Boxcar Children 61 - Growling Bear Mystery Read Online Free Page B

he left the room.
    “Oz was right,” Jessie began. “Mr. Crabtree sure isn’t too friendly to the guests. Maybe he was hoping nobody would be here.”
    “You’re right, Jessie,” said Henry. “It looked as if he was after the map. If we hadn’t been here, he could have easily picked it up.”
    At five o’clock sharp, the Aldens reported to the front desk of the Old Faithful Inn. Long lines of people were waiting to register. Others stood in line waiting for the inn’s beautiful old dining room to open for dinner.
    The Aldens looked around the bustling lobby. The lodge was such a busy place.
    “I bet there are all kinds of jobs we can do here,” Jessie said. “There’s so much going on.”
    At that moment, an older woman with curly gray hair came over to the children. “Are you the Aldens?” she asked, a bit out of breath. “I’m Eleanor Crabtree. Sorry I’m a little late, but we’re short of help. I got behind on my work.”
    Henry shook the woman’s hand. “We’re the Aldens—Jessie, Violet, Benny, and I’m Henry. Glad to meet you.”
    The woman took a deep breath. “And am I ever glad to meet you! We’re shorthanded this week. I just finished straightening out a problem with our towel deliveries.”
    “Our towels went to another room,” Violet said. “But your husband, Mr. Crabtree, dropped them off right before we came down here.”
    Mrs. Crabtree look relieved and seemed to relax. “I’m so glad to hear that. So I guess you met Lester. He likes to keep to himself. Usually he stays behind the scenes in the kitchen or the laundry room. But today I had to give the staff some extra chores.”
    “Mr. Elkhorn told us you need some extra people to fill in for some college students,” Jessie said. “I hope we can help. We’ve worked in lots of places before.”
    Mrs. Crabtree smiled at the children. “Well, if you can start right now, I’d love you to supervise some young children for about an hour. We offer baby-sitting to parents so they can have a nice, quiet dinner in our dining room.”
    “We like taking care of children,” Jessie said.
    “Because we are children,” Benny added, “we know what they like—games and stories and solving mysteries.”
    Mrs. Crabtree had to laugh. “Then I know Oz Elkhorn sent me the right helpers. I don’t know about solving mysteries, but you’ve solved a lot of problems just by showing up. Anyway, there are about six children you can look after.”
    Mrs. Crabtree pointed up to the first-story balcony. “See those parents and children up in the corner? Well, one of my other workers, a college student named Sam Jackson, is up there with them. Now that all of you are here, you can stay with the children while their parents go to dinner. I need Sam to tidy up some of the rooms instead. Just follow me.”
    As the children climbed the log staircase to the balcony, Mrs. Crabtree explained where everything was and what to do. “There’s a cabinet full of art supplies, books, games, and some toys. The children can draw or listen to stories or play games. And don’t forget our geyser. That’s our biggest entertainment. It goes off in a little while.”
    “May we take the children outdoors to see it?” Jessie wanted to know.
    “Absolutely,” Mrs. Crabtree answered. “You can view it from the porch just outside the balcony area.”
    The children followed Mrs. Crabtree to the corner of the first balcony. That’s when the Aldens recognized a familiar face.
    “ Psst ,Jessie,” Henry whispered. “Isn’t that the fellow who asked Oz about old maps at the store today?”
    “Sam,” Mrs. Crabtree said, waving to the young man. “Come over and meet the Aldens. They’re going to take over the children’s hour for now. I need you for room cleaning—emptying trash and such. We’re dreadfully behind.”
    “We already met this morning,” Jessie said, smiling at the young man.
    Sam Jackson looked away.
    “At Elkhorn’s?” Henry reminded Sam. “We