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01 - The Box Car Children - Gertrude Warner · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter one, The Flight. About seven o'clock one hot summer evening,
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  Speaker 1: a strange family moved into the little village of Middlesex.
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  Speaker 1: Nobody knew where they came from or who they were,
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  Speaker 1: but the neighbors soon made up their minds what they
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  Speaker 1: thought of the strangers. For the father was very drunk.
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  Speaker 1: He could hardly walk up the rickety front steps of
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  Speaker 1: the old tumble down house, and his thirteen year old
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  Speaker 1: son had to help him. Toward eight o'clock, a pretty
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  Speaker 1: capable looking girl of twelve came out of the house
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  Speaker 1: and bought a loaf of bread at the baker's, and
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  Speaker 1: that was all the villagers learned about the newcomers that night.
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  Speaker 1: There are four children, said the bake shop woman to
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  Speaker 1: her husband the next day, and their mother is dead.
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  Speaker 1: They must have some money, for the girl paid for
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  Speaker 1: the bread with a dollar bill. Make them pay for
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  Speaker 1: everything they get, growled the baker, who was a hard man.
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  Speaker 1: The father is nearly dead with drink now, and soon
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  Speaker 1: they will be only beggars. This happened sooner than he thought.
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  Speaker 1: The next day, the oldest boy and girl came to
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  Speaker 1: ask the bake shop woman to come over. Their father
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  Speaker 1: was dead. She went over willingly enough for some one
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  Speaker 1: had to go, but it was clear that she did
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  Speaker 1: not expect to be bothered with four strange children, with
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  Speaker 1: the bakery on her hands and two children of her own.
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  Speaker 1: Haven't you any other folks, she asked the children. We
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  Speaker 1: have a grandfather in Greenfield, spoke up the youngest child,
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  Speaker 1: before his sister could clap her hand over his mouth. Hush, benny,
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  Speaker 1: she said anxiously. This made the bake shop woman suspicious.
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  Speaker 1: What's the matter with your grandfather, she asked. He doesn't
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  Speaker 1: like us, replied the oldest boy reluctantly. He didn't want
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  Speaker 1: my father to marry my mother, and if he found us,
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  Speaker 1: he would treat it cruelly. Did you ever see him,
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  Speaker 1: Jess as once she saw him, well, did he treat
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  Speaker 1: you cruelly? Asked the woman, turning upon Jess. Oh he
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  Speaker 1: didn't see me, replied Jess. He was just passing through
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  Speaker 1: our where we used to live, and my father pointed
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  Speaker 1: him out to me. Where did you used to live?
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  Speaker 1: Went on the questioner, but none of the children could
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  Speaker 1: be made to tell. We will get along all right alone,
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  Speaker 1: won't we, Henry, declared Jess. Indeed we will, said Henry,
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  Speaker 1: I will stay in the house with you tonight, said
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  Speaker 1: the woman. At last, and tomorrow we will see what
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  Speaker 1: can be done. The four children went to bed in
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  Speaker 1: the kitchen and gave the visitor the only other bed
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  Speaker 1: in the house. They knew that she did not at
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  Speaker 1: once go to bed, but sat by the window in
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  Speaker 1: the dark. Suddenly they heard her talking to her husband
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  Speaker 1: through the open window. They must go to their grandfather,
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  Speaker 1: that's certain, Jess heard her say. Of course, agreed her husband. Tomorrow,
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  Speaker 1: we will make them tell us what his name is.
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  Speaker 1: Soon after that, Jess and Henry heard her snoring heavily.
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  Speaker 1: They sat up in the dark. Mustn't we surely run away,
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  Speaker 1: whispered Jess in Henry's ear. Yes, whispered Henry. Take only
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  Speaker 1: what we need most. We must be far off before morning,
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  Speaker 1: or they will catch us. Jess sat still for a moment, thinking,
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  Speaker 1: for every motion she made must count. I will take
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  Speaker 1: both loaves of bread, she thought, and Violet's little work bag.
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  Speaker 1: Henry has his knife, and all father's money is in
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  Speaker 1: my pocket. She drew it out and counted it in
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  Speaker 1: the dark, squinting her eyes in the faint light of
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  Speaker 1: the moon. It amounted to nearly four dollars. You'll have
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  Speaker 1: to carry Benny until he gets waked up, whispered Jess.
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  Speaker 1: If we wake him up here he might cry. She
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  Speaker 1: touched Violet a shites spoke, sh Violet. Come, We're going
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  Speaker 1: to run away, she whispered. The little girl made no sound.
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  Speaker 1: She sat up obediently and tried to make out the
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  Speaker 1: dim shadow of her sister. What shall I do, she asked,
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  Speaker 1: Light as a breath. Carry this, said Jess, handing her
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  Speaker 1: the work bag and a box of matches. Jess tiptoed
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  Speaker 1: over to the tin box on the table, drew out
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  Speaker 1: the two loaves of bread and slipped them into the
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  Speaker 1: laundry bag. She peered around the room for the last time,
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  Speaker 1: and then dropped two small clean towels and a cake
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  Speaker 1: of soap into the bag. All right, pick him up,
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  Speaker 1: she said to Henry. Henry bent over the sleeping child
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  Speaker 1: and lifted him carefully. Jess took the laundry bag, turned
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  Speaker 1: the door knob ever so softly, opened the door, ever
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  Speaker 1: so slowly, and they tiptoed out in a ghostly procession.
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  Speaker 1: Jess shut the door with as much care as she
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  Speaker 1: had opened it, listened to the bake shop woman's heavy
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  Speaker 1: snoring for a moment, and then they turned and picked
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  Speaker 1: their way without a sound, to the country road. She
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  Speaker 1: may wake up before morning, you know, whispered Henry. We
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  Speaker 1: must do our fastest walking before then. If we can
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  Speaker 1: only get to another town before they find out we're gone,
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  Speaker 1: they won't know which way to go. Jess agreed, and
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  Speaker 1: they all walked briskly along in the faint moonlight. How
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  Speaker 1: far can you carry Benny, asked Violet. Oh, at least
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  Speaker 1: a mile, said Henry confidently, although his arms were beginning
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  Speaker 1: to ache. Benny was five years old, and he was
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  Speaker 1: a fat, healthy boy as well. I think we could
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  Speaker 1: all walk faster if we woke him up, said Jess. Decidedly.
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  Speaker 1: We could each take his hand and almost carry him along.
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  Speaker 1: Henry knelt down by the roadside and set the little
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  Speaker 1: fellow against his knee. Come, Benny, you must wake up
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  Speaker 1: now and walk, said Jess, coaxingly. Go away. Benny mumbled
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  Speaker 1: with his eyes shut, trying to lie down again. Let
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  Speaker 1: me try, Violet offered softly. Say, Benny, you know, little
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  Speaker 1: cinnamon bear ran away to find a nice warm bed
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  Speaker 1: for the winter. Now you play your cinnamon and Henry
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  Speaker 1: and Jess will help you along and we'll find a bed.
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  Speaker 1: Violet's little plan worked. Benny was never too cross to
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  Speaker 1: listen to the wonderful stories his sister Violet could tell
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  Speaker 1: about Cinnamon Bear. He stood up bravely and marched along, yawning,
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  Speaker 1: while his big brother and sister almost swung him between them.
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  Speaker 1: Not a soul passed them on the country road. All
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  Speaker 1: the houses they saw were dark and still, and when
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  Speaker 1: the first faint streaks of morning light showed in the sky,
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  Speaker 1: all four children were almost staggering with sleep. I must
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  Speaker 1: go to sleep, Henry, Jess. At last, little Benny was
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  Speaker 1: asleep already, and Henry was carrying him again. The first
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  Speaker 1: place we come to, then, panted Henry. Violet said nothing,
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  Speaker 1: but she kept her eyes open. Finally she caught Henry's sleeve.
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  Speaker 1: Couldn't we make that haystack, do, she asked, pointing across
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  Speaker 1: a newly mowned field. Indeed we could, said Henry, thankfully.
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  Speaker 1: What a big enormous one it is. I was too
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  Speaker 1: sleepy to see it, I guess, and see how far
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  Speaker 1: are we from the farmhouse and barn? It is too,
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  Speaker 1: echoed Jess. The sight gave them new courage. They climbed
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  Speaker 1: over two stone walls, got across a brook somehow with
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  Speaker 1: a heavy child, and arrived at the haystack. Henry laid
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  Speaker 1: his brother down and stretched his aching arms while Jess
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  Speaker 1: began to burrow into the haystack. Violet, after a moment
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  Speaker 1: of watching her, did the same. Here's his nest, said Jess, sleepily,
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  Speaker 1: taking her head out of the deep round hole she
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  Speaker 1: had made. Henry lifted the child into the opening and
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  Speaker 1: was pleased to see that he curled up instantly, smiling
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  Speaker 1: in his sleep. Jess pulled wisps of hay over the
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  Speaker 1: opening so that it was absolutely invisible, and then proceeded
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  Speaker 1: to dig out a similar burrow for herself. We can
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  Speaker 1: stay here, Jest, as long as we like, can't we, Henry,
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  Speaker 1: she murmured, digging with her eyes shut. We sure can,
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  Speaker 1: replied Henry, you're an old brick, Jess, Get in and
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  Speaker 1: I'll pull the hay over the hole. Violet was already
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  Speaker 1: curled up in her nest, which was hidden so completely
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  Speaker 1: that Henry spoke to her to see if she were there.
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  Speaker 1: Then he wriggled himself backward into the haycock, without stopping
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  Speaker 1: to hollow it out, pulled a handful of hay over
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  Speaker 1: his head, and laid his head on his arm. Just
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  Speaker 1: as he did so, he heard a heavy voice say, now, then, lass,
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  Speaker 1: get along. Then he heard the rumble of a milk
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  Speaker 1: wagon coming down a near by lane, and he realized,
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  Speaker 1: thankfully that they had hidden themselves just before the first
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  Speaker 1: farmer in the neighborhood had set off toward Middlesex with
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  Speaker 1: his milk cans. He will say he didn't meet us
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  Speaker 1: coming this way, thought Henry. So they will hunt for
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  Speaker 1: us the other way, and that will give us time
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  Speaker 1: to cover a lot more ground. He dropped asleep just
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  Speaker 1: as the roosters all over the valley began to answer
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  Speaker 1: each other. End of Chapter one