Free The Mystery at the Calgary Stampede by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

at telling stories
and doing voices.” He hunched over and then
spoke in creaky, trembly voice like an old
man. “I’ll have them quivering in their boots.
He pointed at Benny with a crooked finger.
“Young man, you there? I see a strange,
ghostly shape. Right behind you!” he yelled.
Benny jumped, twisting around to look.
    Benny’s eyes opened wide and then he
smiled. “I knew there wasn’t really anyone
there. I’m not that easy to trick.”
    “Just teasing you, young lad.” Isiah laughed.
“See, I’m good, aren’t I?”
    Annika stomped her foot and scowled at
him. “This is supposed to be a family-friendly
ghost tour, Isiah. Remember? We don’t want
them quivering in their boots.”
    “The tour has to be a little bit scary or else
no one will want to go,” Isiah said. “Can I
have a cookie?” He reached for the cookie
jar and then stopped. Jessie noticed a funny
expression cross Isiah’s face. “Come to think
of it,” Isiah said. “I’d rather have a cruller.
I’m hungry.”
    Annika sighed. “You’re the only person I
know who is always hungry.”
    “You know two people now!” Benny said.
“I’m always hungry too.”
    “There, you see,” Isiah said, holding up
his hand to high-five Benny. “Some people
just need to eat. I should be going. I promise
I’ll be there tomorrow.” He said good-bye
to everyone.
    After he left, Annika slumped down on one
of the benches. “I guess the ghost-tour business
was a bad idea. Maybe I should just quit.”
    “No, it’s too soon to give up,” Mrs.
Vanderhoff told her.
    “Can we go with you tomorrow?” Henry
asked. “We might be able to help find out
who is playing tricks.”
    “That’s a good idea,” Mrs. McGregor said.
“If anyone can help solve this mystery, it’s
these four.”
    “You can come,” Annika said. “But I don’t
think it will help.”
    “Annika, you sound very tired.” Mrs.
Vanderhoff said. “Things will seem better in
the morning.” She got up. “Why don’t we all
go to bed?”
    She took the Aldens up to the apartment
and showed them the sleeping bags on the
floor. “I set everything up for you before it
got dark. There are flashlights for each of you
on the table and extra blankets on the sofa.
Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
    “We’ll be fine,” Jessie said.
    “Good night, then.” After she left, Watch
inspected each sleeping bag. He picked a dark
green one and then lay down on it, closing
his eyes.

    “Watch is tired too,” Violet said. “Someone
is going to have to share their bed with him.”
    “I will,” Benny said. “He can watch out for
me. Watch can watch me, get it?”
    “That’s good, Benny,” Violet said. “Let’s
all go to bed. I’m as tired as Watch.”
    Once they were all in their pajamas,
Benny asked, “That wasn’t really a headless
horseman, was it?”
    “No, it was someone dressed up like that,”
Jessie said. “There’s an old story about a
headless horseman by an author named
Washington Irving. It’s set in Sleepy Hollow.
We read it in school.”
    “I don’t know why someone would want to
dress up like that,” Benny grumbled. “It’s too
scary.”
    “We’ll find out who did it and then you’ll
see it’s just a trick,” Henry said.
    They woke the next morning when Mrs.
McGregor came in the door. She had a
tray with mugs of hot chocolate. “Good
morning! The power is still out, but as soon
as you’re dressed, we’re going next door to
the restaurant for breakfast. I hear they have
very tasty apple pancakes.”
    Benny jumped up. “Let’s go!”
    “Not in pajamas!” Jessie said, laughing.
    “Oh, right,” Benny said, looking down at
his pajamas. “I forgot.”
    Mrs. McGregor picked up Watch’s leash.
    “I’ll take Watch and give him his breakfast,”
she said. “He can stay in the backyard while
we go to the café. Come along, Watch.”
    When the Aldens were ready, they walked
over to the café with Mrs. Vanderhoff and
Mrs. McGregor. “Annika