S.F.,” she said softly. “Something’s not right . . . ” She shook her head and quietly let herself out.
Jessie waited until after dinner to tell Henry and the others what she had discovered. They were as surprised as she was.
“You’re sure it was Wind Dancer in the photographs?” Henry asked. He kept his voice low because they were sitting on the front porch of the main house. He and Violet were perched on the porch railing, and Benny and Jessie were rocking on a hand-made swing.
“I’m positive. And the funny thing is that they were just like the pictures you see in magazines.”
“What do you mean?” Violet asked.
Jessie thought for a moment. “Well, they were really clear, and they were taken from all different angles.”
“Maybe Ms. Jefferies is a good photographer,” Henry said.
“But that still wouldn’t explain how she managed to get close to Wind Dancer,” Violet pointed out. “He’s always locked up during the day.”
“That’s true,” Jessie agreed. “And what about the initials on the briefcase?”
“Maybe it belongs to someone else and she stole it,” Benny piped up. “Or borrowed it.”
“Wait, I just thought of something,” Violet said, her eyes big. “What if Ms. Jefferies isn’t using her real name?” Everyone turned to look at her. “What if she’s using a phony name at Sunny Oaks?”
“That would definitely mean she’s up to something,” Henry said grimly.
No one said anything for a long moment. Then, finally, Jessie broke the silence. “What should we do?” she whispered.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what she does next.” Henry looked very serious. “And we’ll try to watch her as much as we can.”
Since there didn’t seem to be anything else to say or do about Ms. Jefferies, Henry and Benny went inside to play checkers, and Jessie and Violet went for a walk.
“Let’s go by the stable,” Violet suggested. “I have half an apple I saved for Oliver.”
A few minutes later, the girls were happy to see that the stable was unlocked and Oliver was happily munching hay inside his stall.
“Hey, Oliver,” Violet said as the horse ambled over to greet them. She handed him the apple. Suddenly a sharp noise from the interior of the barn made her jump in surprise.
“What’s that?” Jessie cried.
“Sorry to frighten you, girls,” a voice said in the shadows. “I think I just knocked over a pitchfork.” Jed Owens, whom they’d met at the barn raising, strolled out casually from the back of the barn. Jessie and Violet exchanged a look. He was coming from Wind Dancer’s stall! What was he up to?
“What are you doing here?” Violet asked.
“Oh, just locking up,” he said vaguely. Violet knew something was wrong. Danny had said that Mr. Morgan always locked up the stable. He never would give the keys to someone else.
Jed started to head out the door but changed his mind and stopped by Oliver’s stall instead. “Hey, that’s funny,” he said, pointing to a small bundle of fur sleeping in the straw. “How did that goat get in here?”
“That’s Arnold,” Jessie said, surprised. “He always sleeps with the horses.”
“He does?” Jed laughed. “Doesn’t he know he’s a goat?”
“Of course he does. But farmers like to have goats sleep in the horse stalls. They calm the horses down.”
“They do?” Jed looked amazed.
“Didn’t you know that?” Violet asked.
“Sure . . . I guess I just forgot.” Jed ran his hand through his hair and looked embarrassed.
“We’d better be going,” Violet said. Suddenly she wanted to get back to the main house. First she had felt suspicious of Ms. Jefferies, and now Jed Owens!
It was very late that night when Benny crawled out of bed and went quietly outside. Henry had been teaching him all about the constellations, and he wanted to take another look at the night sky. “There’s the big dipper,” he said to himself. “And the North Star and the Seven Sisters . . . ” Suddenly he was distracted by two beams of bright light flashing by the pond. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The lights disappeared for a minute and then swung in a big arc. Maybe it was a ghost! Or a spaceship!
He hurried inside and shook Henry’s shoulders. “Henry, wake up,” he pleaded. “There are some really scary lights by the pond.”
“You’re imagining things. Go back to sleep,” Henry mumbled into his blanket.
“But the lights . . . I saw them. Honest!”
Henry sat up and peered out the window. “I can’t see anything out there.”
“They come and go,” Benny insisted.
Henry rumpled his brother’s hair. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s probably all those ghost stories Mrs. Morgan told tonight. Let me know if you see more lights, though.”
“Okay.” Benny sighed and climbed the ladder to the top bunk. Mrs. Morgan had told some scary ghost stories earlier that evening around the camp fire. But this was different. He really had seen those lights!
It was bright and sunny two days later, and everyone was excited over the Cooperstown Fair. Benny ate his breakfast in record time, and then raced over to the vegetable patch to pick his prize cantaloupe. He had dec
Violet and Jessie helped Mrs. Morgan load pies and jams into the back of the pickup truck, and Henry helped Danny pour his apple cider into brown jugs. When everything was ready, Mrs. Morgan took a final look around the kitchen. “Have we forgotten anything?” she asked the Aldens.
“Plenty of paper plates and plastic forks,” Benny piped up.
Mrs. Morgan looked puzzled. “What for?”
“So we can eat the pies when the judges are finished with them!”
Mrs. Morgan smiled. “There’s plenty of food at the fair, Benny. And don’t worry. I’ll save you a slice of every one of our pies that wins a prize.”
“And even the ones that don’t,” Benny said, and everyone laughed.
Half an hour later, the Morgans pulled up into a grassy area next to the Cooperstown County Fairgrounds.
“Here we are!” Sarah sang out. “And look how many people showed up!”
“There’s a good turnout this year,” Mr. Morgan said approvingly. He pointed to dozens of colorful display booths set up in neat rows. The narrow aisles between the booths were jammed with visitors, and children scampered everywhere.
The Aldens scrambled out of the back of the pickup truck, and Benny gave a low whistle when he spied the top of a Ferris wheel. “Wow! I didn’t know there would be rides. It looks just like a carnival!”
“They always have a few rides at the fair,” Sarah told him, “but the homemade goodies are the best part.”
The Morgans waved to a young girl leading a pinto pony out of a horse van. “She’s showing her horse in the ring for the very first time,” Sarah said to Violet. “If you want, we can go to one of the competitions. They go on all day long.”
“That would be wonderful.” Violet clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Remind me to stop by Mrs. Ames’s booth,” Mrs. Morgan said. “I’d like to buy some of those needlepoint key rings she makes.” She smiled at Jessie. “They make wonderful Christmas gifts.”