The Mystery of the Stolen Boxcar

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “Benny, Jessie, Violet, Henry, and Watch Alden,” Benny burst out.

  It was all true. That was how the Boxcar Children had come to live with their grandfather, James Alden.

  Benny looked puzzled. “What does our boxcar have to do with the parade?”

  “I think I know,” said Henry. “Our boxcar is an old boxcar. Boxcars were probably part of the trains that once went through Greenfield. That means it’s a part of Greenfield’s history.”

  “That’s right,” said Jessie. “So, we should take our boxcar to be in the parade!”

  “That’s a great idea, Jessie,” said Violet. She frowned. “But how will we get the boxcar in the parade? It doesn’t have a motor!”

  “I think I can help you with that,” said Grandfather. “My old truck can pull the boxcar. I can hitch the boxcar to it and drive the truck in the parade.”

  “I can wear my engineer’s costume with the red bandanna!” Benny said excitedly.

  “Yes,” said Henry. “And we can paint the boxcar and polish it and make it look extra special.”

  “We’ll start first thing tomorrow,” said Jessie.

  For the rest of the night, the Aldens made plans to decorate the boxcar and to make costumes for the parade. Then they went to bed so they could get up early to mail their entry into the Founders’ Day Parade and start getting their boxcar ready for the big day.

  CHAPTER 3

  Mr. Chessy’s House

  The next day, as soon as they had finished breakfast, the four Aldens helped Mrs. McGregor pack lunches for them. Then they got on their bicycles for a ride into Greenfield.

  Watch wanted to come, but he couldn’t. “We are going to the post office and then to the library, Watch,” Benny explained. “We might be in the library for a long time. And dogs aren’t allowed in the post office or the library.”

  Watch tilted his head. He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to go.

  “I know, Watch,” said Benny. “I think they should change those rules, too. But you can stay here with Mrs. McGregor until we get back.”

  Mrs. McGregor, who was standing by the back door, opened it and said, “I think I might have a nice dog biscuit in the kitchen for Watch.”

  At the word “biscuit” Watch got up and trotted happily into the house.

  The Aldens set off for the post office. On the way, they stopped by to pick up their cousin, Soo Lee. Soo Lee lived with their cousins, Joe and Alice, in an old gray-shingled house nearby. The Boxcar Children had helped their cousins fix up the house when they moved there.

  Soo Lee was waiting for them. She got on her bicycle as soon as her four cousins came into sight, and coasted down the driveway to join them.

  The five children went to the post office first, to mail the parade entry form to the Greenfield Parade Committee. Then they went to the library to research their costumes for the parade.

  They found lots of books about trains and costumes in the old days. But the long dresses with their high necks and tight sleeves didn’t look like much fun to Jessie or to Violet.

  “These are pretty dresses,” said Jessie. “But you can’t run or play or even ride bicycles in them.”

  Violet agreed. “They don’t look very comfortable, either. And I think it would be hard to make costumes to look like that.”

  “Listen to this,” said Henry. “This book says that a train engineer usually wore a gray-striped cap and a red bandanna around the neck. And here’s an old picture of an engineer on an early locomotive. He’s wearing overalls, too.”

  The four children crowded around Henry to look at the picture.

  “We all have overalls,” said Jessie. “We could get caps and bandannas and all dress like engineers. They sell all kinds of caps and bandannas at the department store in town, and they aren’t too expensive. We can buy our costumes there and then we will have plenty of money left over for our other supplies.”

  “Look at this.” Soo Lee pointed to another picture in the book. “We can learn some of the train signals, too. The signal for the train to stop is two arms up.”

  After doing a little more research on the history of Greenfield — and on railroads in particular — the children decided it was time for lunch.

  “Let’s take our lunches to the old railroad station,” said Violet as they came out of the library.

  When they got to the train station, the windows were all boarded up, the paint was chipped and peeling, and there was a big lock on the door.

  “It looks like it could use some fixing up,” said Henry. “But it would take a lot more than just paint!”

