Read The Yellow House Mystery for Free Online Page A

was no answer.
    “We’ll find him just the same,” said Rita shaking her head. “If I can’t, my father can.”
    They all hurried on. For a long time they walked without talking.
    Suddenly the Indian girl stopped. “Be careful now,” she said. “We are near the hermit’s cabin. If we scare him, the hermit will run away, and then he won’t help us.”
    Slowly and quietly they all walked along the path. Then all at once they saw the cabin. They stopped. For on the steps sat an old man with a long white beard. Beside him, smiling and talking away happily, sat Benny.
    “Oh, Benny!” whispered Jessie.
    “Sh!” said Rita.
    But the hermit had seen them. “Come,” he said to Benny, taking his hand. “You are lost.”
    Jessie could not wait. She cried out, “Oh, Benny, you scared us so!” With that, everyone began to talk to Benny, so nobody could understand a word.
    “The hermit is nice,” said Benny when he could make them hear. “He was going to take me back when I got ready to go. His name is Dave Hunter.”

    “That’s right,” said Jim. “His name is Dave Hunter.”
    But the hermit surprised them all by turning his back. He went straight back to his cabin, went in, and shut the door.
    “That’s the way he is,” said Jim. “He won’t talk.”
    “He talked to me,” said Benny.
    “Most anyone would talk to you, little boy,” said Jim with a smile. “Dave won’t come out again, so we might as well go back.”
    Rita led the way back, and Henry put Benny right in front of him where he could watch him all the way.
    As they walked along, Jim said, “You people might as well stay overnight. You can cook your own trout.”
    “I think we must stay,” said Alice. “Violet needs a good night’s sleep after that scare. We all do.”
    At the village again, they stopped to say good-by to Rita. Henry put some money into her hand. “We’ll see you again about the basket, Rita,” he said. “We were all upset about Benny.”
    “I understand,” said Rita with a smile. “I wouldn’t like to lose Benny myself.”
    When they reached the little house, Jim said, “You can stay here as long as you want. Walk right in. If you want anything, come over and ask me. Maybe I’ll have it.” With that, he left them to go into the house alone.
    They went up the front steps. Henry pushed open the door and they all went in. They found a small room with a fireplace. There were a few chairs and some folding cots leaning against the wall. There was one big chest of drawers.
    Alice and Jessie soon found the next room which was a bedroom. Then they found the kitchen.
    “There isn’t any upstairs,” called Benny. “Just downstairs.”
    “Oh, Violet!” cried Jessie. “Do look at this dear little kitchen stove! I wish we could get our own supper.”
    “Jim said that campers do keep house here,” said Alice. “And think of Benny’s big trout. It would be fun to cook it ourselves.”
    “Doesn’t this make you think of keeping house on Surprise Island?” cried Henry. “We’ll need wood for the stove and some potatoes to go with our fish. I’ll go over and ask Jim to sell us some.”
    “I will go with you,” said Benny.
    “Right,” said Henry, “so you won’t get out of my sight.”
    “I really didn’t mean to,” said Benny. “I was coming right back. I wanted to surprise you and find the hermit first. He said I ought to go right back, and he would take me himself. He likes to live alone.”
    Joe began to set up the cots. “How’s this, Violet?” he said. “You three girls take the bedroom. I’ll put three cots up for you. Then we three men will sleep in the living room.”
    “That’s wonderful, Joe,” said Violet. “But let’s make our own beds with our blanket rolls. We love to make beds.”
    “Well, I don’t,” said Joe. “I’ll certainly let you make mine. I’ll just set up the cots.”
    The afternoon was passing quickly away. Benny soon came back with the fish and potatoes. Henry