"BC012 - Houseboat Mystery - Warner, Gertrude Chandler" - читать интересную книгу автора (Warner Gertrude)

Just then Jessie came out on the deck to watch the river with Violet and Grandfather.
"This is the most peaceful trip we've ever had," Jessie said.
Mr. Alden, sitting in a deck chair, said, "Yes, it is."
A half hour passed.
Benny chattered away to his brother. The sun shone hotter than ever. Nothing happened. Not one fish had pulled at Henry's line.
"I was afraid of this," said Henry. "I'm not even sure there are any fish in this river."
"There must be some fish, Henry," said Benny. "If there weren't any, this boat wouldn't have had a fishing pole on it. I wish we had two poles."
"Here, Benny, you take this one," said Henry. He handed the pole to his brother. "We can take turns catching nothing."
Benny took the pole. He could see the line and the minnow still in the water.
Jessie and Violet came over to see how the fishing was going. They were both smiling.
Benny turned around with a frown on his face. "We're not doing too well," he said. "But you have to have patience when you're fishing." Then suddenly something pulled at his line.
"I've got you, old boy!" he called to the fish. He pulled in the line and found a big silver fish caught on the hook.
"A bass!" said Henry. "Don't lose him, Ben! He can flop back."
Benny was quick. He jerked the fish over the railing and it lay on the deck, flapping wildly. Suddenly a great cloud of gulls flew over the boat, calling and screaming.
"You can't have my fish!" Benny shouted to the birds. "How did you find out I caught a fish, "anyway?"
It was a real mystery. One minute not a gull was in sight. The next minute, there were over a hundred. Gulls sat on the top of the boat and along the sides. They were not a bit afraid. They flew around and around looking for food.
Benny carried his fish safely inside the galley.
Jessie said, "The gulls are so beautiful. It's too bad not to feed them. Wait. Here's a piece of banana skin. They might like that." She threw it over the water as far as she could. A gull caught it in his bill. She threw another.
Henry laughed, "Well, I guess gulls will eat anything."
Benny brought some bread crusts out of the galley. Each time he threw one over the side of the boat, a gull snapped it up before it landed in the water.
Henry went inside and came out with his camera. "That ought to make a pretty picture," he said. "You two pretty girls throwing rubbish at the gulls."
They all laughed.
When Henry looked at Benny's fish, he said, "It's a big bass. It is plenty big enough to feed this family. I'll clean it for you, Ben. The gulls can have the head and tail for dessert."
After a delicious lunch, Jessie said, "Oh, dear! We'll have to stop again for ice and milk."
Mr. Alden said, "I want to mail my letters, too."
Henry began to watch for a landing place.
At Pomfret Landing Jessie said, "Let's go to the post office first and get the ice and milk last. Then the ice won't melt."
The Henry J. Alden was soon locked up, anchored, and tied. The family walked down the path from the dock to the small town.
All at once they saw a familiar black car roaring down the main street. It was soon out of sight.
"It's that black car again!" Benny cried. The Aldens saw that it was the same car that had almost hit their car on River Road. And Benny remembered that he had seen it parked near the restaurant where they had stopped for lunch the day before.
"Whoever drives that car always seems to be in such a hurry!" said Jessie.
"I wonder whose car it is," said Henry. "It certainly doesn't belong in a small town like Pomfret Landing."
"Well, maybe we can find out just who does own that car," Grandfather said.
The Aldens walked up the main street to the post office. As they opened the door, the man behind the counter was saying, "Here's your stamp, Mrs. Young."
The little lady, who was wearing a black dress, put down her money and took the stamp.
The Aldens watched politely, but the lady did not look up. She slipped out of the door like a shadow.
Mr. Alden bought a sheet of airmail stamps, some stamped envelopes, and some postcards.
Benny said, "I guess the lady who just left doesn't write many letters. She only bought one stamp."
"That's right," said the clerk. "Mrs. Young isn't exactly poor, but she has a lot of trouble. She and her son live with her sister up the street. They own a candy store."
"We'd better go and buy some candy," said Henry.
"You'll have to eat it now," said Jessie. "There's no place to put candy on the boat."
"You're from the Rivers' houseboat, aren't you?" asked the clerk, smiling.
"How do you know?" asked Benny.
"Oh, all the people from the houseboat come here," said the man. "We like to meet new people. Pomfret Landing is such a small place that we know everybody's business, I guess."
"We just saw an enormous black car go by," said Benny. "Who owns that?"
"I don't know," said the clerk, laughing. "That's the only thing I don't know. I've seen it before, but it certainly doesn't belong in Pomfret Landing."
The Aldens left the post office and walked up the street to the candy store. As they went in, a bell on the door rang.
"Oh, isn't this a lovely store!" said Violet.
The wallpaper was white with pink stripes. The ruffled curtains were white with pink dots. Two small tables and some chairs stood by a tiny soda counter. The shelves were covered with lace paper. Boxes of candy were everywhere.
The store was empty, but soon a lady appeared. It was the same Mrs. Young. She now wore an apron over her black dress, and she looked more tired than ever. Jessie thought to herself, "She looks as if she has been crying."