The Canoe Trip Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online

called to his sister the next morning. “It’s Aunt Jane’s canoe!” Henry and Violet ran down to the lake. It was early, and the sky was a little pink.
    â€œHenry, Violet, we found you!” Benny called. He tumbled out of the canoe when it reached shore. Henry held the canoe steady while Aunt Jane and Jessie climbed out.
    â€œOh, I’m so happy to see you,” Aunt Jane exclaimed. She gave Violet and Henry a big hug. So did Jessie. Benny hopped up and down excitedly.
    After they’d unloaded the canoe, the Aldens and Aunt Jane sat down on a log for a snack of graham crackers and peanut butter.
    Henry and Violet told the others about their things being stolen.
    â€œIt was lucky we’d taken most of our food and clothes out of the canoe,” Violet explained.
    â€œYou really think it was Angela who took everything?” Jessie asked.
    â€œShe was gone when we got back to the bunkhouse,” Violet said.
    â€œSo was her canoe,” Henry added. “She just disappeared.”
    Henry didn’t say so, but he suspected Rob, too. Rob hadn’t been in his room the night before, when Henry and Violet got back from their walk. Henry hadn’t seen him all morning either.
    â€œWell, at least we’re all together and safe.” Aunt Jane said, interrupting Henry’s thoughts. She hugged Violet and Henry for perhaps the fourth time that morning. “I really was worried when we got separated,” she admitted.
    â€œI don’t know how Angela did it,” Violet said, still puzzled. She shook her head. “She had so many things with her already. She took our tent, our sleeping bags, our life jackets…”
    â€œI brought extra inflatable life preservers in my backpack,” Jessie reminded her. “We’ll be all right.”
    Henry agreed. “We don’t have too much further to go,” he said. “We can all sleep in one tent if we have to. Our big problem will be finding new paddles.”
    â€œWhy don’t we try to find some long poles in the woods?” Jessie suggested.
    â€œThat might work,” Henry said, but he sounded doubtful. “Still, it would be hard to find just the right size and shape. Even if we did, it would be hard to grip rough wood for a very long time.”
    â€œWe have two paddles in our canoe,” Aunt Jane reminded him. “Just take one of ours. We can both manage with only one paddle.”
    Henry looked serious. “The only problem is we have some small rapids to cross just before White Pine. It might be hard to dothat with only one person paddling.”
    â€œI think we’ll be all right,” Aunt Jane said. She was an excellent canoeist, and she knew Henry was very skilled as well.
    â€œIt looks like another storm is coming,” Jessie remarked. “We might as well stay at this campsite another night and not try to cross rapids in this weather. We still have time before we’re supposed to meet Grandfather.”
    â€œGood idea,” Violet said. She stood up and wiped the cracker crumbs from her lavender shorts. “Besides, now that we’re finally on Catfish Lake, we should be looking for clues to solve that riddle.”
    â€œThat’s what I was thinking,” Benny said.
    â€œOh, my goodness, there’s Rob,” Aunt Jane said. “I’d forgotten all about him.”
    Rob slowly limped toward them from the bunkhouse. He looked very pale, and there were big dark circles under his eyes.
    â€œIt seems like his ankle is worse,” Aunt Jane said softly.
    â€œYou’re here!” Rob exclaimed to Aunt Jane, Jessie, and Benny as he came closer.
    â€œYes, we made it,” Aunt Jane laughed. “It was lucky Henry and I planned our route before we left. I knew he would be heading to this campsite.”
    â€œWould you like some peanut butter and crackers?” Violet asked shyly.
    Rob rubbed his eyes and sat down beside Aunt Jane.