The Mystery Horse by Gertrude Chandler Warner

CHAPTER 1
    The Big Surprise
    â€œP lease, Grandfather, I don’t think I can wait another minute,” Violet pleaded.
    â€œWe’ve really been patient,” Jessie said, her dark eyes wide with excitement. “Won’t you tell us now?”
    It was dinnertime at the Aldens’. Grandfather Alden turned to fourteen-year-old Henry, the oldest of the Alden children. “I won’t keep you in suspense anymore,” he said with a smile. “I have a wonderful surprise for you. Tomorrow all four of you are going on a two-week vacation.”
    â€œA vacation!” Twelve-year-old Jessie clapped her hands together and Watch, the family dog, jumped to attention.
    â€œNo, not you, Watch,” Grandfather said, patting the dog’s head. “You’re going to stay here and keep me company.”
    â€œWhy can’t Watch go on vacation, too?” Violet asked. Ten-year-old Violet loved animals and hated to leave their pet behind.
    â€œI’m afraid Watch would get in the way,” Grandfather said patiently. “And he might frighten the other animals.”
    â€œThe other animals?” Benny asked. “Are we going to a zoo?”
    Grandfather Alden laughed. “No, but you’re going to a place with a lot of animals. You’re going to a farm.”
    â€œA farm?” Violet looked curious.
    â€œWhat kind of a farm?” Henry asked. He and his sisters and brother were orphans. They had been living in a boxcar, when their kind Grandfather Alden found them and gave them a real home. Since then they had enjoyed lots of fun vacations in different places.
    â€œIt’s called Sunny Oaks,” Grandfather said, settling back in his chair. He poured a cup of tea and stirred it thoughtfully. “It’s a working farm, and the owners are very nice people with two young children. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan need to earn some extra money, so they’ve opened their farm to visitors.”
    â€œWhat will we do there?” Jessie asked. “We don’t know anything about farming.”
    â€œOh, but you will,” Grandfather said with a chuckle. “That’s why this vacation will be so much fun. You’ll learn new things, and you’ll meet new people. You’ll do everything the Morgan children do. You’ll live in a bunkhouse and share in the chores.”
    â€œA bunkhouse. Yippee!” Benny shouted. “I’ll be a cowboy and ride the range.” He pulled the reins on an imaginary horse and galloped around the room.
    Grandfather turned to Violet. “And I happen to know that the Morgans keep a few horses on the place.”
    Violet beamed. She loved horses. “Grandfather, thank you!” She jumped to her feet and threw her arms around his neck.
    When the Alden children went upstairs to their rooms to pack that evening, they found another surprise. Grandfather, with the help of Mrs. McGregor, the housekeeper, had bought them new clothes for their vacation.
    â€œLook what I found!” Benny said to Henry. He unwrapped a pair of bib overalls, and a pair of sturdy leather boots. He fished out a red bandana and tied it around his neck. “I’ll look like a real farmer now.”
    â€œYou certainly will,” Henry agreed. “These will be our work clothes for the next two weeks. I wonder what the girls will wear?”
    Jessie stuck her head in the doorway, dressed in an identical set of bib overalls and a cotton T-shirt. “Violet and I have the same outfits,” she said proudly.
    â€œNow don’t stay up too late tonight,” Mrs. McGregor went on. “You’re supposed to be on the road bright and early tomorrow morning.”
    Violet nodded happily and raced back to her room to pack. She could hardly wait for it to be morning. She was going to spend two whole weeks on a real farm with horses. What a perfect vacation!

    The sky was streaked with pink the next morning as Grandfather and the Alden