&&000 The Boxcar Children: Mystery Ranch &&111 &&000 p9 &&111 An exciting summer began for the four =Alden children with the bang of a door. The big house where they lived with their grandfather had been as quiet as a house can be with four children in it. Their cousin, =Joe, had gone to =Europe with his new wife, =Alice. Everything seemed peaceful, until the afternoon when the door banged. It was Mr =Alden. =Benny said, "Hi, =Grandfather!" "Hello," Mr =Alden answered. That was all. He went straight to the front room and shut the door loudly too. "Well," thought Benny! "What in the world is the matter with =Grandfather?" He ran upstairs to the room where =Jessie and =Violet were reading. &&000 p20 &&111 Mr =Alden already had another telegram in his mind, which he would sent to =Sam as soon as the children had gone to bed. "There is just one thing you girls must promise me," said Mr =Alden. "Every day you must send me a telegram." "Of course, we promise," said =Jessie. "Come on, let's eat," said =Benny! "Can't you smell the ham and eggs, =Grandfather? Don't you feel hungry now?" "Why, yes, I think I do," said Mr =Alden, surprised. "I really think you two girls might do =Jane more good than anyone else in the world." =Jessie looked at =Violet with a smile, which said, "Won't we have fun?" =Violet was already thinking of her aunt as her Dear Aunt =Jane. But then, =Violet had never seen many cross people. &&000 p30 &&111 =Violet had found a pretty blue cloth and some white flowers. She had set three places with fine old blue plates. A knife and fork were at each place, and a glass of milk. "All ready," =Jessie said, with a smile! "Come on, =Maggie, and sit down. I hope you'll have enough to eat tonight." "It's the most I have had for two weeks, anyway," said =Maggie. "You are a good cook for a young girl." They did not hear a sound from the bedroom. At last, even =Maggie couldn't eat any more. "Now for Aunt =Jane," said =Violet, getting up. She opened the lunch box and took out an orange. "I could drink that myself," =Violet said, watching =Jessie mix the orange juice with a beaten egg! =Jessie knocked gently on the bedroom door. "Well, come in," said Aunt =Jane! "Don't stand there knocking!" Her voice was cross, but =Jessie thought she had been lying there waiting for something to happen. &&000 p40 &&111 "A telegram every day. Quite an exciting town," he said! Just then they heard a train whistle. "The train goes the other way every morning," said =Maggie. "Do you want to watch it come in?" They saw the train come into the station. Nobody got on and nobody got off. "That's the way it always it," said =Maggie. "Soon the train won't stop at =Centerville any more. It doesn't pay." =Maggie and the girls went to the store. They bought enough groceries to last a week and loaded them into the wagon. The old horse walked even slower than usual going home, because of the load. When they came back to the ranch, they found Aunt =Jane very cross. "=Humph," she said to =Maggie! "You go off riding all over the country and leave me here alone so that anything can happen!" "But, Miss =Jane," =Maggie said, "what could possibly happen to you out here?" &&000 p51 &&111 "Maybe we can," said =Violet softly. "We love it here, and I think Aunt =Jane is used to having us now." "There is one thing that is missing, though," said =Jessie. "Yes, I know," said =Violet. "We both miss the boys." =Violet looked very sad. "Maybe Aunt =Jane would let the boys come, too," said =Jessie. "Then it would be perfect." She looked at her sister. "Let's ask her tomorrow," =Violet said. The two girls went upstairs to bed. Next morning =Jessie took a fine breakfast into her aunt's room. The little lady began to eat, and =Jessie sat down beside the bed. "We miss =Henry and =Benny, Aunt =Jane," she began. "Couldn't we ask them to come for a few days? I'm sure =Grandfather would let them come if you were willing." "Well," said her aunt, "I'd agree to that." The little lady looked up from her breakfast. &&000 p62 &&111 She washed the other hand. Then she pushed Aunt =Jane's white hair back and washed her face. She was drying her aunt's face when =Watch walked slowly into the room, wagging