Boxcar Children 54 - Hurricane Mystery Read Free Page B

something.”
    “The original plans for the house that Mr. Fitzhugh built in Charleston. And here are the original plans for the Pirate’s Gate. They all go in this envelope,” said Mrs. Ashleigh.
    “These should be in a safe place,” said Henry.
    Mrs. Ashleigh nodded. “I know. I’m going to go through them and give them to the local museum.”
    “Does the museum have dinosaurs in it?” asked Benny. He was thinking about another mystery the Aldens had solved.
    “No, Benny, it’s not that kind of museum,” said Mrs. Ashleigh. “It’s a museum about Charleston.”
    “We can help you go through the papers, too,” said Jessie. “It will be fun.”
    “We’ll start right away!” agreed Henry.
    Mrs. Ashleigh held up her hand. “Tomorrow is soon enough. Right now, I think it’s time for dinner.”
    “Good,” said Benny. “We’ve worked hard today. We even solved a mystery. That always makes me hungry!”
    In the next few days, the sounds of hammers and saws could be heard all over the island as people repaired their houses. The Boxcar Children worked hard helping Mrs. Ashleigh. Soon they’d finished moving furniture and were nailing new floorboards on the porch. They put fresh paint on all the window frames and shutters. When the porch was ready, they planned to paint that, too. They also ran errands and, in the late afternoons, explored the island and played on the wide, smooth beaches.

    One day, on their way to the small island grocery store to pick up milk for Mrs. Ashleigh, they saw Diana working on a house. She waved them over.
    “How’s everything going?” Diana asked. She reknotted the rubber band she had around her ponytail and smoothed her hair back.
    The Aldens told her what they’d been doing and asked Diana questions about her work. She told them a couple of stories about the island and asked them questions about Mrs. Ashleigh and her house.
    “That house of hers is one of the oldest on the island,” said Diana. “It’s been here since the 1800s and has survived lots and lots of hurricanes. They just don’t build them like they used to!”
    “We saw the plans for Mrs. Ashleigh’s house in Charleston,” Henry said. “They’re in the old papers that we’re helping her sort out.”
    “Really?” said Diana. “Well, well, well. Soon you’ll be looking for old Mr. Fitzhugh’s pirate treasure, too, won’t you?”
    “How did you know about that?” cried Benny.
    “Oh, everybody knows about that story,” said Diana. “It’s a good one. Part of Charleston history.”
    “You don’t believe there’s really any treasure?” asked Jessie.
    “Nah. And I wouldn’t waste my time looking for make-believe treasure,” said Diana. “I’ve got too much work to do. Time is money and I need all the money I can get.”
    She shook her head. “A hurricane is a bad thing, but it’s meant a lot of work for me. But then, I guess you could say disaster repair is my specialty. Hurricanes, earthquakes — ”
    “Earthquakes, too?” asked Benny.
    “Well, I lived in San Francisco for a while, near the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco has lots of earthquakes. I helped people earthquake-proof their houses. But Charleston’s had earthquakes, too.”
    Diana picked up her hammer.
    “Well, we won’t keep you from your work,” said Henry politely.
    “See you later,” said Diana. “Happy treasure hunting.” She laughed.
    “Everybody knows about Mr. Fitzhugh’s treasure,” said Benny, discouraged, as they walked away. “If they haven’t found it, how can we?”
    “It sounds as if most people don’t even believe there is a treasure,” said Violet.
    “It sounds to me as if she was trying to discourage us from looking for the treasure,” said Jessie. “Like she doesn’t want us to believe there is one.”
    “So she can look for it herself?” Henry asked. “Hmmm. Maybe so.”
    “Because we could solve the mystery and find the treasure first,” said Benny. “I’d like