Mr. Alden said, “I haven’t picked corn for years. What else are we going to have for supper?”
Jessie answered, “Plenty of butter on the corn, hamburgers, cookies, and milk.”
“Good enough,” said Grandfather. “I’m hungry already.”
The engineer gave a loud whistle, and they all climbed back into the caboose. Everyone sat down and helped pull off the corn husks. Jessie dropped the ears into the cold water, and Henry turned on the stove.
Soon they were sitting down to supper.
“What delicious corn!” said Mr. Alden.
“It certainly is fresh,” said Benny. “Right from the field into the kettle!”
After the dishes were done, the Aldens took turns riding on the little back platform. As they sat there, Al came climbing down the ladder again.
He said, “Mr. Carr forgot to tell you that we stop at Beaver Lake at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. You will like that.”
“Why?” asked Benny.
“You always want to know why, don’t you? Well, you can watch real live beavers at work. We have to stop for an hour to load freight, and you might as well watch something interesting.”
“I should think the beavers would run away if they saw us watching them,” said Benny.
“That’s the secret,” said Al. “They won’t see you. Now don’t ask me why, young man. Just wait and see. One more thing. There is an old man who takes care of these wild beavers. He’s a strange old fellow, but he doesn’t want people to kill all the beavers. So he lives in the woods and keeps the hunters away. You may see Old Beaver, and you may not. He’s odd. Then a little later we stop at Pinedale for ice and water.”
“Thanks a lot,” said Mr. Alden. Al disappeared up the ladder.
When the stars came out, Mr. Alden said, “Our lights are not bright enough to read by. I’m going to bed.”
“I’m tired, too,” said Violet. The girls said goodnight and went into the small caboose.
Henry and Grandfather put clean sheets on the three old black mattresses, and Benny started to climb into his top bunk in the lookout. He began to laugh.
“I can hardly reach these steps with my feet,” he said. “First one side and then the other. I guess these footholds were made for a man.”
Mr. Alden and Henry watched.
“Just made it, Ben,” said Henry. “Those steps are too hard for you.”
“But I like it up here,” said Benny. “I can look out at the stars.”
He began to wonder about the postman and the beavers and the big caboose, but suddenly he fell asleep.
The caboose rattled and banged along until morning.
CHAPTER 3
Beaver Man
The train did not stop during the night. Once Benny said loudly, “I’ll tell you in the morning!”
“Morning?” Grandfather said. He woke up suddenly. “Is it morning?”
Henry whispered, “No, Grandfather. Benny’s talking in his sleep.”
When it was really morning, Benny said, “I didn’t sleep a wink last night.”
Henry laughed. He said, “Oh, no?”
“No, I didn’t,” said Benny again. “But you and Grandfather did. I heard you both snoring all night.”
“I’m sorry I kept you awake, Benny,” said Mr. Alden. He winked at Henry. “I know I do snore.”
“I could go right back to sleep,” Benny said.
“Oh, don’t do that, Benny,” called Violet. “You’ll miss the beavers. Remember we get off at Beaver Lake at nine o’clock.”
“That’s right,” agreed Benny. “I do want to see the beavers. I guess I can stay awake that long.”
After breakfast, Benny said, “I’m going to sit on the back platform until nine o’clock.”
His two sisters went with him this time. The train went through many small places without stopping. The Aldens waved at everyone they saw.
Suddenly Benny said, “Jessie, did you notice the workmen at the last station we passed? They pointed at our big caboose and began to laugh.”
“Yes,” said Jessie. “I suppose we do look funny, with three cabooses in a row.”
“But not that funny,” said Benny. “I’m sure they were pointing at the big caboose and at us.”
Violet said, “I don’t think they are pointing at us. They point to something on the caboose.”
“Right over our heads, Violet,” said Benny. “Maybe there is something on the caboose.”
They looked up, but all they could see was the number of the car, 777.
Soon they heard Mr. Carr call out, “Beaver Lake, Beaver Lake!”
