The Yellow House Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

fish.”
    “Never mind,” said Joe. “We’ll eat him yet.”
    He took up his paddle again. It was almost noon when they went around the last look. Then they could see a road that came right down to the beach from Old Village.
    “Here we are at the end of Bear Trail,” Alice said, laughing; “and we have found neither a clue nor Bill. Joe, aren’t you excited now?”
    “Excited? Yes, I am,” said Joe. “I’m hungry, too. Look ahead at the beach. See that man waiting to meet us? Someone always meets canoes.”
    Joe and Henry paddled faster without knowing it. Soon the canoes slid up on the beach. The man helped pull up the canoes.
    “Hello, strangers,” he said. “Taking the Bear Trail trip?”

    “Yes,” said Joe. “Right now we are looking for some place to eat. These children are almost starved. Is there any place to eat in Old Village?”
    “Yes, sir!” said the man. “I run it myself. I call it Jim’s Place. I’m Jim Carr. I’ll cook you anything you want. Bacon, ham, deer, hamburger—”
    “Oh, hamburger!” yelled Benny. “I want hamburger!”
    “So do I,” laughed Jessie.
    Jim laughed too. “Leave your things,” he said. “Nobody will take them. My place is right up on the road.”
    The children saw it at once. There was a board over the door, saying in black letters, JIM’S PLACE. They all walked down the road toward it.
    “I suppose most of the campers eat with you?” asked Joe.
    “Right,” said Jim. “They stay overnight sometimes. Then they go back to Mr. Long’s store by road.”
    “We may do that,” said Joe.
    Jim’s Place was the biggest house in Old Village. As they went in, they looked around. Everything was very clean. There were three tables, and a delicious smell of onions in the air.
    “I won’t be long,” said Jim. “Sit down and make yourselves at home. Hamburger and onions and potatoes for everybody.”
    They sat down and looked at each other. They could hardly wait. Soon Jim came in with big white plates filled with hot food. “Eat all you want,” he said. “More in the kitchen. I just made two big apple pies. Maybe I can find some cheese to go with it.”
    Everyone began to eat. Never did food seem so good to the hungry children. “You see, we didn’t have any breakfast,” Benny said to Jim.
    Jim laughed.
    “That’s really true,” said Joe. “We got caught in the rain, and lost most of our food.”
    “Too bad,” said Jim. He went into the kitchen to get a pie. Soon a whole pie had disappeared, and also some fine yellow cheese he had found.
    “Oh, I do feel better,” cried Violet. “I’m ready for anything.”
    “Glad to hear that,” said Henry, looking at her. “You do look a little better.”
    Then Alice said to Joe, “We ought to stay in Old Village for one night, anyway. I think Violet ought to sleep in a bed in a house.”
    “You can do that all right,” answered Jim Carr with a laugh. “You see that little old house across the street? I don’t really own it, but I take care of it. It has been empty for many years. When campers want to stay overnight, I let them use it. I bought a lot of folding cots. The campers don’t seem to mind sleeping three in a room.”
    Jessie stopped to count. “We wouldn’t either,” she said.
    “Right!” said Alice with a smile at Jessie. “You and Violet and I in one room, and Joe and Henry and Benny in another.”
    “There are two rooms,” said Jim. “Three with the kitchen.”
    Henry said, “My! Everything is working out well, isn’t it, Joe? Is there anything interesting to see in Old Village, Jim?”
    “Oh, yes,” said Jim smiling. “Some people go hunting for deer and moose. Then there’s an old hermit over in the woods. Lives all alone. People like to catch sight of him, he looks so queer with his long white beard. Then there are Indians up the road. They make baskets to sell. People always go and watch them make baskets when they stop over.”
    “Oh, let’s go up and see the