his tail. Aunt =Jane looked at him. "I don't feel like playing with you today," she said. "Go right back to the kitchen!" Without a sound, =Watch started for the kitchen. Then he turned to look at =Violet. =Violet said, "You're a nice dog, =Watch, and I love you. But Aunt =Jane said for you to go back to the kitchen." =Watch gave them both a look and turned sadly to go. His tail did not wag. "Never mind," cried Aunt =Jane! "Come back! You can stay! I never saw a dog that minds so well as you do. Come here if you want." =Watch almost jumped across the room. He put his paws up on the white bed. "No," said =Violet! "Yes," said Aunt =Jane! &&000 p75 &&111 "Wait until I feed the chickens, and I'll be glad to sit down and talk." The children went with =Sam to the chicken houses and watched him. "We want to know just how you do things," said =Jessie. "So please show us." =Sam was glad to show them how to feed the chickens, give them water, and get the eggs. In a little while, they were all sitting on boxes in the big open door of the barn. =Henry spoke up, "Aunt =Jane says she is going to give us this ranch." "Give you her ranch," cried =Sam? He could not believe his ears. "You are too young to own a ranch." "Mr =Pond says we aren't, if you would be our boss," said =Benny. "Mr =Pond," asked =Sam? "Did he come here?" "No, but he wrote letters to Aunt =Jane," said =Henry. "He knows about things like that, Aunt =Jane says." "He would know. But I still can't believe it." &&000 p86 &&111 "Bark all you want to, =Watchie," shouted =Benny! "Nobody can hear you, and I'll yell, too!" After a few good yells, =Benny started toward the barn. All the children followed. =Watch ran around the old barn looking for mice. The black horse stood looking at them all. "What's our horse's name," asked =Benny? "=Maggie says he hasn't any name," said =Jessie. "She just says, Go on, old boy." "=OldBoy isn't a good name," said =Benny. "Let's call him =Snowball." Everybody laughed. The thin old horse was black all over! But from then on, =OldBoy was called =Snowball. "Come on, =Watch," said =Benny at last! "Let's go upstairs where the hay is. Maybe you'll find a rat!" =Violet followed =Benny and this gave =Henry his chance. He winked at =Jessie who followed him outside at once. "Look, =Jessie," whispered =Henry. "I don't like the idea of strange men bothering Aunt =Jane." &&000 p99 &&111 "Yes. They were looking for uranium, too. But they are not honest. When they found a place that had uranium, they tried to buy the land cheap. They didn't tell people what they had found." "That's just what they tried to do to us," =Violet said. "Yes," Mr =Carter went on, "but Mr =Bates and I caught up with them. You won't be bothered by them again." "Are they the ones who stayed in that hut on our ranch," asked =Jessie? "Yes. But I had an eye on them. They couldn't have hurt you," Mr =Carter said. =Henry spoke slowly, "This means that the ranch is worth a lot of money, doesn't it?" "It certainly does," said Mr =Carter. "Wait till I tell Aunt =Jane," shouted =Benny! "Can we tell people," asked =Henry? "I suppose so," said Mr =Carter. "It is no longer a secret. I'm afraid your ranch will not be quiet much longer. Your place will soon be full of strangers. Maybe some of them will try to take rocks away from your uranium fields." He looked worried for the first time since he had come in the door. &&000 p115 &&111 "Hello, =James," she said brightly. "I want you to come to my birthday party." "=Ahem," said =Grandfather! The children could hear his deep voice. "Of course I will, if you want me. I'll bring you a present, too." "No, just come, and forgive me for everything." The children knew that =Grandfather did not know what to say to this. "Well, well," he said! "Nothing to forgive!" "Thank you, =James," said Aunt =Jane. Mr =Gardner took the children to meet their grandfather's train, the day before Aunt =Jane's birthday. When the children saw Mr =Alden, what a noise they made! They all shouted at once. They rushed up and took his bags. =TomYoung stood in the door of the station and laughed. "They think a lot of him," he said. They all piled into Mr =Gardner's car and drove to the ranch.