Tree House Mystery Read Online Free Page B

there. It’s right around this bend.”
    Benny said, “Well, I can wait that long.” And they rode along to the bend in the road.
    “Here it is, Jeffrey,” said Henry. “BEACH’S PLACE.” He pointed to an old sign. It was broken and hard to read.
    The four boys and two girls parked their bikes by the steps.
    “Sammy and I never saw this place before,” said Jeffrey. “Uncle Max must be an old guy. He’s much older than my dad. I hope he will know who we are.”
    “Don’t worry,” said Benny. “Just tell him. He’ll believe you. And if he doesn’t, we’ll tell him.”
    They went in. The room was rather dark and it was empty, but there was a fine smell of hamburger cooking.
    Then a man came out of the back room of the restaurant. He was not an old guy at all. He was lively and strong, never still a minute. He had curly gray hair and bright blue eyes. He smiled at his customers and said, “Do you want sandwiches or hot dogs or hamburgers?”
    Nobody answered, but Sammy stepped up to the counter and looked up at the man.
    “Are you Uncle Max?” he asked. “I’m Sammy.”
    “Bless my soul!” said Max Beach. “Are you really? The last time I saw you, I held you in my arms. You were a tiny baby. Where is your brother?”
    “Right here,” Jeffrey said. “Then we both have been in this very room?”
    “Yes, you have, Jeffrey. But you were too small to remember it. And how is your father? And your mother?”
    “They’re very busy,” answered Sammy. “But Dad says he is coming to see you soon.”
    “I hope so,” Mr. Beach replied. “I know he is an important scientist now. He won’t have much time for me, I’m afraid.”
    “Well, don’t worry,” said Sammy. “He doesn’t have much time for us either. These are our new neighbors, the Aldens. They take lots of time with us.”
    The Aldens smiled at Mr. Beach.
    Benny said, “These boys are worth a lot of time. We are all building a tree house.”
    “A tree house!” Uncle Max exclaimed. “Now that’s interesting! Are you building it in the big oak tree?”
    “That’s right!” said Benny. “How did you guess?”
    “Well, I’ll tell you all about it, but you must have something to eat first. You look hungry to me.”
    Violet laughed, “Yes, we are. I want a hamburger, a big one!”
    “We’d all like hamburgers,” said Jessie. “And milk for everybody.”
    “I’ll be back in a jiffy,” said Uncle Max. “Everything is ready. Excuse me for a minute.”
    The visitors looked around. The room was quite dark. There was one big table and two smaller ones with chairs. Then there was the counter with stools. They all sat on the stools.
    Soon Mr. Beach came in with a tray. He put six plates with hamburgers on the counter and poured six glasses of milk. He sat down on the other side of the counter.
    Jeffrey said, chewing, “This isn’t just a hamburger, Uncle Max. This is a whole dinner. French fried potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, and salad dressing and pickles!”
    “Yes, I know,” Uncle Max nodded. “I like to see people eat. And now tell me about the tree house.”
    “We began it two days ago, Mr. Beach,” said Henry. “The boys just finished the floor.”
    “You call me Uncle Max, too, will you? Now I bet you children came down to see about that old spyglass.”
    Everybody laughed because Uncle Max was laughing. “Such a silly thing!” he said. “I suppose your father forgot about it long ago.”
    “Oh, no, he didn’t!” said Sammy. “He still says you have it.”
    “Well, I haven’t,” said Uncle Max. “I have no idea where it is. And now I guess you want it for your tree house.”
    “Well, we’d certainly like it,” said Sammy, drinking his milk. “A tree house always has a spyglass.”
    “Well, that is true,” agreed Mr. Beach. “Let me tell you something you don’t seem to know. Your father and I had a tree house in that very tree.”
    “You did?” exclaimed Benny. “Nobody told us that.”
    “No, my dad