Mystery in the Old Attic Read Free Page A

up here. I’m not used to this cold weather, or …” Kimberly paused and twirled her long hair. Violet noticed she wore a ring on every finger, except her thumb.
    â€œOr what?” Henry asked, when it seemed as though Kimberly was not going to finish her sentence.
    â€œUh, never mind,” said Kimberly. “So, I hear you’re selling the old house.” She seemed eager to change the subject.
    â€œYes,” answered Grandfather. “We’ll be going through my aunt Sophie’s papers and belongings. I plan to sell the house complete with the furniture. Unless there are any pieces my grandchildren want,” he added, smiling at them.
    â€œWell, let me know if you need any help,” said Kimberly. “I know all about your aunt Sophie’s things. We spent quite a bit of time together.”
    â€œReally?” said Grandfather.
    â€œOh, yes,” said Kimberly importantly. She looked as if she wanted to keep talking to the Aldens, but more customers were coming into the bakery. She rushed off to take their orders.
    * * *
    On the way home, the Aldens stopped off at the grocery store, then the hardware store, where they bought brooms, mops, pails, rags, and other cleaning supplies.
    â€œBrockton sure is pretty,” said Violet as the Aldens walked to their car. Old sandstone buildings lined Brockton’s Main Street. In the distance, the Aldens could see rolling hills covered with pine trees and Victorian-style houses.
    â€œWow, all these houses look about one hundred years old,” said Benny.
    â€œSome of them are,” Grandfather answered. “Many of them were built at the same time as Aunt Sophie’s.”
    When the Aldens returned to Aunt Sophie’s house, they were very busy. First they unloaded the car and put away all their groceries and supplies. Then Grandfather went upstairs to his aunt Sophie’s study to begin sorting out all her papers. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny swept the ballroom and moved all the broken furniture to the woodpile outside.
    â€œWe can sell the pieces that are in pretty good shape with the house,” said Henry. “The rest we can use as firewood.”
    By lunchtime the ballroom sparkled. “It looks good enough to give a party in here,” said Jessie proudly as she shook out her broom.
    The others nodded. “I think we should eat after all this hard work,” said Henry.
    â€œGood idea,” said Violet. Benny was already on his way to the kitchen.
    â€œI’ll make tuna salad for sandwiches,” said Violet as she took out a big bowl and mixed together tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Henry sliced some bread. Jessie and Benny set the table with Aunt Sophie’s blue-and-white dishes. They also made lemonade, mixed a green salad, and put potato chips on every plate.
    â€œMy, this looks like a good lunch,” said Grandfather when he came downstairs.
    It began raining right after lunch.
    â€œOh, I wish it would snow,” said Benny, sighing. “Now we can’t even go outside.”
    â€œNo, but there is a lot to explore inside this house,” Henry reminded his brother.
    â€œThat’s true,” said Benny, beaming as he remembered the old wooden rocking horse in the kitchen closet.
    When the Aldens finished drying the dishes, Benny rushed over to the secret closet. Grandfather returned to sorting Aunt Sophie’s papers. Violet decided to look in the library for something to read.
    â€œThat’s a good idea,” said Jessie, following her.
    The library was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that held rows and rows of leather-bound books.
    â€œWe shouldn’t have a problem finding something to read in here,” said Jessie as she started reading the book titles on the shelf nearest to her. “Look, here are some fairy tales with gorgeous illustrations.”
    â€œReally?” said Violet. Her eyes shone. Violet loved to