They were all ready to jump down when the train stopped. Mr. Carr and Al met them at the steps.
Benny said, “Oh, I wanted to ask you about the big caboose. You said it had a history.”
Mr. Carr laughed and said, “So I did. But I haven’t time now. I can’t even go with you. I have to watch the men unload the freight. But Al can go with you.”
Al led the way. A small river went under the railroad track. They followed it. Soon they reached some thick woods. Al took them along a path. They could not see the river, but they could hear it rushing along.
Al pointed to a sign that said “Beaver Lake.” “You could go on alone,” he said, “but I like to watch the beavers myself.”
Benny said, “I suppose Old Beaver put up that sign?”
“That’s right,” said Al. “Sometimes he will come and talk. Sometimes not. This is the place where I usually meet him.”
But no one was there.
Soon there was another sign. It said “Please do not talk.”
Not even Benny said a word after that.
Then the Aldens saw something that looked like a tent. It had a long bench inside. The roof and one wall of the tent were made to look like real bushes. A sign said, “Sit down and watch. Room for six only.”
Everyone had the same thought—how lucky! There were exactly six people, counting Al.
The Aldens could look out through holes in the bushes and see the river, only now the river was a lake. Al pointed. Then everyone saw a big beaver.
The beaver was swimming along with only his head showing. When the beaver came to the round roof of his house, he stopped. Then he began to climb up. Benny noticed that the beaver was covered with mud. Soon he saw why.
The beaver climbed to the top of his house. Then he slid down and scraped off the mud. After that, the beaver climbed up the other side of the house and slapped the mud down with his tail. Then the Aldens knew that the beaver meant to do this.
Suddenly there was a loud crash in the bushes, and a tree fell with a splash into the water. Beside the stump was another beaver. It had cut the little tree down by gnawing the trunk with its sharp teeth.
The Aldens could not take their eyes off this beaver. It walked along the tree it had just cut down. Then it began to gnaw the tree in two, exactly in the middle.
Part of the tree fell into the water. When the tree was cut into two pieces, the beaver swam out and pushed the two parts together, side by side. Then he pushed them both down the lake to the dam. They were just the right length and stayed on top of the dam to keep water from spilling over.
Just then Al looked at his watch and got up to go. The rest followed. They were near the first sign when they heard something in the bushes.
“Hello, folks,” said a deep voice. They all turned around.
“Yes, I’m Old Beaver,” said the man. He had thick gray hair, and his face was almost covered with a curly gray beard. He was smiling.
Grandfather said, “You are doing a fine job saving a few beavers. They are wonderful animals.”
“Thank you,” said Old Beaver. “They are smarter than we are in some ways. May I ask how you got here?”
Grandfather laughed. “We came on the caboose of a freight train. We are having a new kind of vacation.”
“This young man seems to be having a good time,” said Old Beaver, looking at Benny.
Benny said, “Yes, I’m having a grand time. We cook and eat and sleep in the caboose. It’s Number 777.”
“What?” said Old Beaver. “Number 777?” He suddenly turned around and crashed into the woods without another word.
“What do you know!” cried Benny, staring.
“Well, what’s the matter with him?” asked Henry.
“Come on,” said Al. “He’s always been odd. We can’t bother with him.”
Grandfather said, “I should say he was odd.”
When the Aldens reached the station, they looked all over the outside of the caboose. They could not see anything strange. All they could see was the number, 777.
Violet said softly, “But Number 777 was enough to scare Old Beaver.”
When the train had started again, Mr. Alden said, “Al told us that the next station will be Pinedale. We get off there to get ice and water. Maybe someone can tell us at Pinedale about Old Beaver. And maybe they will know what is so strange about our caboose, Number 777.”
CHAPTER 4
A Strange Tale
Very soon the train slowed down at Pinedale and stopped. Six men were standing on the platform. Some of them were laughing and pointing as the Aldens got off the caboose.
Benny went up to a tall man and said, “We’d like to know what is different about our caboose. Why are the men pointing at it?”
