The Girl Detective Megapack: 25 Classic Mystery Novels for Girls Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  THE MARY LOUSE GAY, GIRL DETECTIVE SERIES

  THE MYSTERY AT DARK CEDARS, by Edith Lavell

  THE MYSTERY OF THE FIRES, by Edith Lavell

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET BAND, by Edith Lavell

  THE MYSTERY STORIES FOR GIRLS SERIES, by Roy Snell

  THE BLUE ENVELOPE, by Roy Snell

  THE CRUISE OF THE O MOO, by Roy Snell

  THE SECRET MARK, by Roy Snell

  PURPLE FLAME, by Roy Snell

  THE CRIMSON THREAD, by Roy Snell

  THE SILENT ALARM, by Roy Snell

  WITCHES COVE, by Roy Snell

  THE MAGIC CURTAIN, by Roy Snell

  THE ARDEN BLAKE MYSTERY SERIES, by Cleo F. Garis

  THE ORCHARD SECRET, by Cleo F. Garis

  MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW, by Cleo F. Garis

  MISSING AT MARSHLANDS, by Cleo F. Garis

  THE PENNY NICHOLS SERIES, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS FINDS A CLUE, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS AND THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST KEY, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS AND THE BLACK IMP, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS AND THE KNOB HILL MYSTERY, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE MADGE STERLING SERIES, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE MISSING FORMULA, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE DESERTED YACHT, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE SECRET OF THE SUNDIAL, by Mildred A. Wirt

  BOBS, A GIRL DETECTIVE, by Grace May North

  THE PHANTOM TOWN MYSTERY, by Carol Norton

  THE SEVEN SLEUTHS CLUB, by Carol Norton

  THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS SOLVE A MYSTERY, by Hildegard G. Frey

  Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  THE MARY LOUSE GAY, GIRL DETECTIVE SERIES

  THE MYSTERY AT DARK CEDARS, by Edith Lavell

  THE MYSTERY OF THE FIRES, by Edith Lavell

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET BAND, by Edith Lavell

  THE MYSTERY STORIES FOR GIRLS SERIES, by Roy Snell

  THE BLUE ENVELOPE, by Roy Snell

  THE CRUISE OF THE O MOO, by Roy Snell

  THE SECRET MARK, by Roy Snell

  PURPLE FLAME, by Roy Snell

  THE CRIMSON THREAD, by Roy Snell

  THE SILENT ALARM, by Roy Snell

  WITCHES COVE, by Roy Snell

  THE MAGIC CURTAIN, by Roy Snell

  THE ARDEN BLAKE MYSTERY SERIES, by Cleo F. Garis

  THE ORCHARD SECRET, by Cleo F. Garis

  MYSTERY OF JOCKEY HOLLOW, by Cleo F. Garis

  MISSING AT MARSHLANDS, by Cleo F. Garis

  THE PENNY NICHOLS SERIES, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS FINDS A CLUE, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS AND THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST KEY, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS AND THE BLACK IMP, by Mildred A. Wirt

  PENNY NICHOLS AND THE KNOB HILL MYSTERY, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE MADGE STERLING SERIES, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE MISSING FORMULA, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE DESERTED YACHT, by Mildred A. Wirt

  THE SECRET OF THE SUNDIAL, by Mildred A. Wirt

  BOBS, A GIRL DETECTIVE, by Grace May North

  THE PHANTOM TOWN MYSTERY, by Carol Norton

  THE SEVEN SLEUTHS CLUB, by Carol Norton

  THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS SOLVE A MYSTERY, by Hildegard G. Frey

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Girl Detectives Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. For more information, contact the publisher.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  For The Girl Detectives Megapack, we have standardized (and, where appropriate, modernized) spelling and usage. For example, words like “bowlder” have been uniformly changed to “boulder,” “boola balls” to “bola balls,” etc.

  As with much fiction of the period, there is some dialog written out in dialect, and it’s not always politically correct. These books are products of a different time, when standards varied from what they are today. Please read it with that in mind.

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).

  A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS

  The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  MYSTERY

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Charlie Chan Megapack

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Detective Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack

  The First Mystery Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Raffles Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  GENERAL INTEREST

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Baseball Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Classic American Short Stories Megapack

  The Classic Humor Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction
Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The First Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  The Steampunk Megapack

  The Time Travel Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  HORROR

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Second Ghost Story Megapack

  The Third Ghost Story Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Second Macabre Megapack

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Werewolf Megapack

  WESTERNS

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The Buffalo Bill Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Second Western Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  YOUNG ADULT

  The Boys’ Adventure Megapack

  The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack

  The G.A. Henty Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The Rover Boys Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  The Saki Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY

  The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)

  The Wildside Book of Fantasy

  The Wildside Book of Science Fiction

  Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries

  THE MARY LOUSE GAY, GIRL DETECTIVE SERIES

  This short (3-volume) series by Edith Lavell consists of:

  The Mystery at Dark Cedars (1935)

  The Mystery of the Fires (1935)

  The Mystery of the Secret Band (1935)

  THE MYSTERY AT DARK CEDARS, by Edith Lavell

  CHARACTERS

  Mary Louise Gay a girl detective.

  Jane Patterson her chum.

  Miss Mattie Grant spinster at Dark Cedars.

  Elsie Grant orphan, niece of Miss Grant, living at Dark Cedars.

  Mrs. Grace Grant sister-in-law to Miss Grant.

  family of Mrs. Grace Grant.

  John Grant middle-aged bachelor

  Harry Grant younger bachelor

  Ellen Grant Pearson married daughter

  Corinne Pearson granddaughter, girl of nineteen

  Hannah and William Groben servants at Dark Cedars.

