The Yellow House Mystery Read Online Free PDF

a will to take down the tents. Violet and Benny began to roll up their blankets. But Joe did nothing. He sat down on a log and seemed to be thinking. This was not like Joe at all.
    “Let him alone,” said Alice quietly to the children. “Just go on packing. He’ll soon help, too.”
    But Joe didn’t begin to pack. Instead he called them all to stop packing and come to him for a minute.
    “I want you all to understand why I took you way up here,” he said. “Maybe for nothing. Benny just said, ‘That’s where we’ll find Bill.’ Now I don’t really think we will find Bill. I never thought so. I think Bill must have died long ago. The boss at the lumber camp had never heard of him. Mr. Long and Mr. Hill hadn’t either and they both have been around here many years.”
    Joe stopped and smiled at Benny. Then he went on. “I don’t really think we’ll find the tin box either.”
    “Why are you telling us all this, Joe?” asked Violet in her gentle voice. “Are you afraid we’ll be disappointed?”
    “You’re exactly right!” said Joe quickly. He looked at his little cousin. “I don’t want you to be disappointed because you can’t solve the mystery. When we get to Old Village, I don’t know what to do next. I thought maybe we might get a clue to the tin box, but we may not.”
    “I don’t care, Joe,” shouted Benny. “I’ve had enough fun just camping, even if we don’t find Bill.”
    “Oh, yes, we’ve all had fun, Joe,” Jessie broke in.
    Joe’s face brightened. “Did you really?” he asked. “Even if we don’t find a thing? I hope so. That’s why I brought you so far. I thought we’d have fun anyway.”
    “Don’t you worry any more, Joe,” said Henry. “Camping is the thing we like to do best in the world. It makes us think of Boxcar days and last summer on Surprise Island. But you don’t mind if we still look for clues, do you?”
    “Mind—no!” said Joe. “I expect to look for clues myself. Just don’t be disappointed, that’s all.”
    Then Joe hurried around and began to pack with a will. This time the children were glad to see a smile on his face.
    “We’ll paddle faster today,” he told them, “because we are so hungry. We can’t see Old Village from here, because the lake turns. But we ought to get there by noon.”
    Into the canoes went the things again, and into the canoes went the six people. Off they went on the last part of their long journey. They paddled for a long time.
    All at once Benny asked, “Joe, what would happen if I put a Grey Ghost fly on a line and threw it in the water behind the canoe?”
    “Well,” answered Joe smiling, “you might lose your rod, and then again you might catch a fish.” He was delighted to give Benny something to do. Then the boy would not feel so hungry.
    “I’m going to try it,” said Benny. This time he put on the fly right. Then he threw the line out behind the canoe.
    “What are you trying to do? Break your rod?” shouted Henry from the other canoe.
    “No,” called Benny. “I’m fishing.”
    On they went. Benny watched his line for a while.
    Suddenly Henry shouted, “There goes your rod!”
    Benny jumped and caught it just as it was about to slide out of the canoe.
    “Boy! You’ve got a big one,” cried Joe, stopping to look back. “Pull him in slowly, Ben! Don’t you lose him! Don’t get excited, whatever you do!”
    Violet smiled. Joe was as excited as Benny.
    How the big fish did fight to get away! But Benny played him carefully, and slowly brought him to the side of the canoe.
    “Want me to help, young fellow?” asked Joe.
    “Please,” said Benny. He was afraid he would lose the big fish.
    Joe leaned out and pulled it quickly into the canoe.
    “A big lake trout! And a beauty,” he cried. “He will feed us all. Too bad you didn’t catch him yesterday.”
    “Isn’t that always the way!” cried Benny. “We starved yesterday, and now just as we get near a store, we catch a