The Black Widow Spider Mystery (10 page)

“I'm not,” said Benny.

“No?” asked Mrs. Blackwell.

“No,” said Benny. “I would have been much happier if you'd been a spy.”

The next night, when the Aldens set the table for dinner, they added two extra places at the end. Benny had just set down the last spoon and Violet had just finished arranging the flowers on the table when the doorbell rang. Watch barked and ran to the door, his tail wagging.

Grandfather opened the door. His grandchildren gathered eagerly behind him. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Blackwell,” said Mr. Alden, putting out a hand to shake hers. “And you must be Mr. Blackwell. Please come in. My grandchildren have told me all about you.”

“They are wonderful kids,” said Mrs. Blackwell. “And a tremendous help to me and my husband.”

“I am very fortunate to have such nice grandchildren,” said Mr. Alden, leading the Blackwells into the living room. They sat in two chairs beside the fireplace, while the Aldens settled on the sofas.

“It is nice of you to have us over for dinner,” said Mrs. Blackwell. “Our neighbors have not always been so welcoming.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” said Mr. Alden.

“But that is past,” said Mr. Blackwell. “We have some news. We have read the script for
Beware the Spider's Bite II.
”

“And?” Benny asked excitedly, moving to the edge of his seat.

“And I told them we would agree to let them film it in front of our house — on one condition.” Mrs. Blackwell paused. “We said they must use four local children in the movie as extras.”

“Four children,” Benny repeated. “Do you mean …?”

Mrs. Blackwell nodded. “I mean my favorite detectives — and neighbors. The Alden children.”

“And what did they say?” Jessie wanted to know.

Mrs. Blackwell took her time before answering, a smile spreading across her face. “What could they say? They said yes, of course.”

“We're going to be in the movie?” Violet asked, unable to believe it.

The Blackwells nodded.

“Hooray!” cried Benny. “It's not quite as good as having spies on our street — but almost!”

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 Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner's books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens' independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2003 by Albert Whitman & Company

Albert Whitman & Company

250 South Northwest Highway, Suite 320

Park Ridge, Illinois 60068

www.albertwhitman.com

Distributed by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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FROM ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANY
AND OPEN ROAD MEDIA