here a minute ago. Benny! Where are you?” Violet heard Benny’s muffled voice. “I’m back here behind the hay bales. Come and take a look. I found something!”
At first, Violet could not find Benny. Henry walked all around the pile of hay bales. Then he pushed a few out of the way. Violet, Jessie, and Henry squeezed between the bales.
“It’s like a little room,” Violet said.
“With hay bales for walls,” Henry added.
“There’s even a hay bale desk over here,” Benny said. “It has a red folder and some papers on it, but the words are too hard for me to read. And there’s a map, too.”
“That’s a map of the Beckett farm,” Henry said. “There’s the house. The fields are all marked with their crops. And here is the farm stand.”
“I think I have seen that red folder somewhere before,” Jessie said. “But I don’t remember where.”
Violet looked closely at the map. “Something is wrong,” she said. “The farm stand on this map is too big and it is close to the road. The Beckett’s farm stand is much smaller. It is closer to the house.”
“And why are there pear trees on this map?” Jessie asked. “I do not remember seeing them on the farm. Also, the pumpkin patch is missing.”
“Look what I found!” Benny was wearing a long, black cape and running around the hay bale room. “It’s your missing cape, Henry. You must have left it in here.”
“But I didn’t,” Henry said. “I have never been in here before. I only thought this was a big pile of hay bales.”
“That’s what it looks like from the outside,” Jessie said. “Someone wanted this space to be private. We should probably not intrude here.”
“I like it in here,” Benny said. “It is almost as cool as our boxcar. I think we should build a hay bale clubhouse in our backyard.”
Henry smiled. “That would take a lot of hay,” he said. “But we should listen to Jessie right now. Someone wanted to keep this room secret. We should go.”
“Can I bring the cape?” Benny asked.
“I suppose so,” Henry said. “We can put it away with the other costumes.”
After Jessie, Violet, and Benny left the little room, Henry pushed the hay bales back into place. The little room disappeared once again. It only looked like a big pile of hay bales in the corner of the barn.
Jessie took the cape from Benny and folded it. She was about to put it in the bin with the other costumes when she suddenly remembered something. She had seen this cape last night. But Henry was not the one wearing it.
“Look out!” Benny called. He raced past Jessie pushing a small wheelbarrow. “I am going to beat Henry out to the pumpkin patch!”
Jessie followed her brothers and sister out to the pumpkin patch. They picked the pumpkins from their long, green vines. They piled them into the wheelbarrows. It was hard work to push the heavy wheelbarrows through the field and back to the farm stand.
“Benny and I will unload these pumpkins,” Henry said.
Violet and Jessie placed two dozen mum plants in a long, flat wagon. They pulled the wagon back to the farm stand.
“We are just in time,” Jessie said. “Here come the first customers of the day.”
Violet remembered the key that Mrs. Beckett had given her. She quickly pulled it from her pocket. She opened the door to the booth and stepped inside. She opened the window. She set up the sign with the prices. The cash box was on a high shelf. Violet stood on her tiptoes. As she reached for the box, she knocked the shelf. It came clattering to the floor.
Henry ran inside. “Are you okay, Violet?” “Yes,” she answered. “That shelf was loose. When I reached for the cash box, I knocked it down.”
“I will fix it,” Henry said. “Don’t worry.” Violet picked up the cash box. A newspaper had fallen to the floor as well. “This is odd,” she said. “This is an old newspaper from last month.”
Henry adjusted the shelf. He tightened a loose screw. “Maybe Bessie
At first, Violet could not find Benny. Henry walked all around the pile of hay bales. Then he pushed a few out of the way. Violet, Jessie, and Henry squeezed between the bales.
“It’s like a little room,” Violet said.
“With hay bales for walls,” Henry added.
“There’s even a hay bale desk over here,” Benny said. “It has a red folder and some papers on it, but the words are too hard for me to read. And there’s a map, too.”
“That’s a map of the Beckett farm,” Henry said. “There’s the house. The fields are all marked with their crops. And here is the farm stand.”
“I think I have seen that red folder somewhere before,” Jessie said. “But I don’t remember where.”
Violet looked closely at the map. “Something is wrong,” she said. “The farm stand on this map is too big and it is close to the road. The Beckett’s farm stand is much smaller. It is closer to the house.”
“And why are there pear trees on this map?” Jessie asked. “I do not remember seeing them on the farm. Also, the pumpkin patch is missing.”
“Look what I found!” Benny was wearing a long, black cape and running around the hay bale room. “It’s your missing cape, Henry. You must have left it in here.”
“But I didn’t,” Henry said. “I have never been in here before. I only thought this was a big pile of hay bales.”
“That’s what it looks like from the outside,” Jessie said. “Someone wanted this space to be private. We should probably not intrude here.”
“I like it in here,” Benny said. “It is almost as cool as our boxcar. I think we should build a hay bale clubhouse in our backyard.”
Henry smiled. “That would take a lot of hay,” he said. “But we should listen to Jessie right now. Someone wanted to keep this room secret. We should go.”
“Can I bring the cape?” Benny asked.
“I suppose so,” Henry said. “We can put it away with the other costumes.”
After Jessie, Violet, and Benny left the little room, Henry pushed the hay bales back into place. The little room disappeared once again. It only looked like a big pile of hay bales in the corner of the barn.
Jessie took the cape from Benny and folded it. She was about to put it in the bin with the other costumes when she suddenly remembered something. She had seen this cape last night. But Henry was not the one wearing it.
“Look out!” Benny called. He raced past Jessie pushing a small wheelbarrow. “I am going to beat Henry out to the pumpkin patch!”
Jessie followed her brothers and sister out to the pumpkin patch. They picked the pumpkins from their long, green vines. They piled them into the wheelbarrows. It was hard work to push the heavy wheelbarrows through the field and back to the farm stand.
“Benny and I will unload these pumpkins,” Henry said.
Violet and Jessie placed two dozen mum plants in a long, flat wagon. They pulled the wagon back to the farm stand.
“We are just in time,” Jessie said. “Here come the first customers of the day.”
Violet remembered the key that Mrs. Beckett had given her. She quickly pulled it from her pocket. She opened the door to the booth and stepped inside. She opened the window. She set up the sign with the prices. The cash box was on a high shelf. Violet stood on her tiptoes. As she reached for the box, she knocked the shelf. It came clattering to the floor.
Henry ran inside. “Are you okay, Violet?” “Yes,” she answered. “That shelf was loose. When I reached for the cash box, I knocked it down.”
“I will fix it,” Henry said. “Don’t worry.” Violet picked up the cash box. A newspaper had fallen to the floor as well. “This is odd,” she said. “This is an old newspaper from last month.”
Henry adjusted the shelf. He tightened a loose screw. “Maybe Bessie
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