The Niagara Falls Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

A friendly man in a booth looked into the car. “You folks here for business or vacation?”
    Mr. Alden showed the man his driver’s license and the children’s birth certificates. “Business and vacation. I’m heading to Ottawa on business. My grandchildren here will be sightseeing and visiting Lasalle’s Curiosity Shop. It’s owned by an old friend of mine.”
    â€œLasalle’s is famous around here,” the man said. “They sell all types of souvenirs. You kids will love it! My kids can spend hours in there. Now don’t get me going, or we’ll back up the cars behind you on the bridge. Okay. Drive through. Welcome to Canada.”
    Benny couldn’t sit still. “I can show you where I live,” he said to the customs man. He waved his library card. “In Greenfield.”
    The customs man smiled. “Well, now that you mention it, young fellow, I’d better check your papers. I need to make sure you’re not a spy or anything.” He winked at the older children. “Everything seems to be in order,” he said. “You are officially in Canada.”
    Benny waved out the back window. “Good-bye, United States.”
    â€œHere’s the visitors’ center, Grandfather,” Henry announced a few minutes later. “We could use some local maps.”
    Mr. Alden drove slowly through the crowded parking lot. The children took turns reading the names of states from license plates.
    â€œMontana,” Henry said.
    â€œThat’s the third Montana plate we’ve seen,” Violet reminded Henry. “But look. There’s a car from Alaska — the first one we’ve seen. And it’s a honeymoon car, too, with streamers and all.”
    Finally the children got out of the car and stretched their legs. It had been a long trip from their house in Greenfield all the way to Canada.
    Benny skipped ahead into the visitors’ center. Right away he saw what he was looking for — dozens of brochures for the travel scrapbook he and Violet kept. “Too bad we can’t stay a long, long time.” He scooped up ads for hotels, restaurants, horse-and-buggy rides and, of course, the famous Maid of the Mist boats.
    Jessie showed Benny a brochure of a tower with a restaurant on top. “Here’s a restaurant that spins around. You can look at the falls while you eat.”
    Henry patted his stomach. “I’m not sure I want to spin while I eat. I wonder if there’s a brochure for Lasalle’s Curiosity Shop. Hey, there’s a bunch,” he said when he spotted some ads on display shelves in the lobby. “I’ll pick one up so we can find out exactly where the shop is.”
    Just as Henry reached for one of the brochures, someone snatched all of them away.
    â€œHey,” Henry said to the tall blond young man hurrying away. “Why don’t you leave some for other people?”
    The man rushed off without turning around.
    â€œLet’s follow him,” Jessie said to Henry when she saw what had happened. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to take all of them.”
    Jessie ran after the man, but he had disappeared into the crowd.
    Henry scratched his head. “Why would anyone need a stack of ads from Lasalle’s? Those are the only ones he took.”
    Jessie came back. “It is odd. Maybe he works for a hotel or a tour bus company and picked them up for the customers.”
    The children walked on. They stopped at the water fountain to refill their water bottles. Jessie noticed something in the trash basket nearby.
    â€œHey, look! That man didn’t take the brochures for customers. He dumped them all in this trash basket.”
    Henry and Jessie scooped up the brochures. Jessie marched over to the display case. She restacked the brochures under L for Lasalle’s . “I wonder why that man threw them out. Well, anyway, now they’re back where visitors will see