  The five children took out their lunches and sat on stone steps that led up to the station. “I bet this was a really busy place a long time ago,” Soo Lee said, as she took a big bite of her sandwich.

  Just then, a voice said, “So! I was right. You changed your minds!”

  The Aldens all looked up. It was Mr. Chessy!

  “What are you doing here?” exclaimed Henry in surprise.

  “This is where I’m staying.” Mr. Chessy swung around and motioned with his hand. Then the Aldens saw an old-fashioned railroad car pulled off onto a side track near the back of the train station. “That’s my traveling home,” the man said. “It’s an old caboose.”

  “It looks a little like our boxcar,” said Henry.

  “The first cabooses were just the last boxcars on the trains, you know.” Mr. Chessy sounded almost friendly.

  Benny cried, “I’d like to see what your boxcar looks like!”

  Mr. Chessy looked surprised — and pleased. “Would you?” he asked. “Come along and I’ll show you the inside.”

  The children all looked at one another. “Thank you!” said Henry.

  The children had finished lunch. They quickly cleaned up and followed Mr. Chessy to his railroad car.

  “Come in, come in,” said Mr. Chessy. He stepped back and motioned for them to come into his caboose.

  The Aldens couldn’t help thinking of how they’d made their boxcar a home when they’d first lived in it. Their boxcar had an old table they’d found, with a blue tablecloth on it. They’d made beds at one end out of pine needles. They didn’t have any light, except when they built a fire outside to cook.

  But this caboose had a lamp that looked like an old-fashioned lantern. It had a stove and a refrigerator and even a sink with a little window above it.

  Mr. Chessy proudly showed them around his caboose, explaining how he had designed and built everything himself.

  Then he opened a narrow door. He stepped inside — and disappeared!

  “Come on up!” his voice said above them.

  A short ladder was inside the door. The children climbed up it, and found themselves in a small square room with windows all around and benches around all the walls.

  “This is the cupola, or crow’s nest,” said Mr. Chessy. “Conductors and trainmen sat here to watch the train — and the scenery! I’m glad you came to see my little home. I’d take just as good care of your boxcar, if you should ever decide to sell it, you know. I’ll be leaving soon, but you have my card — if you change your minds.”

  “Thank you,” said Henry, without saying anything about selling the boxcar. The others thanked him, too.

  Mr. Chessy was smiling as they left. When Jessie looked over her shoulder, however, she saw Mr. Chessy wasn’t smiling anymore. He had his arms folded and his eyes were narrowed.

  Was Mr. Chessy just pretending to be nice because he wanted their boxcar? she wondered.

  But Jessie didn’t say anything. She just listened as her brothers and sister told Soo Lee all about Mr. Chessy and his offer the day before to buy the boxcar. They didn’t have to tell her that they’d never, ever sell it. Soo Lee knew that already!

  They decided to go to the hardware store next to get supplies for fixing up the boxcar, and then to the department store.

  When they got to the hardware store, the owner remembered the Aldens from their last vi
sit. “Did you enter the parade?” she asked.

  “We sure did,” said Benny. “We’re going to be engineers in our boxcar.”

  The owner of the hardware store, like many people in Greenfield, knew the story of the Boxcar Children. She nodded approvingly. “That’s a neat idea.”

  Henry explained that they were going to paint the boxcar for the parade and soon the Aldens had almost more supplies than they could carry.

  After that, they went to the department store and bought red bandannas and engineer’s caps. They even bought an extra bandanna for Watch to wear.

  It was getting late. They quickly loaded the supplies on their bicycles, and headed for home.

  “I don’t think we’re going to have time to start fixing the boxcar today,” said Henry.

  “I’ve got to go home,” said Soo Lee. “Tomorrow I can’t help you. But I’ll come over as soon as I can the day after.” They rode with Soo Lee back to her house. As she went inside, she waved her new engineer’s cap at her cousins. “See you day after tomorrow!” she called.

  That evening at dinner, the children told Grandfather all about their busy day. They also told him about visiting Mr. Chessy’s railroad car.

