Boxcar Children 56 - Firehouse Mystery by Warner Gertrude Chandler

Author:Warner, Gertrude Chandler [Warner, Gertrude Chandler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-1362-9
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2011-07-25T05:00:00+00:00

“Wait a minute. Aren’t those the trophies?” asked Benny, pointing to one of the drawings. It showed several of the trophies, drawn in great detail.

“Yes,” said Rebecca as the children looked more closely. “I’m going to design a special case for those.”

“This drawing has much more detail than the others. It must have taken you a long time,” said Violet.

“You told Ms. Lerner that you thought the trophies were just a bunch of old junk,” Henry said, recalling what Rebecca had said while he was showing her around the fire-house.

“I’ve just begun to learn that old things can be valuable,” said Rebecca. “And beautiful,” she added. Quickly she tucked the drawing of the trophies under the rest of the plans. “Listen, if that’s all you came for, you might as well go. As I said, this is my first big break. I’ll do anything to hang on to this project. Anything.”She looked very serious.

“All right,” said Jessie. “I’m sorry we couldn’t change your mind.”

“And I’m sorry I couldn’t change yours,” Rebecca said.

The Aldens went from Rebecca’s studio to the nursery to pick up more evergreens. The woman behind the counter was surprised to see them again. “Weren’t you just in here buying some of these yesterday?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Henry. “But there was a little . . . um, problem. We need more.”

The grocery store was right next to the nursery. The Aldens went inside, and Jessie picked up a basket.

“We’ll need some ground beef,” said Henry

“While you’re getting that, I’ll get some canned tomatoes, beans, and some spices,” said Jessie.

“I’ll pick out an onion and a green pepper,” Violet said.

“What can I do?” asked Benny.

“Why don’t you go get a box of rice and some cheddar cheese to serve with the chili,” Henry suggested.

In no time, the children had collected everything they needed for the chili and were back on their bicycles, heading back to the firehouse. As they rode, they talked about their visit to Rebecca’s studio.

“Remember what she was saying on the phone when we came in?” asked Henry. “Something about money.”

“Yes. I wonder what she was talking about,” Jessie said.

“I’ve been thinking about the drawing of the trophies,” said Violet. “It was so carefully done, and yet she didn’t seem to want to talk about it.”

“I noticed that, too,” Jessie agreed. “And she made some comment about old things being valuable. . . . I had the feeling that she meant more than she was saying.”

Soon the children arrived at the firehouse. Christine and Shawn were there, putting on their gear. They weren’t moving as quickly as usual.

“Is there a fire?” asked Benny.

“No,” said Christine with a smile. “Today’s job is a little unusual. If you want to come watch, we’ll be on Oak Lane.” A moment later, she and Shawn drove off in the truck.

“That sounds mysterious!” said Violet. “What do you think they’re doing?”

“Only one way to find out,” said Henry. And so after quickly putting away their groceries, the Aldens got back on their bicycles.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.