The Aldens were busy helping with tours all morning long. It wasn’t until they were having a break for lunch that they could talk about the mystery again.
“You heard what Gwen said this morning,” Jessie reminded them as she unwrapped a tuna sandwich. “If the antique birdcage doesn’t show up by the end of the day she’ll have no choice but to call the police.”
The day was getting hot, and Henry and Benny were barefoot, standing ankle-deep in the creek. Jessie and Violet sat on the grassy bank, their feet dangling in the cool water.
Benny looked worried. “Mr. Mason’s not going to be very happy. You don’t think Gwen will lose her job, do you?” he asked as Jessie handed him a sandwich. “Mr. Mason was already upset about the farmhouse sign.”
“I sure hope not, Benny, but . . .” Jessie stopped and let out a long sigh.
“But,” finished Henry, “Mr. Mason holds Gwen responsible for what goes on around here.”
Jessie nodded slowly. “It sure seems that way.”
Violet said, “Why would anyone want to take a birdcage?”
“That is strange.” Henry held out his cup while Jessie poured lemonade from a thermos. “I have a hunch that whoever took the birdcage probably moved the sign, too.”
“I bet the copycat’s playing another practical joke,” said Benny, who was wading back and forth in the water.
Violet wiggled her toes in the stream. “Well, it isn’t very funny,” she said. “I’m just glad there wasn’t a bird inside the cage.”
“Gwen says she’s positive the birdcage was in the parlor when she locked up yesterday,” Jessie added.
“There wasn’t any sign of forced entry,” Henry pointed out. “That’s why Gwen isn’t very eager to call the police. If the house wasn’t broken into, it can mean only one thing.”
The other Aldens knew what Henry was going to say. It had to be someone who had keys to the farmhouse. But who was that someone? And was this another practical joke like the ones Horace Wagner had played so long ago?
The children were quiet as they finished their lunch of sandwiches, chips, and fresh fruit. They had plenty of questions. The problem was, they didn’t have any answers. Finally, Henry looked at his watch. “We promised we’d help with the laundry demonstration.”
“Right,” said Jessie as Violet took a quick picture of Henry and Benny. “I guess we should be going.”
They were making their way through the long grass when they spotted Miss Pennink gathering wildflowers. She gave the Aldens a warm smile.
“What a charming picture you make in those old-fashioned clothes!” she said. “By the way,” she added, “how do those pants feel, Benny?”
“They feel just right!” Benny told her, with a nod and a grin. “Thanks for making them shorter, Miss Pennink.”
“Well, we can’t have our guides tripping over their pant legs,” said Miss Pennink as she fell into step beside them. “Isn’t it a beautiful day to be out in the country?” she added.
The Aldens were quick to agree. “Do you miss living out here, Miss Pennink?” Violet wondered.
“Oh, yes,” she replied. “Of course, I have a very nice little house in town. And it does have a bit of a backyard. But this farm still feels like home to me. It does my heart good, though, to see the old place restored.
“Draper, of course, did his best to keep the house from completely falling apart,” she went on. “But the truth is, I didn’t have enough money to pay for all the work that needed to be done. Now, thanks to the museum, the farmhouse looks just as wonderful as it did before the days of electricity and indoor plumbing.”
“Our boxcar didn’t have electricity, either,” Benny commented. “Or running water. And you know what else? We even cooked over an open fire!”
After the Aldens took turns telling Miss Pennink all about their boxcar days, she shook her head in amazement. “What smart children you are!” she exclaimed. “And maybe you didn’t have electricity or running water, but you had something else.”
They turned to look at her.
“You had one another,” she told them. “And that’s more important than anything else.”
The Aldens knew it was true, and they exchanged happy glances. “Now we have Grandfather, too,” Violet said in a soft voice.
“Don’t forget about Mrs. McGregor and Watch,” Benny added. “Their pictures are in the Alden family album, too.”
Miss Pennink suddenly lowered her voice. “There used to be a picture of my great-great-grandfather in the parlor of the farmhouse,” she said.
Henry looked puzzled. “Used to be?”
Miss Pennink leaned closer and whispered, “Carl Mason had it removed!”
The Aldens were surprised to hear this. “Why did he do that?” asked Benny.
“Because Carl Mason has no sense of humor whatsoever!” cried Miss Pennink. No sooner had the words escaped than she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t mean to say that. It just upsets me that Mr. Mason wants the world to . . . well, to forget all about Horace Wagner!”
“Your great-great-grandfather’s picture was actually removed from the parlor?” Jessie said, finding it hard to believe.
“The farmhouse wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for Horace Wagner!” Violet pointed out.
Miss Pennink nodded. “I suppose Mr. Mason was afraid it would raise a few questions about Horace and his practical jokes. From visitors, I mean.”
“Why would anyone ask about his practical jokes,” Henry wanted to know, “just because of a photograph?”
