儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Stolen Sword CHAPTER 3 The Missing Letters

“You mean someone is stealing your fruit?” Benny asked.



Seymour actually smiled. “No, nothing like that.” He cleared his throat. “The fact is, someone is stealing our antiques — not the furniture, but smaller things like my stamp collection and some old family letters.”



“Oh, no, Seymour,” Grandfather said. “Your stamp collection was very valuable.”



Seymour put down his fork. “It was,” he agreed. “And so were some of those letters — at least to me. A lot of them dated from the Civil War.”



“Were there any letters from the ghost?” asked Benny.



Seymour looked puzzled, but only for a moment. “Oh, you mean Joshua,” he said, chuckling 1 a little. “I see your grandfather has told you all the family history.”



“Everyone for miles around knows about Joshua’s ghost,” Mike reminded the farmer.



“I suppose they do,” Seymour agreed as he stirred his coffee. “But to answer your question, Benny, yes, some letters from Joshua were taken, along with Gideon’s diary. Gideon was one of my ancestors, the one who built this farm,” the farmer added, looking at the Aldens.



“Oh, we know about Gideon,” Benny said.



Seymour looked at Grandfather and raised his eyebrows 2. “I can see you prepared your grandchildren well for this visit,” he said.



“But we should be glad you didn’t lose all of Gideon’s letters,” Rose reminded her husband as she handed him a piece of homemade apple pie for dessert.



“No, I have a few left. There are plenty of old letters in this house, some I haven’t even read yet,” Seymour remarked.



“Seymour, why didn’t you tell us about this? When did these robberies take place?” Jeff wanted to know.



Seymour looked at his farmhand. “I didn’t notice the missing letters until last night,” he said. “And as for the stamp collection, well, I think it disappeared maybe a week ago.”



“You should have told us,” Jeff persisted.



Seymour looked down at his hands. “Well, the truth is, I, uh, had to make sure those things really were missing. You know how forgetful I can be in my old age.”



Jeff nodded, but he looked troubled. “Did you call the police?” he asked.



“I did. They came over to check things out.”



“They told us there had been some other robberies nearby, in Chassell,” Rose said. “Chassell is the nearest big town,” she explained to the Aldens. “The thieves only took small items — old photographs, paintings, antique jewelry 3, things like that.”



“So these thieves want antiques,” Jeff said.



“Apparently so.” Seymour sounded grim. “I just worry they’ll take some of the old swords. But I think they’re safe enough in the secret passageway.”



“Are you sure?” Jeff asked, looking doubtful. “Everyone who’s ever worked on the farm knows about the secret passageway. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the town knew about it, too.”



“That’s true,” said Seymour, frowning. “But only the farm workers and some of my relatives know how to get inside it.”



Benny perked 4 up. “You mean the passageway has a secret entrance?”



Seymour nodded. “It has two secret entrances in fact.”



“And all the people who work on the farm know how to get inside the passageway?” Henry asked.



“Yes, they would,” Seymour answered. “The only other people who know are my children and grandchildren, and they’re sworn to secrecy 5. The entrance to the passageway has always been a farm secret.”



“I guess you can’t be too careful,” said Jeff as he rose from his seat to stretch his arms. “I’m really sorry this happened, Seymour. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”



“I will, Jeff, thank you.”



“Well, Mike and I should be getting back to work. There’s still a lot of clearing and pruning 6 to do.”



Mike looked at his hands. He had grown even more quiet during dessert and seemed very upset about the robberies. At last he sighed and rose, thanking the Curtises for lunch.



“Oh, you’re welcome, Mike,” Rose said.



Mike merely nodded and followed Jeff out the door.



Seymour watched them leave, stirring his coffee. He waited until the farmhands were out of sight before turning to the Aldens.



“You know, I have something to confess,” Seymour began as Rose cleared the plates from the table with Violet and Benny’s help. “This isn’t easy for me to say, but the reason I didn’t tell Jeff and Mike about these robberies right away is that, well, I just don’t know what to think.”



“What do you mean?” Grandfather asked.



Seymour sighed and looked close to tears. “Well, it’s just that whoever did those robberies knows a lot about me and where I keep my things. I just can’t help thinking that the burglar is someone I know pretty well.”



“But, Seymour, surely you don’t suspect Jeff and Mike. They’ve been working for you for years, ever since they were boys,” Rose said.



“No, I don’t believe it could be them, but I do employ other farmhands to help during the picking season.”



“Who?” Jessie wanted to know.



“Well, this fall I had two high school students, Veronica and Martin. You’ll meet them while you’re here — they still help me out around the farm. They’re good kids. I know their parents and grandparents.”



“You know, Seymour, it’s entirely 7 possible this robbery is tied to the other antique robberies in town. It may not be anyone we know at all,” Rose said.



“I wish I could believe that.” Seymour sounded sad. “I hate to be in the position of suspecting everyone who works around here. But that stamp collection was in a secret drawer in my desk. And nothing else was touched. The thief knew just where to look.”



“You’ve told your farmhands about your secret drawer?” Grandfather asked.



“Well, yes. I like to show that old desk to the people who come in. And Jeff and Mike have seen my stamp collection.”



“Did the others know where your stamp collection was?” Jessie asked as she handed Benny more dishes to take off the table.



Seymour scratched his head. “Well, I told Veronica about it. She collects stamps, too.”



“I don’t think we should jump to any conclusions until we have more evidence,” Rose suggested. “You know that’s what the police said.”



