Free The Legend of the Irish Castle by Gertrude Chandler Warner

CHAPTER 1
The Bad Omen
    H enry Alden pushed a cart full of luggage
through the bustling airport of Dublin,
Ireland. All around him, people were walking
very fast and pulling large suitcases. A pilot
and two flight attendants wearing navy blue
uniforms passed by, their shoes clicking
on the tile floor. On the public address
system, a voice said, “Last call for flight
two-seventeen!” Airports always made the
Alden children feel very excited. They loved
traveling to new places.
    “I wonder how long it will take to get to
the castle,” said twelve-year-old Jessie Alden.
She looked at her watch and reset it to the
local time, six hours later than in their home
in Greenfield. Between the time change and
the long flight, the children were feeling
tired. But they had been looking forward to
their vacation in Ireland for a long time and
couldn’t wait to explore the castles and the
beautiful countryside.
    Grandfather glanced at the map in his hand.
“According to the map, it should take about
two hours to get to where we’re staying.”
    Grandfather was also carrying Benny, who
at six was the youngest Alden. Benny had
been asleep when the plane landed and was
just starting to wake up. His head rested on
Grandfather’s shoulder. “Erin, the owner of
the castle, said she would pick us up right
outside the airport.”
    Ten-year-old Violet walked ahead of the
other children and snapped a picture of a
sign that read “This Way to Dublin” with
an arrow pointing toward the doors. Violet
was planning to make a scrapbook of this
adventure when the Aldens returned home,
and she thought a picture of the sign would
be perfect for the cover.
    The automatic doors opened with a whoosh ,
and the Aldens walked out into the sunshine.
Taxis were lined up along the curb.
    “What a beautiful day!” Violet said,
snapping another picture.
    “We’re lucky the sun is out,” Henry said.
“I’ve read that it rains a lot in Ireland.”
    “We don’t mind a little rain,” said Violet.
She took off her purple sweater and tied it
around her waist. “We always found fun
things to do on rainy days when we lived in
the boxcar!”
    After their parents died, the Alden children
had run away. They were afraid of their
grandfather because they thought he was mean
and they wouldn’t like living with him. In the
woods, the children had found an abandoned
boxcar and made it their home. They had
lots of adventures, and even found their dog,
Watch, in the woods. He became part of their
family too. When their grandfather found
them, they realized he wasn’t mean at all.
Grandfather Alden took the children to his
home to live with him and his housekeeper,
Mrs. McGregor. Grandfather brought the
boxcar to his home, and put it in the backyard
to use as a clubhouse.
    “That must be our ride,” Jessie said,
pointing to a white van that said “Duncarraig
Castle” in green letters on the side.
    Grandfather and the children walked toward
the van just as a woman got out. She had a long
red braid that hung down over her shoulder.
“Céad míle fáilte!” she said. “That means ‘a
hundred thousand welcomes.’ I’m Erin.”
    The children introduced themselves, and
Henry and Erin loaded the luggage into the
van. Grandfather helped Benny get buckled in.
Benny tried to wake himself up, but as soon as
they started driving, he closed his eyes again.
    “Poor Benny,” said Violet. “He seems so tired.”
    “You all must be tired after that long trip,”
Erin said. “And hungry too. Let’s stop for
lunch when we get to Howth.”
    Benny sat up and opened his eyes. “Did
someone say ‘lunch’?”
    Everyone laughed. “I thought lunch might
wake you up,” Grandfather said.
    Erin took the scenic route toward the
seaside village of Howth. The tall cliffs alongside
the road were bright green and towered
over the ocean below. White seagulls sailed
through the air hunting for fish. Erin told
the children about the sights. “Down there is
Dublin Bay,” she