Read Online The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Warner - Free Book Online

Then Mrs. McGregor won’t expect the big strong man who used to lift the boat.”
    Benny counted on his fingers for a few minutes. Then he cried, “We can say it this way. ‘Found Bill and money. Bill very weak. All coming home today late for supper. Hello.’”
    “Wonderful, Benny!” said Joe, laughing. “Your grandfather will know you made up that telegram for sure. I always like to say hello at the end of a telegram!”
    Henry said, “Now Benny, don’t forget what you said. Keep saying it over and over until we come to a village.”
    This gave Benny something to do. When they did stop at a village he could remember every word.
    As the girl wrote down the telegram, Jessie cried, “Henry, let’s say it’s from the Boxcar Children!”

    The girl stopped writing, and looked up in surprise. “Are you the four children who lived in a boxcar?” she asked.
    “Yes, we did,” said Benny. “We had fun.”
    “And you found your grandfather at last,” she cried. She looked from one smiling face to another. “I read about you in the paper. But I never expected to see you.”
    “This telegram is to our grandfather,” said Benny. “And you can say it’s from the Boxcar Children, and Alice and Joe. He’ll know.”
    “Yes, I guess he will,” laughed the girl. “I’ll send it right off. It will get to him in an hour.”
    “Fine,” said Henry, paying for the telegram. “Now let’s get on our way.”
    Bill was still asleep when they got into the station wagon again. He was still asleep at lunch time. They did not wake him for lunch.
    “He needs sleep more than food now,” said Joe.
    “I do hope he isn’t sick,” said Alice in a worried voice.
    “I don’t think he is,” said Joe. “I think he’s had just too much excitement. It is such a change from not talking at all.”
    “It shows us we’ll have to be very careful of Bill,” said Jessie. “But I can hardly wait to ask him the end of that story.”
    Bill slept almost all the afternoon. As they came near home, they had to wake him up. When they drove up to the door of their grandfather’s house, Bill was sitting up very straight.
    Mr. Alden was sitting on the porch in a big chair. Beside him was Mrs. McGregor. They were waiting.
    Bill leaned forward to look. “It’s my Margaret!” he said, almost crying. “She has the same beautiful blue eyes!”
    Joe and Henry helped the old man out of the car and up the steps.
    “Bill!” cried Margaret. She put both arms around him and led him to her chair. “It’s all right, Bill! It’s all right!” she said, over and over.
    Just then there was a very loud noise from upstairs. It seemed to come from Jessie’s room. It was Watch. He came rushing down the stairs and out of the door, barking and barking. He could not believe that his four children had come back to him again. At last he lay down by Jessie’s feet, tired out.
    “Now I guess he will eat his meals,” said Mr. Alden. “As for Mrs. McGregor, she hasn’t eaten a good meal since you all went away.”
    Benny said, “I think it’s funny. We have so many people that can’t eat. I don’t have any trouble eating my meals.”
    “Now that we’re all together again, Benny,” said Grandfather laughing, “everyone will be all right. I think I shall eat better myself. We have things for supper that you like best. There is hamburger for you. Bill always liked fish best and that’s what he’ll have. There’s ham for Joe and apple pie for Jessie.”
    “No pie for me?” asked Benny, taking his grandfather’s hand.
    “What do you think?” teased his grandfather. “I don’t believe anyone will go hungry tonight.”
    It was wonderful to see Bill eat. With his Margaret beside him again, he seemed like a different man.
    “I feel better and better,” he said.
    After supper the family sat again on the porch.
    “Joe,” whispered Benny, “couldn’t we talk to Bill now? He seems all right to me.”
    “You can try,” said Joe. “We’ll