“Right,” said Seymour. “My wife is the down-to-earth one,” he told the Aldens. “She always talks good sense.” The farmer rose slowly. “Who would like to take a walk around the farm?” he asked.



“Me.” Benny was the first to answer. “Can we see the secret passageway, too?”



“Follow me,” Seymour said, walking toward the door.



“Oh, Seymour, before you go, why don’t you show the Aldens where their rooms are. They may want to unpack 8, or at least unload their belongings 9 from the car. They’ve only just arrived.”



“Good idea,” said Seymour. “I told you Rose is the sensible one.”



Everyone laughed.



The bedrooms were all upstairs on the second floor. Jessie and Violet had a fireplace and a four-poster bed in their room. Henry and Benny shared a corner room with built-in beds and bookcases.



“This is like a ship’s cabin,” Henry said happily when he saw it.



The Aldens unpacked 10 quickly, and before long they were following Seymour outside toward the barn.



On the way, they passed a long vegetable garden guarded by a scarecrow made from sticks and straw. He wore a flannel 11 shirt, loose denim 12 pants, and a black felt hat.



“This is a great scarecrow,” Benny remarked.



Seymour chuckled 13. “He sure comes in handy in the summer when he keeps the crows from eating all our vegetables.”



One side of the old red barn was filled with hay and the other had stalls for two horses, three cows, and a goat named Elvira.



“You watch out for Elvira,” the farmer warned the Aldens. “She’ll eat anything in sight, even the shirt off your back, if you’re not careful.”



Benny giggled 14.



“I’m serious,” Seymour said. “She’s been known to nibble 15 on laundry that’s hanging outside to dry. And she eats everyone’s food.” Seymour shook his head and gave Elvira a playful pat.



“How often do you feed the animals?” Jessie wanted to know.



“Twice a day, now that winter’s coming on,” the farmer answered. “Early in the morning, and then again in the late afternoon. And sometimes they also get snacks during the day.” Seymour reached into his pocket for two cubes of sugar, which he handed to Benny.



“Here, son, you can give these to the horses. They’re outside,” Seymour said, leading the way out to the pasture.



Once outside, Benny walked over to look at the two horses who were grazing near the fence. “They don’t bite, do they?” Benny wanted to know.



“Nah, they’re tame as can be,” the farmer assured him. The horses moved closer to Benny, and Benny promptly 16 took a few steps backward, away from the fence.



“No need to be afraid,” Seymour said. He reached through the fence to pat the white horse on the nose. “This one is called Hazel,” he told the Aldens.



“Hazel?” Violet asked, a little puzzled.



“Her eyes are hazel,” the farmer answered.



“And this one here” — Seymour pointed 17 to her gray companion — “is Mister Mist.”



Violet put her hand through the fence to stroke Mister Mist’s mane.



“Now, Benny, if you want to feed Hazel, put the sugar on the palm of your hand and hold your hand flat.”



Benny followed the farmer’s instructions. “Oooh, she tickles,” said Benny, yanking his hand away after the horse had taken the sugar cube. Then he quickly gave Mister Mist his sugar, while Seymour gently nudged Hazel out of the way.



Benny did not want to leave the horses, but the others were eager to continue exploring the farm.



Seymour led the way to a long, low building. “This is a shed and junk room,” the farmer explained as he pulled open the wooden door and held it for the Aldens.



“Wow!” Henry exclaimed when his eyes had adjusted to the dim light.



Inside was a large wagon 18. It was old and rusted 19 now, but Seymour told them it had been used as a horse-drawn buggy. The wagon was piled high with old trunks, bundles of yellowed newspapers, and wooden crates 20 filled with glass jars and old rusty 21 tools.



Half the shed held modern farm equipment: tractors, ladders, buckets, hoses, pitchforks, fertilizers, and pesticides 22. But it was the buggy that interested the Aldens the most.



“How old is it?” Henry wanted to know.



“What’s in all those trunks?” asked Benny.



“One question at a time,” Seymour advised, laughing. “That buggy dates back to Gideon’s time, I dare say. As for what’s in those trunks, I suggest that some rainy day you all have a look.”



“Oh, we’d love to do that,” Jessie answered for all of them.



“I’ve rummaged 23 around in one or two of them,” Seymour continued. “As far as I can recall, I found some old clothes, some hats, and even some books. Just about all the Curtises are collectors. We never seem to throw anything away.”



“Is the secret passageway in this shed?” Benny wanted to know.



“Ah, young man, I was saving the best part for last,” Seymour said. “We need to go back up to the house to find the secret passageway.”



“Okay,” said Benny, racing 24 outside.



Once in the house, Seymour led the Aldens downstairs to the basement — a long, low room with stone walls and a dirt floor.



The children looked all around the basement. The only door in any of the walls was one at the top of a short wooden staircase that obviously led to the outside.



“How can there be a secret door?” Henry asked. “It would have to be made out of this stone that’s in the walls, and that would be awfully 25 heavy.”



Violet spotted 26 a tall wooden cabinet that stood against one wall near a corner. “Is the door behind this cabinet?” she asked.



Seymour chuckled. “You’re pretty darn close!” he answered as he walked over to the cabinet and opened it. There was little inside it besides two flashlights and an old kerosene 27 lamp on the top shelf.



Seymour moved the lamp aside, handed one flashlight to Henry, and switched on the other. Holding it in one hand, he took hold of one shelf, jiggled it slightly, then pushed on it.



To the Aldens’ amazement 28, all the shelves and the back of the cabinet swung backward like a door, revealing a narrow opening. A cold draft blew out at them.



“The secret passageway!” shouted Benny.