Free Candy Factory Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

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 YSTERY H ORSE
    T HE M YSTERY AT THE D OG S HOW
    T HE C ASTLE M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE L OST V ILLAGE
    T HE M YSTERY ON THE I CE
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE P URPLE P OOL
    T HE G HOST S HIP M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY IN W ASHINGTON , DC
    T HE C ANOE T RIP M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE H IDDEN B EACH
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE M ISSING C AT
    T HE M YSTERY AT S NOWFLAKE I NN
    T HE M YSTERY ON S TAGE
    T HE D INOSAUR M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE S TOLEN M USIC
    T HE M YSTERY AT THE B ALL P ARK
    T HE C HOCOLATE S UNDAE M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE H OT A IR B ALLOON
    T HE M YSTERY B OOKSTORE
    T HE P ILGRIM V ILLAGE M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE S TOLEN B OXCAR
    M YSTERY IN THE C AVE
    T HE M YSTERY ON THE T RAIN
    T HE M YSTERY AT THE F AIR
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE L OST M INE
    T HE G UIDE D OG M YSTERY
    T HE H URRICANE M YSTERY
    T HE P ET S HOP M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE S ECRET M ESSAGE
    T HE F IREHOUSE M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY IN S AN F RANCISCO
    T HE N IAGARA F ALLS M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY AT THE A LAMO
    T HE O UTER S PACE M YSTERY
    T HE S OCCER M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY IN THE O LD A TTIC
    T HE G ROWLING B EAR M YSTERY
    T HE M YSTERY OF THE L AKE M ONSTER
    T HE M YSTERY AT P EACOCK H ALL
    T HE W INDY C ITY M YSTERY

THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY
    created by
    GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
    Illustrated by Hodges Soileau
    ALBERT WHITMAN & Company
    Morton Grove, Illinois

CHAPTER 1
    Watch Out!
    O n a cold winter night, in a big white house, the four Alden children and their cousin, Soo Lee, sat in front of a crackling fire. Grandfather was in his favorite chair. He was finishing up the last piece of coconut cake the family housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor, had made. Watch, the family dog, lay at Grandfather’s feet, waiting for a few crumbs to fall his way.
    â€œNow it’s your turn to act out a charade,” Jessie Alden told Benny.
    â€œWhat’s a charade?” five-year-old Soo Lee asked. She was still a little new at the games her older cousins played.
    â€œIt’s a guessing game,” Benny answered. He was a year older than Soo Lee and loved all kinds of games, especially charades. “For candy charades, we pick a message printed on one of our candy hearts. Then we try and make everybody guess what it says. Only we can’t use words, not even one, just funny faces and motions.”
    â€œOh, I get it,” Soo Lee said. “Henry’s candy heart said, Hug Me . That’s why he hugged me, right?”
    â€œRight,” twelve-year-old Jessie said. “And Violet’s candy heart said, Be Mine . That’s why she pretended to sting us like a bee and pointed to herself. Be Mine . Now it’s Benny’s turn.”
    â€œIf he has any candy hearts left,” fourteen-year-old Henry said.
    The Alden children loved a noisy game of charades. When Grandfather’s friend Mrs. Winkles sent up boxes of candy message hearts from her factory in Pennsylvania, it was the first thing they’d thought of.
    Benny dumped his candy hearts into a bowl. “Good thing Mrs. Winkles sent us lots more candy hearts. This