byCarole Marsh

Copyright © 2003 by Carole Marsh

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1 You Have Mystery Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Porch Swing Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Baltimore or Bust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 He Takes the Cake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Still Waters Run Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 The Big Blue Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 High-Tech History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398 Spooky Highway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Where’s Will? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5110 Cracked Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5511 Shoe Clue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6112 Shoe Clue Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6913 Hitting the Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7514 The Wilmington Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8515 The Last Breath. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9316 Big Man in Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10317 Ring Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11318 Stick i’Em Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11919 Fame and Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

The Underground Railroad Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Scavenger Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Write Your Own Real Kids Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Six Secret Writing Tips from Carole Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Be a Carole Marsh Mysteries Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Excerpt from The Mystery on the California Mission Trail . . . . . 143

Contents

Christina was doing a stellar job helping herGrandmother Mimi when the intriguing e-mail invitationarrived. Grant was also being a big help by stuffing thegiant pile of newspaper clippings, scattered across Mimi’sdesk, back into the correct color-coded folders.

Christina Yother, 9, a fourth-grader in PeachtreeCity, Georgia, her brother Grant, 7, and Mimi stood staringat the new message on Mimi’s office computer screen.Suddenly, Mimi’s 122 unread e-mails were completelyforgotten.

Dear Aunt Mimi:The National Park Service, The

National Museum of American History,Professor William B. Still and I invite

An E-mailInvitation

To Where?

1You Have

MysteryMail

1

Christina and Grant to ride the Freedom Roadon the U.R.R. We’ll be pulling into Baltimorenext Tuesday to pick up four passengers.We’ll rendezvous with you and the other VIPsin Philly for the formal ribbon cutting on theFourth of July.Priscilla :-)Assistant Curator

Next Tuesday? The notice was short but Christinaknew that didn’t really matter to her Grandmother Mimi.She was not like most grandmothers. She wasn’t really likea grandmother at all. She had blond hair, wore trendyclothes, was CEO of her own company, and traveled allaround the country!

Mimi tapped the message on the screen with herpink fingernail as she thought about it. “Hmmm,” she said.“This just needs some organization and action, but what anadventure this could be!” Mimi typed a reply, then reachedfor her cell phone.

Christina was nearly bursting with questions.“Mimi, is this a good time to ask questions?”

“You bet!” said Mimi, stroking her granddaughter’ssoft, chestnut-colored hair. “I always have time for

2 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

To Where?

From CousinPriscilla

questions!” But Christina shocked her grandmother by reeling

out a string of questions: “Why does the e-mail sayNational Museum of American History? Is this the sameU.R.R. we learned about in school? Did Cousin Priscilla geta new job? Isn’t that museum in Washington, DC? Whatexactly is the Freedom Road? Does this mean we’ll all betogether for a Philadelphia Fourth of July celebration? Areyou a VIP?”

“Whoa! Good questions!” said Mimi. “Let’s start atthe end and work our way forward. It’s important toremember that everyone we meet is a very importantperson (VIP) and should be treated with courtesy andrespect. Yes, this means we will all be in Philadelphia forthe Fourth of July. So much of America’s history happenedthere that it’s one of my favorite places to be!”

Mimi took a deep breath and continued answeringChristina’s many questions. “Freedom Road is a new mobileAmerican History museum. Priscilla is still a wonderfulfourth grade history teacher and marathoner! She hasworked at the museum every summer since she was in highschool. Papa and I have been helping with the research forthis new museum-on-wheels, so we’ve been invited to theribbon-cutting for Freedom Road’s official Grand Opening.”

You Have Mystery Mail 3

We’re GoingOn A Trip!

The FourthIn Philly!

Mimi paused for another breath and added, “By theway, congratulations on remembering! It is the very sameU.R.R. you learned about in school.

Mimi looked down at Grant who was still staring atthe screen with a perplexed expression. He lookedserious. “Everything okay, Grant?” asked Mimi.

Perched on the edge of her office chair, with his legsswinging high above the floor, Grant looked very small. Hisblue eyes seemed the biggest part of him. He looked up.“Well for one thing, I haven’t studied U.R.R. or urrrrr. Orhowever you say it! Is it like grrrr? I happen to know a lotabout grrrr. Grrrr could be a bear or an angry dog. Papatold me that I’m supposed to remain as ‘still as a statue’ ifI hear that sound. I still have a question. It might sounddumb, but we haven’t covered all the things in my gradethat Christina knows.”

“What’s that?” asked Mimi. “There are no dumbquestions, you know.”

Grant quietly asked, “Mimi, what is U.R.R.?” His grandmother squeezed his small tense shoulder

and smiled. “Grant, that’s a wonderful question! It standsfor the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroaddidn’t have railroad cars or rails. It had people. It was atop secret organization of people, both black and white,

4 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

The Fourth In Philly!

