Free Boardwalk Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

tickets. Henry and Benny ran the haunted house ride. Violet helped children on the Big Slide. Mrs. Reddy went from ride to ride, helping wherever she was needed, and smiling happily at all the customers. She told everyone what a safe and wonderful pier Carl Hanson was running. Wendy ran the motorcycle ride and Will took care of the Ferris wheel.
    When the pier finally closed, all of the customers went away talking about how much fun they had had.
    “We will be back!” many people called as they walked away. “Thank you so much for a great night.”
    Mr. Hanson, Will, Wendy, Mrs. Reddy, and the Aldens sat at a picnic table at the end of the pier overlooking the ocean. They were very tired.
    “The free ride night was a big success,” Jessie said. “Now everyone knows that Hanson’s is a terrific and safe amusement pier.”
    “Yes.” Mr. Hanson smiled. “Thanks to you children.”
    Suddenly, there was a loud growling sound. Mrs. Reddy looked startled. She put her hand over her heart. “What was that?” she asked.
    Everyone turned to look at Benny. Benny held his stomach. “I can’t help it!” he said. “My stomach always does that when I am hungry.”
    “And Benny is always hungry,” Henry explained.
    “Then I am just in time!” Hunter walked up to the picnic table. His arms were full of boxes of pizza from Mack’s.
    “Oh boy!” Benny cried. “Mack’s has the best pizza in the world. It smells so good!”
    “Congratulations, Mr. Hanson,” Hunter said. “Everyone on the boardwalk has been talking about your amusement pier. The free ride night must have been a great success.”
    “It was,” Mr. Hanson said. “And it is not over yet.”
    Benny swallowed a big mouthful of pepperoni pizza. “It’s not over yet?” He looked around. “But all the customers are gone. I thought the pier was closed.”
    Mr. Hanson smiled. “The pier is closed, but we are still here. And now that the crowds are gone, I think you children should try all the rides.”
    Benny jumped up from the table. “Really? Can I ride the motorcycles? And the roller coaster? And the Ferris wheel, too?”
    “Of course you can,” Will said. “And you can ride them as many times as you like.”
    “I’m going to ride everything!” Benny said. Then he paused. “Except maybe not the haunted house. The zombies still scare me a little bit. I know they are not real but . . .”
    Just then another long, loud growl came from Benny’s stomach.
    Mrs. Reddy laughed. “Benny, I think the zombies should be afraid of your stomach! It sounds much scarier than they do.”
    “You’re right, Mrs. Reddy!” Benny grabbed another piece of pizza and headed toward the haunted house. “Okay, zombies, here I come,” he called. “I am not afraid of you!”
    Everyone laughed. Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, Will, Wendy, Hunter, Mr. Hanson, and even Mrs. Reddy spent a fun night riding on all the rides, playing games, and eating the pizza that Hunter had brought.
    “Mr. Hanson,” Benny said at the end of the night, holding his very full stomach, “I hope that you own this amusement pier forever and ever!”
    “We all do,” Violet said.
    Mr. Hanson smiled. He put one arm around Will and one around Wendy. He gazed up at the big Ferris wheel. “This has always been my dream,” he said. “And now, because of all of you, my dream has come true! Thank you!”

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 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