“Who are you talking about?” Doris snapped impatiently.

  “Those awful campers,” Andy said. “The litter everywhere. They don’t care about the forest. They just come here to make noise and mess things up.”

  “He stole a lantern from the Aldens,” Hildy piped up.

  “But our lantern is at your cabin,” Henry said.

  “Mine’s broken,” Hildy explained. “There’s no electricity in my cabin. Without a lantern it gets awfully dark. Andy gave me one to use. When I saw your name on it, I began to wonder how he got it.”

  “So you came over here to question him?” Doris asked.

  “I did,” Hildy answered. “But when I started asking questions, Andy pushed me into the bathroom and locked the door. I knew then that he was the guilty party.”

  “When did you take the lantern?” Henry asked. “It was there in the morning and, later, it was missing. But Grandfather was at the camp the whole time.”

  Andy Watts shrugged. “I just waited until he fell asleep. Then I sneaked over and … took it. I figured without a lantern, you’d go home.”

  “You played the loud music, too?” Violet asked.

  “Yes, yes,” Andy said. “For years, I’ve had to listen to it. Loud music, loud voices—any time of the night. The forest is a quiet place. People should respect that. I just wanted to let people know how it sounded. But I never meant to cause Mr. Alden’s accident. That made me feel real bad!”

  “And the lights?” Jessie asked. “Why did you do that?”

  “To scare people away,” Andy explained. “That’s why I took the food. People get edgy when strange things like that happen. It worked, too. Word got around. Campers have been staying away.”

  “But how could you take our food when we were right there?” Jessie asked.

  “You were difficult,” Andy admitted. “I dropped the honey when I heard someone rustling around in the tent.”

  “That was me,” Violet said. “I thought I heard something. I came out to look.”

  “I just got away in time,” Andy said. “And the morning when I took the stew—”

  “I saw you!” Jessie interrupted. She turned to Henry. “Remember, Henry? Watch woke me up and then I saw something moving in the mist.”

  “I was sure you’d catch me that time,”Andy said.

  “And the arrows? Did you do that, too?” Benny asked.

  “That’s the first thing I did: turn the wooden arrow that pointed to the ranger’s station in a different direction. A few people got so confused, they left. But most people figured it out,” Andy said.

  “I mean the arrow in the maple tree,” Benny persisted.

  “Yes,” Andy admitted. “I did that, too. When I returned from your campsite, you children were at my cabin.”

  “That was the morning we found Grandfather in the ravine,” Henry said putting the pieces together.

  “I only meant to scare you … nothing more,” Andy said.

  “You know, you weren’t the first to complain about strange things happening,” Hildy said to the Aldens. “I never believed it. Thought it was nonsense. Imagine my surprise when I realized the lantern was yours. And then to find out that Andy Watts of all people was causing so much trouble!”

  “She wanted to tell the authorities what I’d done,” Andy said. “I couldn’t let her do that, could I? They’d put me in jail!”

  “And that’s why you locked her in your bathroom,” Doris concluded.

  “I would’ve let her out,” Andy said. “I decided to pack up—get out of here. Go someplace where no one could find me. I would’ve let her out when I was ready to go.” He looked from one to the other. His eyes were sad. “I didn’t mean any harm,” he said. “Please, believe me.”

  “Mean it or not, Andy Watts, you did cause harm,” Doris said. “You ruined people’s camping trips and the park’s reputation. Something has to be done about it.”

  “Oh, I know,” Andy said. “It was foolish of me to think of running away. I knew that even while I was packing to go. This is my home. I’d never be happy anywhere else— especially after what I’ve done.” He sighed deeply. “I’ll go turn myself in to the ranger.”

  CHAPTER 17

  A Problem Solved

  The next night, Doris and Hildy joined the Aldens around the campfire.

  “It’s hard to believe that Andy Watts caused so much trouble,” Doris said.

  “I think I understand what he did,” Hildy said. “I’ve felt the same way about some campers. So many of them just don’t appreciate the beauty around them.”

  The children stared at her. She seemed an entirely different person than she was before.

  She smiled at them. “Are you having trouble believing old Hildy likes nature?”

  “We didn’t think you liked anything!” Benny said.

  “Now, Benny, mind your manners,” Grandfather warned, but he said it lightly, and Benny knew he was amused.

  “Hush, James Henry,” Hildy said. “I deserved that. I wasn’t very nice to your grandchildren—or to anybody for that matter. But I’ve learned my lesson. These children taught me. Independence is important, but so is knowing people care.”

  “You know, Hildy,” Doris said, “for a while I was afraid you were the one causing all the trouble.”

  Hildy chuckled. “My own sister!” she teased. “You should have known better. My way of dealing with the campers was to ignore them. Keep my distance.”

  “Well, things will be different now,” Grandfather said.

  “They sure will be,” Doris said. “Andy did a good thing by turning himself in. Things went easier for him because of it.”

  “I hope they aren’t going to put him in jail,” Benny said. “He might have done bad things, but he’s a good man.”

  “That’s exactly what the ranger said,” Doris told him. “He came up with a plan to have Andy educate and help campers. It’ll accomplish a lot more than a jail sentence would.”

  “What exactly will he teach the campers?” Violet asked.

  “He knows all about the forest,” Doris answered. “He’ll take people on nature hikes, and teach new campers about safety procedures and anything else they might want to know.”

  “I hope he teaches them about neatness,” Benny piped up. “This place was a mess when we got here.”

  “I wish we could help,” Jessie said.

  “You already have,” Doris reminded her. “You solved the mystery. Now, campers won’t be afraid to come here.”

  “But we’d like to do more,” Violet said.

  “Maybe we can,” Grandfather said. “Andy mentioned the need for more trees to keep the soil from eroding. I’ll donate some.”

  “We could come weekends and help plant them,” Henry suggested.

  “That’s a fine idea, Henry,” Grandfather said. “I’m sure the ranger would approve.”

  “And the park needs more garbage cans,” Jessie said. “That would help people to be neater.”

  Mr. Alden nodded. “We’ll get those, too.”

  “Maybe we could set up a recycling center with different bins for bottles and cans,” Henry said.

  “I’ll talk to the county officials,” Doris offered. “They have special trucks to collect recyclable material.”

  “I have another idea,” Benny said. “Something we can do right now to help some campers.”

  They all looked at him.

  “Roast marshmallows and have some more s’mores,” he said.

  They all laughed.

  “Now, that’s what I call an excellent idea!” Grandfather said.

  And everyone agreed.

  About the Author

  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 e
ach 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

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  copyright © 1992 by Albert Whitman & Company

  ISBN: 978-1-4532-1253-0

  This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media

  180 Varick Street

  New York, NY 10014

  www.openroadmedia.com

 


 

  Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Camp-Out Mystery

 


 

 
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