The Election Day Dilemma by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2016-03-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

Questions at the Pet Store

A bell on the pet shop door jangled when Henry tried to push it open. The door was old and a little crooked so it stuck on the frame until Henry tried again, pushing harder. As the Aldens followed Henry inside, they saw Birdie Brinkerhoff at the back of the store arranging some dog toys. She looked their way.

Violet waved at her. The woman didn’t wave back. She turned around and hurried through a door that said Storeroom.

“That’s strange,” Violet said.

“Do you think she didn’t recognize you?” Soo Lee asked.

Before Violet could answer, a man greeted them from behind the counter. “Hello. Welcome to the store.” The man got up from his chair and came around to where they stood. He was a small thin man wearing suspenders that had little paw prints over them.

“Hello,” Jessie said.

The man looked at them for a moment and then said, “I remember you. You are cousins to Joe and Alice Alden.”

“That’s right,” Henry said. “And you are Mr. Pawson. We came into your store last time we visited to get some dog food.”

“I remember.” The man didn’t look very happy to see them. “I can’t say I want your cousin to get elected. I don’t want to close my store.”

“It sounds like you didn’t stay for all of Alice’s speech,” Jessie said. “You won’t have to close your store, only move it. The organization that wants to take over Main Street will build you a brand new store a few streets away.”

“What? I didn’t know anything about that.” Mr. Pawson was surprised.

“Yes, you could help design the new store just the way you want it,” Violet told him.

Mr. Pawson looked around. “I could use more space. And it would be nice not to have such drafty windows. Are you sure about that plan?”

Jessie nodded her head. “We’re sure. You should talk to Alice to get more details,” she told him.

“I’ll definitely do that. Now what can I do for you today?” he asked.

“We need a dog collar,” Henry said. “Our dog, Watch, lost his. He’s a wirehaired terrier, so a medium-sized collar would fit.”

“Collars are right over here.” Mr. Pawson led them to an aisle filled with collars and leashes. “This one would be the right size for a wirehaired terrier. It comes in brown, green, and red.”

“No purple?” Violet asked. Purple was Violet’s favorite color. “Watch has never had a purple collar.”

Mr. Pawson shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.

No purple.”

“What about red?” Jessie suggested. “Red would look good on him.”

The others agreed, so Mr. Pawson took the collar to the counter to ring up the sale.

“We saw Birdie Brinkerhoff out at the old house on the Eggleston land,” Jessie said as they waited. “There was a dog out there. We were wondering if it was hers and if she lives there.”

“No, Birdie lives in another town a few miles from here,” Mr. Pawson said. “She comes to Appleville to work. Her town doesn’t have a pet store. If she was out walking around on the Eggleston place, she was probably watching birds.

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