What Is TheU.R.R.?

who risked their lives to help slaves escape from Southernstates, where slavery was allowed, to freedom in theNorth.”

Since Grant still looked confused, Mimi continuedher explanation. “Some people say that the UndergroundRailroad really began in the 1700s when slaves werebrought to America from Africa. Other people say it beganabout 1830 when it got an official name. The railroad wasspoken of in hopeful whispers and hidden in songs thatwere sung across the plantations. The organization had itsown secret language, clues, and codes. Even today thestory of the slaves’ escape to freedom is filled with mythsand mystery.”

Grant still looked concerned. Mimi asked, “Are youstill worried about something?”

Grant looked at this grandmother thoughtfully. “Ifwe’re going to be traveling under the ground, will Priscillabring the flashlights, or should we each bring our own?”

What Is TheU.R.R.?

A NetworkOf People

You Have Mystery Mail 5

It had been another busy day. Mimi stepped out onher wide, front porch, kicked off her shoes, and ploppeddown into her favorite white, wicker rocking chair. Sheplanned to spend a few quiet minutes rocking, reading hermail, listening to the birds sound their evening chirps, andwatching the golden glow of the summer sun setting overher two big magnolia trees laden with white, fragrant,blossoms the size of dinner plates.

She got to enjoy that peaceful experience for about45 wonderful seconds before being interrupted. A carpulled into her driveway and family poured out. “Mimi!Mimi!” shouted Grant and Christina. “Want to go for aswim? It’s not dark yet!”

“Thank you, but not right now, tadpoles,” answeredMimi. “You are welcome to sit here with me. We can talk

Time To Relax

Maybe Not!

7

2Porch Swing

Things

a little bit about your trip to Baltimore and theUnderground Railroad.”

They both climbed into the chair beside her.“Ok, Mimi,” answered Christina, “but I have to tell

you that talking is usually not nearly as much fun asswimming.”

“Did I ever tell you two that if Papa and I had beenliving 150 years ago, we would have been abolitionists?”Mimi asked.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” asked Grant. “Why are you telling us now? Is someone going to

ask us about this in Baltimore on Tuesday?” askedChristina.

“Good questions,” Mimi answered. “I’m telling younow so you’ll remember that an abolitionist was a personwho believed slavery was wrong and should be ended.”

“Ok, but why is this important for our trip, Mimi?”Christina asked again.

“It’s important, Christina, because the Civil War andthe Underground Railroad were such turning points inAmerica’s history. Before your trip begins, you are goingto need to know how the slavery story began in America,”Mimi said.

“Is this a lesson or a story?” Christina asked.

8 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

Maybe Not!

Story With A Lesson

Mimi gave them both a big squeeze, until theysquealed, and said, “It’s a story with a lesson! Don’t worry.I’ll give you the short version.”

Mimi began: “In 1719, 600 Africans were takenagainst their will and brought to America and sold as slavesto work on plantations–large farms–in the South. That wasthe beginning of more than 100 years of slavery inAmerica.”

“The life of a plantation slave was very difficult,” shecontinued. “Field hands–including children–worked aslong as 15 hours a day. Their homes were often smallcrowded huts or shacks. Slaves were usually given verylittle food and clothing from their owners.”

Mimi sighed. “Slaves could be sold whenever theirowners chose to do so. Men, women, and children could betaken from their families and separated at any time. Slaveswere placed on an auction block to be sold to the highestbidder. Buyers were only interested in the strongest slavesbecause they could do the most heavy work in the fields.Family members could be sold to different owners andperhaps never see one another again.”

“Long days, hard work, disease, and bad weatheroften made plantation life one of misery. The crops mostoften grown on plantations were rice, cotton, and tobacco.

Story With A Lesson

Story WithA Lesson

Porch Swing Things 9

Even the youngest slave children had to work in thefields–dawn to dusk!”

“The Underground Railroad was a way for slaves toescape this misery and hopefully have a better life,” Mimiconcluded.

“When did slavery end, Mimi?” asked Christina.“Not for a very long time,” Mimi replied. “In

America, it ended in 1863. That’s when the EmancipationProclamation was issued by U.S. President AbrahamLincoln.”

“Slavery was awful!” said Christina. “I’m glad wedon’t have slaves today.”

“Me too!” said Grant.Mimi looked sad. “In some places in the world,

slavery still exists–even today!”

Story WithA Lesson

All AboutSlavery!

10 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

Tuesday morning, Uncle Michael, Christina, Grant,and Mimi raced toward Hartsfield International Airport,the busiest in the nation, in Atlanta. Papa, theirgrandfather, was taking them so they didn’t have to leave acar and “pay through the nose.” He liked to be frugal withhis money.