  “Mr. Chessy, Hmmm. I was thinking about what you told me and remembered I’d read an article about him in a magazine recently. I imagine he could tell you all about the history of your boxcar.”

  “I don’t think he will want to talk to us about anything except selling our boxcar,” said Jessie.

  Grandfather laughed. “Collectors like to talk about the things they collect. He might be willing to talk to you.”

  “Then maybe we can call him tomorrow.” Henry yawned. “But not tonight. Tonight I am too tired.”

  Everyone agreed that it had been a long day, but a good one, and that they could hardly wait for tomorrow.

  CHAPTER 4

  Sam and Susie

  The Boxcar Children got up early the next morning, ate a big pancake breakfast, and hurried out to the boxcar to begin work. They were going to repaint the whole outside of the boxcar a beautiful bright red.

  “First we need to sand the floors and the walls and all the rough spots,” said Henry. “We can sand off the old paint and put new paint on.”

  “That sounds like a lot of work,” said Benny. Benny liked to work hard.

  “It will be a lot of work, Benny. But think of how good our boxcar will look,” said Violet.

  The Aldens went to work on the boxcar while Watch slept in the sun on the old stump. They hadn’t been working long, however, before they had visitors. It was Mr. Chessy and Grandfather!

  “But we didn’t call you yet!” exclaimed Benny in surprise as Mr. Chessy walked across the grass toward them.

  “After I saw you yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about the boxcar,” said Mr. Chessy. He turned to Mr. Alden. “So I took the matter to Mr. Alden. I . . . ah . . . ah . . . achoo!” He sneezed, looked at Watch and frowned. Then he went on. “As I hoped, your grandfather understood the generosity of my offer. And that I was the one who would give such a fine boxcar a proper home.”

  The Aldens were puzzled.

  Mr. Chessy held up his hand. “In short, I’ve made my offer to your grandfather. I knew he would see things my way.”

  The children were shocked. Had Grandfather sold their boxcar? Before they could speak, Mr. Alden said, “Yes. Mr. Chessy came to me with a very generous offer. I suggested we walk out here to tell you.”

  Mr. Alden turned to Mr. Chessy. “But, the boxcar belongs to my grandchildren. If they don’t want to sell it, then it’s fine with me.”

  “Hooray for Grandfather!” Benny burst out.

  Mr. Chessy said, “What! I don’t believe this! You are going to regret your decision, mark my words! I don’t give up so easily. I’ll be back!”

  Then he stomped away just as he had the last time he’d visited.

  “I guess he won’t be telling us about the history of the boxcar,” Henry said.

  Grandfather shook his head. But he didn’t say anything. Instead he inspected the work that everyone had done and admired it. Then he went back into the house.

  “What a strange man Mr. Chessy is,” said Violet. “We would never sell our boxcar. Why can’t he understand that?”

  “Well, at least it didn’t do him any good to try to be sneaky,” said Jessie.

  “I’m glad,” said Benny. “Because I want to ride on it in the parade.”

  “Then we’d better get back to work,” said Henry.

  The children worked all morning. Just when it was time to take a break, they heard a familiar bell ringing from the street.

  “It’s Sam! Sam and Susie!” said Benny excitedly. He put down his sandpaper and ran toward the sound.

  During the warm weather, Sam and his Clydesdale horse, Susie, drove around Greenfield and sold ice cream and soda and treats from the wagon. Business was so good that during the winter, Susie got to rest in the warm barn while Sam made beautiful furniture that people ordered.

  The other three Aldens followed Benny. Sure enough, Sam stood there beside his big old wagon. Susie was hitched to the front. Susie, who was big and brown with a golden mane and tail, a white star on her forehead, and one white front foot, lowered her head. She and Watch were sniffing noses.

  Sam’s old wagon was more like a house on wheels. “It’s not as fast or fancy as a trailer or a truck,” Sam liked to say, “but it gets me there just the same.”

  “You should have your wagon in the parade,” Benny was saying as Henry, Jessie, and Violet came up.