“That’s easy, sonny,” said the man, laughing. “That caboose is the famous old Number 777. It used to be white with gold numbers. It’s a circus caboose!”
The Aldens stared at the man. A circus caboose! So this might have something to do with history and mystery!
The tall man smiled. “You’re surprised, aren’t you? I can tell you a lot more about your caboose. My name is Shaw. I’m the stationmaster.”
“I’m glad to meet you,” said Grandfather. “My name is Alden. My grandchildren are very much interested in anything you may say about our caboose.”
Just then the Aldens noticed that one of the station workmen had walked over to the big caboose. He was standing there looking at it with his head on one side. He had his hands on his hips. He wore a funny, small hat and big shoes turned up at the toes. But there was something sad about his face.
Mr. Shaw called to the workman and said, “How about it? What do you think of Number 777 in its new red dress?”
The workman drawled, “It couldn’t fool us! We’d know that caboose if we saw it in China!”
Everyone began to laugh. Nobody could help laughing. There was something about this man that was very funny. And this was strange, too, because the man looked sad.
Suddenly the workman said to Henry, “I’ll get you the ice and water that you need.”
The man turned and left quickly.
Henry started to say no, but Mr. Shaw said out of the side of his mouth, “Let him do it. I’ll tell you why later.”
When the workman was out of sight, Mr. Shaw said, “It will do that man good to help you. He hardly ever says a word. I was surprised when he offered to help you.”
Benny said, “Mr. Shaw, it’s funny about that man. He looks so sad, and yet he makes me laugh just to look at him. He ought to be a clown.”
“He was a clown,” said Mr. Shaw. “How did you ever guess? He was called Cho-Cho, and he traveled with a circus. He used to live in Pinedale before he joined the circus. That’s why we all know caboose Number 777. Cho-Cho was always on the circus train.”
“Was that a long time ago?” asked Henry.
“Yes, quite a few years ago. That circus train came this way every summer. It used the tracks of the Little North Railroad. We trainmen got to know a lot of these circus people. We saw them every year. Some of us even went to see the show in the nearest big town.”
“Why is Cho-Cho so sad now?” asked Benny.
“That’s quite a story,” said Mr. Shaw. “His wife was Chi-Chi, the high-wire artist. Her whole family was famous. Her mother was so wonderful that some king or other in Europe gave her a beautiful diamond necklace. When her mother grew old, she gave the necklace to Chi-Chi. I remember when it came. Chi-Chi showed it to everyone right on this very platform. She loved to show it because it was so beautiful. But she never wore it when she was doing tricks. She wore a cheap copy that sparkled. Then one night she fell. She slipped on the wire and was instantly killed.”
“How awful!” said Jessie and Violet.
“Yes, it was a terrible thing. It was awful for Cho-Cho. He left the circus and came to live in Pinedale again. He soon ran out of money, so he agreed to work for me around the station. He had to sell his talking horse, too.”
“Talking horse?” asked Benny.
Another man spoke up. “Yes, sir! That was a beautiful horse—a special color. Never saw a horse like him. He had four white feet and a white star on his forehead. His coat was golden brown.”
“That’s right,” said Mr. Shaw. “His tail was cream color and wavy, and it was so long it almost touched the ground.”
“He sounds wonderful,” said Violet. “How did he talk?”
“Cho-Cho asked him questions. He tossed his head for yes and shook it for no. Then he would paw with his foot to answer number questions. If Cho-Cho asked him how many were two and one, the horse pawed three times. At the end of the act, Cho-Cho always said, ‘What do you want to do now, Major?’ and the horse would lie down and shut his eyes.”
“What a pity he had to sell that horse,” said Grandfather. “Do you know who bought him?”
“Oh, yes. A man named John Cutler bought him to amuse his children. The Cutlers live in Glass Factory Junction. That is the next station. They live about a mile from the station through the woods.”
“Oh, I’d love to see that horse,” said Benny.
“Well, you can. If you can walk a mile and back.”