Grant thought of someone paying a parking billthrough their nose, and snickered. Papa was always sayingthings that Grant didn’t understand yet. His grandfatherhad lots and lots of opinions. He had opinions oneverything, even opinions. Papa never seemed to run outof things to say.

“In my opinion,” Papa suddenly said, “we shouldstop here and use curbside check-in, so we don’t have topull into the pay parking lot.” Grant knew that meant they

To The AtlantaAirport!

To The AtlantaAirport!

3Baltimore or

Bust

13

14 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

At The AtlantaAirport

DroppingOff!

were going to stop the car right now, and everyone neededto pile out as quickly as possible. Papa wanted to be out ofthere before the policeman walking their way could tell himto “Move along, please, sir!” or “You can’t park here!”Something about the policeman saying that always madePapa grumble and even say grrrrr!

Mimi had suggested that they all fly to Baltimoretogether and asked Papa to see about getting a refund ontheir tickets to Philadelphia. He said, “By the time theycharge us for changes, there won’t be any refund at all.That’s just throwing good money after bad!” Grant had noidea why the tickets to Philadelphia were paid for with badmoney. And how did his grandfather even know thedifference between good money and bad money?

In the end Mimi worked it all out. She talked UncleMichael into making his business trip to New York with ashort stop in Baltimore. Papa like their plan because theycould “kill two birds with . . .” Everyone finished thatopinion for him, shouting, “With one stone!” Then they alllaughed. Everyone knew that it was one of Papa’s all-timefavorite sayings.

Mimi was the first one out of the car. She left Papagrumbling about “paying through the nose” for airlinetickets and being accused of “parking” when anyone could

clearly see that he was only “pausing.” He agreed to circlethe airport once and pick Mimi up in five minutes.

Mimi and Christina ran to buy magazines, peanutbutter crackers, Junior Mints, and other essential airlinesurvival stuff. After a lot of slobbery hugs and kisses(Grant’s opinion), Mimi slipped a bright red plastic whistleon a red, white and blue shoelace around his neck. “If youneed me just whistle and I’ll come running,” she whisperedin Grant’s ear. “I’ll see you in Philly on the fourth!”

Usually it was Uncle Michael who gave him weird,neat stuff that “might come in handy.” Grant still had thesmall pen flashlight, safely tucked into his backpack, thatUncle Michael had given him a few months ago.

“Listen to your cousin Priscilla and take good careof Grant,” Mimi told Christina, giving her a big hug andslipping extra money into her pocket, just in case of“emergencies.”

“You can count on me,” Christina said in a confidentvoice. “You better hurry, Mimi, or Papa will be havingwords with another airport policeman!” Christina waspretending to be very grownup and brave. Mimi waspretending not to notice that she was pretending.

“All aboard for Baltimore, Maryland and theUnderground Railroad!” boomed Uncle Michael in his best

Baltimore or Bust 15

Dropping Off!

All Aboard!

Papa voice. “Shhh! Uncle Michael!” Grant whispered. “Our

destination is supposed to be top secret!”

16 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

All Aboard!

To Baltimore

Flying ToBaltimore

Ready ToLand

It was a great flight. Both Grant and Christina hadwindow seats and got a good aerial look at several ofWashington, D.C.’s famous landmarks. “That’s thePentagon coming up now,” the captain told them. “TheWashington Monument and the U.S. Capitol will be comingup on our port side in about eight seconds,” he added. “Didany of you happen to know that without the generosity ofthe state of Maryland, there wouldn’t even be aWashington, D.C.? In 1791, Maryland donated the land tothe new nation for its capital.”

The captain continued, “Maryland is the birthplaceof the famous and the infamous. We’re proud to be thebirth state of the most famous conductor on theUnderground Railroad, Harriet Tubman. She was bornhere in 1821. That’s all for now, folks! There’s an airport

4He Takes

The Cake

17

coming up, so I’d better get back to work!”A few minutes later, they bumped down in

Baltimore. The engines whined as the plane slowed to taxiin from the end of the runway. In a few minutes, while theywaited to be towed the last few feet, the captain announced,“Welcome! Baltimore’s weather is typical for July. It’ssunny, hot, and humid. Wherever your travels take you,please stay alert. Stay safe.”

That’s almost sounds like a warning, Christinathought to herself. And why was he talking about theUnderground Railroad?

Soon they were in the terminal, and there stoodtheir cousin Priscilla holding a sign with their names on it.Uncle Michael gave Priscilla a kiss on the cheek, kissed hisniece and nephew, and dashed off to make his flight to NewYork. “They’re all yours Priscilla!” he called over hisshoulder. As they watched, he disappeared into the crowd.

