The Mystery of the Tiger's Eye Read online

  The Boxcar Children Mysteries

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  The Mystery of the Tiger’s Eye

  created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  Illustrated by Hodges Soileau

  ALBERT WHITMAN & Company, Chicago

  Contents

  Chapter 1. A Very Unusual House

  Chapter 2. The Figure on the Stairs

  Chapter 3. The Magician Returns

  Chapter 4. The Surprise in the Bread Basket

  Chapter 5. It Can’t Be!

  Chapter 6. The Backward Rooms

  Chapter 7. Houdini’s Gift

  Chapter 8. Flying Cards

  Chapter 9. Out of Time!

  Chapter 10. Benny Figures It Out

  Chapter 1

  A Very Unusual House

  Ten-year-old violet Alden gazed out the window of Grandfather’s new minivan. The gray-green water of the Chesapeake Bay sparkled in the autumn sun.

  “Everything looks golden here,” Violet remarked. She was an artist and always noticed the scenery.

  “The sun is low in the fall,” said her fourteen-year-old brother, Henry. “Also, Maryland is a lot farther south than Connecticut.”

  Next to him, Jessie Alden nodded. “It was cold when we left Greenfield. I hope we packed the right clothes.”

  Even though she was only twelve, Jessie liked to take care of her brothers and sister.

  “Grandfather, tell us about your friend again,” Benny said. At six, he was the youngest of the four children.

  “Edward Singleton and I were college roommates,” James Alden replied. “Edward used to take me to fairs and carnivals. He loved to ride the rides and play games.”

  “So do I,” said Benny. He was going to like Grandfather’s friend.

  “We’ve been in touch over the years,” said Grandfather. “When we finished school, he moved to Maryland and started collecting things from carnivals and state fairs. It became his life’s work.”

  “What kinds of things?” Jessie inquired. Collecting sounded like a strange job to her.

  “He’ll show us when we get to Cliffwalk Manor,” said Grandfather. “I hear he has a most unusual house. Maybe a little too unusual.”

  Violet turned away from the window. “What do you mean?”

  “When Edward called me, he was very upset,” said Grandfather. “He asked me to come to Heron’s Bay because of some strange happenings in his house.”

  “Sounds like a mystery,” Violet said eagerly.

  Benny bounced in his seat. “Oh, boy! A new mystery!”

  Grandfather smiled. “People must know that you kids are pretty good detectives.”

  “We have cracked lots of cases,” Henry agreed.

  “I think we solve cases because there are four of us,” Jessie added. “Four heads are better than one.”

  “I only have one head,” Benny chimed in.

  Everyone laughed.

  Jessie ruffled Benny’s hair. “That’s an expression. It means we figure out things together.”

  The Alden children had always stuck together. When their parents died, the children had moved into an abandoned boxcar. Eventually their grandfather found them and they went to live in his big house in Greenfield. Now they traveled all over the country and had adventures.

  The minivan began climbing a steep road.

  “Cliffwalk Manor is up here,” said Grandfather.

  When they drove into a clearing at the top of the bluff, they all gasped.

  Cliffwalk Manor was an enormous mansion of brown stone, granite, and wood. Two round towers flanked a huge stained-glass window over the front door. The house seemed gloomy, even in the sun.

  The kids tumbled out onto the gravel driveway.

  A white-haired gentleman came down the steps to greet them. He had blue eyes and a short white beard.

  “James!” he exclaimed. “Thank you for coming.”

  Grandfather clasped his friend’s hand. “Edward, it’s been too long. These are my grandchildren, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.”

  “Welcome to Cliffwalk Manor,” said Mr. Singleton. “Your grandfather has told me a great deal about you. Please come inside.”

  They walked into an echoing entryway. Light from the stained-glass window made colorful patterns on the marble floor. A large carved cabinet covered the opposite wall.

  “What a big house,” Violet commented.

  “Cliffwalk Manor has been in my family for generations,” Edward said proudly. “My grandfather, Captain Singleton, had a small fleet of oyster boats. He built this place around the turn of the century.”

  They went into the dining room.

  Benny’s eyes lit up. “Wow! A real merry-go-round horse sticking up in the middle of the table!”

  Edward laughed. “The chariot seats around the table are from the same merry-go-round.”

  Benny couldn’t wait to sit in a red-and-green
-painted dragon chariot. “I hope we eat soon!”