Mr. Alden said, “If Cho-Cho owned the diamond necklace, I don’t see why he didn’t sell it. Maybe he could have kept the horse.”
“Oh, the necklace was lost,” said Mr. Shaw. “Chi-Chi always hid it when she wasn’t wearing it. She would never tell anyone where it was, not even Cho-Cho.”
Benny shouted, “Maybe she hid it in our caboose!”
“No, not likely,” said Mr. Shaw. “The police looked through every car in that circus train, but they never found it. Anyway, Chi-Chi never lived in that caboose.”
Another man said, “She spent a lot of time there, though.”
“Yes, she did,” agreed Mr. Shaw. “The owner’s wife lived in Number 777, and she made a great friend of Chi-Chi. They fixed up that caboose with lace curtains and everything. Look! Here comes Cho-Cho. See if you can get him to tell you the rest. It will do him good to talk.”
The Aldens watched Cho-Cho as he came back with two pails of water and ice on a truck.
Before anyone could stop Benny, he ran up to the old clown.
“Mr. Cho-Cho,” Benny said, “Mr. Shaw has been telling us about you. He told us about your wife’s diamond necklace. Do you think someone could have stolen it?”
For a minute Cho-Cho did not say anything. It looked as if he were going to turn and run away. Then he said in almost a whisper, “Yes, boy, I think the Thin Man stole it.”
“And who was the Thin Man?” asked Henry.
“He was my friend. He had a sideshow in the circus with me.”
“What makes you think he stole the diamonds?” asked Henry.
“Well, one day Chi-Chi was showing the diamonds to everybody. I saw her give them to the Thin Man, but I never saw him give them back. He said he did, but Chi-Chi was dead then, and nobody else saw anything at all. At first I believed my friend.”
“Did you get the police?” asked Benny.
“Oh, yes. We had a terrible time! Everybody was upset. The police believed that the Thin Man stole the necklace. And at last I believed it myself.”
“Why?” asked Benny.
“The next day the Thin Man disappeared.”
Mr. Alden nodded. “
That does look bad for poor Mr. Thin Man.”
Jessie said, “I should think it would be easy for the police to find him if he were really very thin.”
“Oh, he was thin, all right! You could see his bones. He had a long black beard down to his waist.”
“Of course he could cut that off,” said Henry.
“Yes, that is the first thing he would do. The police had men on the lookout for miles and miles. But nobody ever found a single sign of the Thin Man.”
Mr. Shaw said, “Let me tell them about the Thin Man’s best friend. He lives at Beaver Lake. He was so angry at everybody that he can’t bear to hear anything about Number 777, even to this day. He’s an odd fellow and is taking care of some wild beavers at Beaver Lake.”
“Oh, oh! We know him,” shouted Benny. “And he was really angry when he heard we came from Number 777.”
Mr. Shaw nodded. “He would be. The people in that caboose made his best friend run away. Old Beaver never believed that the Thin Man stole the diamonds.”
“Here’s another thing,” said Henry. “Do you know anything about a big postman named Sid Weston who came to this train with a letter for Mr. Carr?”
“No, I never heard of him. Why?”
“Well, he wanted to look around in our big caboose, but Mr. Carr said there wasn’t time. Why do you suppose he wanted to do that?”
Cho-Cho threw his hands up in the air. “Maybe he is interested in trains. Lots of people come to take pictures of the cars on this old railroad.”
Benny said, “I want to see your horse, Cho-Cho, if he is at Glass Factory Junction.”
“I’m sorry, Benny. We can’t take time,” said Grandfather. “We want to see the glass.”
Benny said, “But I’d rather see the talking horse.”
Jessie said, “Oh, Benny, glassmaking is so interesting. You never saw anyone blow glass, did you?”
“No,” said Benny, “and I never saw a talking horse either.”
Mr. Shaw laughed. “You girls will like the glass. There are pieces of broken glass all over the place. You can pick them up and have them polished.”
“What colors are they?” asked Violet.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries Box Set Page 66