Boxcar Children 61 - Growling Bear Mystery (2 page)

Mr. Alden shook the older man’s hand. “Ozzie Elkhorn?” he asked finally.

Mr. Elkhorn broke into a grin. “One and the same. Only I haven’t been called Ozzie for quite a few years.”

“And I haven’t been called Jimmy since I was a boy.”

“Those were good summer days, Jimmy,” Oz Elkhorn said.

“The best,” Mr. Alden agreed. “I’ve brought my four grandchildren out here so they can have some good summer days, too. They’re going to do some hiking while I go fishing. My grandchildren know all about the woods.”

“We used to live in a boxcar in the woods after our parents died,” Violet told Oz Elkhorn in a soft voice. “Then Grandfather found us. Now we live with him in a real house.”

“But we still like the outdoors,” Henry added.

“You’ll get plenty of outdoors in Yellowstone,” Oz Elkhorn told the children. “But first I want to outfit you with everything you need.”

Benny tugged Mr. Alden’s arm. “I need lunch,” he whispered.

Mr. Alden laughed. “All the way through Wyoming, I told my children about this store, Oz, and your famous soda fountain. Can you still get a grilled cheese sandwich and an ice-cream soda?”

Mr. Elkhorn waved everyone to the other side of the store. “You sure can, but not for a quarter anymore.”

The Aldens followed Oz to a long marble counter that stretched out before a long mirror. Old-fashioned ice-cream dishes and colored plates filled the shelves next to the mirror.

“You haven’t changed much in all these years,” Mr. Alden told Oz.

In no time, Oz set down five foamy chocolate ice-cream sodas in front of the Aldens. “These haven’t changed, either. Give me five minutes, and you’ll have grilled cheese sandwiches to go with your sodas. Now let’s catch up on the last fifty years.”

The Aldens finished lunch quickly. Then Mr. Alden checked his watch. “I could sit here all day talking to you, Oz, but I see how busy you are. And it’s time for us to get started on our vacation.”

Oz removed his white apron. “Before you leave, I want to show you Aldens some beautiful new flies I made for trout fishing,” he said. “With the store so busy, I don’t get much of a chance to tie many flies anymore. Still, I’d like to give you a couple of new ones I just finished. Follow me to the back of the store.”

Benny looked up at Oz. “You keep flies in the back of the store? Why don’t you shoo them out or try to smack them with a fly swatter?”

Oz grinned. “See these?” He pointed into a drawer under the counter in back of the store. “These are handmade flies. They look like real flies, don’t they? The trout think so, anyway. We just tie them to the end of our fishing line. Then all we have to do is hope that the fish bite. The better the fly the better the fishing.”

Benny laughed. “Now I get it,” he said. “They’re pretend flies, not real ones.”

Violet was even more interested in Oz’s handmade flies than Benny was. “They’re so beautiful and realistic. I can’t believe you made these.”

“If you get a rainy day on your vacation,” Oz told Violet, “I’ll teach you how to tie flies.”

After giving Mr. Alden two of the flies as a present, Oz unlocked another drawer. “Here’s something else that might interest you,” he told the Aldens. He unrolled a yellowed sheet of paper. “It’s an old hand-drawn trapper’s map my granddad kept under lock and key until he died. Remember, Jimmy how he used to bring you and your grandfather up to the Lost Cabin Trails, but he’d never let anybody see this map?”

Mr. Alden put on his reading glasses. “He drove my grandfather wild holding onto that map. Did anything special turn up after you finally got to see it?”

Oz laughed. “Believe it or not, I just got my hands on it. Granddad left a lot of old things to my cousin, who left them to me after he died last year. Lo and behold, Granddad’s old trapper map was mixed in with some of my cousin’s papers. I haven’t had a minute to check out some of the places on the map, not even the lost cabin. See this arrow? It shows the area where the cabin might be. Some of my old guidebooks show the trails. But, far as I know, this is the only map that shows any sign of that old miner’s hut.”

Mr. Alden and Oz bent over the map. They couldn’t stop talking about their boyhood hikes searching for the old cabin.

