Free The Castle Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

played a squawky note or two to tune it up. Then he slid the bow across the strings. The sweet notes of “Redbird” floated through the castle.
    Before the tune was over, he handed the violin to Violet, “You finish it,” he said.
    Violet carefully picked up the violin and completed the lovely song. When she had finished, she gave the violin back to Mr. Tooner.
    â€œWe heard you playing ‘Redbird,’ ” she said shyly, “but we never actually saw you.”
    Mr. Tooner carefully laid the violin in its case. “Many years ago, Mr. Drummond taught me to play. Nothing fancy. All I ever knew were country tunes. I have my own fiddle — nothing valuable like this beauty, but I can squeak out a note or two.”

    â€œIndeed you can,” Carrie said. “According to Mr. Drummond’s will, the Stradivarius is to go on display at the museum to inspire musicians.”
    After the police left with Tom, everyone stood in the great hall. They wondered what to do next.
    â€œIt’s too quiet,” Benny complained.
    â€œWhat we need is some music,” Mr. Tooner said. He picked up the Stradivarius, not like a sack of potatoes, but like the priceless violin it was. “I always dreamed of playing this again. That’s why I kept looking for it. That’s what I was doing the day you children found me in your grandfather’s room.”
    Mr. Tooner tucked the violin under his chin. He drew the bow back and forth, one, two, three. Out came the notes of a lively jig. Just as in the old days, Drummond Castle was filled with music and the sound of dancing feet again.

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’ 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
    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