Mystery on Blizzard Mountain by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online

them.
    “Have you seen any bears?” Violet asked. “We haven’t.”
    Carola looked a little embarrassed. “No,” she said shortly.
    Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then Rayanne said to Maris, “Is there any reason someone would be out to get you?” she asked.
    “No,” said Maris firmly.
    But Henry said, “We think someone might be trying to scare us away. Keep a trail from being built on Blizzard Mountain.”
    All four Aldens looked hard at Carola.
    “Well, that’s interesting,” she said.
    Rayanne asked, “Did you find any clues? Footprints, for example? You can tell a lot from footprints. The soles of shoes can tell you almost as much as someone’s fingerprints, you know.”
    “No. No footprints,” said Jessie regretfully.
    Carola put down her coffee cup and stood up. “We’d better get a move on, Rayanne.”
    To Maris and the Aldens she said, “And we’ll keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If someone is trying to scare you away and we find out anything, we’ll let you know.”
    “Have a good hike,” Maris said. “I’ll walk you to the trail’s edge.” She and Rayanne headed toward the Blizzard Trail.
    Carola stopped at the door to look back at the Aldens.
    “If someone is trying to scare you off this mountain, maybe you should leave,” she said. “I know I would.”
    Then she was gone, too.
    “Wow,” said Henry. “Do you think that was a warning?”
    “A warning,” said Jessie solemnly, “or a threat.”
    “Then Carola is the one who’s trying to scare us off the mountain?” asked Violet.
    “I’m not sure. She could be,” said Jessie.
    “But she just hiked up here with Rayanne,” said Benny.
    “That’s what she said, Benny. She could have been following us, though. And then hiked down to meet Rayanne this morning,” Jessie said.
    “Unless it’s Bobcat who’s been trying to scare us,” said Henry.
    “Or maybe Bobcat and Carola are working together,” said Jessie.
    “What about Rayanne?” Violet suggested. “She asked a lot of questions.”
    Benny nodded. “She sounded like one of us. Like a detective.”
    “I wonder why she’s up here. She doesn’t even like mountains, remember?” said Henry.
    “Maybe she’s pretending she doesn’t like mountains,” Violet said.
    “I guess it’s possible, Violet,” Henry said.
    Benny said, “I think it’s the treasure. The ghost is trying to keep us away from it.”
    Henry frowned. “There’s no such thing as ghosts,” Henry said. “But you might have a point.”
    “You think it’s Stagecoach George, too?” Benny asked, looking very surprised.
    Jessie and Violet looked startled, too.
    “Maybe not a ghost,” said Henry. “But what if someone has found the treasure, or a clue to the treasure? Maybe it’s not a ghost, but a person trying to keep us away.”
    Jessie’s eyes sparkled with sudden excitement. “Maybe you’re right, Henry! Remember, in the diner people talked about hikers coming up here to look for the lost treasure. What if someone has found it?”
    “But why haven’t they taken it?” asked Violet.
    “Because it’s so heavy. Gold is heavy. Maybe they found it and now they have to come back to get it,” said Jessie.
    Just then, Maris came back. “Let’s get to work,” she said. “I think this weather could turn bad any day now. We need to get finished up here and get back down the mountain.”
    As she walked away, Jessie said to the others, “Maybe we shouldn’t tell Maris about what we talked about. We don’t want to worry her until we’ve figured out the mystery.”
    “Oh,” Benny said. “Okay.”
    “Who’s going to help me on the trail?” Maris called.
    “I will,” said Jessie.
    “Since I don’t have any shoes, I guess I’ll work around the cabin,” said Henry.
    “Benny and I will stay with you, Henry,” said Violet. “And keep you company.”
    “And look for treasure,” said Benny under his breath.
    But by late afternoon, the only treasure that had been