Free Mystery Ranch by Gertrude Warner

CHAPTER 1
    The Door Bangs
    A n exciting summer began for the four Alden children with the bang of a door.
    The big house where they lived with their grandfather had been as quiet as a house can be with four children in it. Their cousin, Joe, had gone to Europe with his new wife, Alice. Everything seemed peaceful, until the afternoon when the door banged.
    It was Mr. Alden.
    Benny said, “Hi, Grandfather!”
    “Hello,” Mr. Alden answered.
    That was all. He went straight to the front room and shut that door loudly too.
    “Well!” thought Benny. “What in the world is the matter with Grandfather?”
    He ran upstairs to the room where Jessie and Violet were reading.
    “Listen!” Benny cried. “Something terrible must have happened to Grandfather. He banged the door, and all he said was ‘Hello.’ He always says, ‘Well, hello, Benny, and how are you today?’”
    Jessie shut her book quickly and sat up straight.
    “Did you tell Henry?” she asked.
    “No,” answered Benny. “I just told you, and that’s all the time I had.”
    “Hen-ry!” called Jessie.
    “What’s the matter?” asked Henry, coming down the hall. He knew by Jessie’s voice that something had happened.
    “Benny says that Grandfather came in and banged the door, and hardly spoke to him.”
    Henry stood still in the door. “Where is our grandfather now, old fellow?” he asked his little brother.

    “In the front room with the door shut,” Benny answered. “And a bang on that door, too.”
    “Oh dear!” said Henry.
    “What can be the matter?” asked Violet. Her pretty little face was white.
    “We should go talk to him,” said Henry quietly.
    The children looked at each other and started slowly down the stairs together. Henry took a deep breath and rapped on the door.
    “Come in,” Mr. Alden called. He sounded very tired. He was sitting with his head in his hands.
    “Don’t be afraid to talk to us, Grandfather!” cried Benny.
    “That’s right,” said Henry. “We always tell you our troubles. Now you have a trouble, and we’ll help you.”
    “I wish you could, my boy,” said Mr. Alden sadly. “But I don’t know what you can do.”
    The children sat down on the floor and waited quietly for him to go on.
    “I got a letter about my sister. You didn’t know I had a sister, did you?”
    “No, Grandfather,” said Jessie. “But we’re a funny family. Once we didn’t know we had a nice grandfather. And we didn’t know that Joe was our cousin.”
    “That is true, my dear,” said Mr. Alden.
    “Where does she live?” Benny asked.
    “Out west on a ranch. The nearest town is Centerville,” Mr. Alden said. He looked very sad. “Jane is old, and she is a very cross woman. The neighbor who stays with her is going to leave. Nobody will stay with Jane because she is so hard to get along with. She won’t leave the ranch, and yet I can’t let her stay there all alone.”
    “Why don’t you go to see her, Grandfather?” Benny asked.
    Mr. Alden gave a short laugh.
    “Jane wouldn’t let me in,” he said. “She doesn’t like me. I have not been very nice to her, either.”
    “Tell us about the ranch,” said Jessie.
    “Well, it’s the old family ranch,” said Grandfather. “I lived there when I was a little boy. When my parents and I came East, Jane stayed.”
    He stopped. He seemed to be thinking to himself, as if the children weren’t there.
    “For a while she did very well,” he went on. “But later, she had to sell the cattle and the horses. She has only one old horse and some chickens now. She must be very poor, but she still won’t take any money from me.”
    “Proud,” said Benny.
    “That’s right, Benny. She’s too proud to let me help her. Let me have time to think about this. You go eat your supper, and ask Mrs. McGregor to bring me a tray. I’ll eat in here. You are kind children, but you can’t help me now.”
    “But, Grandfather,” began Benny.
    “No,” said Mr. Alden. “Go to supper