Gertrude Warner - The Mystery of the Lost Mine

Jake nodded. “I knew something was funny about that guy. Then I saw him try to build that fire!” He hooted.

“He wouldn’t let anyone help,” added Mr. Garcia.

“And he disconnected our electrical cables so he could get into our trailer,” said Mrs. Garcia in disbelief.

Mr. Tobias spoke up. “I heard someone outside my trailer that night. I went to the door and whoever it was ran away. I guess I scared him away.”

“Then why didn’t you tell us?” Jessie said.

The writer smiled sheepishly. “To be honest, I was working on a crucial part of my story. I couldn’t leave my typewriter until I had written that chapter. After that, I just forgot about it.”

Grandfather nodded. “I’ve heard writers can be that way. They just block out the whole world.”

Benny swung his feet idly. The biggest, most important mystery hadn’t been solved. When Jake came back with a tray loaded with enchiladas, tamales, jalapeño cornbread, refried beans, and tacos, Benny saw his chance.

“Jake,” he said loudly, “did you find the Lost Dutchman’s mine?”

A dull flush crept up on Jake’s clean-shaven cheeks.

“Benny,” admonished Violet. “That’s Jake’s business, not ours.”

“Well, actually, it’s the state’s business,” Mr. Garcia said. “It’s against the law to dig in the Superstition Mountains.”

Jake glanced around the restaurant. Janine was busy in the back. There were no other customers besides Mr. Tobias, the Garcias, and the Aldens.

Putting his finger to his lips, he pulled a paper out of his pocket. He handed the old, yellowed paper to Mrs. Garcia.

She read the document silently, then handed it to her husband, who also read it. Mr. Garcia folded the paper carefully and passed it back to Jake.

“All is in order,” Mr. Garcia said.

Benny was bursting with curiosity. “What did the paper say?”

Mrs. Garcia grinned at him. “It said that Jake staked a claim before the law went into effect. He is excused from that law. Legally, he is permitted to dig.”

“You found the mine?” Benny’s eyes were like saucers.

Jake’s smile was secretive. “Let’s just say I found . . . something.”

Benny stared at the prospector, awestruck. For once, he was not first to reach for the taco plate.

Dinner conversation drifted away from lost gold mines. The Garcias talked about their work as geologists. Mr. Tobias spoke about writing mysteries. He could only write at night and sleep during the day, which explained his odd hours.

Grandfather had finished helping Gerald McCrae with his cabin. Tomorrow was the Aldens’ last day at RV Haven.

“What would you like to do?” Grandfather asked.

The Alden children had different ideas.

“Go riding,” Violet suggested. She would like another ride on her horse, Dusty.

“Hang around the pool,” Jessie said.

“Hike into the mountains one last time,” Henry put in.

“All of those ideas sound fine,” Grandfather said approvingly. “No reason why we can’t do them all.” He turned to his youngest grandchild. “What about you, Benny? What would you like to do?”

“I bet I know,” Luis said with a grin. “Go look for the Lost Dutchman’s mine. Am I right, Benny?”

“Well . . . you know what I’d really like to do?” He whispered into Grandfather’s ear. If Jake could have a secret, so could he.

Grandfather nodded. “First thing tomorrow morning. And we’ll all go.”

Benny beamed and claimed the last taco.

The next morning, everyone met at the desert trail. Mr. Garcia led the way. Even Mr. Tobias and Jake came along.

Violet took pictures, which she had been unable to do the night Tom Parker guided them into the desert.

Jessie strolled beside Grandfather, enjoying the cool air.

Henry kept his eyes on the ground. Finding one small gold-colored rock wouldn’t be easy. But that was what Benny wanted to do, and Henry would do almost anything to make his little brother happy.

They reached the campground where Tom had built the sputtering campfire a few nights ago.

“This is probably where Benny lost his rock,” Grandfather said. “Let’s search the area thoroughly.”

The group broke up to scour the campsite.

Benny combed the area where he had dozed off with his head on Jessie’s shoulder. His rock should be right about—

“Here it is!” Triumphantly Jake held up a small rock.

“You found it!” Benny cried.

Jake dropped the stone into Benny’s palm and closed his fingers around it. “Now, don’t lose it again, young man. I’ve got to help Janine at the restaurant. See you folks later.”

On the way back, Benny squeezed his fist so he wouldn’t drop his rock again. When they reached the pavement, he stopped to look at his prize.

“Hey,” he said. “It looks different. It’s got knobs instead of square sides.”

The others examined Benny’s stone.

Luis whistled. “Benny! This isn’t your hunk of fool’s gold!”

“It’s not?”

“It’s the real thing! Jake gave you a genuine gold nugget.”

“Wow!” said Henry. “Now we know Jake has definitely found something!”

“I think he found the mine,” Jessie said firmly.

“So do I,” said Luis.

Violet gazed dreamily into the brown hills. “Jake followed his heart, like the message on the stone said. I think he found good friends here. Now he won’t be lonely anymore.”

Benny stroked the smooth, yellow bumps embedded in the rock. Jake’s present was the best souvenir in the whole state of Arizona.

“Remember when we lent Jake money?” Henry said. “And he said he’d pay us back. Well, he did.”

Benny smiled broadly. “ With interest!”

GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

The Boxcar Children Mysteries

THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

SURPRISE ISLAND

THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

MYSTERY RANCH

MIKE’S MYSTERY

BLUE BAY MYSTERY

THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

CABOOSE MYSTERY

HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

BICYCLE MYSTERY

MYSTERY IN THE SAND

MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

BUS STATION MYSTERY

BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY