Latest / Classic Adventure Books Collection / 13 - The Box Car Children - Gertrude Warner

Transcript

13 - The Box Car Children - Gertrude Warner · Classic Adventure Books Collection

• 0:00
  Chapter thirteen, Trouble. The days went merrily by for the freight car family.
• 0:08
  Hardly a day passed, however, without some exciting adventure. Missus mc
• 0:13
  allister, finding out in some way that Violet was a clever seamstress, sent
• 0:18
  home fine linen handkerchiefs for her to hem. Each one had a tiny colored
• 0:23
  rose in the corner, and Violet was delighted with the dainty work. She
• 0:28
  sat sewing daily by the swimming pool, while Benny sailed wonderful boats of chips
• 0:34
  and waded around to his heart's content. The freight car pantry now held marvelous
• 0:39
  dishes rescued from the dump, such rarities as a regular bread knife, a
• 0:45
  blue and gold soap dish, and half of a real cut glass bowl.
• 0:50
  Henry proudly deposited thirty one dollars in the savings bank under the name of Henry
• 0:56
  James, and worked eagerly for his kind friend, who you never asked him
• 1:00
  any more embarrassing questions. Benny actually learned to read fairly well. The girls
• 1:07
  occupied their time making balsam pillows for the four beds and trying to devise wonderful
• 1:12
  meals out of very little material. Violet kept a different bouquet daily in the
• 1:17
  little vase. She had a perfect genius for arranging three purple irises to look
• 1:23
  like a picture, or a single wood lily with its leaves like a Japanese
• 1:27
  print. Each day the children enjoyed a cooked dinner, filling in the chinks
• 1:34
  with perfect satisfaction, with bread and butter, or bread and milk, or
• 1:38
  bread and cheese. They named their queer House home for Tramps, and printed
• 1:45
  this title in fancy lettering inside the car. One day, Jess began to
• 1:49
  teach Benny a little arithmetic. He learned very readily that two and one make
• 1:56
  three. I knew that before, he said, cheerfully. But it was
• 2:00
  a different matter when Jess proposed to him that to minus one left one.
• 2:06
  No, it does not left one, said Benny indignantly. It left two?
• 2:13
  Why, Benny, cried Jess in astonishment. Supposing you had two apples
• 2:17
  and I took one away, wouldn't you have one left? You? Never?
• 2:23
  Would, objected Benny with confidence. No, But supposing Watch took one,
• 2:28
  suggested Jess, Watch, you wouldn't take one, neither, said Benny,
• 2:32
  would you? Doggy? Watch opened one eye and wagged his tail.
• 2:38
  Jess looked at Violet in despair. What shall I do with him? She
• 2:43
  asked. Violet took out her chalk and printed clearly on the outside of the
• 2:47
  freight car the following example two minus one equals Now, Benny, don't you
• 2:55
  see? She began that if you have two things and some but he takes
• 3:00
  away one, that you must have one left. I'll show you myself,
• 3:06
  agreed Benny. Finally, with resignation. Now see the two. He actually
• 3:10
  made a respectable figure too on the freight car. Now he's a nice one.
• 3:16
  Now, s'posen, I take away the one, don't you see?
• 3:23
  The two's left right on the car. He covered the figure one with his
• 3:27
  chubby hand and looked about at his audience expectantly. Jess rolled over against the
• 3:34
  tree trunk and laughed till she nearly cried. Violet laughed until she really did
• 3:39
  cry, And here we come to the first unpleasant incident in the story of
• 3:46
  the Runaway Children. Violet could not stop crying, apparently, and Jess soon
• 3:52
  made up her mind that she was really ill. She helped her carefully into
• 3:55
  the car and heaped all the pine needles around and under her, making her
• 4:00
  the softest bed she could. Then she wet cloths in the cool water of
• 4:05
  the brook and laid them across her little sister's hot forehead. How glad I
• 4:11
  am that it is time for Henry to come, she said to herself,
• 4:15
  holding Violet's slender brown hands and her cool ones. Henry came promptly at the
• 4:19
  usual time. He thought she had a cold, he said, and this
• 4:24
  seemed likely, for Violet began to cough gently while the rest ate a hasty
• 4:29
  supper. We don't want to let her go to a hospital if we can
• 4:32
  possibly help it, said Henry, more trouble than he cared to show.
• 4:39
  If she goes there, we'll have to give her name, and then grandfather
• 4:42
  will find us. Surely, Jess agreed, and together the two older children
• 4:47
  kept changing the cool cloths on Violet's aching head. But about ten o'clock that
• 4:54
  night, Violet had a chill. She shivered and shook, and her teeth
• 4:59
  chattered so that Jess could plainly hear them. Apparently nothing could warm the little
• 5:03
  girl, although she was completely packed in hay and pine needles. I'm going
• 5:10
  down to doctor mc allister's, said Henry quietly. I'm afraid Violet is very
• 5:14
  ill. Nobody ever knew how fast he ran down the hill. Even in
• 5:19
  his famous race, Henry hardly touched his present speed. He was so thoroughly
• 5:26
  frightened that he never stopped to notice how quickly the doctor seemed to understand what
• 5:30
  was wanted. He did not even notice that he did not have to tell
• 5:32
  the doctor which way to drive his car in order to reach the hill.
• 5:38
  When the car reached the road at the base of the hill, doctor mc
• 5:41
  allister said shortly, stay here in the car, and disappeared up the hill
• 5:46
  alone. When the doctor returned, he was carrying Violet in his arms.
• 5:51
  Jess and Benny and Watch were following closely. Nobody spoke during the drive to
• 5:57
  the McAllister house as they flew through the darkness. When they stopped at last,
• 6:01
  the doctor said three words to his mother, who opened the door anxiously.
• 6:06
  The three words were pneumonia. I'm afraid they all heard it. Irish
• 6:14
  Mary appeared from the kitchen with hot water bottles and warm blankets, and missus
• 6:18
  McAllister flew around, opening beds and bringing pillows. A trained nurse in a
• 6:24
  white dress appeared like magic from nowhere in particular. They all worked as best
• 6:29
  they could to get the sick child warmed up. Soon the hot blankets,
• 6:33
  hot water, and steaming drinks began to take effect and the shivering stopped.
• 6:41
  Missus McAllister left the sick room then to attend to the other children. Henry
• 6:46
  and Benny were left in a large spare room with a double bed. Jess
• 6:50
  was put in a little dressing room just out of Missus McAllister's own room.
• 6:55
  Upon receiving assurances that Violet was warm again, they went to sleep. But
• 7:01
  Violet was not out of danger, for she soon grew as hot as she
• 7:06
  had been cold, and the doctor never left her side until ten o'clock the
• 7:11
  next morning. Violet, although very ill, did not have pneumonia. At
• 7:17
  about nine o'clock the doctor had a visitor. It was a man who said
• 7:21
  he would wait. He did wait in the cool front parlor for over half
• 7:26
  an hour. Then Benny drifted in. Where is the doctor asked the man,
• 7:31
  sharply, of Benny. He's n upstairs, answered Benny readily. This
• 7:36
  means a lot of money to him, if he only knew it, said
• 7:40
  the visitor impatiently. Oh, that wouldn't make any difference, Benny replied with
• 7:45
  great assurance as he started to go out again. But the man caught him.
• 7:49
  What do you mean by that, sonny, he asked curiously. What's
• 7:54
  he doing? He's taking care of my sister Violet. She's and you mean
• 8:01
  he wouldn't leave her even if I gave him a lot of money. Yes,
• 8:05
  that's it, said Benny politely, That's what I mean. The visitor
• 8:09
  seemed to restrain his impatience with a great effort. You see, I've lost
• 8:16
  a little boy somewhere, he said. The doctor knows where he is.
• 8:18
  I think he would be about as old as you are. Well, if
• 8:22
  you don't find him, you can have me. I shouldn't, wonder,
• 8:26
  observed Benny comfortingly. I like you, you do, said the man in
• 8:31
  surprise. That's because you've got such a nice soft suit on, explained Benny,
• 8:37
  stroking the man's knee gently. The gentleman laughed heartily. No, I
• 8:43
  guess it's because you have such a nice soft laugh, said Benny, changing
• 8:48
  his mind. The fact was that Benny himself did not know why he liked
• 8:52
  this stranger, who was so gruff at times and so pleasant at others.
• 8:58
  He finally accepted the man's invitation and climbed into his lap to see his dog's
• 9:03
  picture in his watch, feeling of the nice soft suit down the way.
• 9:07
  The doctor found him there when he came down at ten o'clock. Better go
• 9:11
  and find Watch, Benny, suggested the doctor. Perhaps some day I'll come
• 9:16
  again, observed Benny to his new friend. I like your dog, and
• 9:22
  I'm sorry he's dead. With that, he scampered off to find Watch,
• 9:26
  who was very much alive. I expected you, mister Cordyce, said the
• 9:31
  doctor, smiling. Only not quite so soon. I came the moment I
• 9:35
  heard your name hinted at, said James Cordyce. My chauffeur heard two workmen
• 9:39
  say that you knew where my four grand children were. That's all I waited
• 9:43
  to hear. Is it true? And where are they? That was one
• 9:48
  of them, said the doctor quietly. That was one of them, repeated
• 9:52
  the man. That beautiful little boy, Yes he is beautiful, assented doctor
• 9:58
  mc allister. They all are, the only trouble is they're all frightened to
• 10:03
  death to think of your finding them. How do you know that, asked
• 10:07
  mister Cordyce, sharply. They've changed their name, at least the older boy
• 10:11
  did in public too. What did he change it to? Doctor mc allister
• 10:18
  watched his visitor's face closely while he pronounced the name clearly, Henry James.
• 10:24
  A flood of recollections passed over the man's face, and he flushed deeply.
• 10:31
  That boy, he exclaimed, that wonderful running boy. Then events began to
• 10:37
  move along rapidly. End of Chapter thirteen.