  “The Greenfield Founders’ Day Parade?” asked Sam. “Now that’s an idea. But if I’m not in the parade, you can be sure Susie and I will be there, selling hot chocolate and sodas and maybe even some ice cream if it’s not too cold.”

  “It’s not too cold for ice cream today, is it?” asked Benny.

  “No,” said Jessie. “We can have some. But just a little. It’s almost time for lunch.”

  “I hope our boxcar is as nice as your wagon when we have finished fixing it up for the parade,” Henry said.

  “I’m sure it will be,” said Sam, who had seen the Aldens’ boxcar before. “If I didn’t have this wagon, Susie and I would be proud to drive such a fine boxcar!”

  “It’s a beautiful wagon,” said Violet softly.

  She admired the wagon very much. A little table folded out of one wall and a little bed out of the other.

  The Aldens paid Sam for their ice cream and went back to work. They worked on the boxcar right up through lunch. After lunch they were ready to begin painting.

  They painted until dinnertime — and until they ran out of paint.

  “We’ll get some more tomorrow,” said Henry. “And I think we should get some polish for the handles and the hinges on the door of the boxcar.”

  “It looks great,” said Jessie. “But it is going to look even better!”

  Tired and pleased with all the work they’d done, the Aldens went in for dinner. They talked about Sam and Susie, and about Mr. Chessy.

  “Sam is nice,” said Violet. “But I don’t like Mr. Chessy.”

  “Well, he won’t get our boxcar,” said Jessie. “There’s nobody in the world that could get our boxcar, so don’t worry, Violet!”

  CHAPTER 5

  The Tantrum

  Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, and Soo Lee were coming out of the hardware store the next morning with more paint and supplies for the boxcar, when a voice said, “Hush, Becky. If you’re good, I’ll ask these nice children to tell you about their boxcar. Remember? You saw their picture in the newspaper this morning!”

  The Aldens turned to see a young woman holding the hand of a little girl with golden curls and blue eyes. The little girl was wearing a pink dress with a big white sash, lacy pink tights, and white shoes with silver buckles. She was wearing a pink coat that exactly matched her dress.

  “Oh! How pretty you look!” exclaimed Violet. “Just like a picture i
n a magazine.”

  “Say thank you, Becky,” said the young woman.

  Becky pushed out her lip and pouted.

  “This is Becky Jennings and I’m her baby-sitter, Martha. We saw your picture in the newspaper with the article about the parade,” Martha went on. “It was a very nice picture, wasn’t it, Becky?”

  Becky still didn’t say anything.

  “Thank you,” said Henry.

  “Becky liked your boxcar, didn’t you Becky?”

  Suddenly Becky’s face turned very red. Her eyes screwed shut. Then she began to scream!

  “I want it!” she screamed. “Mine, mine, mine! My boxcar! I want the boxcar! MINE. GIVE IT TO ME!”

  Everyone was so shocked that they didn’t know what to do.

  Becky jerked her hand out of her baby-sitter’s hand. Then she flung herself down on the ground and began to kick her heels and pound her fists in the dirt. “MINE. OOOOH!” she wailed.

  Suddenly, she didn’t look like a picture in a magazine anymore.

  Martha’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She bent over and picked Becky up. “Stop that!” she pleaded.

  Becky screamed louder. Martha turned and began to carry the screaming child away. “I’m sorry about this,” she called over her shoulder to the Aldens. “It was nice meeting you. . . .”

  As she left, the Aldens heard her say, “Becky! Stop screaming! Your father will buy you a nice, new playhouse of your own! You don’t need the boxcar! He’ll . . . he’ll buy you your own boxcar for a playhouse! You know he will. ...”

  The two disappeared around the corner as the Aldens watched. Two women who were standing nearby, and had seen the whole thing, shook their heads in disapproval, and a short man with a plaid jacket just stared after Becky and her baby-sitter.

  One of the women sniffed loudly. “Well,” she said. “Mr. Harold Jennings may be one of the richest men in Greenfield. But all that money and that fancy house on Mansion Road hasn’t given his daughter good manners!” The two women walked away.

  Jessie said, “What a spoiled girl!”