The Sleepy Hollow Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

white building on
the edge of town. When they pulled up in
front of it, Henry said, “The sign says Sanders
Stables. Does it belong to Isiah?”
    “No, it belongs to Isiah’s father.” Annika
got out of the car. “He has several horses they
use for tourist trail rides and wagon rides.
That’s how I’m able to borrow one of their
wagons.”
    “Could this be where the mystery horse
lives?” Jessie asked. “It has to have a stable
close to town.”
    “If it’s a real horse,” Benny said, “and not
an evil spirit horse.”
    “It’s a real horse,” Violet said. “I’m sure
of it.”
    “There’s no all-black horse at the stable,”
Annika assured them. “I would have
recognized it. I’ve been riding horses here
for years.”
    A tall older man who looked a little like
Isiah was feeding the horses inside. “Hello,
Mr. Sanders. These are my friends.” Annika
introduced everyone.
    “Isiah still hasn’t shown up,” Mr. Sanders
told them.
    “We’ll manage without him,” Annika
said. “I need to hitch up the horses a bit
early and get the wagon in place. If you do
see Isiah, will you tell him to come to the
meeting place?”
    Mr. Sanders said he would.
    “How many horses do you have here, Mr.
Sanders?” Henry asked.
    “About twenty. Some are too old to do more
than loaf around most of the time.” He rubbed
the nose of the brown horse he was feeding.
    A black-and-white horse at the end of the
stalls stuck his head over the wall and looked
at them.
    “That’s a pretty horse,” Violet said.
    Mr. Sanders snorted. “I’ve never thought
of Domino as pretty. He’s always had a bad
temper and he bites. The older he gets, the
crankier he acts. Isiah is the only one he likes
because Isiah gives him treats. Too bad he’s
not like Ghost and Spook. They are good
horses. Now let’s get that wagon ready.”
    Ghost and Spook stood patiently while
Annika and Mr. Sanders showed the Aldens
how to fasten the harnesses.
    “Henry, if you’d like to drive the wagon,
I’ll show you how,” Annika said. “We take
the back roads so there aren’t many cars.”
    Henry took the reins and drove the wagon
along the back roads of Sleepy Hollow to the
right spot.
    Annika and the Aldens got down and fastened
the reins to a tree. Annika pulled something out
of her pocket. “Ghost and Spook should be fine,
but if they get restless, just feed them a few of
these.” She held out some sugar cubes. “Sugar
isn’t good for them, but Isiah says it’s all right
once in a while.” Ghost whinnied at the sight of
the treats. “He loves them,” Annika said. “Do
you know how to feed a horse a treat?”
    “Yes,” Jessie said. “You hold your hand out
flat with the treat in your palm.”
    “That’s right. You don’t want a horse
thinking your fingers are a snack. They
might nibble on them. Now I have to get my
car and go home and change. Are you sure
you’ll be okay?”
    “We’re sure,” Henry assured her.
    As Annika hurried off, she said over her
shoulder, “Just call me with your cell phone if
you need anything.”
    Jessie petted Ghost’s nose. Her brothers
and sister could tell she was thinking about
something.
    “What are you thinking about?” Violet
asked.
    “At least we know that horse at the parade
was not a ghost horse,” she replied. “That
sugar cube Benny found was a treat for him.
Spirit horses don’t eat treats.”
    “You’re right,” Henry said. “We should
check the tube. It’s going to be dark soon.”
    They walked down the path. Fallen leaves
crunched beneath their feet, but otherwise
the woods were silent.
    “It is colder than it was last night,” Violet
said, pulling her hat down on her head.
    “It’s getting dark faster than I thought it
would,” Henry said. “We should hurry.”
    A loud crack came from down the path,
and then a groaning noise. The Aldens froze
in place. They waited, but there were no
other sounds.

    “What do we do?” Violet whispered.
    “We keep going,” Henry