5 FIELD TRIP

CHAPTER 5 FIELD TRIP A few days later, Claire came home from school and announced, "My class is going on a field trip to the historical society tomorrow. Who wants to come?" "What's a historical society?" Kaz asked. "It's a museum," Claire said. "We're going there to learn about the history of our town. Grandma says they'll probably talk about the library because it's one of the oldest buildings in town." "Sure, I'll come," Kaz said. If they talked about the library, maybe they'd talk about the secret room. "I think I'll stay and keep your dog company,"

Beckett said, giving Cosmo's ears a scratch. "I don't care to venture too far from home." "And Windy and I will keep Beckett company," Little John said as he hugged the redheaded ghost doll. "Who's Windy?" Claire asked. "My doll," Little John said. "I named her Windy." "That's not really your doll, Little John," Kaz said. "Is too! Finders keepers," Little John said, hugging the doll even tighter. A lady named Mrs. Roman showed Claire and her classmates around the museum. Kaz hovered above. "This is what downtown Kirksville, Iowa, looked like in 1910," Mrs. Roman said as she pointed at an old black-and-white photograph. Kaz had been downtown with Claire many times. It looked different in this photograph. There

were no cars on the street, just two horses pulling a wagon. Mrs. Roman moved down the wall and pointed out some more photographs. "Here's the old courthouse. And here's an early picture of a house most of you should recognize." "That's the library!" one of the solid boys shouted out. Claire stepped forward to get a closer look. Kaz looked over her shoulder. A sign below the picture said "Walters Mansion. Built 1918." "She lives there." A solid girl pointed at Claire. Mrs. Roman smiled. "You must be Karen Lindstrom's granddaughter." Claire nodded. "Well, you're a very lucky girl," Mrs. Roman

said. "You live in one of the most famous houses in Kirksville! People used to come from all over to see it." "Why is it so famous?" the boy next to Claire asked. "Because it's big," said a girl in the back. "And old," said another girl. "When it was first built, no one around here had ever seen such a mansion before," Mrs. Roman explained. "It still looks pretty impressive today, wouldn't you agree?" The kids all nodded. "A man named Martin Walters built it as a gift to his wife," Mrs. Roman said. "That's some gift," the boy next to Claire said. "Here, have a house!" Several kids snickered. "It was indeed 'some gift,'" Mrs. Roman said. "Especially when you consider the Walters didn't have children to fill all those rooms. But one thing Martin Walters did have was money."

"Where'd he get so much money?" asked the girl in the back. "I'll show you," Mrs. Roman said. She led the students to another display inside the museum. The sign on the wall read "Walters Bottling Company." There were even more black-and-white photographs on this wall. And lots of old bottles stacked in crates on the floor. "Hey, there were bottles like that in the secret

room," Kaz told Claire. "Martin Walters established Walters Bottling Company back in 1900," Mrs. Roman explained. "And he created a whole new kind of soda pop he called Walters Brew. That's how he made his fortune." "What did it taste like?" asked a boy in a blue jacket. "We think it may have been similar to root beer," Mrs. Roman said. "But no one today really knows for sure." "Why not?" asked a girl in the back. "Well, Mr. Walters refused to tell anyone what was in it," Mrs. Roman said. "He promised one day his secret recipe would be revealed. To the right person under the right circumstances. But that day never came." "So where is the recipe?" asked the boy in the blue jacket. "Is it in the library somewhere?" "Oh, I don't think so," Mrs. Roman said. "Everyone in town knows how important a