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

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