The Boxcar Children Mysteries
THE BOXCAR CHILDREN
SURPRISE ISLAND
THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY
MYSTERY RANCH
MIKE’S MYSTERY
BLUE BAY MYSTERY
THE WOODSHED MYSTERY
THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY
MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY
SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY
CABOOSE MYSTERY
HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY
SNOWBOUND MYSTERY
TREE HOUSE MYSTERY
BICYCLE MYSTERY
MYSTERY IN THE SAND
MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL
BUS STATION MYSTERY
BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY
THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY
THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY
THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY
THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING
THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO
THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY GIRL
THE MYSTERY CRUISE
THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST
MYSTERY IN THE SNOW
THE PIZZA MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY HORSE
THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW
THE CASTLE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE
THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE
THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL
THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC
THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH
THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT
THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN
THE MYSTERY ON STAGE
THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC
THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK
THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON
THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE
THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR
MYSTERY IN THE CAVE
THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN
THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE
THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY
THE HURRICANE MYSTERY
THE PET SHOP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE
THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO
THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO
THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY
THE SOCCER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC
THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER
THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL
THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY
THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY
created by
GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
Illustrated by Charles Tang
ALBERT WHITMAN & Company
Morton Grove, Illinois
Contents
1. The Windy City
2. A New Mystery
3. No Clue
4. Another Clue
5. Two Lions and Tiny Rooms
6. Picture, Picture
7. Old Stories and New Fire Engines
8. The Final Clue
9. Another Phone Call
10. X Marks the Spot
11. Buried Treasure
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
The Windy City
“Look for Chad,” Grandfather Alden said.
He and the Alden children had just gotten off an airplane.
“We’ve never met Chad,” Henry, who was fourteen, reminded him.
Grandfather smiled. “That’s right,” he said. “I forgot.”
Twelve-year-old Jessie glanced around the airport. “What does he look like?”
“I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Grandfather answered. “I’m not sure I’d recognize him myself.”
“There he is!” Benny said. He skipped toward a tall, thin young man.
The others followed.
“Welcome to Chicago,” the young man said.
“Chad Piper!” Mr. Alden said. “You’ve grown up!” He introduced Chad to the Alden children.
Then Jessie said, “Benny, how did you know this was Chad?”
Chad held up a sign. It read ALDENS.
“I’m six!” Benny said. “I can read!”
“I wasn’t sure I’d recognize you,” Chad said, leading the group down the long hall. “So I made the sign.”
Ten-year-old Violet thought it would be fun to spend the day just watching the people come and go. “This place is really big,” she said.
“O’Hare is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world,” Chad told her.
They picked up their luggage from the carousel and went to the parking garage.
When they were settled in the car and on their way, Chad asked the children, “Have you decided what you want to see?”
“They didn’t have much time to plan,” Mr. Alden said.
“Grandfather just told us about the trip two days ago,” Henry added.
“No problem,” Chad said. “I’m to be your guide when your grandfather and my father are busy.”
Jacob Piper, Chad’s father, owned Piper Paper Products. Mr. Alden, who owned a mill, had come to see him on business.
“We’ll pick up some maps and brochures tomorrow,” Chad continued. “Then you can decide what you want to see.”
“Oh, look!” Violet exclaimed.
Ahead, the city skyline was golden in the late afternoon sun.
“There it is,” Chad said. “The Windy City.”
“Wow!” Benny said, pointing to a building that towered over all the others. “That building looks like a giant!”
“It’s the Sears Tower,” Chad told them. “One hundred and ten stories high — counting the antennae on top. It’s the tallest building in North America.”
Before long, they turned off the expressway onto city streets. People hurried along the sidewalks and in and out of buildings.
Chad parked the car. “Here we are,” he said.
Everyone got out. Henry helped Chad with the suitcases.
Benny tipped his head back to look up. This building was not one hundred and ten stories, but it was tall. “Is this where we’re staying?” he asked.
Chad nodded. “Piper Paper Products owns an apartment here. My father keeps it for visitors.”
Inside, a man in a blue uniform was talking on a phone.
Chad gave Mr. Alden a key. “Take the elevator to twenty,” he said. “Apartment 2004. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”
As the Aldens entered the elevator, Violet glanced over her shoulder. “Chad’s talking to the man in the uniform,” she said.
Henry turned around to look. “That’s the doorman.”
Upstairs, Benny ran ahead, reading the numbers on the doors. “Here it is!” he said.
