Benny Uncovers a Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

you later, Benny.”
    Henry felt out of place at the meeting, especially when Mr. Fogg said pointedly, “I don’t think a boy belongs here.”
    Mr. Furman said, “I asked Mrs. Lester to bring Henry. I feel he is interested in the store. This is a good chance for him to see how we do business.”
    Henry listened as the department managers talked. At last Mr. Furman turned to Henry and said, “Do you have anything to report? Is everything all right?”
    Henry blurted out, “I’m sorry about the double order for the expensive glass vase. I don’t know what happened. I’ve looked all over the store for the first one. It was supposed to be here, but no one has seen it.”
    That was all Mr. Fogg needed. “See!” he exclaimed. “I told you that these Aldens are more trouble than they are worth.”
    Mr. Furman surprised everyone by laughing. “I have two things to say. First, I have a story to tell you. This morning a woman came up the stairs to my office and knocked on my door. I asked her if she had a complaint to make. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I have a compliment to give.’ ”
    Everyone at the meeting was listening to Mr. Furman. He continued, “Hardly anyone takes the time to praise our salespeople, so I was interested in what she had to say. She was helped by our new glassware clerk, Henry, and by our delivery boy, Benny. And Henry, here’s the second thing I have to say. I can make you feel better about that vase in a few minutes. Follow me.”
    The meeting was over and Mr. Furman led the way down the stairs and to the glassware department. Henry and the others followed. Out of the corner of his eye, Henry saw Miss Douglas, but she was busy with one of the clerks.
    “I’ll explain the mystery of the missing vase,” Mr. Furman said. “The other day I looked over the mail before Benny took it to the different departments. There was a special delivery package with a label that said ‘Glassware.’ I knew it had to go to Mrs. Lester, so I thought I’d deliver it myself. And I did, right to this spot.”
    Henry, Doris, Mr. Fogg, the department heads—all trooped over to the place where Mr. Furman was standing.
    On the floor under the counter, almost out of sight, was the missing package.
    Even Mr. Fogg admitted, “I’ve been by here several times and I never saw that package. It’s in the shadows there. Anyone could miss it.”
    “We all did,” said Henry. He picked up the box and began to unwrap it. “I’ll make a special display and try to sell this before the day is over.”
    Henry then smiled at Mr. Furman and the people around him.
    He even smiled at Mr. Fogg. But Mr. Fogg looked as cross as ever. And when Mr. Fogg saw Miss Douglas walking in his direction, his frown became a real scowl.

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CHAPTER 10
    Answers at Last
    T here was a bulletin board in the store near the lockers where people kept their coats. On Friday morning all the store workers were crowded in front of the bulletin board.
    “What’s going on?” asked Benny.
    Toni said, “Plenty! Next Wednesday afternoon, when the store is closed, everyone is invited to a picnic lunch. You’ll never guess where.”
    “Tell us,” Henry said. “We’ll never get close enough to the bulletin board to read what’s there.”
    Doris laughed and said, “At Miss Douglas’s house! Can you imagine that? Why would she do anything like that?”
    “And we’re all invited,” said one of the salespersons who worked upstairs. “Everyone.”
    “What do you suppose she’ll serve?” somebody else asked. “I’ll bet we go home hungry. But I want to go just to see what it’s all about.”
    Even Mr. Fogg read the notice. When Toni asked him if he was going he said he was thinking about it if his back didn’t bother him too much.
    Henry and Benny told the story of the picnic to Jessie and Violet at dinnertime.
    “It just happens we’ve already been invited,” Jessie said.