  Jessie discovered a mechanical fortune-teller behind a glass-beaded curtain. Edward gave her a brass token to put in the slot. The figure whirred to life, cackling and waving over her crystal ball. Then a brown-edged, yellowed card dropped in the brass tray.

  “What’s your fortune?” asked Grandfather.

  “It says, ‘You will take many trips,’ ” Jessie read. “Well, that’s certainly true!”

  “Madame ZaZa is about eighty years old,” Edward said. “Her fortunes are still accurate today.”

  “Boy, you have a lot of stuff!” Benny remarked as their host led them through rooms filled with glass display cases.

  “As your grandfather probably told you, I collect things from carnivals and fairs,” said Edward. “I’ll give you a better tour later. I’m sure you’re tired after that drive.”

  “We’re fine,” said Grandfather. “We’d really like to know what is bothering you.”

  “Let’s go in the parlor, where we can be comfortable,” said Edward. “It’s a rather long story.”

  They went into a huge room with high ceilings decorated in gold leaf. The old-fashioned furniture had curvy legs and burgundy velvet cushions.

  When everyone was seated, Edward continued. “One night, many, many years ago, my grandfather hosted a party,” he said. “A lot of rich society people came. Two brothers who performed a magic act were hired for entertainment. I suppose the crowd was more interested in eating and talking than watching a couple of men do card tricks. The youngest magician became angry because they weren’t paying attention.”

  “What did he do?” asked Jessie.

  “He announced to the party-goers they would be sorry they’d ignored him,” Edward replied. “He said he would be a great performer one day and astound audiences the world over.” Edward’s voice dropped to a hush. “Then the young man predicted odd things would happen in this very building. He would leave something of himself behind.”

  Violet’s eyes were wide. “Did anyone find anything?”

  Edward shook his head. “No one found anything unusual. At least, not that I know of. But some very strange things began happening about a month ago.”

  “What kind of things?” Henry asked.

  “Pictures shifting from one room to another on different floors,” Edward replied. “Books falling out of bookcases when no one was around. The clock stops and starts at odd times. One morning I found a playing card in the kitchen sink! Nobody in this house plays cards.”

  Henry leaned forward, interested. “Who were the magicians at that party?”

  “They were called the Houdini Brothers. One of the brothers was Harry Houdini,” said Edward.

  Henry was impressed. “Harry Houdini was the most famous magician in the world! He was an escape artist. He’d be locked in a trunk with chains around his hands and feet and he’d still get out.”

  “Cool!” Benny said. “And he was here?”

  “Yes, but I think Harry Houdini was simply showing off that night,” Edward stated. “He was very young, just starting out as a performer.”

  Grandfather looked seriously at his friend. “Are these strange events still going on?”

  Edward nodded with dismay. “James, it’s very important to stop these … pranks. I want Cliffwalk Manor to be a nice place for my great-nephew.”

  Grandfather lifted his eyebrows. “Your great-nephew is here? I thought he lived in Europe.”

  At that moment, footsteps clomped down the grand staircase. The sullen face of a dark-haired boy around Jessie’s age appeared in the doorway.

  “Oh,” he said. “I see these people are here.”

  “Come in, Dorsey,” said Edward. “Meet James Alden, my college roommate. And these are his grandchildren — Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. Everyone, this is my great-nephew, Dorsey Pindar.”

  The Aldens said hello, but Dorsey merely scowled.

  “When is dinner?” he demanded. “I’m starving.”

  “In a little while,” replied his great-uncle. “The Aldens need to get settled first.”

  “Hurry up,” Dorsey said. “I’m used to eating at exactly six o’clock.” He stomped back up the marble stairs.

  Edward turned an apologetic face toward his guests. “Please excuse my great-nephew. I’m afraid he’s had a different lifestyle. His parents — my niece and her husband — are archaeologists. They are on a dig in North Africa for the next two years.”

  “Dorsey doesn’t live with them?” asked Grandfather.

  “No, he’s always gone to boarding schools in either England or Europe,” replied Edward. “But now my niece and her husband have decided that he should be in the States. So they found a boarding school in Virginia. He’s only staying with me until the school starts next week.”

  “It must be hard for a young boy to live with strangers,” Grandfather said sympathetically.

  “We wouldn’t want to live with anyone but you, Grandfather,” Violet said loyally.

  Edward sighed. “I’ve been trying to convince Suzanne, my niece, that Dorsey should stay with me. He doesn’t know me very well, but at least I’m a relative. He can go to school in Heron’s Bay. But it doesn’t seem as if he wants to live here. With everything that’s been happening, I can see why.”

