The Outer Space Mystery Read online

  This time Rachel spoke. “Everything, sir. I told them. You see, I helped steal it. Eugene Scott paid me to take Mark’s notes. We copied Mark’s paper. Eugene was going to present it as his own work.”

  Mark leaped up. “What? Where is Eugene?”

  “He’s gone,” Jessie replied. “We chased him, but he took off in his car. He took your paper with him,” she added ruefully.

  Rachel pulled an envelope from inside her sweater. “Not all of it,” she said. “I still have Mark’s original notes. Eugene forgot to ask me for them.”

  “That’s why you weren’t behind us,” Jessie said. “You were getting Mark’s notes.”

  By now everyone in the audience was straining to hear the onstage discussion.

  James Alden spoke into the microphone. “I think we could all use a short recess.” To Rachel and his grandchildren he said, “Let’s go see Dr. Porter. This is a serious matter.”

  Silently, they filed out of the auditorium and down the hall. Dr. Porter’s secretary ushered them immediately into his office.

  “Now,” said Dr. Porter. “What’s this all about?”

  Though she was clearly frightened, Rachel explained. She didn’t make it sound like it was all Eugene Scott’s fault. Jessie admired her for that.

  “I know it was wrong,” she said at the end of her story. “But I needed the money.”

  Dr. Porter frowned. “I’m sure something else could have been worked out.”

  “What’s going to happen, sir?” Rachel asked.

  “This college does not condone plagiarism,” Dr. Porter said solemnly. “We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior.”

  Benny didn’t understand everything the president was saying, but it didn’t sound very good.

  “We will find Eugene. If what you say is true, he will be expelled immediately,” Able Porter pronounced. “What he did will remain on his records, no matter which other schools he applies to.”

  “And me, sir?” Rachel’s voice wavered.

  Dr. Porter shook his head with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Rachel. You must be dismissed also. You were a part of Eugene’s crime.”

  Rachel lifted her chin. “I understand, sir. I’ll pack and be out of my dorm room as soon as possible.”

  “I’m sorry,” the president told her sincerely. “I wish you had come to me. I would have helped your financial situation.”

  Jessie reached out and grabbed Rachel’s hand. The young woman was trembling.

  The meeting was over. The Aldens and Rachel left Dr. Porter’s office.

  Violet saw Rachel bite her lip to keep from crying. Violet felt like crying herself. She knew Rachel had done a bad thing, but the punishment seemed so harsh.

  “Grandfather,” she whispered, touching his sleeve, “can’t you do something?”

  “You mean to help Rachel?” He thought a moment. “Yes, I believe I can. Able Porter and I go back a long way. I’m sure he will work with me to help Rachel get a new start.”

  Rachel stared at him with huge eyes. “You mean I won’t have to give up my dream of becoming a scientist?”

  “You will have to leave Mountvale College,” James Alden told her. “But I’m sure I can help you finish your schooling. The world needs young scientists.”

  Rachel threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Mr. Alden! I’ll work harder than ever! I promise!”

  “I know you will,” Grandfather said. “Now, I’d better get back to the conference.”

  “Can I come, too?” Rachel asked. “There’s something I have to do.”

  “All right,” Grandfather relented. “Everyone might as well come. The conference is nearly over anyway.”

  Back inside the auditorium, Rachel went directly to Mark Jacobs. She handed him the envelope.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I hope you don’t hate me, but I don’t blame you if you do. Here are your notes.”

  Mark seemed overjoyed to get his notes back.

  “I can rewrite my paper,” he said. “And mail it to the conference committee. It’ll be submitted late, but it won’t be a total loss.” Then he said to Rachel, “No, I don’t hate you.”

  Now James Alden stepped up to the podium. “Since you have your notes, Mark, why don’t you give us an overview of your discovery.”

  Mark jumped up. “I can do that! I even have slides.”

  Henry poked Jessie. “We’re finally going to find out Mark’s discovery!”

  The lights were dimmed and the projector was turned on. Everyone stared at the white screen onstage.

  Mark took over the microphone. When he spoke, his voice vibrated with energy.

  “In this great universe of ours,” he said, “there are many wonders. Astronomers have always searched for those wonders, like the discovery of our own solar system. But lately astronomers are looking beyond our solar system. They are finding other solar systems, other galaxies.”

  He paused to click the button on the slide projector. A dark picture with a lot of dots came into focus.

  “What is that?” Benny whispered to Violet.

  “Shhh,” she said. “He’ll tell us.”

  Mark continued. “But I believe there are many wonders in our own solar system we haven’t yet found. You all know about the asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. These tiny fragments orbit the sun just as the other planets make that journey.”

  Now Benny scratched his head. “What’s an asteroid?”

