that belongs to someone else. We’ll get you a new one.” Becky stared at her father. Then she nodded slowly and put her head against his shoulder.
Smiling and looking a little relieved, Mr. Jennings said, “Why don’t you come into the house for milk and cookies until Mr. Winters gets here?”
“And then we will have a big surprise for Mr. Winters,” said Jessie. “A very big surprise!”
“Shhh,” whispered Henry. “I hear voices.” The Aldens had had milk and cookies with Mr. Jennings, Becky, and Martha. Then Becky had gone with Martha to take a nap while the Aldens went back outside. Now they were sitting inside their boxcar behind the almostclosed door.
“. . . not entirely satisfied with this boxcar,” they heard Mr. Jennings say.
Mr. Winters’ voice said nervously, “Why? It’s in very good condition. I fixed it up myself.”
“No, he didn’t,” whispered Benny, outraged. “ We did!”
“It’s not the condition of the boxcar,” said Mr. Jennings. “It’s what I found inside!” With that he pulled the door of the boxcar open and the Aldens jumped out!
Mr. Winters took a step back. “No!” he cried in amazement. “It can’t be you!”
“But it is,” said Henry. “You stole our boxcar and we can prove it!”
“I didn’t,” said Mr. Winters. “Honestly I didn’t.”
“Then how do you explain having a boxcar that belongs to these children?” asked Mr. Jennings.
“And how do you explain telling Mr. Jennings that our dog Watch was your dog?” demanded Jessie.
Mr. Winters rubbed his hands together nervously. He licked his lips. His eyes darted from side to side. He looked over his shoulder as if he wanted to run away, so Henry grabbed his arm firmly.
“Well?” asked Jessie.
At last Mr. Winters spoke. “Okay, okay, I took your old boxcar. I needed the money, see? I was desperate. I’d just lost my job — ”
“We know about that,” said Henry. “You were fired for being dishonest!”
Mr. Winters pretended not to notice what Henry had said. He went on, “And I remembered hearing the little girl scream in the street that day that she wanted your boxcar. I happened to be passing by on my way back to the office. I heard her, and that’s how I found out about your boxcar. I didn’t read about it in the paper.”
Mr. Winters sighed. “Even then, I knew that the senator didn’t think I was doing a good job. I thought if I could get the boxcar, she’d change her mind. But I didn’t get the boxcar and then she fired me anyway.”
“That’s not our fault,” said Jessie indignantly.
Again Mr. Winters pretended not to hear. “When I got fired, I remembered that someone else wanted your boxcar. Someone who could afford to pay me a lot of money for it. So I thought, Why not take it? You didn’t need it. And I needed the money.”
“You stole our boxcar!” cried Benny.
“I came in the night with a truck that I rented. The dog was inside and began to bark so I slammed the door shut. I couldn’t let him out. He would have given me away. I hooked the boxcar to the truck and hauled it away. Then I brought it here, and sold it to Mr. Jennings.”
Mr. Winters took a deep breath. “That’s all,” said Mr. Winters. “That’s the whole story.”
Mr. Jennings looked at the Aldens. “I will arrange to have your boxcar, and all your belongings that were in it, moved back to your home immediately,” he said. “What do you want me to do about Mr. Winters?”
“I think you should call the police,” said Henry. “He stole our dog and our boxcar.”
“But it wasn’t my fault,” said Mr. Winters. “It was Senator Teacher’s fault for firing me.”
“It was not!” said Violet firmly.
Mr. Jennings said, “I’ll see to it that the police take care of Mr. Winters . . . but first, let’s see about getting your boxcar safely home!”
“Hooray!” cried Benny. “Hooray! Our boxcar is going home!”
CHAPTER 10
The Parade
S mile!” said Grandfather
Smiling and looking a little relieved, Mr. Jennings said, “Why don’t you come into the house for milk and cookies until Mr. Winters gets here?”
“And then we will have a big surprise for Mr. Winters,” said Jessie. “A very big surprise!”
“Shhh,” whispered Henry. “I hear voices.” The Aldens had had milk and cookies with Mr. Jennings, Becky, and Martha. Then Becky had gone with Martha to take a nap while the Aldens went back outside. Now they were sitting inside their boxcar behind the almostclosed door.
“. . . not entirely satisfied with this boxcar,” they heard Mr. Jennings say.
Mr. Winters’ voice said nervously, “Why? It’s in very good condition. I fixed it up myself.”
“No, he didn’t,” whispered Benny, outraged. “ We did!”
“It’s not the condition of the boxcar,” said Mr. Jennings. “It’s what I found inside!” With that he pulled the door of the boxcar open and the Aldens jumped out!
Mr. Winters took a step back. “No!” he cried in amazement. “It can’t be you!”
“But it is,” said Henry. “You stole our boxcar and we can prove it!”
“I didn’t,” said Mr. Winters. “Honestly I didn’t.”
“Then how do you explain having a boxcar that belongs to these children?” asked Mr. Jennings.
“And how do you explain telling Mr. Jennings that our dog Watch was your dog?” demanded Jessie.
Mr. Winters rubbed his hands together nervously. He licked his lips. His eyes darted from side to side. He looked over his shoulder as if he wanted to run away, so Henry grabbed his arm firmly.
“Well?” asked Jessie.
At last Mr. Winters spoke. “Okay, okay, I took your old boxcar. I needed the money, see? I was desperate. I’d just lost my job — ”
“We know about that,” said Henry. “You were fired for being dishonest!”
Mr. Winters pretended not to notice what Henry had said. He went on, “And I remembered hearing the little girl scream in the street that day that she wanted your boxcar. I happened to be passing by on my way back to the office. I heard her, and that’s how I found out about your boxcar. I didn’t read about it in the paper.”
Mr. Winters sighed. “Even then, I knew that the senator didn’t think I was doing a good job. I thought if I could get the boxcar, she’d change her mind. But I didn’t get the boxcar and then she fired me anyway.”
“That’s not our fault,” said Jessie indignantly.
Again Mr. Winters pretended not to hear. “When I got fired, I remembered that someone else wanted your boxcar. Someone who could afford to pay me a lot of money for it. So I thought, Why not take it? You didn’t need it. And I needed the money.”
“You stole our boxcar!” cried Benny.
“I came in the night with a truck that I rented. The dog was inside and began to bark so I slammed the door shut. I couldn’t let him out. He would have given me away. I hooked the boxcar to the truck and hauled it away. Then I brought it here, and sold it to Mr. Jennings.”
Mr. Winters took a deep breath. “That’s all,” said Mr. Winters. “That’s the whole story.”
Mr. Jennings looked at the Aldens. “I will arrange to have your boxcar, and all your belongings that were in it, moved back to your home immediately,” he said. “What do you want me to do about Mr. Winters?”
“I think you should call the police,” said Henry. “He stole our dog and our boxcar.”
“But it wasn’t my fault,” said Mr. Winters. “It was Senator Teacher’s fault for firing me.”
“It was not!” said Violet firmly.
Mr. Jennings said, “I’ll see to it that the police take care of Mr. Winters . . . but first, let’s see about getting your boxcar safely home!”
“Hooray!” cried Benny. “Hooray! Our boxcar is going home!”
CHAPTER 10
The Parade
S mile!” said Grandfather
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