The Mystery Cruise (8 page)

Ralph chuckled. “I'm afraid we've been comparing the
West Wind
to the French line we were on, but truthfully this ship is fantastic. We like everything about it. Especially passengers like you.”

“You even bet your ship was better than the
West Wind!
”
Benny said.

“Yes,” Melissa said with a laugh. “But we learned otherwise.” She took Ralph's hand. “We must go.”

“Maybe we'll meet again,” Melissa said, happily.

“I hope so,” Henry answered.

The Rands moved on.

“I must go, too,” Heather said, blowing them a kiss. Then she was gone.

Grandfather, who was filling out some papers, called to them. “Do you all want to go out on deck? We're just coming into Miami!”

“Yes,” Jessie said. “We were so busy saying good-bye to everyone that we almost forgot to see our port.”

The children went out on deck, and over the blue water loomed the white buildings along Miami's coast. Closer and closer they came.

A steward came by. “We'll be docking in fifteen minutes. Please wait until the all clear is given for disembarking.”

The children went inside, found Grandfather, and sat with him.

Before long, over the loudspeaker, a voice said, “All passengers prepare to disembark.”

The Aldens moved along with a large group and went out on deck.

Down the ramp they hurried.

“There're lots of people beyond the gate,” Violet said.

“Yes, they've come to meet their friends,” Grandfather said.

Suddenly, through the crowd, Jessie glimpsed Max. “Look! It's Max!” she shouted.

Sure enough, when they went through the gate, Max rushed forward to meet them.

“Hello!” he called, catching up to them.

“Max!” Henry said. “We're glad to see you!”

“How did you come out with the will?” Jessie asked anxiously.

“I was in time. I inherited the house and the money.” Max, who had always seemed so upset before, now appeared to be full of joy.

“Oh, I'm happy!” Benny said. “We were scared Carla might beat you.”

“No, I made it with plenty of time to spare,” Max said. “And when I open the house to the public, I want you to be my first guests. I'll give you a private showing!”

His smiled broadened. “If it hadn't been for you, I never would have gotten Great-Aunt Edith's house. Tom and Carla would have.”

Grandfather pumped Max's hand. “Wonderful, Max. I wish we could stay and help you celebrate, but we have a plane we have to catch.”

“I understand,” Max said, smiling, “but I just wanted to share my good news with you!”

“Good-bye, Max,” Jessie said, and smiled. “Maybe we'll see you again someday soon. Maybe we can come and visit you.”

After they'd all wished Max good luck and good-bye, Benny said firmly, “I don't like good-byes. I don't like to say good-bye to people. It doesn't seem fair.”

“Yes, but think of the new friends you made,” Violet said. “Think of people like Issac and Max.”

“Besides,” Henry said, and he laughed. “We can always look forward to seeing them again.”

Benny's face brightened. “That's right. Maybe we'll see Max and Isaac next year.”

“Hurry, children,” Grandfather exclaimed. “We need to catch a taxi to the airport.”

Once in the cab, Jessie glanced over her shoulder to look at the
West Wind
for the last time. It had been a wonderful trip, but now they were going home. That would be wonderful, too.

About the Author

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
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 each 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' in dependence 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

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE'S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
U
NCOVERS A
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
D
ESERTED
L
IBRARY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
O
LD
M
OTEL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
P
AINTING

T
HE
A
MUSEMENT
P
ARK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IXED
-U
P
Z
OO

T
HE
C
AMP
-O
UT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
G
IRL

T
HE
M
YSTERY
C
RUISE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
F
RIEND
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
INGING
G
HOST

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
NOW

T
HE
P
IZZA
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
H
ORSE

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
D
OG
S
HOW

T
HE
C
ASTLE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
V
ILLAGE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
I
CE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
URPLE
P
OOL

T
HE
G
HOST
S
HIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
W
ASHINGTON
, DC

T
HE
C
ANOE
T
RIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
B
EACH

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
ISSING
C
AT

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
S
NOWFLAKE
I
NN

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON
S
TAGE

T
HE
D
INOSAUR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
M
USIC

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
B
ALL
P
ARK

T
HE
C
HOCOLATE
S
UNDAE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
OT
A
IR
B
ALLOON

T
HE
M
YSTERY
B
OOKSTORE

T
HE
P
ILGRIM
V
ILLAGE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
B
OXCAR

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
AVE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
T
RAIN

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
F
AIR

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
M
INE

T
HE
G
UIDE
D
OG
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
URRICANE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
P
ET
S
HOP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
ECRET
M
ESSAGE

T
HE
F
IREHOUSE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
S
AN
F
RANCISCO

T
HE
N
IAGARA
F
ALLS
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
A
LAMO

T
HE
O
UTER
S
PACE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
S
OCCER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
O
LD
A
TTIC

T
HE
G
ROWLING
B
EAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
AKE
M
ONSTER

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
P
EACOCK
H
ALL

T
HE
W
INDY
C
ITY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
B
LACK
P
EARL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
C
EREAL
B
OX
M
YSTERY