Free Mystery of the Star Ruby by Gertrude Chandler Warner

CHAPTER 1
The Contest
    “I wish we didn’t have to go back to Greenfield,” said six-year-old Benny Alden.
    Violet turned from the front seat of the car. “Don’t you miss our house?” she asked her little brother.
    “And our boxcar?” put in Henry, sitting next to Benny.
    Jessie, who was twelve, knew how Benny felt.
    “The boxcar is important,” she said. “It’s where we lived before Grandfather found us. Benny just doesn’t want this vacation to end.”
    “We did have a great time camping in the mountains,” their grandfather, James Alden, agreed. “It seems a shame to leave the area so soon.”
    Benny became excited. “Does that mean we can stay longer?”
    Grandfather smiled at him in the rearview mirror.
    “We’ll see.”
    The Alden children looked at one another. They knew “we’ll see” often meant “okay.”
    As they drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Henry spotted a sign.
    “‘Ruby Hollow Gem Mine and Resort,’” he read aloud. “‘Rock Hounds Welcome.’”
    “A gem mine!” ten-year-old Violet exclaimed. “That sounds great! Can we go there?”
    “It does sound interesting,” said Grandfather. “We’ll check it out.”
    “Oh, boy!” Benny bounced in his seat. Then he asked, “What’s a rock hound? Is it a dog made of rocks?”
    Henry laughed. “A rock hound is someone who collects rocks and minerals.” At fourteen, Henry was used to answering Benny’s questions.
    They turned off the main highway, following signs that led them from one twisting road to another. Jessie worried they would never find the gem mine—or their way out again!
    At last the thick woods parted to reveal a clearing. A large sign with a giant painted red jewel proclaimed they had arrived at Ruby Hollow.
    Grandfather followed the driveway into a crowded parking lot. They got out of the car and walked up a flower-lined path to a series of wooden buildings. At the main building, a man in a cowboy hat opened the entrance door and waved them inside.
    “Come in,” he said. “I’m Cecil Knight, the owner of Ruby Hollow. I hope you plan to stay because we have lots to do here. Besides the mine, we have hiking trails, a restaurant, a museum, and a gem-cutting shop. I’ve got two cabins and a room left in the main building.”
    “I didn’t realize so many people would be here,” said James Alden.
    Cecil Knight tapped a poster on the wall in the lobby. “They come for the annual gem contest. It lasts a week. The person who finds the largest ruby by the end of the week wins first place. You’re just in time to take part!”
    The children were looking at the framed photographs and newspaper clippings that hung on the wall. The pictures showed people holding red or blue stones. Some of the stones were pretty big.
    “What do you win in the contest?” asked Henry.
    “First place is a cash prize of one thousand dollars,” Mr. Knight replied. “Winners get their picture in the local paper. And our on-site jeweler will set the stone in the mounting of their choice. Solid gold, of course.”
    Benny pointed to a photograph of a boy holding what looked like a big blue marble.
    “Violet, will you take a picture of me with my marbles?” he said.
    Mr. Knight chuckled. “That’s not a marble, son. The boy in that photo was twelve years old. He found a 1,497-carat sapphire worth eleven thousand dollars.”
    The children gasped.
    “Grandfather, can we stay?” Benny asked eagerly. He wanted to start digging for gems right away.
    “I guess we’ll need those cabins and that room,” Grandfather told Mr. Knight. “The children will take the cabins. I’ll stay in the main building.”
    “Come back to my office.” Mr. Knight led the way down a short hall.
    Knotty-pine paneled walls were crowded with more photographs. But these pictures were older, in black and white instead of color.
    While Grandfather registered, Benny studied a photo of two boys standing by a big wooden wheel. One boy grinned into the