Read Online Mystery in the Mall by Gertrude Chandler Warner - Free Book Online
Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner
Ads: Link
time, Martin Bolt had rejoined everyone. “These two young people are not only not criminals,” he announced, “they risked their safety tracking down the counting stones before the smugglers could claim them. When Mr. Hana heard their story, he called the customs inspectors. He just told me they found one box in a secret hiding place on the ship.”
“The trapdoor I saw!” Benny shouted.
“Quite right, Benny,” Martin Bolt said. “Mr. Hana has been working with the authorities. He advised Robert to leave one box on the ship. The inspectors boarded the ship and ordered the smugglers to open the trapdoor. Only this time, the smugglers were trapped!”
Everyone stopped talking when they heard someone banging on the door to Penny’s shop.
Penny went to the front door. Hap was standing there knocking on the door. “That Hap. He’s always around just when I don’t need him to be,” Penny whispered. “I’d better explain what’s happening, or he’ll just burst right through those doors.”
“You’re supposed to be open, Penny,” Hap said, stepping into the shop. “Anything wrong around here? I hope that young woman didn’t tell you about the tiff we had. I found out she was the one who threw out your shipping orders so you wouldn’t know about some missing shipments. Good thing you have me around to keep an eye on things.”
“We thought you had something to do with Penny’s missing shipments,” Henry confessed to Hap.
“And my monkey!” Benny interrupted. “Don’t forget my monkey. It was on the cleaning cart the other night, and Hap wouldn’t give it back.”
Mr. Bolt stood in front of Hap. “Were you cleaning up the food court again, Hap? This isn’t the job of my chief manager, you know. Not to mention trying to run Penny’s shop half the time. I need you for the big jobs. These other folks can do the other jobs.”
Hap looked at Penny. Everyone noticed his ears getting as pink as could be. “Well, I like helping Penny, but I can’t get her to help me back.”
Penny looked at Hap for a long time. “What do you mean?”
“By keeping me company once in a while,” Hap confessed. “Until these Alden kids showed up, Penny and I were getting to know each other pretty well. Then they had to take up all her time with those monkeys and such. I haven’t got a chance with these noisy kids around.”
Penny smiled at Hap as if she were seeing him for the first time. “Well, if you like me, then you’d better get used to noisy kids. I plan to ask the Aldens to come back to Hope Harbor Mall anytime they want. They’re good for my business.”
“Good for your monkey business, you mean,” Benny said.
About the Author
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
“The trapdoor I saw!” Benny shouted.
“Quite right, Benny,” Martin Bolt said. “Mr. Hana has been working with the authorities. He advised Robert to leave one box on the ship. The inspectors boarded the ship and ordered the smugglers to open the trapdoor. Only this time, the smugglers were trapped!”
Everyone stopped talking when they heard someone banging on the door to Penny’s shop.
Penny went to the front door. Hap was standing there knocking on the door. “That Hap. He’s always around just when I don’t need him to be,” Penny whispered. “I’d better explain what’s happening, or he’ll just burst right through those doors.”
“You’re supposed to be open, Penny,” Hap said, stepping into the shop. “Anything wrong around here? I hope that young woman didn’t tell you about the tiff we had. I found out she was the one who threw out your shipping orders so you wouldn’t know about some missing shipments. Good thing you have me around to keep an eye on things.”
“We thought you had something to do with Penny’s missing shipments,” Henry confessed to Hap.
“And my monkey!” Benny interrupted. “Don’t forget my monkey. It was on the cleaning cart the other night, and Hap wouldn’t give it back.”
Mr. Bolt stood in front of Hap. “Were you cleaning up the food court again, Hap? This isn’t the job of my chief manager, you know. Not to mention trying to run Penny’s shop half the time. I need you for the big jobs. These other folks can do the other jobs.”
Hap looked at Penny. Everyone noticed his ears getting as pink as could be. “Well, I like helping Penny, but I can’t get her to help me back.”
Penny looked at Hap for a long time. “What do you mean?”
“By keeping me company once in a while,” Hap confessed. “Until these Alden kids showed up, Penny and I were getting to know each other pretty well. Then they had to take up all her time with those monkeys and such. I haven’t got a chance with these noisy kids around.”
Penny smiled at Hap as if she were seeing him for the first time. “Well, if you like me, then you’d better get used to noisy kids. I plan to ask the Aldens to come back to Hope Harbor Mall anytime they want. They’re good for my business.”
“Good for your monkey business, you mean,” Benny said.
About the Author
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
Similar Books