“Because Horace could never resist a practical joke,” Miss Pennink explained, smiling a little. “Not even when he was being photographed.”
The children stared wide-eyed at Miss Pennink. “What do you mean?”
Miss Pennink’s voice was hushed. “In the photograph, Horace has a flower tucked behind his ear!”
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny looked at one another and began to laugh.
Miss Pennink laughed, too, as they continued through the orchard. “That portrait really is the funniest thing!” she said. “Horace looks so solemn and stern, but he has this silly flower that ought to be in his buttonhole—”
“Stuck behind his ear!” finished Benny. He liked Horace Wagner!
“I’d like to see that photograph!” said Henry.
Violet was still giggling. “Your great-great-grandfather sure wasn’t a prim and proper Victorian, Miss Pennink.”
“No, indeed!” agreed Miss Pennink. “And one way or another, I intend to make sure everyone knows it!” With that, she marched up the porch steps and disappeared into the farmhouse.
The Aldens exchanged puzzled looks. What did Miss Pennink mean by one way or another?
They had little time to think about it, though. When they stepped into the Victorian kitchen, they caught sight of Sharon holding up an antique birdcage!
Gwen was shaking her head in bewilderment. “I can’t believe it! How in the world did a bird get inside that cage?”
The Aldens looked closer. Sure enough, a little yellow canary was flitting from perch to perch!
Benny’s eyes were huge. “Is that another optical illusion?”
Sharon shook her head, looking pleased. “No way!”
“Where exactly did you find the missing birdcage, Sharon?” inquired Gwen.
“In the scullery,” Sharon told her sister as she set the birdcage down on the kitchen table. “You know that old lace tablecloth that was over one of the tubs? Well, the cage was hidden underneath.”
Puzzled, Jessie said, “I thought you looked in the scullery this morning.”
Sharon seemed annoyed by Jessie’s question. “I didn’t check under the tablecloth. I thought there were only old clothes underneath. It wasn’t until I started getting things ready for the laundry demonstration that I noticed the birdcage.”
“I know it was in the parlor yesterday,” said Gwen. “Without the canary!”
“Looks like somebody’s playing practical jokes again,” said Jake North.
The Aldens turned around in surprise. They hadn’t noticed the reporter standing in a corner of the kitchen.
“That’s exactly what it looks like,” said Miss Pennink, slumping down into a chair.
Gwen placed a gentle hand on the elderly woman’s shoulder. “Are you all right, Miss Pennink?” she asked.
“I heard so many stories about Horace when I was growing up,” said Miss Pennink. “The birdcage-in-the-laundry-tub was one of those stories.”
Curious, everyone moved closer to hear what Miss Pennink had to say.
“According to the story,” said Miss Pennink, “Amanda Wagner—Horace’s wife—dreaded doing the laundry and always said she wished it would just sprout wings and fly away.”
“I’ve heard it was hard work in those days,” commented Jake.
Miss Pennink nodded. “Horace wanted it to seem as if the laundry really had sprouted wings. So, on one of his business trips, he bought an anniversary gift for his wife—a birdcage with a little yellow canary inside.” Miss Pennink paused. “Then, on April Fool’s Day, he hid the birdcage in an empty laundry tub in the scullery. They say that Amanda was just delighted when she found it there.”
Gwen stared at the canary in the cage. “Then this is an exact copy of that practical joke?”
Miss Pennink nodded slowly. “Horace did this so people would notice him. He doesn’t like to be forgotten in his own home.”
Jessie felt a chill up her spine. She didn’t really believe in ghosts, but she couldn’t help wondering if the ghost of Horace Wagner was responsible for the practical jokes.
They had to put all thoughts of the mystery aside for a while as visitors started arriving. Gwen took the birdcage into the back office, while the Aldens helped Sharon carry the washtubs and wringers out to the side porch for the laundry demonstration.
Jake took photographs while they filled the washtubs with water from the pump. And when enough visitors had gathered on the porch, Sharon began the demonstration. She showed everyone how the clothes were scrubbed against a washboard to get them clean, then put through the wooden rollers to squeeze the water out. With Henry’s help, Benny turned the crank on the wringer around and around.
Later, Gwen stuck her head out the door and offered Jake a cup of coffee.
“Sounds great!” Jake said as he put the cap back on the lens of the camera. “I was just finishing up here anyway.” Before he went inside, he stopped to whisper to the Aldens, “Sure hope I don’t see any ghosts lurking in the background when these pictures are developed.”
When he was gone, Violet said, “I’ve got goose bumps just thinking about it.”
“I don’t understand it,” said Henry, keeping his voice low. “Somebody’s going to a lot of trouble to make everyone think the farmhouse is haunted.”
“You’re right, Henry,” agreed Jessie. “But it’s a mystery why anyone would want to do such a thing.”
It was a mystery—but it was a mystery the Aldens were determined to solve. |