forgot it was up on the shelf.”
“Look,” Violet said. She showed the paper to Henry.
It was the “Help Wanted” section of the local paper. A red circle was drawn around one advertisement. It read, Office Help Wanted. Good Pay. Call Bolger Construction.
CHAPTER 9
A Plan
The farm stand was very busy. Customers were buying pumpkins and fall wreaths and fresh vegetables.
Sally walked toward the stand with a large basket of tomatoes. “I just picked these from the greenhouse. Do we have room for them?”
Jessie quickly made a spot on a table for the basket. “They look wonderful,” she said.
“Yes,” Sally answered. “Jason has a special talent. Everything he plants grows big and tasty! Every year his tomatoes are the best. I use them to make sauce and I bring some of it home to Florida.”
Henry was standing nearby. He was breathing hard. He had just carried a very large pumpkin to a customer’s car. “He certainly grows big pumpkins, too.”
Sally looked out toward the fields. “No,” she said. “My father grows the pumpkins.”
“Doesn’t Jason like pumpkins?” Benny asked.
“It’s not that,” Sally explained. “Jason would rather plant other crops. I suppose farmers have different ideas about what is best to grow.”
Henry unloaded more pumpkins from the last wheelbarrow. “What would Jason do if Mr. Bolger bought the farm and built houses here?” he asked.
Sally sat in an old chair next to the vegetable stand. “I asked about that. Mr. Bolger said that he would give Jason a job building the houses.”
“I don’t think Jason would like that,” Henry said.
Sally sighed. “You’re right, Henry. Jason would not like it. He has worked on the Beckett farm his whole life. It is a special place to him. I cannot imagine him as anything but a farmer.”
Jessie picked up a few gourds that had fallen under the table. “When your parents are ready to sell, perhaps Jason can buy the farm.”
“I’ve thought of that, too,” Sally said. “But Mr. Bolger has a lot of money and Jason does not.”
After her customer left, Violet came out of the booth to get some air. “It certainly has been busy today.”
“Isn’t Bessie here?” Sally asked.
“No.” Violet fanned herself. Her face was red. “Bessie called in sick. She cannot work today.”
“That’s odd,” Sally said. “I saw Bessie in town this morning. I went to the bank and she was walking down Main Street. She did not look sick.”
“Maybe she was going to the doctor,” Jessie said.
Violet and Henry looked at each other. They thought they knew where Bessie was going, but they did not know for sure.
“I have only a few more days on the farm,” Sally said. “Then I must go home to Florida. I hope Bessie gets better before I have to leave.”
“Your parents will miss you,” Violet said.
“Yes.” Sally wrung her hands together. “And I am so worried about the problems here. I must try one more time to convince my parents to move to Florida with me.”
Just then, the Beckett’s car drove up the driveway and parked in front of the farmhouse.
“Excuse me,” Sally said. She walked away toward the house.
There were no customers at the stand, so Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny sat in the shade of the big tree. Henry and Violet explained about the newspaper they had found in the booth.
Jessie was surprised. “So you think that Bessie is working for Mr. Bolger?”
“I think she is,” Violet said. “Remember how we saw her coming out of his office when we were having lunch at the diner?”
Benny was munching on an apple. “But doesn’t Bessie already have a job on the farm? How could she work for Mr. Bolger?”
“Some people work two jobs when they need extra money,” Henry explained. “She might work at night or on days that she has off.”
Violet leaned back against the tree. “Or on days when she calls in sick!”
Jessie remembered something. “Didn’t the waitress at the diner tell us that
“Look,” Violet said. She showed the paper to Henry.
It was the “Help Wanted” section of the local paper. A red circle was drawn around one advertisement. It read, Office Help Wanted. Good Pay. Call Bolger Construction.
CHAPTER 9
A Plan
The farm stand was very busy. Customers were buying pumpkins and fall wreaths and fresh vegetables.
Sally walked toward the stand with a large basket of tomatoes. “I just picked these from the greenhouse. Do we have room for them?”
Jessie quickly made a spot on a table for the basket. “They look wonderful,” she said.
“Yes,” Sally answered. “Jason has a special talent. Everything he plants grows big and tasty! Every year his tomatoes are the best. I use them to make sauce and I bring some of it home to Florida.”
Henry was standing nearby. He was breathing hard. He had just carried a very large pumpkin to a customer’s car. “He certainly grows big pumpkins, too.”
Sally looked out toward the fields. “No,” she said. “My father grows the pumpkins.”
“Doesn’t Jason like pumpkins?” Benny asked.
“It’s not that,” Sally explained. “Jason would rather plant other crops. I suppose farmers have different ideas about what is best to grow.”
Henry unloaded more pumpkins from the last wheelbarrow. “What would Jason do if Mr. Bolger bought the farm and built houses here?” he asked.
Sally sat in an old chair next to the vegetable stand. “I asked about that. Mr. Bolger said that he would give Jason a job building the houses.”
“I don’t think Jason would like that,” Henry said.
Sally sighed. “You’re right, Henry. Jason would not like it. He has worked on the Beckett farm his whole life. It is a special place to him. I cannot imagine him as anything but a farmer.”
Jessie picked up a few gourds that had fallen under the table. “When your parents are ready to sell, perhaps Jason can buy the farm.”
“I’ve thought of that, too,” Sally said. “But Mr. Bolger has a lot of money and Jason does not.”
After her customer left, Violet came out of the booth to get some air. “It certainly has been busy today.”
“Isn’t Bessie here?” Sally asked.
“No.” Violet fanned herself. Her face was red. “Bessie called in sick. She cannot work today.”
“That’s odd,” Sally said. “I saw Bessie in town this morning. I went to the bank and she was walking down Main Street. She did not look sick.”
“Maybe she was going to the doctor,” Jessie said.
Violet and Henry looked at each other. They thought they knew where Bessie was going, but they did not know for sure.
“I have only a few more days on the farm,” Sally said. “Then I must go home to Florida. I hope Bessie gets better before I have to leave.”
“Your parents will miss you,” Violet said.
“Yes.” Sally wrung her hands together. “And I am so worried about the problems here. I must try one more time to convince my parents to move to Florida with me.”
Just then, the Beckett’s car drove up the driveway and parked in front of the farmhouse.
“Excuse me,” Sally said. She walked away toward the house.
There were no customers at the stand, so Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny sat in the shade of the big tree. Henry and Violet explained about the newspaper they had found in the booth.
Jessie was surprised. “So you think that Bessie is working for Mr. Bolger?”
“I think she is,” Violet said. “Remember how we saw her coming out of his office when we were having lunch at the diner?”
Benny was munching on an apple. “But doesn’t Bessie already have a job on the farm? How could she work for Mr. Bolger?”
“Some people work two jobs when they need extra money,” Henry explained. “She might work at night or on days that she has off.”
Violet leaned back against the tree. “Or on days when she calls in sick!”
Jessie remembered something. “Didn’t the waitress at the diner tell us that
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