“Yes. The council needs my vote,” stated Beverly Percy.
Jessie looked at her. “Why were you in the clubhouse?”
Now Mrs. Percy’s tone became frosty. “That is none of your business, young lady.” Glancing one last time at the letter Carl Soper held, she turned on her heel and marched out.
Mike Percy was right behind her. The kids heard a car start and drive away. The Percys must have had their car parked on the street behind the clubhouse.
“Those people are strange,” Benny commented.
“Not strange,” said Henry, an idea forming in his head. “They are very smart.”
“How so?” asked Carl.
“The ‘ghost’ we kept seeing in the old factory,” Henry said. “That was either Jenkins or the Percys. They were all searching for that letter.”
“Why would they be hunting for this?” asked Emily.
Now Jessie caught on. “Because it’s somehow connected to the ballpark, I bet. The council should know about it.”
“The council is going to vote on making this land into a parking lot in ten minutes,” Carl Soper announced.
“We’ve got to get to that meeting!” Violet declared. “Maybe the letter will make a difference in how people vote.”
Mr. Soper gave the letter to Benny. “I won’t be able to move as fast as you. Now hurry!”
Benny tucked the letter carefully in his pocket. Then he and the other kids sped out of the clubhouse.
“I know a shortcut,” Emily told the Aldens.
They dashed across the ballpark and down a side street.
Henry was the fastest runner, but he stayed beside Benny.
The town hall sat in the middle of a green lawn. Revolutionary War cannons flanked the wide steps. The gilded dome glowed like pure gold in the summer sun.
The children flew along the brick walkway and up the granite steps. Henry pulled the heavy double doors open and let Benny enter first.
Benny’s sneakers squeaked loudly on the marble floor. Inside, the building was cool and hushed, like a library. He heard voices from the first room on the right. A paneled oak door was propped open.
“In there,” Jessie said.
Benny raced to the doorway. He saw men and women sitting around a large wooden table. At one end of the room, Beverly Percy was talking as she stood beside an easel. The drawing on the easel showed a modern parking lot and pretty flowers around the factory building.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen,” said Beverly. “Shall we take a vote on this new project?”
Benny wasn’t sure what to do. Then he saw Grandfather. At the same time, Grandfather saw him and the others in the doorway behind him.
“Benny!” exclaimed James Alden. “What are you children doing here?”
“I have something to show you,” said Benny, handing the letter to his grandfather.
Mrs. Percy’s face turned as purple as the dress she had on today. “Pay no attention to that child! He doesn’t know anything about my great-aunt’s letter!”
CHAPTER 10
Benny’s Home Run
Silence fell over the room.
“What did you say?” Emily asked Beverly Percy.
“Nothing,” she answered briskly. “Clear these children out so we can get down to business —”
Her husband broke in. “They have the letter, Beverly. We have to tell them.”
“Tell us what?” said the man sitting at the head of the table.
“The truth,” Jessie stated. Then she added, “We know the Percys have been looking for this letter. Fortunately, our little brother found it in the factory first.”
Now James Alden put on his reading glasses and looked at the letter Benny handed him. “It’s addressed to Herman Soper.”
“Home Run Herman?” said the man at the head of the table. “I’m Paul White,” he added, introducing himself to the Alden children, “president of the town council. You say Mr. and Mrs. Percy were looking for this letter?”
Henry nodded. “We saw lights in the old factory. Danny Jenkins told us the factory was haunted. But it was his brother, looking for that paper. The Percys were hunting for it, too.”
Mr. White turned to Beverly Percy. “What connection do you have with an old letter addressed to Home Run Herman?”
“It’s a long story.” Mrs. Percy smiled falsely. “Let’s vote first and afterward go have coffee. I’ll tell you about the letter then.”
“I think now would be better,” said Grandfather. “These children made quite an effort to get the letter here before the vote.”
In the momentary silence Carl Soper entered the room and with a heavy sigh, Beverly Percy slumped in her chair. “The woman who wrote that letter was my great-aunt, Daisy Pettibone,” she began. “I grew up in Eddington, a small town north of here. That’s where Aunt Daisy lived, too. I didn’t know my great-aunt very well. But when she died, she left me some money.”
“When we went through Mrs. Pettibone’s belongings, we found a copy of that letter,” Mike Percy put in. “Apparently Mrs. Pettibone made and kept copies of most of her correspondence.”
“Why was the letter important?” asked Carl Soper.
“It has to do with the ballpark, doesn’t it?” guessed Violet.
Beverly shot the kids a dark look. “Yes,” she replied. “You see, my aunt had an old newspaper clipping in her files, too. It was about that old baseball game, the one Home Run Herman supposedly lost on purpose. Mike and I were curious about Pikesville, so we drove down to see the town.”
Mike took up the story. “We wanted to make a quick profit. A real estate agent in Eddington told us about the problems in Pikesville and a property that might be coming up for sale.”
“What property?” asked Mr. White.
“The ballpark,” Beverly Percy answered. “The way we understood it, the ballpark was next to the old factory. We knew you all were thinking about renovating the factory into shops. If we bought the ballpark, we knew we could sell it back to the town at a profit. You’d need that land around the factory.”
“So Bev and I moved here,” Mike said, taking up the story. “I got a job and became coach of the baseball team. Bev was elected to the town council a few months ago.”
“That was part of your scheme,” Jessie said. “You got on the council so you could tell people to tear down the ballpark.”
“You convinced everyone that the town would be better off without it,” Henry added. “Home Run Herman brought shame to Pikesville. If the ballpark was gone, people would forget what happened.”