  “Would you like us to help find out what is going on?” Grandfather offered. “My grandchildren are very good at solving mysteries.”

  “Will you help me?” Edward asked the Alden children. “Dorsey leaves for boarding school on Sunday.”

  Henry spoke for them all. “We’ll do our best.”

  “Good! I’ll show you to your rooms now.”

  Edward Singleton led them to spacious rooms on the third floor.

  The children stood in the corridor after Grandfather had gone into his room at the end of the hall.

  “I still can’t believe Harry Houdini was here,” Henry said.

  “I think he’s still here,” said Benny.

  Jessie looked at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Who else do you think is doing all this stuff?” Benny whispered. “It has to be the ghost of Harry Houdini!”

  Chapter 2

  The Figure on the Stairs

  That evening Edward cooked a special dinner. Before the meal, everyone enjoyed crab puffs and tiny pizzas on the back deck.

  “What a great view,” Henry commented, leaning on the rail.

  Pleasure boats and Coast Guard cutters dotted the dark blue waters of the bay. A flock of geese flew over in a long V, heading south for the winter.

  “Feel free to use the telescope.” Edward indicated the telescope mounted on one side of the deck railing. He went back inside the house to check on dinner.

  Benny hopped up on the stool and peered through the eyepiece. “I see land!”

  “That’s the eastern shore,” spoke a new voice. “Heron’s Bay is located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.”

  The children turned to see a tall woman around the same age as Grandfather and Edward Singleton. She wore a flowing purple silk caftan and a matching fringed scarf tied around her silvery curls. Blue and purple beads swung around her neck. She smiled at the children.

  “Hello,” she said. “I’m Iona Levitt, Edward’s friend.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” said Grandfather, walking over to shake her hand. “I’m James Alden. And these are my grandchildren.”

  The Aldens greeted Iona each in turn.

  “How lucky you are to have such fine grandchildren,” Iona said to Grandfather. “I never married, so I don’t have any.”

  Edward came through the French doors with a tray of drinks and more crab puffs, hot from the oven.

  “Iona owns the gift shop in Heron’s Bay,” he commented. “We’ll visit when we go into town. I hope you brought your wonderful pecan pie,” he said to her.

  She grinned at him. “I knew you’d need dessert. So I brought two pecan pies, your favorite.” When Edw
ard left once more, she said, “He’s so busy with those collections, sometimes he forgets to eat. I close my shop at four and often come here to fix dinner for him.”

  “Are you a good cook?” Benny asked. “As good as Mr. Singleton?” He had eaten six crab puffs already.

  Iona laughed heartily. “I bet you like to eat!”

  “It’s my favorite thing in the world,” Benny told her.

  Everyone laughed.

  Just then another guest stepped onto the deck.

  “Hi,” she said shyly. “You must be the Aldens. I’m Melanie Preston.”

  Melanie was young, around twenty. She wore her light brown hair in a long braid. Pale green eyes peered owlishly from behind large-framed glasses.

  Edward came out behind her. “I see you’ve met Melanie. She goes to college here. She’s taking a break this semester to catalog my collections. Melanie knows more about what I have than I do!”

  “It’s been a wonderful opportunity,” Melanie said in her whispery voice. “I’m very lucky.”

  “She works until evening, so she usually eats with us, too,” said Edward. He glanced around. “Dorsey isn’t here. Would you call him down, Melanie? It’s nearly time to eat.”

  Melanie went back into the house. When she returned, a surly-looking Dorsey was on her heels.

  “How come you didn’t tell me it was a party?” he said accusingly to Edward. “All the good stuff is gone.”

  “I told you this morning we were having appetizers on the deck before dinner,” Edward answered. “Then I called you again, but your door was shut. I guess you didn’t hear me.”

  “Nobody pays attention to me,” Dorsey complained. “I’ll be glad to go to that school next week.”

  Edward exchanged a glance with Iona and shook his head slightly.

  They all went into the dining room and took their seats in the chariots around the big table with the merry-go-round horse in the center.

  Each place was set with colorful china. Beside every dinner fork was a small favor, a souvenir from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

  Benny got a set of dominoes. Henry received a silver pen shaped like a feather. Violet’s gift was a glass shoe with a pincushion. Jessie got a small fan, and Grandfather received a miniature cast-iron Ferris wheel.

  “These are wonderful,” Grandfather exclaimed, setting the wheel spinning. “But aren’t they valuable?”