Priscilla spent a lot of time with kids, so she didn’tdo any of that usual hugging and kissing and “look how bigthey’ve grown” and all that other meeting and greetingstuff. What she did say was music to their ears. “Anybodyhungry?” she asked.

Grant tried out one of Papa’s famous sayings. In hisdeepest voice he said, “Priscilla, I’m so hungry that my

18 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

Ready To Land

Priscilla!

He Takes The Cake 19

Priscilla!

To InnerHarbor

stomach thinks my throat’s been cut!”“Yuck, that’s disgusting!” Christina scolded him.

“Be polite.” “Well it wouldn’t be very polite for me to die of

starvation in the airport,” Grant said. “Does anyonehappen to have a spare cookie in their bag?”

Priscilla wisely ignored the conversation and helpedthem gather up their suitcases and backpacks.

“Where are Professor Still and his grandchildren?”asked Christina shyly. Mimi had told her that Harriet wasvery smart, had a beautiful singing voice, and played on theboys soccer team. I just hope she doesn’t think she can tellme what to do just because she’s older than me or becauseher grandfather is Priscilla’s boss at the museum, Christinathought.

“We have a wonderful surprise for you!” Priscillatold them. “We’re meeting them at the City Light’sSeafood Restaurant at the Inner Harbor. It’s been one ofmy favorite places to eat since I was about your age, Grant.It also has one of the best views in the entire city.”

“Wow!” Grant blurted. “Since you were my age?That must be a really, really long time ago!”

Christina tried to stop her brother’s chatter bystepping on his toes. He didn’t take the hint. Instead he

shouted, “Hey, you stepped on my toes!” “I had to stop you!” Christina whispered. “It’s

considered rude to tell a grown woman that she’s old.Especially when she’s barely 25! Really, Grant!”

“I don’t get it,” grumbled Grant, as he examined thetoe of his new shoe for signs of damage. “But I’d rather eatthan think anyway. If we are going to a seafood restaurant,I’ll order a hamburger and French fries. Yum!”

“I’ve placed the order, Grant. You’re getting agolden brown patty of Maryland’s most famous cake,”Priscilla told him.

Grant grinned. “Fine with me! I love cake! Is itchocolate?”

“It’s a crab cake,” said Priscilla. It comes with hushpuppies and coleslaw. Have you ever eaten fresh, steamedoysters?”

Christina rolled her eyes and sighed. “Forget it,Priscilla. Once when Mimi put one on his plate, Grant saidhe couldn’t eat anything that reminded him of a dinosaurbooger!”

Professor Still walked up to their table, two kidstrailing behind. He looked a little older than Papa. He had

20 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

To InnerHarbor

Time To Eat!

intelligent brown eyes that twinkled behind his wire-rimmed glasses. The top of his shiny, chocolate brownhead was surrounded by a short, curly white halo of hair.

He looks a king or an angel, Christina thought.And when he spoke, Professor Still’s voice reminded herof the actor James Earl Jones. It was definitely a voicemade for preaching or keeping college students fromnodding off in class.

“Welcome!” he boomed as he stepped forward togive Christina a firm hand shake. He looked Christina rightin the eyes and slowly smiled. Mimi always said that youcould “take a person’s measure by how they shook yourhand.” Christina remembered Mimi telling her that‘measure’ was an impression or feeling. Was the personhonest and kind or maybe a little sneaky and mean?

Suddenly remembering her manners, Christinathanked him for the invitation. He leaned closer andlistened carefully to every word she said. She wonderedif the professor was taking her measure, too. Christinawas totally surprised by his next remark.

“Priscilla tells me that you and Grant are goodpeople to have along if an adventure might include danger.”

Is he teasing, Christina wondered. Is this a test?Christina was soon to replay that moment in her mind over

He Takes The Cake 21

Time To Eat!

Meet ProfessorStill!

and over again. Abruptly changing the mood, Professor Still

declared, “Enough of that now! We are here to join you fordinner. Atty and Duce insist they are starving. We will joinyou and order post-haste.”

All the fun ended for Grant when the waiter broughthim something that looked like a giant fish burger butwithout the cheese or bun. Christina noticed the look onhis face.

“Maybe I should have ordered the post-haste,” hesaid forlornly.

Duce learned over and spoke quietly to Grant.“Take a bite. It’s really delicious.”

Grant put a small bite in his mouth and chewed. Hisblue eyes widened in pleasant surprise. Duce was right. Itwas delicious. “Who would have thunk it!” Grant said.

22 The Mystery on the Underground Railroad

Meet ProfessorStill!

Yum! CrabCakes