Boxcar Children 56 - Firehouse Mystery by Charles Tang, Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A
Authors: Charles Tang, Gertrude Chandler Warner
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said Mike.
Everyone smiled and shook hands with him.
Benny looked up at Mike, his eyes wide. “Are you a real fire chief, Mr. Reynolds?” he asked.
Mike smiled. “I am. And please, call me Mike.”
“Neat!” said Benny. Then he frowned. “Why aren’t you wearing a big hat and coat?”
“We only wear our gear when we’re out fighting fires,” Mike said. Just then a white dog with black spots came running up and put its paws up on Mike’s leg. “Sparky!” Mike said, bending over to rub the dog’s head.
“I knew there had to be a dalmatian here!” Jessie cried, leaning over to pat him. Sparky sniffed her hand eagerly and then licked it.
Mike turned to Grandfather. “So, James, what brings you by the old firehouse?”
“I was just telling the children about my days as a volunteer here,” Grandfather said. “I thought that perhaps if you weren’t too busy, you could give them a little tour and tell them what it’s like to be a firefighter.”
“I’d love to,” said Mike. “How about if we go look at the fire trucks first?”
“All right!” cried Benny.
But as they were turning to go out to the garage, a man in a wheelchair came up and said, “Chief?” The man had reddish blond curly hair and a mustache, and was wearing the navy blue pants and T-shirt of a firefighter. With him was a gray-haired woman in a business suit. She had an angry frown on her face.
“Yes, Steve?” said Mike.
“This is Janet Lerner from the Greenfield town council. She needs to speak to you about something,” Steve said.
Suddenly the smile disappeared from Mike’s face. “Yes, Ms. Lerner, you called this morning. We’ll talk in my office.” Mike turned to Steve and the Aldens. All his cheerfulness was gone and his face looked gray. “I’m sorry, but this is something very . . .” he paused as if looking for the right word. “Serious,” he said at last. “Steve, would you mind taking over for me?” Mike quickly introduced the Aldens.
“My pleasure,” Steve said, as Mike led Ms. Lerner into his office and shut the door.
Jessie whispered to Henry, “That was certainly mysterious.”
Henry nodded. He, too, had noticed that Janet Lerner looked angry, and that Mike had seemed upset to see her. What was going on?
But before Henry could say anything, Benny called out, “Come on! Let’s go see the fire trucks!”
CHAPTER 2
Just Like Real Firefighters
S teve, are you a firefighter, too?” Violet asked as they followed him.
“Yes,” he said, wheeling himself through a side door. “I used to be on active duty, until I was injured in an accident. Since then I haven’t been able to walk. So now I work in the office, keeping the records, handling the schedules, taking care of the payroll — that sort of thing.”
The side door led into the garage. “Look at that!” said Benny, staring up at the huge red truck in front of him.
“This is the ladder truck.” Steve pointed to the long ladders on top. “We use it to get up to the tops of buildings to fight fires and help people who might be trapped inside.”
“Is that the pumper?” Henry asked, pointing to a smaller truck.
“Yes,” said Steve. “It’s got a five-hundred-gallon tank of water in it.”
“You use that to fight the fire, right?” Benny asked.
“That’s right, Benny. Believe it or not, those five hundred gallons only last a few minutes,” Steve explained. “We use that to ‘knock down’ the fire when we first arrive on the scene — to put out a small fire or try to get a bigger fire under control. But often we need more water.”
“Is that what fire hydrants are for?” asked Jessie.
“Yes,” Steve said. “When we first arrive at a fire, some of the firefighters go find a hydrant or another source of water. Using long hoses, the water from the hydrant is pumped through this pumper onto the fire. The pumper provides the pressure to make the water go far and fast.”
The Aldens noticed that the door of the
Everyone smiled and shook hands with him.
Benny looked up at Mike, his eyes wide. “Are you a real fire chief, Mr. Reynolds?” he asked.
Mike smiled. “I am. And please, call me Mike.”
“Neat!” said Benny. Then he frowned. “Why aren’t you wearing a big hat and coat?”
“We only wear our gear when we’re out fighting fires,” Mike said. Just then a white dog with black spots came running up and put its paws up on Mike’s leg. “Sparky!” Mike said, bending over to rub the dog’s head.
“I knew there had to be a dalmatian here!” Jessie cried, leaning over to pat him. Sparky sniffed her hand eagerly and then licked it.
Mike turned to Grandfather. “So, James, what brings you by the old firehouse?”
“I was just telling the children about my days as a volunteer here,” Grandfather said. “I thought that perhaps if you weren’t too busy, you could give them a little tour and tell them what it’s like to be a firefighter.”
“I’d love to,” said Mike. “How about if we go look at the fire trucks first?”
“All right!” cried Benny.
But as they were turning to go out to the garage, a man in a wheelchair came up and said, “Chief?” The man had reddish blond curly hair and a mustache, and was wearing the navy blue pants and T-shirt of a firefighter. With him was a gray-haired woman in a business suit. She had an angry frown on her face.
“Yes, Steve?” said Mike.
“This is Janet Lerner from the Greenfield town council. She needs to speak to you about something,” Steve said.
Suddenly the smile disappeared from Mike’s face. “Yes, Ms. Lerner, you called this morning. We’ll talk in my office.” Mike turned to Steve and the Aldens. All his cheerfulness was gone and his face looked gray. “I’m sorry, but this is something very . . .” he paused as if looking for the right word. “Serious,” he said at last. “Steve, would you mind taking over for me?” Mike quickly introduced the Aldens.
“My pleasure,” Steve said, as Mike led Ms. Lerner into his office and shut the door.
Jessie whispered to Henry, “That was certainly mysterious.”
Henry nodded. He, too, had noticed that Janet Lerner looked angry, and that Mike had seemed upset to see her. What was going on?
But before Henry could say anything, Benny called out, “Come on! Let’s go see the fire trucks!”
CHAPTER 2
Just Like Real Firefighters
S teve, are you a firefighter, too?” Violet asked as they followed him.
“Yes,” he said, wheeling himself through a side door. “I used to be on active duty, until I was injured in an accident. Since then I haven’t been able to walk. So now I work in the office, keeping the records, handling the schedules, taking care of the payroll — that sort of thing.”
The side door led into the garage. “Look at that!” said Benny, staring up at the huge red truck in front of him.
“This is the ladder truck.” Steve pointed to the long ladders on top. “We use it to get up to the tops of buildings to fight fires and help people who might be trapped inside.”
“Is that the pumper?” Henry asked, pointing to a smaller truck.
“Yes,” said Steve. “It’s got a five-hundred-gallon tank of water in it.”
“You use that to fight the fire, right?” Benny asked.
“That’s right, Benny. Believe it or not, those five hundred gallons only last a few minutes,” Steve explained. “We use that to ‘knock down’ the fire when we first arrive on the scene — to put out a small fire or try to get a bigger fire under control. But often we need more water.”
“Is that what fire hydrants are for?” asked Jessie.
“Yes,” Steve said. “When we first arrive at a fire, some of the firefighters go find a hydrant or another source of water. Using long hoses, the water from the hydrant is pumped through this pumper onto the fire. The pumper provides the pressure to make the water go far and fast.”
The Aldens noticed that the door of the
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