  Mark smiled at the youngest members of his audience. “Asteroids are pieces of old moons or planets. They may have come from a single planet that blew up long ago.”

  “Neat!” said Benny.

  “They are only a few hundred miles wide. Some are only fifty miles across,” Mark explained. “Most people find the asteroids boring. Chunks of rock that go around and around. Big deal!”

  He clicked the projector button and a new slide came into view.

  Now the audience stared at a picture of dark space. Among the stars, there was a single fuzzy dot.

  Mark used a pointer to tap the dot on the screen. “That, gentlemen, is my discovery. A new asteroid. It orbits outside the belt between Jupiter and Mars. It has a wobbly path. I think it’s influenced by the orbit of our own planet, Earth. It’s not the biggest asteroid, but it’s not so small, either!”

  There was a brief silence. Then the applause started.

  The men at the table got up to shake Mark’s hand. Grandfather clapped Mark on the back.

  Mark stepped up to the microphone again. “I have one more thing to add. As you know, the International Astronomical Union oversees the naming of celestial objects. If I can get their approval, my discovery will be named the Alden Asteroid.”

  Violet bounced in her seat. This was incredible!

  Jessie was overcome with excitement. “Did you hear that, Benny? We have our very own asteroid!”

  “Terrific,” he said, flatly.

  The conference was adjourned.

  Everyone walked outside.

  Randy Merchant caught up to the Aldens. “Hey, guys!” he cried. “I can tell you my secret now! A science magazine has agreed to publish my article about young astronomers.”

  “That’s great!” said Henry. Then he noticed a small device inside Randy’s left ear. Randy Merchant had trouble hearing, he realized. No wonder Randy didn’t answer his questions about the old trail. Henry was probably speaking into the wrong ear.

  James Alden turned to Mark. “Thank you very much for naming your discovery after my family. It’s a great honor.”

  “Your grandchildren deserve it,” Mark said warmly. “Without their help, I wouldn’t have been on that stage today.”

  “Now when we look up at the sky,” Henry said, “we will know a little piece of it is named after us.”

  “Rachel,” said Grandfather, “let’s go talk to Dr. Porter about your future.”

  Rachel grasped Jessie’s hand. “Thanks for being such a dear friend.”

  Jessie
smiled back. She knew Rachel was a good person.

  Mark and the children strolled down to the creek.

  Benny squatted on the sandbar. His fleet of leaf boats was still docked. He launched one into the swirling water.

  Mark knelt beside him. “You seem quiet, Benny. Aren’t you excited about the Alden Asteroid?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Benny pushed another boat into the current.

  “Didn’t you learn a lot about outer space this week?” Violet asked her little brother. It wasn’t like him to be so unenthusiastic.

  He sat back on his heels. “Well, I learned stars make pictures. But I really wanted to find one of those meteor-things. You know, to go with my snakeskin.”

  “A meteorite.” Mark nodded, understanding. “You’d like an outer-space souvenir.”

  “Yes!” Then Benny’s face fell. “But I didn’t find one. I don’t even know what one looks like.”

  Mark picked up a white pebble washed smooth by the water. He put it in Benny’s hand.

  “There,” he said, “is your outer-space souvenir.”

  Benny stared at the rock. “Is this a meteorite?”

  “No, it’s just an ordinary Earth rock,” Mark replied. “A piece of our planet.”

  Henry helped explain. “You see, Benny, our earth is part of the universe. We’re in outer space ourselves.”

  “It doesn’t feel like it,” said Benny.

  “That’s because it seems like we’re not moving,” Mark said. “But we are. The earth is always spinning around its axis.”

  “You remember, that’s what makes day and night,” Jessie said to Benny. “When our part of the Earth turns away from the sun, it’s night.”

  “And when it faces the sun, it’s day,” added Violet. “We’re moving right this instant, only we can’t feel it.”

  Benny’s face lit up. “I get it! We’re in outer space!” he said in triumph.

  “Exactly.” Mark grinned.

  Now Benny pulled the rolled-up snakeskin from his pocket. He smoothed it flat and set the white pebble next to it.

  “My Earth outer-space souvenirs,” he said proudly. “Aren’t they great?”

  Violet frowned. She wished Benny would get rid of that snakeskin. But in the dappled sunlight, the gray, papery strip revealed a pretty pattern. It really wasn’t so ugly, after all.

  Benny had figured that out all by himself.

  Violet tipped her head back. Tonight, she would look up at Benny’s “outer space” for star-pictures and orbiting planets.

  And if she was lucky, she might even see the Alden Asteroid.

  About the Author

  GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.

  Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

  When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

  While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

  Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

  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

  THE 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 BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MY
STERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  copyright © 1997 by Albert Whitman & Company

  978-1-4532-1371-1