Mystery of the Runaway Ghost Read Online Free PDF Page B

treasure.
    Violet, who was taking a closer look at the framed verses on the wall, suddenly turned around. “There’s one called A Little St. Ives Rhyme. ”
    “Anne was very fond of her hometown, Violet,” Fran said. “She even named the old tree house Little St. Ives. ”
    That got Benny’s attention. “Tree house?”
    “Selden built it for his sons,” Fran explained. “But the tree was struck by lightning long ago. The tree house was destroyed.”
    “Oh, that’s sad,” said Benny.
    Fran nodded. “We get some terrible thunderstorms here in Wisconsin.”
    They all bent to their work again. A short while later, Benny placed his last flower in the phone book he was sharing with Violet. “So, is that it?” he asked Fran.
    “Not quite, Benny. The flowers need heavy weights pressing down on them.” Fran walked over to the closet. She threw open the door to reveal stacks of bricks. “I find these work quite nicely.”
    Following Fran’s instructions, Henry stacked the phone books on the floor of the closet, then placed the bricks on top.
    “Nice job, Henry,” Fran praised. “The flowers take a few months to dry. But I’ve got a ton of them already pressed. If you’re interested in making your own greeting cards later, you’re welcome to use whatever flowers you want.”
    Violet’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
    Fran winked. “I don’t see why not.”
    Violet was thrilled. She clapped her hands together excitedly.
    Jessie said, “Thanks so much for the lesson, Fran.” The others thanked her too.
    “If you keep at it, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.” Fran glanced at her watch. “I guess I’d better get a move on. My chores are waiting.”
    When she was gone, the Aldens set to work cleaning up. They were just finishing when they noticed someone standing in the doorway. A tall, sandy-haired man, his suit jacket over his arm, was watching them through narrowed eyes.
    “Who are you?” he demanded. “And how’d you get in here?”
    The children were so surprised by his harsh tone, they were speechless. Finally, Henry recovered his voice. “You must be Fran’s son, Nelson,” he said with a friendly smile. “We’re the Aldens. I’m Henry. This is my brother, Benny, and my sisters, Violet and Jessie.”
    “Fran invited us to stay with her for a few days,” added Jessie. “She’s a friend of our grandfather’s.”
    Shaking his head, Nelson muttered, “Might as well add a revolving door out front with so many people staying here.” He sounded annoyed.
    “But we’re here to help,” Benny protested. “We’re going to solve a mystery and find a treasure for Fran.”
    Nelson did not look happy to hear this. “Give me a break! My mother told me all about the riddle she found. Don’t worry, there’s no treasure. That mystery is just a pile of rubbish.”
    “Fran doesn’t think it’s rubbish,” Jessie said quietly.
    Nelson cut in, “Just don’t get my mother’s hopes up for nothing.” He shifted his suit jacket impatiently from one arm to the other. “She works so hard, she never has time for me anymore. We used to have good times together. We used to — ” He stopped abruptly as if realizing he’d said too much. “I just want her life to be a bit easier. What’s wrong with that?”
    “Maybe Fran wants a happy life,” Violet offered, “not an easy one.”
    Nelson opened his mouth as if about to speak, then closed it again. He wheeled around and hurried away.
    Henry shook his head in astonishment. “Nelson sure thinks he knows best.”
    A few minutes later, Fran poked her head into the room. “I thought I heard Nelson’s voice. Is he here?”
    Henry said, “He left already.”
    “I don’t think he likes us very much,” added Benny.
    “Oh, you mustn’t think that,” said Fran. “Nelson’s a good man, but he places too much importance on money. Ever since his father died, he’s been worrying about me because I’m on a tight budget. He doesn’t seem to