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Authors: Gertrude Warner
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soon see how he takes it. We can stop if he gets too upset.”
Benny went over then to Bill and Margaret. He put his hand over Bill’s.
“We want to ask you just a few more things, Bill,” he said. “Are you too tired?”
“No, little boy,” said Bill. “I don’t think I shall ever be tired again. Ask me anything you want.”
Benny looked at Joe. Joe smiled back at him.
Then Benny said, “We want to know something more about your brother. How was he going to make the money three times as much?”
“I didn’t know myself at first,” answered Bill. “But later I found out he was going to give it to some friends of his to bet on the horse races.”
“Oh, but he might have lost it all!” cried Henry.
“Yes, I know that now,” said Bill. “His friends were bad people, I’m afraid. Sam would have been all right if his friends had let him alone. But he always did what they said, and I always did what my brother Sam said.”
He looked around sadly. “One night after Sam was killed, these men came up to Maine. They hunted all over my house, but they couldn’t find the money. I didn’t know where the tin box was myself. But they didn’t believe me. They tried to make me tell, and we had a great fight. But at last they went away, and I never saw them again.”
“Were they the ones who told you the barn was burned?” asked Mr. Alden.
“Yes. They didn’t want me to go home and tell all I knew, so they told me Margaret was dead.”
“I suppose that finished you,” said Benny.
Bill smiled at him. “Yes, that finished me. I didn’t want to live any more without Margaret, and I didn’t want to see people. Besides, I couldn’t come home without the money, so I went into the deep woods to live alone forever.”
“Oh, I’m so glad we found you!” said Jessie suddenly. “Supposing we had never asked to go into the little yellow house on Surprise Island! Now you and Mrs. McGregor can live right here in her rooms, can’t they, Grandfather?”
“If her rooms are big enough,” said Mr. Alden.
“Three rooms ought to be big enough for two people,” said Mrs. McGregor, happily.
“I can help with the horses,” said Bill. “Do you still have horses?”
“Yes, we have two,” answered Mr. Alden. “But you will rest a long time before doing any work.”
Darkness began to fall. The birds began to sing their evening songs. The family sat quietly for a minute and listened.
Then Violet said, “Isn’t this a happy house, Alice? You and Joe so happy on the top floor—”
“And Bill and Mrs. McGregor will be in their own little rooms,” cried Benny.
“Don’t forget us,” said Henry, “with our mystery all solved, and getting back to Grandfather.”
“And we’ll all go and live in the little yellow house on Surprise Island every summer,” said Benny.
“Hold on, my boy. Not so fast!” said Mr. Alden. “That’s Bill’s house.”
“Oh, so it is,” said Benny. “Well then, he and Mrs. McGregor can live in it every summer, and we can go over to see them.”
“Well, we’ll see,” said Mr. Alden with a smile.
Violet suddenly put her hand on her grandfather’s knee, and looked up into his kind face. She could not see very well, for it had grown quite dark. But she knew he was smiling at her.
“Grandfather,” she asked, “couldn’t you use some of that money to fix up the little yellow house on Surprise Island? It is so dusty and the chairs are so old.”
“A fine idea!” said Mr. Alden, taking her small hand in his big one. “We could buy a lot of chairs with that money. And by the way, where is the money?”
“Right here!” said Jessie at once. She took it out of her handbag and gave it to Mr. Alden.
“Maybe Bill and I could paper and paint the rooms before school begins,” said Henry.
“Oh, we could all paint!” shouted Benny, jumping around. “Let’s paint the outside, too.”
“That would be fun,” said Alice. “Joe and I could help you every day
Benny went over then to Bill and Margaret. He put his hand over Bill’s.
“We want to ask you just a few more things, Bill,” he said. “Are you too tired?”
“No, little boy,” said Bill. “I don’t think I shall ever be tired again. Ask me anything you want.”
Benny looked at Joe. Joe smiled back at him.
Then Benny said, “We want to know something more about your brother. How was he going to make the money three times as much?”
“I didn’t know myself at first,” answered Bill. “But later I found out he was going to give it to some friends of his to bet on the horse races.”
“Oh, but he might have lost it all!” cried Henry.
“Yes, I know that now,” said Bill. “His friends were bad people, I’m afraid. Sam would have been all right if his friends had let him alone. But he always did what they said, and I always did what my brother Sam said.”
He looked around sadly. “One night after Sam was killed, these men came up to Maine. They hunted all over my house, but they couldn’t find the money. I didn’t know where the tin box was myself. But they didn’t believe me. They tried to make me tell, and we had a great fight. But at last they went away, and I never saw them again.”
“Were they the ones who told you the barn was burned?” asked Mr. Alden.
“Yes. They didn’t want me to go home and tell all I knew, so they told me Margaret was dead.”
“I suppose that finished you,” said Benny.
Bill smiled at him. “Yes, that finished me. I didn’t want to live any more without Margaret, and I didn’t want to see people. Besides, I couldn’t come home without the money, so I went into the deep woods to live alone forever.”
“Oh, I’m so glad we found you!” said Jessie suddenly. “Supposing we had never asked to go into the little yellow house on Surprise Island! Now you and Mrs. McGregor can live right here in her rooms, can’t they, Grandfather?”
“If her rooms are big enough,” said Mr. Alden.
“Three rooms ought to be big enough for two people,” said Mrs. McGregor, happily.
“I can help with the horses,” said Bill. “Do you still have horses?”
“Yes, we have two,” answered Mr. Alden. “But you will rest a long time before doing any work.”
Darkness began to fall. The birds began to sing their evening songs. The family sat quietly for a minute and listened.
Then Violet said, “Isn’t this a happy house, Alice? You and Joe so happy on the top floor—”
“And Bill and Mrs. McGregor will be in their own little rooms,” cried Benny.
“Don’t forget us,” said Henry, “with our mystery all solved, and getting back to Grandfather.”
“And we’ll all go and live in the little yellow house on Surprise Island every summer,” said Benny.
“Hold on, my boy. Not so fast!” said Mr. Alden. “That’s Bill’s house.”
“Oh, so it is,” said Benny. “Well then, he and Mrs. McGregor can live in it every summer, and we can go over to see them.”
“Well, we’ll see,” said Mr. Alden with a smile.
Violet suddenly put her hand on her grandfather’s knee, and looked up into his kind face. She could not see very well, for it had grown quite dark. But she knew he was smiling at her.
“Grandfather,” she asked, “couldn’t you use some of that money to fix up the little yellow house on Surprise Island? It is so dusty and the chairs are so old.”
“A fine idea!” said Mr. Alden, taking her small hand in his big one. “We could buy a lot of chairs with that money. And by the way, where is the money?”
“Right here!” said Jessie at once. She took it out of her handbag and gave it to Mr. Alden.
“Maybe Bill and I could paper and paint the rooms before school begins,” said Henry.
“Oh, we could all paint!” shouted Benny, jumping around. “Let’s paint the outside, too.”
“That would be fun,” said Alice. “Joe and I could help you every day
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