Mr. Alden unlocked the door and stepped back to let the children enter. The apartment had high ceilings and lots of woodwork.
On their right was a small kitchen. Benny went to the refrigerator. He opened it and peered inside. “Look at all this food!” he said. “Eggs and bacon and jam and milk and soda and … everything!” He closed the door. “I’m going to like it here.”
Beyond the kitchen was a large living room. Violet crossed to the wall of windows.
Grandfather followed her. “There’s Lake Michigan,” he said.
A few blocks east, the lake sparkled.
“It’s beautiful,” Violet said.
Henry came up beside them. “It sure is,” he agreed.
Jessie came into the room. “There are three big bedrooms,” she told them. “Grandfather can have one. Henry, you and Benny can have another, and Violet and I will take the third.”
The other Aldens took their suitcases and followed her. Jessie was good at organizing things.
They were in their separate bedrooms when Chad came into the apartment and called, “Where is everyone?”
The Aldens returned to the living room.
“This is a nice place,” Jessie said.
Chad grinned. “I’m glad you like it. I helped decorate it. It’s a challenge — an old place like this.”
“Are you a decorator?” Violet asked.
Chad shook his head. “Actually, I work part-time for my father,” he said, “but I am going to school. I want to be an artist.”
“Violet’s an artist.” There was pride in Benny’s voice.
“Are you?” Chad said. “That’s great!”
Violet blushed. “I’m not really an artist,” she objected. “I just like to sketch.”
“That’s how I started,” Chad told her. “I’d like to see your work.”
“You brought your sketchbook, didn’t you?” Henry asked.
Violet nodded. She always packed her sketchbook.
“Good,” Chad said. “We’ll make time to do some drawing.” He turned to the others. “If everything’s all right here, I’ll let you get settled.”
“Are we going to meet your father?” Henry asked.
Chad frowned. “I don’t know. He’s always busy with some new plan for his business. Thank goodness he has his hobby or he would never relax!”
Jessie wanted to ask what his father’s hobby was, but Mr. Alden said, “I know you’re busy. You run along. Tell your father I’ll see him in the morning.”
“And I’ll be back bright and early to show you the city,” Chad said to the children. He started out. At the door, he said, “Are there any questions about the apartment or anything?”
“I have a question,” Benny piped up. “Can we eat anything we find?”
Chad laughed. “Anything,” he said. “Just don’t eat it all at once.”
After Chad left, the Aldens unpacked.
When they had finished, Jessie said, “I have a surprise.” She showed them a book about Chicago.
Grandfather Alden was more surprised than anyone. “That’s my old school workbook. Where did you find it, Jessie?”
“In the bookcase at home,” she answered.
“You used that book in school?” Benny said. He thought it must be very old, but he didn’t say so.
“We were studying American cities,” Grandfather said. He took the book from Jessie and glanced through it. “Soon after we finished our study, your great-grandfather brought me here on the train. Very few people traveled by airplane then.”
“A train is still the best way to travel,” Henry said, thinking of the boxcar he and his brother and sisters had lived in after their parents had died. When their grandfather found them, he brought the children and their boxcar to his home.
The others agreed with Henry. “You see so much more,” Jessie concluded.
Grandfather closed the book. “This is a very old book,” he said. “You will find things have changed.”
The children sat down to study the book.
“Chicago’s a terrific city,” Mr. Alden put in. “It was a good city before the fire and a great one after.”
“Fire?” Violet repeated.
Henry held up the workbook. “It tells about it in here,” he told his sister. “It’s called the Great Chicago Fire. It nearly destroyed the whole city way back in 1871.” He showed the other Aldens a picture of a building. “That’s the Water Tower — one of the few buildings that wasn’t burned.”
“How did the fire start?” Violet asked.
Henry studied the book. Then he said, “No one knows.”
“The most popular explanation concerns a cow and a lantern,” Grandfather said.
“That story is here in the book,” Henry said. “People thought Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern and started the fire. High winds spread it.”
“Is that why they call it the Windy City?” Benny asked. “Because of the winds?”
“Could be,” Grandfather answered. “But most say it’s because residents bragged so much about their city. People said they were windy — full of hot air.”
Jessie said, “This city is full of mysteries!”
Grandfather agreed. “Those mysteries will never be solved,” he said. “But here’s one you can solve: Shall we eat supper here or go out?”
“Here!” the younger Aldens all said.
Grandfather started for the kitchen. “I’ll be the cook tonight.”
The children looked at one another. Grandfather seldom did the cooking.
“Do you want some help?” Jessie asked.
“You can set the table,” Grandfather answered.
