“Where are we going, Henry?” asked Benny, as he tried to keep pace with his brother’s long stride.
“Don’t forget,” Jessie added, “we’re meeting Hilary in the lobby at nine o’clock sharp.”
“Nothing to worry about,” Henry called back to them as he led the way along the busy sidewalk. “It’s not far.”
Rounding a corner, Violet glanced up ahead. “Are you talking about Franklin Square Park, Henry?”
“You guessed it!” Henry was grinning as they crossed the street. “I have a hunch that’s where we’ll find Benny’s cup.”
“Grandfather says we’re seldom wrong when it comes to hunches,” Benny said, trying to catch his breath.
As the four children made their way into Franklin Square Park, Henry stopped to look around. “Which way now?” he asked, tapping a finger against his chin.
Henry looked first in one direction, then in another. A moment later, he sprinted ahead. Curious, the others followed. They made a loop around a huge fountain, then ran full-speed along a walkway. When Henry finally slowed to a stop, Jessie, Violet, and Benny turned to him in bewilderment.
“What are we doing here, Henry?” Jessie was panting as she peered through the fence at a miniature golf course. “We don’t have time to play—”
“We’re not here for a round of golf,” Henry assured her. “Just to get Benny’s cup back.”
Jessie wrinkled her forehead. So did Violet and Benny.
“But … why here, Henry?” Benny wanted to know.
Seeing their puzzled faces, Henry said, “Remember what the hot dog seller told us the other day?”
“About the miniature golf course?” Violet questioned. “Is that what you’re talking about, Henry?”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Hmm.” Benny thought hard. “Didn’t he say we should have a game while we’re in Philadelphia?”
Henry nodded. “He said something else, too.”
“Oh!” Violet’s snapped her fingers as she caught his meaning. “He said there was a famous landmark on every hole!”
“That’s right.” Jessie nodded. “He even mentioned Independence Hall!”
Benny scratched his head. “You mean, they signed the Declaration of Independence on a miniature golf course?”
Jessie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Not exactly, Benny,” she said, as they walked over to the ticket booth. “It’s just a copy—a miniature Independence Hall.”
“That’s why Benny’s cup looked so big in the photo,” Violet realized. “It was in front of a tiny building.”
“We’re out of luck.” Henry pointed to the sign in the window of the ticket booth. It read: OPENS AT 10:00.
But Benny wasn’t giving up so easily. When he noticed somebody in the booth, he tapped on the window.
The young man inside looked up in surprise. “We’re closed!” he shouted.
“We lost something,” Jessie shouted back. “Do you mind if we go inside for a minute?”
The young man opened the window. “I’ve already checked everything out,” he said. “There was nothing left behind.”
“Could we just take a quick look?” Violet asked in her soft voice. “It’s something that means a lot to our little brother.”
“Fine.” The young man let out a sigh. “Just be quick about it.”
“Wow!” Benny said, as they walked around the course. “I feel like a giant in this place.”
“I know what you mean, Benny,” said Henry, slapping at a mosquito on his neck. “It’s like every landmark’s been shrunk down to dollhouse size.”
There was every landmark from Elfreth’s Alley—a street lined with tiny shops and homes—to a miniature version of the Ben Franklin Bridge.
When they spotted the Liberty Bell on the eighteenth hole, Violet giggled. “It looks like you can putt right through the crack in the bell,” she noted. “How funny is that, Jessie?”
But Jessie didn’t answer.
“Jessie?” Violet gave her sister a little nudge.
“There it is!” Jessie cried. She pointed to a miniature landmark nearby. “That’s Independence Hall.”
They all turned to see a small brick building with a white steeple. “It sure looks like the building in the photo,” agreed Henry.
“Then where’s my special cup?” Benny asked as they hurried over. “That’s what I want to know.”
“It’s here somewhere, Benny,” Violet assured her little brother. But a part of her wasn’t so sure.
“Maybe it’s inside the building,” Jessie suggested after some quick thinking.
“Let’s check it out!” Henry was already kneeling down by the pint-sized building. He tugged gently on the front door and it swung open.
Everybody held their breath as Henry stuck his hand into the opening and patted all around.
“Anything there?” Benny asked in a hushed voice.
“Ta-daah!” cried Henry. When he turned around to face them, he had a cracked pink cup in his hand. Standing up straight, he held the cup out to his little brother. “I think this belongs to you, Benny.”
The youngest Alden was all smiles as they made their way back to the hotel. “I’ll never let it out of my sight again,” he said. “Not ever!”
“One thing’s for sure,” said Henry. “Andy’s looking more and more suspicious.”
Jessie nodded. “I know what you mean,” she said. “He certainly knew Violet was getting film developed.”
“Maybe he went back to the photo shop this morning,” Henry concluded, “and slipped an extra picture into our envelope.”
“I don’t think Andy’s the nice person he pretends to be,” Violet admitted reluctantly.
“Not if he was trying to distract us,” Jessie agreed.
Henry added, “This time, his plan didn’t work.”
Benny agreed. “We found my cracked pink cup just like that!” he said with a snap of his fingers.
The Aldens looked at each other. Would they find the last gold coin just like that?
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