The Cornucopia Mystery - Carl Schurz High School



The Cornucopia Mystery

By Colleen Messina |   |[pic] | |[pic]

1     Uncle Harry tapped a crystal glass and shattered the buzz of Thanksgiving Day chatter with its golden tone. He lifted his goblet of rosy liquid and said, "And here is a Thanksgiving toast to our dear Grace, who left us with many happy memories and no regrets." The cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents all paused to remember Aunt Grace and then took a draught of sweet cherry wine.

 

2     Aunt Grace was wealthy and eccentric. Her long aquiline nose was her most compelling feature. Otherwise, she looked plain and serious. Her sharp black eyes missed nothing, and she retained her shrewd business sense and dry sense of humor until her death six months ago. At the reading of the will, a gaggle of money-hungry relatives appeared. Some of them had never given dear Aunt Grace any time at all, but with the possibility of an inheritance, they suddenly loved Aunt Grace's memory with all of their greedy hearts.

 

3     Take Cousin Ruth, for example. Ruth had a beauty shop and looked as though she was a walking advertisement for every product on her shelves. Her eyes were rimmed in navy blue eye liner, and her lips looked like a slice of fresh grapefruit covered in Vaseline. Her chameleon-like hair changed moment by moment. At the moment of the funeral, it was platinum blonde.

 

4     Ruth's sudden concern about dear Aunt Grace seemed ridiculously superficial. She charged into poor Grace's hospital room when she was practically dead and offered to give her a makeover. Grace just smiled weakly and told Ruth that she could do her makeup for the funeral. Ruth was a poor businesswoman and was counting on a chunk of an inheritance from dear Aunt Grace to change her life.

 

5     Ruth looked hungrily at the Thanksgiving table. The turkey was a gorgeous mound of culinary creativity. Piles of happy cranberries peered over the edges of crystal bowls with fluted edges. Peas and carrots swam in a buttery broth in another dish. Rolls cascaded from their baskets, and candied yams shivered with sugary satisfaction. In the center of the table sat Aunt Grace's traditional cornucopia. Piles of plastic fruit and vegetables spilled out of the conical shape in vibrant rivers of thankfulness. The cornucopia was Aunt Grace's favorite holiday decoration.

 

6     Aunt Grace loved the cornucopia so much that she gave a speech about it each year. Everyone tried not to roll their eyes. She told them to remember what the cornucopia meant and that they should be thankful for what they had. She reminded them to think of those who needed help. At this moment, Cousin Ruth tried hard not to think of Aunt Grace's little speech because she was so disappointed about the will.

 

7     The attorney was supposed to read Aunt Grace's will shortly after her death to the money-hungry relatives. When he searched for the document, he had a great shock. Somehow, he only had the first page. The corner staple looked as though it had been pried apart, and the rest of the all-important document was gone! The family shuddered. Who was to inherit Aunt Grace's money? What had happened to the will? It was a financial disaster.

 

8     Everyone felt distraught. They had all been counting on a chunk of money from their dear aunt. Needless to say, the loss of the will caused a great deal of trouble. Now, six months later, everyone admitted that they had given up on finding the will. Aunt Grace's money was trapped until the attorney could figure out what to do about this unusual situation. The loss of potential inheritance had some benefits, though. It had made the family a little more careful with their money and a little more grateful for their loved ones. They talked about how they felt over the savory turkey dinner.

 

9     "Oh well, at least we have everything we need," said Cousin Ruth. She seemed calmer than she had at the will reading. She had surrendered the idea of buying an Audi.

 

10     "Yes, and Aunt Grace would want us to be grateful for each other," agreed Uncle Harry.

 

11     The dinner went well, and soon everyone was stuffed as a turkey. As they cleared the table, Cousin Ruth collided with Uncle Harry. Leftover rolls flew like home-run-hit baseballs across the dining room. Cousin Ruth knocked over the candles, which in turn slid into the cornucopia and knocked it to the floor. Plastic grapes, apples, nuts, and little pumpkins exploded energetically in all directions. The defeated cornucopia rolled under a chair. Cousin Ruth burst out laughing and bent to pick it up.

 

12     As she bent over, Cousin Ruth noticed a scroll of paper in the back of the cornucopia. She gently pried it from its hiding place, and when she had a good look at it, she gasped with amazement.

 

13     "It's the will!" she said. "Silly Aunt Grace!"

 

14     And so, at last, the attorney had the missing part of the will. The funny thing was that after waiting so long, Cousin Ruth, Uncle Harry, and all the other relatives did something surprising. They decided to give generous donations to charities from their inheritances. Aunt Grace would have been pleased that they had finally understood the deeper meaning of the cornucopia.

Copyright © 2007 edHelper

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|Name _____________________________ | |[pic] |Date ___________________ |

The Cornucopia Mystery

|1.   |2.   |

|What holiday is being celebrated in the story? |Where did Cousin Ruth work? |

|[pic]  Christmas |[pic]  A hotel |

|[pic]  Hanukkah |[pic]  A library |

|[pic]  Easter |[pic]  A beauty shop |

|[pic]  Thanksgiving |[pic]  A fast food restaurant |

| | |

|3.   |4.   |

|The phrase "shivered with sugary satisfaction" is an example of |Which word best describes Aunt Grace's relatives right after her|

|what literary device? |death? |

|[pic]  Alliteration |[pic]  Happy |

|[pic]  Metaphor |[pic]  Greedy |

|[pic]  Simile |[pic]  Detached |

|[pic]  Homonym |[pic]  Sad |

| | |

|5.   |6.   |

|Cousin Ruth was a good businesswoman. |Which of the following is a synonym for the word "superficial" |

|[pic]  False |in paragraph 4? |

|[pic]  True |[pic]  Fantastic |

| |[pic]  Shallow |

| |[pic]  Deep |

| |[pic]  Important |

| | |

|7.   |8.   |

|Who found the will? |What did all of the relatives do with some of their inherited |

|[pic]  Cousin Ruth |money? |

|[pic]  No one |[pic]  Bought Audis |

|[pic]  Uncle Harry |[pic]  Bought a fast food place |

|[pic]  Aunt Grace |[pic]  Gave it to charity |

| |[pic]  Bought new decorations for Thanksgiving |

| | |

 

|The Cornucopia Mystery - Answer Key |

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