It was the third week in September when the Fairfields left the seashore and returned to their Vernondale home.Now, my child, said Mr. Fairfield, as they sat on the veranda after dinner, I will unfold to you my plans for the coming winter, and you may accept, or reject, or amend them as you please.Proceed, said Patty, settling herself comfortably in her wicker chair; I feel in an amiable mood this evening, and will probably agree to anything you may suggest.Ive been thinking for some time, went on her father, that I dont want to spend the coming winter in Vernondale. I would much rather be in New York.Reason number oneNan, said Patty, checking it off on her forefinger and smiling at her father.Yes, he responded, with an answering smile, she is reason number one, but there are others.To readers who are unfamiliar with Pattys earlier history we may say right here that her mother had died when Patty was but three years old.At present she lived with her father in their little home in Vernondale, an establishment of which Patty greatly prided herself on her management. Recently Mr. Fairfield had become engaged to Miss Nan Allen, a young lady who lived in Philadelphia, and who was a dear friend of Pattys.

Carolyn Wells (June 18, 1862 March 26, 1942) was an American mystery author. After finishing school, she worked as a librarian for the Rahway Library Association. Her first book, At the Sign of the Sphinx (1896), was a collection of literary charades. Her next publications were The Jingle Book and The Story of Betty (1899), followed by a book of verse entitled Idle Idyls (1900). After 1900, Wells wrote numerous novels and collections of poetry.Carolyn Wells wrote a total 170 books. During the first ten years of her career, she concentrated on poetry, humor, and children's books. According to her autobiography, The Rest of My Life (1937), she heard That Affair Next Door (1897), one of Anna Katharine Green's mystery novels, being read aloud and was immediately captivated by the unraveling of the puzzle. From that point onward, she devoted herself to the mystery genre. Among the most famous of her mystery novels were the Fleming Stone Detective Stories whichaccording to Allen J. Hubin's Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 17492000 (2003)number 61 titles. Wells's The Clue (1909) is on the Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone list of essential mysteries. She was also the first to conduct a (brief, in this case) annual series devoted to the best short crime fiction of the previous year in the U.S., beginning with The Best American Mystery Stories of the Year (1931) (though others had begun a similar British series in 1929).