“You kids are pretty smart,” Beverly acknowledged. “Yes, I used the old scandal to convince council members to tear the ballpark down. They didn’t know Mike and I had an agreement to buy the land.”
“But you overlooked one important detail,” said Grandfather.
Beverly sighed deeply. “I was hoping you wouldn’t bring that up.”
“Bring up what?” asked Benny.
“The old factory was declared historical,” said James Alden. “If the town could find a good reason to make the ballpark a historical landmark too, it would stay.”
Benny was confused. “I don’t understand.”
“It means there was a good chance that the Percys’ sweet deal could be ruined,” Henry replied. “The letter from Mrs. Percy’s great-aunt proved that Home Run Herman didn’t do anything wrong. Knowing the truth would make people feel good about that old ballpark, and she didn’t want that.”
“That’s right,” said Violet.
“If the town found the letter,” said Grandfather, “they might keep the ballpark. The Percys would lose their chance to buy the land cheaply and sell it back to the town for a profit. If the land could be made into a parking lot it would be worth a lot more to them.”
Mr. White had been studying the letter. Now he passed it to the next council member around the table. “I think this document casts a new light on the situation. Please review it and we’ll discuss it.”
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While Mrs. Pettibone’s letter was being examined, the Aldens still had some questions for Mike and Beverly Percy.
“How did you get in the old factory?” Henry asked them. Carl Soper has the only keys.”
Beverly shook her head. “That’s not true. The town has a set, too. As a member of the town council, I had a right to inspect the old factory. I took the keys and had duplicates made.”
“You gave a set to Coach Jenkins,” Jessie guessed. “And kept one for yourself. That way you could get into the factory and the clubhouse whenever you wanted.”
Mike nodded. “Even though we knew Herman Soper had left: Pikesville years ago, the original of Daisy Pettibone’s letter might still be around. As it happens, we were looking in the wrong places.”
“How did you get out the other night?” Jessie asked the couple. “I smelled Mrs. Percy’s perfume, so we knew it was you. But we didn’t see you leave.”
“Coach Jenkins pried open a back door,” Mike explained. “When we heard you coming, we left.”
“What about the game?” Emily asked Mike. “Did you know Coach Jenkins was making the Eagles cheat?”
“Yes. Bev and I needed help hunting for that letter. The factory is pretty big and we could only search at night, after work,” confessed Mike. “So we asked Coach Jenkins if he’d help. He wanted his team to win the championship. And we figured if the Half Moons started losing all the time, it would be more reason for the council to tear down the old ballpark. I suggested corking a couple of bats.”
The council members had finished reviewing the letter.
Mr. White rapped on the table. “I think we’ve had ample time to reach a decision.” He looked long and hard at Mrs. Percy. “I expect your resignation from the town council before this meeting ends. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s vote.”
Mr. White asked, “Should the ballpark attached to the factory be torn down?”
All the members replied, “No.”
“Should the ballpark then be declared a historical property and be restored to its former glory?” Mr. White asked the group.
One by one, the members answered, “Yes.”
“Yay!” cried Benny
Mr. White grinned. “Very good. I’ll meet with the newspaper this afternoon to tell them the truth about Herman Soper. Mrs. Pettibone’s letter will be printed, too.”
“People will be fascinated to learn an old wrong will finally be righted,” said Grandfather. “You will have lots of publicity for the factory renovation.”
“You should name it after Herman,” Violet suggested.
“That’s an excellent idea!” Mr. White agreed. “We’ll call the new mini-mall Herman Soper Place. We’ll put up a statue of Home Run Herman in the ballpark.”
“Are we going to keep the ballpark for sure?” Emily asked eagerly.
“Of course! It’ll be a great place to have fairs and other events when you young people aren’t playing ball,” said Mr. White, “and it’s right in town, close to everything.”
The Percys were edging toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Henry called loudly.
“Oh. I don’t think we’re needed here anymore,” said Mrs. Percy. “Mike and I have an appointment … in another town.”
They left in a hurry.
“Good riddance,” Carl Soper remarked. Then he turned to his granddaughter with a happy smile. “The Soper name has been cleared at last! We’ll never know what happened to Herman, but at least his good name has been restored.”
“I wonder where they’ll put the statue of Herman,” said Benny.
“Maybe by the bleachers,” said Violet. “So he can ‘watch’ all the home runs Emily will hit.”
Emily blushed. “You know, Benny,” she said, “you hit a home run yourself.”
Benny was surprised. “I did? When?”
“When you found the letter and ran to the town hall. You hit a winning run! The ballpark is saved. Gramps and I can’t thank you all enough.”
“We were glad to help,” Violet said, speaking for her brothers and sister.
They had solved the doubleheader case. They’d caught the cheating baseball team and prevented a ballpark from being torn down. And a local hero would finally be recognized.
While the council members gathered around the children to get the details of the last several days, Benny seemed lost in thought. Grandfather noticed and asked him what was on his mind, and Mr. White turned to listen.
“Well,” Benny began slowly, “I like the idea of a statue of Herman in the ballpark, but there is something the ballpark needs much more.”
“And what might that be?” asked Mr. White.
“It needs a refreshment stand. The Herman W. Soper Refreshment Stand!”
Mr. White clapped Benny on the back.
“A fine idea, Benny!” Mr. White exclaimed. “But maybe we should call it the Benny Alden Refreshment Stand.”
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.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof 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, events, 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 © 2000 by Albert Whitman & Company
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Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Home Run Mystery
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