They decided to move the table nearer to the windows. Then Jessie and Violet poked through drawers until they found a tablecloth and silverware. Henry and Benny found the dishes.
“Oh, look,” Benny said. “A pink mug!” It reminded him of the cracked pink cup he had used when they lived in the boxcar. “That’ll be my cup,” he said.
Before long, Grandfather announced, “Dinner’s ready.”
He brought five omelettes to the table.
“They look delicious,” Violet said.
Benny took a taste. “Ummm. It is delicious!”
“You didn’t know your old grandfather was such a good cook, did you?”
“All the Aldens are good cooks,” Henry said.
“But how did you do it so fast?” Jessie asked.
“Ahh,” Mr. Alden answered. “There’s a mystery for you.”
Benny poured milk into the pink mug. “That’s our mystery for this trip,” he said. “There won’t be any more.”
Grandfather tilted his head to one side. His eyes twinkled. “Don’t be too sure of that, Benny. You children seem to attract mysteries.”
CHAPTER 2
A New Mystery
Henry was the first one up in the morning. He made bacon and eggs and poured orange juice.
Benny came into the kitchen rubbing his eyes. “I smell bacon,” he said.
Soon the others were up, too. Violet made toast. Jessie made coffee for Grandfather.
When he joined them in the living room, Mr. Alden said, “That’s what I like to see: teamwork.”
They sat before the large windows where they watched the early sun trace golden paths across the lake.
“I wonder what we’ll do today,” Jessie said.
“Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes,” Grandfather told them. “I’m sure you’ll do a lot of walking.”
The telephone rang. “Chad will be late,” Grandfather said as he hung up.
“That’s all right, Grandfather,” Jessie said. “We aren’t ready anyway.”
Mr. Alden looked at his watch. “I have a meeting at Piper’s office. I don’t like to keep everyone waiting.”
“You can go, Grandfather,” Henry said. “We’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will be,” Mr. Alden said. “I sometimes forget how responsible you are.” He looked at his watch again. “Chad said he’d meet you downstairs in the lobby. We’ll go downstairs together.”
“Hurry up and get ready,” Jessie directed. “We’ll do the dishes later.”
They were dressed and ready in a flash.
In the elevator, Mr. Alden gave Henry the apartment key. “In case you get back before I do,” he explained. “I’m sure Cob has another key. I’ll get one from him.”
“Who’s Cob?” Benny asked.
“Mr. Piper. His real name is Jacob, but everyone calls him Cob.”
“Cob Piper,” Benny said. He liked the sound of it.
Downstairs, the doorman was t
alking to someone — a balding man with a bushy mustache. Wearing bib overalls and carrying a striped cap, he looked out of place. When he saw the Aldens, he hurried away. The doorman followed him out of the building.
Grandfather looked at his watch. “I have to go,” he said. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
“Of course, Grandfather,” Henry said. “We’ll be fine.”
“Well, then, I’ll be on my way,” Mr. Alden said. “Have fun, and don’t wander off without Chad. This is a big city.”
The Aldens sat down on a marble bench.
“Did Grandfather seem like he was acting a little strange to you?” Jessie asked.
Henry nodded.
“He was probably just afraid he was going to be late for his meeting,” Violet said.
Henry nodded. “Grandfather likes to be on time.”
They fell silent, watching the people hurrying through the lobby. Outside, the doorman smiled at everyone who passed through the doors.
After a while Violet said, “I wonder where all these people are going.”
“Most of them are probably headed to work,” Henry said.
“What about that man with the big mustache?” Benny asked.
“He was dressed in overalls,” Violet said. “I’ll bet he doesn’t work in an office.”
“The city is full of all kinds of jobs,” Jessie said.
“He looked like a railroad engineer,” Henry added.
Just then they saw Chad outside. He stopped to talk to the doorman.
“Let’s go.” Henry stood up and started for the door.
“He’s going away!” Benny observed as Chad hurried out of sight.
The doorman came in. “You must be the Aldens,” he said, smiling. “I’m Willard. I have a message for you.”
“From Chad?” Henry asked.
Willard nodded. “He says he’ll be with you shortly. He had an errand down the street.” He started away. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, turning back. “This is for you, too.” He handed Henry an envelope and went back outside.
“Who’s that from?” Benny asked.
Henry studied the envelope. “It doesn’t say.”
“It’s probably from Chad,” Violet decided.
Henry opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper. “This is odd,” he said, and he began to read the note aloud.
In this city
There’s lots to do.
Follow my lead
To each new clue.
And when you’ve seen
All the rest,
The Windy City Mystery Page 1