“You know, by the looks of this map, your grandfather steered us
away
from the lost cabin,” Mr. Alden said. “The cabin seems to be toward the far end of the trails on a different branch.”

Oz smiled. “Granddad had a lot of secrets. He knew about places in Yellowstone only wild animals have seen. Anyway, as far as I know, he never found the cabin, either. Otherwise, he might’ve died a rich man instead of a store owner.”

“Tell you what,” Oz said to the Aldens. “Not too many folks hike the Lost Cabin Trails anymore. They’re not shown in most of the new guidebooks. How about if I make you Aldens a copy so you can go exploring? Maybe on my day off we can all go searching for the lost cabin together.”

Benny looked up at Oz. “Know what?” he asked. “We met a man who said there’s no cabin. He was hiking all by himself with no bear bells, either.”

“Was he, now?” Oz said. “Well, I’d wonder how much a fellow hiking alone would know about lost cabins and such. Just because nobody’s ever found it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”

Benny’s face lit up when he heard this. “I bet we can find it. We have brand-new hiking boots and your map and lots of trail mix. And we’re going to get bear bells, too!”

“Then you’re in good shape for the Lost Cabin Trails,” Oz said.

“There is one thing,” Mr. Alden began. “I stopped to take a few pictures of my grandchildren in front of the Continental Divide sign—you know the one? Anyway, while we were looking around, we saw a sign that said the Lost Cabin Trails were closed.”

“Nonsense!” Oz Elkhorn cried. “Parts of the trails need work—fallen-down trees and such. You just climb over them.”

Mr. Alden nodded at his old friend. “I thought as much. Anyway, that hiker Benny mentioned said the trails were closed because of bear activity.”

“Bear activity? Yellowstone’s nothing but bear activity! This time of year, though, most of the bears are up on the other side of the park. Besides, any smart hiker knows how to keep the bears away—lots of noise and lots of companions. The chances of seeing a bear are pretty slim. There you go, Aldens.” Oz handed Jessie a crisp copy of his grandfather’s old map. “You kids stick together and wear some bear bells. Here’s a basket of them. Take your pick.”

The Aldens sorted through the basket. They selected four jingle-bell bracelets in different colors.

“What if these bells don’t work?” Henry asked, trying not to sound nervous. “I mean, in case we come across a bear, what’s the best thing to do?”

Oz stepped from behind the counter into the aisle. He took a few large, slow steps backward. “Step back slowly, like this. Whatever you do, don’t run. Just back up slowly and make a wide turn away from the bear. With four of you, you’re not likely to get into trouble with bears. Very few people ever see a single one nowadays, not like the old days. Anyway, you’re all set with your bear bells, and you have a copy of my old map.”

Suddenly, the Aldens heard an unfamiliar voice behind them. “Did I hear you say something about old maps? Do you sell any old maps?”

A young man in hiking clothes looked over Oz’s shoulder. “All you have are some of these new guides and maps. I . . . uh . . . collect old documents. I thought an old place like this store might sell old . . . letters and . . . uh . . . you know, maps.”

“Sorry, young man, I don’t sell old maps. You might try the Bear’s Paw Antiques down the street.”

Before Oz finished his sentence, the young man was gone.

“He sure went off in a hurry, didn’t he?” Oz said. “Kind of strange for a young fella like that to be interested in old stuff like maps. We sure get all kinds in here.”

“Including the Alden kind,” Benny said.

T
he Aldens made several trips to their car with insect repellent, fishing gear, bottled water, hiking socks, first-aid supplies, and the very important bear bells. They were ready for the woods.

“While Grandfather pays the bill, let’s thank Oz one last time,” Jessie suggested after she closed the trunk.

The children strolled to the back of the store where Oz said he had some paperwork to do.

There was no sign of Oz.

Benny grabbed Jessie’s arm. “Hey, look who’s back there. Isn’t that the hiker who told us about all the bears?”

Before Jessie could answer, the man in the orange hat looked up. He dropped the books he’d been holding and disappeared out the back door.

“What was that all about?” Henry wanted to know.

The back door opened again. This time it was Oz. He was trying to balance an armful of cardboard boxes.

“Bear bells,” Oz said. “Can’t keep them in stock. It’s going to sound like the North Pole with all the jingling out in the woods.”

