gathered.
Suddenly Benny stopped Violet and said, “Look over there! Frank’s wrong. Here they come.”
“Who? Where?” Violet asked.
“Jud and Troy! They’re locking their bikes up at the rack over there.”
“Do you think they rode into Oakdale from Plainville Junction?” Violet asked. “That’s a long ride.”
“It is,” Benny agreed. “I guess they really wanted to get here. I hope they aren’t going to start any trouble. It would be easy to get this crowd angry.”
Then Benny heard a voice he knew. It was Troy’s. He was with Jud.
Troy was saying, “We couldn’t leave until Dad was gone. And if we walk into the meeting after it has started, everyone will stare at us.”
“You don’t see Dad outside, do you?” Jud asked. “How about his friends?” He sounded worried. Then he saw the Aldens.
“Look who’s here!” he exclaimed. “Did you forget something again?”
“Yeah, you’re outsiders. What are you doing here?” Troy asked.
“We’re with Frank,” Benny said. He didn’t see why he had to explain anything to these boys.
“With Frank?” Jud asked. He looked around then and saw Frank and the other Aldens coming into the building, too.
“Who’s that with you?” Troy asked.
“That’s my grandfather,” Benny answered. “He has some ideas that can help save the river.”
“He does?” Troy asked, surprised. “Do you think my dad will listen?”
“Boy, I wish he would,” Jud said. “I really wish he would.”
“We’ve tried everything we can think of,” Troy said. “Dad says there isn’t anything he can do. He doesn’t want the river spoiled. But he thinks he can’t do anything about it.”
The town meeting was about to begin. The last people who had been standing outside were beginning to come in.
“Come on,” Jud said to his brother, “I don’t want Frank to see us. Let’s slip in and get some seats where Dad won’t see us.”
The boys disappeared, leaving Benny standing there. He saw his family and Frank starting toward the hall entrance.
Still Benny stood in the one spot. He was putting a lot of ideas together. Who was Jud and Troy’s father? Benny thought he knew—should he tell the others? Maybe not. They’d find out soon enough, he felt.
Inside the hall, chairs were set up in rows. There was an aisle down the middle. A long table at the front was for the township officers.
All Mr. Pickett’s friends and workers sat together on one side. The persons who wanted to save the river filled the seats on the other side of the aisle. Up in front, the township officers took their places.
The big clock showed exactly eight o’clock. The crowd grew quiet as the moderator called the meeting to order. He explained why everyone had been asked to come. He said he hoped some way could be found to save the river. He asked everyone to take turns in speaking.
First, Mr. Pickett stood up to tell how his new factory helped Plainview Township. He pointed out that people needed jobs. He believed workers needed something useful, like good paint, to make. When he said Pickett’s Perfect Paint was the best, some of the people behind him clapped.
The moderator said, “Let’s hear from that lady from Oakdale.”
The woman rose and said, “We need new factories. We need work so that people can buy things at our stores. But we don’t want our river spoiled. People are important. So is nature. Isn’t there some way we can have jobs and save the river too?”
Men and women on both sides of the hall clapped.
Benny twisted around to see if he could find Jud and Troy in the audience. He finally saw them sitting toward the back. They had slid down in their seats as if they didn’t want anyone to recognize them. Benny didn’t blame them. Not if his guess was right.
A man who introduced himself as a teacher spoke next. He told how the river had changed since the factory had been built.
“Mr. Pickett may make good paint, but he is ruining our river,” he
Suddenly Benny stopped Violet and said, “Look over there! Frank’s wrong. Here they come.”
“Who? Where?” Violet asked.
“Jud and Troy! They’re locking their bikes up at the rack over there.”
“Do you think they rode into Oakdale from Plainville Junction?” Violet asked. “That’s a long ride.”
“It is,” Benny agreed. “I guess they really wanted to get here. I hope they aren’t going to start any trouble. It would be easy to get this crowd angry.”
Then Benny heard a voice he knew. It was Troy’s. He was with Jud.
Troy was saying, “We couldn’t leave until Dad was gone. And if we walk into the meeting after it has started, everyone will stare at us.”
“You don’t see Dad outside, do you?” Jud asked. “How about his friends?” He sounded worried. Then he saw the Aldens.
“Look who’s here!” he exclaimed. “Did you forget something again?”
“Yeah, you’re outsiders. What are you doing here?” Troy asked.
“We’re with Frank,” Benny said. He didn’t see why he had to explain anything to these boys.
“With Frank?” Jud asked. He looked around then and saw Frank and the other Aldens coming into the building, too.
“Who’s that with you?” Troy asked.
“That’s my grandfather,” Benny answered. “He has some ideas that can help save the river.”
“He does?” Troy asked, surprised. “Do you think my dad will listen?”
“Boy, I wish he would,” Jud said. “I really wish he would.”
“We’ve tried everything we can think of,” Troy said. “Dad says there isn’t anything he can do. He doesn’t want the river spoiled. But he thinks he can’t do anything about it.”
The town meeting was about to begin. The last people who had been standing outside were beginning to come in.
“Come on,” Jud said to his brother, “I don’t want Frank to see us. Let’s slip in and get some seats where Dad won’t see us.”
The boys disappeared, leaving Benny standing there. He saw his family and Frank starting toward the hall entrance.
Still Benny stood in the one spot. He was putting a lot of ideas together. Who was Jud and Troy’s father? Benny thought he knew—should he tell the others? Maybe not. They’d find out soon enough, he felt.
Inside the hall, chairs were set up in rows. There was an aisle down the middle. A long table at the front was for the township officers.
All Mr. Pickett’s friends and workers sat together on one side. The persons who wanted to save the river filled the seats on the other side of the aisle. Up in front, the township officers took their places.
The big clock showed exactly eight o’clock. The crowd grew quiet as the moderator called the meeting to order. He explained why everyone had been asked to come. He said he hoped some way could be found to save the river. He asked everyone to take turns in speaking.
First, Mr. Pickett stood up to tell how his new factory helped Plainview Township. He pointed out that people needed jobs. He believed workers needed something useful, like good paint, to make. When he said Pickett’s Perfect Paint was the best, some of the people behind him clapped.
The moderator said, “Let’s hear from that lady from Oakdale.”
The woman rose and said, “We need new factories. We need work so that people can buy things at our stores. But we don’t want our river spoiled. People are important. So is nature. Isn’t there some way we can have jobs and save the river too?”
Men and women on both sides of the hall clapped.
Benny twisted around to see if he could find Jud and Troy in the audience. He finally saw them sitting toward the back. They had slid down in their seats as if they didn’t want anyone to recognize them. Benny didn’t blame them. Not if his guess was right.
A man who introduced himself as a teacher spoke next. He told how the river had changed since the factory had been built.
“Mr. Pickett may make good paint, but he is ruining our river,” he
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