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promised the man. He laughed. “They have policemen on the West Coast, too, you know.” He turned and went away.
    Jessie said, “Well, Mrs. Fuller, you heard that. I guess things will be all right now.”
    The dog show was over. Everyone was packing up to go. The Randalls went home with Smoky and the Aldens went straight home to Greenfield.
    Grandfather met them on the front porch. “How was the show?” he asked.
    The four young people sat down on the porch and told Mr. Alden the whole story.
    Violet told about Smoky’s new name and how the twins had helped solve the last puzzle.
    Benny said, “But I’m awfully disappointed that Smoky didn’t get the first prize. People liked him the best.”
    “I’m sorry myself,” said Grandfather. “But there was a reason. And don’t forget, Ben, somebody always has to come in second.”
    And this was something Benny Alden never forgot.
    Then Watch came out to see his children. Benny opened the screen door and let him out. He lay down on the porch.
    Benny said, “Hello, Watch.” He knelt down and scratched the dog’s rough head. Watch lifted his nose.
    Benny said, “I like you best, Watch. You don’t whine or yelp or howl or bark.”
    Then they all had to laugh, because what did Watch do? He barked!
    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. And so she continued the Aldens’ adventures, writing a total of nineteen books in the Boxcar Children series.

About the Author
    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