  Mr. Gay, Mrs. Gay, Joseph (Freckles) Gay family of Mary Louise.

  Max Miller, Norman Wilder, Hope Dorsey, Bernice Tracey friends of Mary Louise.

  Mrs. Abraham Lincoln Jones a colored woman.

  Mira a gypsy fortune teller.

  Silky Mary Louise’s dog.

  CHAPTER I

  The House of Mystery

  “Be quiet, Silky! What’s the matter with you? You don’t usually bark like common dogs over nothing!”

  The brown spaniel stopped under a maple tree and wagged his tail forlornly, looking pleadingly into his mistress’s eyes, as if he were trying to tell her that he wasn’t just making a fuss over nothing.

  Mary Louise Gay stooped over and patted his head. She was a pretty girl of sixteen, with dark hair and lovely brown eyes and long lashes that would make an actress envious.

  “I see what Silky means!” cried her companion, Jane Patterson who lived next door to Mary Louise and was her inseparable chum. “Look, Mary Lou! Up in the tree. A kitten!”

  Both girls gazed up at the leafy branches overhead and spied a tiny black kitten crying piteously. It had climbed up and couldn’t get down.

  “I’ll get it,” said Mary Louise.

  She swung herself lightly to the lowest branch, chinned herself, and climbed the tree. In another minute she had rescued the kitten with her hands.

  “Stretch on your tiptoes, Jane,” she called to her chum, “and see if I can hand it down to you.”

  The other girl, who was much shorter and stockier than Mary Louise, did as she was told, but the distance was too great.

  “I suppose I’ll have to climb down with her in one hand,” concluded Mary Louise. “That’s not so easy.”

  “Drop her over to that branch you swung up by, and I’ll get her from there,” suggested Jane.

  A moment later Mary Louise was at her chum’s side, stroking the little black kitten, now purring contentedly in Jane’s arms.

  “I wonder whose it is,” she remarked. “There isn’t any house near—”

  “Except old Miss Grant’s.”

  Both girls turned and looked at the hill which rose at the right of the lonely road on which they had been walking. The house, a large drab plaster building, was barely visible through the dark cedars that surrounded it on all sides. A high, thick hedge, taller than an average-sized man, gave the place an even greater aspect of gloominess and seclusion.

  “Maybe it is Miss Grant’s kitten,” suggested Jane. “Old maids are supposed to like cats, you know.”

  Mary Louise’s brown eyes sparkled with anticipation.

  “I hope it is!” she exclaimed. “And then we’ll get a look at the inside of that house. Because everybody says it’s supposed to be haunted. Our laundress’s little girl was walking past it one evening about dusk, and she heard the most terrible moan. She claims that two eyes, without any head or body, looked out through the hedge at her. She dropped her bundle and ran as fast as she could for home.”

  “You don’t really believe there is anything, do you, Mary Lou?”

  “I don’t know. There must be something queer about it.”

  “Maybe there’s a crazy woman shut up in the tower.”

  “You’ve been reading Jane Eyre, haven’t you, Jane? But there isn’t any tower on the Grant house.”

  “Well, I guess Miss Grant is crazy enough herself. She dresses in styles of forty years ago. Did you ever see her?”

  “Yes, I’ve had a glimpse of her once or twice when I walked past here. She looks like the picture of the old maid on the old-maid cards. It must be awful for that
girl who lives with her.”

  “What girl?” inquired Jane.

  “A niece, I believe. She must be about our age. Her father and mother both died, so she has to live with Miss Grant. They say the old lady treats her terribly—much worse than the two old servants she keeps.”

  While this conversation was going on, the two girls, followed by Silky, were walking slowly up the hill towards the big hedge which surrounded the Grant place. Once inside the yard, it was almost like being in a deep, thick woods. Cedar trees completely enclosed the house and grew thick on both sides of the narrow path leading from the gate to the porch. In spite of the fact that it was broad daylight, Jane found herself shuddering. But Mary Louise seemed delighted with the strange, gloomy atmosphere.

  “Doesn’t this girl go to high school?” asked Jane. “If she’s about our age—”

  “I don’t believe so. I never saw her there.”

  They stopped when they reached the steps of the porch and looked about with curiosity. It certainly was a run-down place. Boards were broken in the steps, and pieces of plaster had crumbled from the outer wall. The grayish-colored ivy which grew over the house seemed to emphasize its aspect of the past.

  “Isn’t Miss Grant supposed to be rich?” whispered Jane incredulously. “It doesn’t look like it!”

  “They say she’s a miser. Hoards every cent she can get.” Mary Louise smiled. “I believe I’ll tell Daddy to report her for hoarding. She deserves it!”

  “Better wait and find out whether she really is rich, hadn’t you?” returned Jane. “Your father’s a busy man.”

  Mary Louise nodded and looked at her dog.

  “You lie down, Silky,” she commanded, “and wait here for us. Miss Grant probably wouldn’t like you. She might think you’d hurt Pussy.” She smiled indulgently. “She doesn’t know you belong to the Dog Scouts and do a kind act every day—like rescuing cats in distress!”

  The spaniel obeyed, and the two girls mounted the rickety steps of the porch. Although it was late in June, the door was closed tightly, and they had to pull a rusty knocker to let the people inside know that they were there.

  It was some minutes before there was any reply.

  A sad-faced girl in an old-fashioned purple calico dress finally opened the door and stared at them with big gray eyes. The length of her dress, the way her blond hair was pulled back and pinned into a tight knot, made her seem much older than her visitors.

  A suggestion of a smile crossed her face at the sight of the girls’ pleasant faces, and for a second she looked almost pretty.