Read Online Mystery of the Secret Message by Charles Tang - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Charles Tang
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nodded.
Holding his breath, Benny unlatched the box and lifted the lid. Inside was a ball of wrinkled yellow paper.
“That’s parchment,” Rick said. “It’s very old.”
Benny unfolded the paper. A small object rolled into his palm.
“A button,” he said, puzzled. “Franklin Bond put a button in his secret compartment?”
“Let me see that.” Rick rubbed the button on the sleeve of his clown costume. Black streaks marked the purple satin. “It’s genuine silver.”
“There’s something engraved on it,” Jessie said. “ ‘G. W.’ ”
“I wonder what that could stand for,” Violet said.
But Henry knew. He had read about the Revolutionary War. “George Washington!” he exclaimed.
“Good guess!” Rick said. “General George Washington was head of the Colonial army.”
Dawn frowned. “But why would the sculptor hide one of George Washington’s buttons inside the base of his statue?”
“We know that Josiah Wade carried secret messages in his jacket buttons during the war,” Rick said. “Maybe General Washington gave Josiah one of his own buttons. Maybe as a reward.”
“And Josiah gave the button to Franklin Bond,” Jessie concluded. “Who hid it in the base of his statue of Josiah Wade. It all makes sense!”
Grandfather inspected the button. “This will be a nice addition to the Greenfield museum.”
“A new artifact!” Benny declared.
He was thrilled he had discovered the statue’s secret. That was better than a prize any day.
Violet was happy, too. The Winter Festival was a success and the Aldens had solved another mystery.
“Smile!” she said, snapping a photo of the Alden family. She knew the picture would turn out just great.
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 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries
T HE B OXCAR C HILDREN
S URPRISE I SLAND
T HE Y ELLOW H OUSE M YSTERY
M YSTERY R ANCH
M IKE’S M YSTERY
B LUE B AY M YSTERY
T HE W OODSHED M YSTERY
T HE L IGHTHOUSE M YSTERY
M OUNTAIN T OP M YSTERY
S CHOOLHOUSE M YSTERY
C ABOOSE M YSTERY
H OUSEBOAT M YSTERY
S NOWBOUND M YSTERY
T REE H OUSE M YSTERY
B ICYCLE M YSTERY
M YSTERY IN THE S AND
M YSTERY B EHIND THE W ALL
B US S TATION M YSTERY
B ENNY U NCOVERS A M YSTERY
T HE H AUNTED C ABIN M YSTERY
T HE D ESERTED L IBRARY M YSTERY
T HE A NIMAL S HELTER M YSTERY
T HE O LD M OTEL M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY OF THE H IDDEN P AINTING
T HE A MUSEMENT P ARK M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY OF THE M IXED -U P Z OO
T HE C AMP -O UT M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY G IRL
T HE M YSTERY C RUISE
T HE D ISAPPEARING F RIEND M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY OF THE S INGING G HOST
M
Holding his breath, Benny unlatched the box and lifted the lid. Inside was a ball of wrinkled yellow paper.
“That’s parchment,” Rick said. “It’s very old.”
Benny unfolded the paper. A small object rolled into his palm.
“A button,” he said, puzzled. “Franklin Bond put a button in his secret compartment?”
“Let me see that.” Rick rubbed the button on the sleeve of his clown costume. Black streaks marked the purple satin. “It’s genuine silver.”
“There’s something engraved on it,” Jessie said. “ ‘G. W.’ ”
“I wonder what that could stand for,” Violet said.
But Henry knew. He had read about the Revolutionary War. “George Washington!” he exclaimed.
“Good guess!” Rick said. “General George Washington was head of the Colonial army.”
Dawn frowned. “But why would the sculptor hide one of George Washington’s buttons inside the base of his statue?”
“We know that Josiah Wade carried secret messages in his jacket buttons during the war,” Rick said. “Maybe General Washington gave Josiah one of his own buttons. Maybe as a reward.”
“And Josiah gave the button to Franklin Bond,” Jessie concluded. “Who hid it in the base of his statue of Josiah Wade. It all makes sense!”
Grandfather inspected the button. “This will be a nice addition to the Greenfield museum.”
“A new artifact!” Benny declared.
He was thrilled he had discovered the statue’s secret. That was better than a prize any day.
Violet was happy, too. The Winter Festival was a success and the Aldens had solved another mystery.
“Smile!” she said, snapping a photo of the Alden family. She knew the picture would turn out just great.
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 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries
T HE B OXCAR C HILDREN
S URPRISE I SLAND
T HE Y ELLOW H OUSE M YSTERY
M YSTERY R ANCH
M IKE’S M YSTERY
B LUE B AY M YSTERY
T HE W OODSHED M YSTERY
T HE L IGHTHOUSE M YSTERY
M OUNTAIN T OP M YSTERY
S CHOOLHOUSE M YSTERY
C ABOOSE M YSTERY
H OUSEBOAT M YSTERY
S NOWBOUND M YSTERY
T REE H OUSE M YSTERY
B ICYCLE M YSTERY
M YSTERY IN THE S AND
M YSTERY B EHIND THE W ALL
B US S TATION M YSTERY
B ENNY U NCOVERS A M YSTERY
T HE H AUNTED C ABIN M YSTERY
T HE D ESERTED L IBRARY M YSTERY
T HE A NIMAL S HELTER M YSTERY
T HE O LD M OTEL M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY OF THE H IDDEN P AINTING
T HE A MUSEMENT P ARK M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY OF THE M IXED -U P Z OO
T HE C AMP -O UT M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY G IRL
T HE M YSTERY C RUISE
T HE D ISAPPEARING F RIEND M YSTERY
T HE M YSTERY OF THE S INGING G HOST
M
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