The Camp-out Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

CHAPTER 1
    Going Camping
    â€œD o we have everything?” Grandfather Alden asked.
    The four Alden children looked inside the station wagon. They had gotten up before dawn to pack for their camping trip. Five backpacks, one for Grandfather and one for each of the children, lay side by side. Each contained a sleeping bag, extra clothes, and a flashlight. Next to the bags were two folded tents and a cooler.
    Their dog, Watch, stood on his hind legs and put his front paws on the tailgate so he could see, too. Everyone laughed.
    â€œDon’t worry, Watch,” Benny, the youngest Alden, said. “I packed your food dish.”
    The dog’s food and dishes were packed in his own special backpack. Jessie had made it for him out of an old piece of canvas.
    Jessie lifted the top of the cooler. An old frying pan, stew pot, tablecloths, and dishes were packed inside.
    â€œIs my cup in there?” Benny asked. It was right on top. No matter where he went, he always took his cracked pink cup. It was special to him. He had found it in the dump back when the children lived in the boxcar.
    Violet checked her list. “What about the lantern?” she asked.
    â€œI packed it,” fourteen-year-old Henry said. “Extra batteries, too.”
    â€œDo we need a camping stove, Grandfather?” Jessie asked.
    â€œNo,” Grandfather answered. “The camp provides places to make fires for cooking.”
    â€œIf they didn’t, we could build one,”Benny said. He was six years old and a good helper.
    â€œI guess that’s everything,” Violet said.
    â€œOkay, Watch,” Jessie directed her dog. “Hop in.”
    Watch jumped into the wagon, turned around three times, and curled up on top of a tent.
    Grandfather closed the station wagon’s back door. “Well, then, we’re on our way.”
    Henry and Violet climbed into the backseat. Jessie sat in the front and opened the map. Grandfather had marked the route for her.
    Benny hung back. “Wait!” he said. “Where’s our lunch?” Food was Benny’s favorite thing.
    Jessie glanced behind her. The picnic basket was not there. “And the trail mix,” she said. “We forgot the trail mix.” Benny and Violet had made the blend of nuts and dried fruit the day before.
    Benny started running toward the house “I’ll get it,” he said.
    Just then, Mrs. McGregor came toward them. She carried the basket and two paper bags.

    â€œWe almost forgot the most important thing,” Benny said.
    Mrs. McGregor laughed. “I couldn’t let you do that.” She handed Benny the bags.
    â€œThis bag feels warm,” Benny said.
    â€œYour favorite cookies—just out of the oven,” Mrs. McGregor explained. She handed the picnic basket through the window to Henry.
    Benny climbed in beside Violet.
    Grandfather started the car. “I don’t know what we’d do without you, Mrs. McGregor,” he said.
    Mrs. McGregor stepped back. “Have a good time,” she said and waved.
    The children waved to her. “See you next week,” they all called.
    Outside Silver City, they picked up speed. Watch nudged Benny over a bit and put his nose out the window.
    Benny laughed. “Watch wants to see where we’re going, too,” he said.
    â€œThere’s another reason a dog hangs its head out a car window,” Violet said. She liked animals and was always reading about them. “A dog gets nervous in a moving car. When he’s nervous, he sweats. But he doesn’t sweat like we do; he salivates.”
    Benny was just about to ask what salivate meant when Violet explained.
    â€œHe gets lots of saliva in his mouth and then—”
    â€œHe drools,” Benny said.
    Violet nodded. “But with his head out the window, he gets better air circulation,” she said. “He cools off, stops sweating, and feels better.”
    Benny liked his explanation