Snowbound Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

said Violet. “We haven’t got one.”
    Jessie said, “It seems as if there must be a broom here someplace. But there’s not one in sight.”
    “It seems odd,” said Benny. “There ought to be a broom closet right at the end of the fireplace. I remember seeing a cabin built that way.”
    “Well, there isn’t, Benny,” said his older sister. “So just let it go.”
    But Benny began to look for a broom closet. He put the two shovels and the ax in another corner. The fireplace stood out into the room about a foot. Benny looked at this wall. It was made of narrow boards with a line like a crack between each board.
    “Here’s where the doorknob ought to be,” said Benny. “But there’s only a little hole.” Then he thought what he had said. “A hole! A hole!”
    He pulled his knife out of his pocket and opened the biggest blade.
    The others came over to watch Benny. In great excitement Benny began to pry at the boards to see if he could find one that would open. And he did! First the top opened, and then he could pull the rest of the door with his fingers.

    “Well!” said Henry. “Good for you, Ben! That’s a real broom closet!”
    Jessie exclaimed, “It goes way down to the floor!”
    “And there’s a broom in it,” said Violet.
    There was a broom, a brush, a dustpan, and a shelf with cleaning cloths and two bars of soap. Also on the shelf was a little white doorknob with the point broken off.
    Henry looked at the closet and the shelf. “This wood is old,” he said. “Tom Nelson’s grandfather must have built it a long time ago.”
    “How can you tell it’s so old, Henry?”
    “Well, put your hand under that shelf,” said Henry. “You can feel the marks of the hatchet used to cut the wood. It would be smooth if it were modern.”
    Benny felt under the shelf. He could feel the chip marks of the hatchet. “That’s a neat way to tell,” he said. Then Benny ran his hand over the door.
    “That’s different,” said Henry. “The door is planed on both sides, so it is smoother. But it is old, too.”
    “It’s marked, too!” shouted Benny. “Look, Henry! It’s not very plain, but I can read it!”
    This is what he read:

    They all looked at each other. “And what in the world does that mean?” said Jessie. “Copy it, Henry, on a paper, and we can study it.”
    Henry began to copy the letters, but he said, “It doesn’t mean a thing to me. It won’t do me any good to study it.”
    “Me, either,” said Benny. “What do you suppose that code means?”
    Jessie sat down at the table. “Let’s think about it,” she said. “We know one thing. And that is that the Nelsons are hunting for something in this cabin.”
    Benny said quickly, “And it’s something they don’t want us to know.”
    Henry looked at his brother. “Right, Ben. They turn red when Puggsy tells us anything. They seem to be ashamed of something.”
    Violet added, “And they are so nice!”
    Jessie nodded. “That’s the trouble. But I suppose Tom could have done something wrong a long time ago.”
    “But what is he looking for?” asked Benny. “Maybe he has been looking for those funny letters. Maybe they tell him how to find some money or something important.”
    Violet said, “Well, it’s strange the Nelsons didn’t find them. They must know there should be a broom closet there to keep a broom in.”
    Henry nodded. “I know what Benny means. I’m sure Tom’s father or grandfather cut those letters. They weren’t cut for nothing. But the Nelsons don’t want to tell us. So let’s not say anything about the letters until they do.”
    “Right,” said Benny. “The next time we go down to the store we’ll see what they say.”
    “The afternoons are short in the fall,” Henry said. “It’s too late to go up on the roof. Put on your radio, Ben, and let’s hear what the weather will be.”
    They waited until the half hour for the weather report.
    The announcer said, “A storm is coming from the