“Wait, Oz!” Henry called out. He picked up the books the hiker had dropped. “There. I was afraid you were going to trip over these.”

Oz carefully set the boxes down. “I guess these books must have fallen from the shelf.”

“No, they didn’t,” Benny piped up. “That hiker man we saw ran out so fast, he dropped your books on the floor. And know what? He ran out the back door.”

Oz Elkhorn laughed for a long time. “That’s your mysterious hiker man? Oh, my. Well, your hiker man is Lester Crabtree. He’s a summer regular, a retired fellow who works with his wife, Eleanor, at the Old Faithful Inn. He asked if he could make copies of pages in some old Yellowstone books I lent him. I just ran into him. He said he had an emergency back at the lodge. I did wonder why he went out the back door. He usually parks right out front.”

“He rushed away when he saw us. He doesn’t like us. Or Grandfather, either,” Benny said.

Oz chuckled. “Lester Crabtree isn’t the friendliest fellow. Comes out here every year with Mrs. Crabtree, who’s as sweet as can be. Lester’s an excellent worker but just no good with people. So the managers at the inn keep him behind the scenes—doing laundry, sweeping up, working in the kitchen—the kind of work he can do without talking much. He can be a bit of a pest, too. Always borrowing this or that old thing from me.”

Jessie put her hand out to Oz. “Well, you’re good with people, Mr. Elkhorn. We just wanted to thank you again for helping us out so much.”

“And giving us lunch,” Benny said. “Don’t forget that!”

“I won’t forget that. Now where’s Jimmy?” Oz asked the children.

For a second Jessie was puzzled. She wasn’t used to hearing her grandfather called Jimmy. “He said he’d meet us at the car.”

“Well, I’ll walk you out there,” Oz said. “I have something special to ask him.”

Mr. Alden was just getting in the car when everyone rejoined him. “Oz, I sure hope we’ll get a chance to get together on your days off. If you get any, that is. We’ll be at the Old Faithful Inn. Maybe you can join us for breakfast or dinner.”

Oz shook Mr. Alden’s hand. “No problem there. I get free meals anytime I go.”

“Why’s that?” Benny asked.

“I’m one of the winter keepers at the Old Faithful Inn,” Oz answered.

Violet’s eyes opened wide. “You keep the winter?”

Oz smiled down at Violet. “You could say that. I keep the winter away, actually. The lodge closes down at the end of October. A few of us winter keepers live there to make sure the lodge stays in tip-top shape through the winter. We can get twenty feet of snow in Yellowstone. So that’s where I hibernate when the snow sets in. Getting free meals year-round is part of my pay.”

“Can I work there someday?” Benny asked.

“You could probably work there now,” Oz said. “Mrs. Crabtree called earlier. She asked whether I knew anyone who could give her a hand at the lodge. She needs help with odd jobs and such—housekeeping chores, carrying bags, entertaining young children while their parents have some free time—that kind of thing.”

“That kind of thing is what we like to do on our vacations!” Benny said.

“Let me give Mrs. Crabtree a call. I’ll let her know you folks are available,” Oz said. “Are you sure you want to spend your vacation working?”

“Working is our favorite kind of vacation,” Benny said. “Do you think we’ll get free meals?”

“I’ll make sure you do,” Oz Elkhorn answered. “Now wait right here. I’ll be back in a jiffy after I speak with Mrs. Crabtree.”

When Oz returned, he was grinning from ear to ear. “All set. Mrs. Crabtree wants to meet you today at five at the front desk of the lodge.”

“Yippee!” Benny said.

The children waved good-bye to Oz. Just a couple of minutes later, Mr. Alden pulled into the long line of cars waiting to enter Yellowstone National Park. The line moved slowly, and Benny could hardly sit still.

Suddenly the Aldens heard a car horn blowing over and over.

“Goodness,” Mr. Alden said. “There must be an emergency in the park. There’s a car coming up fast on my right. I wish I could pull over, but there’s no room.”

No sooner had Mr. Alden finished speaking than a beat-up red car whizzed by just inches away without slowing down. The car zoomed into the park and disappeared down the road.