don’t like to have people shouting at us.”
“He isn’t going to shout at us,” Henry said with a laugh. “We haven’t done anything to annoy him. Those boys must have done something he didn’t like.”
“Must have been something big,” Benny said. “Was he ever mad!”
While the Aldens were talking, the mailman came along in his car. “Are you going into the station?” he asked the Aldens. “Hand this letter to Frank, will you?”
Benny said, “Sure,” and took the letter. It was a thick letter with the name Frank Timmons typed on the front. It looked like a business letter. Benny couldn’t help seeing the printing in the corner of the envelope. A large, bright-colored paint can was printed in the corner. Paint running out spelled the slogan, “Pickett’s Perfect Paints.”
“Come on,” Henry called. “Let’s see if the bus for Oakdale is on time.”
He went up the steps to the station and opened the door. Benny was the last one to enter. He thought he heard the two boys under the tree laugh as he went in.
Were they laughing at him? Benny didn’t know.
CHAPTER 2
Trouble Inside
T he bus station really turned out to be a small lunchroom. There was a counter on one side, and along one wall were some small tables with chairs pushed up to them. There was one bigger table. Near the door was a bench where passengers could wait for the bus.
The man who had just slammed the door looked up as the door opened. He held a watering can, and he was watering a plant at one end of the room.
“You’re Frank, aren’t you?” said Henry at once.
“Yes, I’m Frank,” the man said shortly. “What do you want? It’s too early for lunch. I haven’t made any sandwiches yet.” He didn’t smile.
The four Aldens were thinking the same thing. This man was not very polite. In fact, he was not a good man to run a lunch counter in a bus station.
“Do you sell bus tickets?” asked Benny as if nothing had happened.
“Yes,” answered Frank, “and I run this lunch counter.”
Benny explained, “We are going to Oakdale to the hobby fair. We have to change buses here to get to Oakdale. Is that right?”
“That’s right,” said Frank, not so crossly. “But the bus to Oakdale will be late today. You may have to wait here an hour.”
“Yes,” said Jessie, nodding. “We expected to wait here an hour, even before we started from Greenfield. We don’t mind.”
“This is a nice station to wait in,” added Violet. She was thinking about the two boys Frank had told to wait outside.
Benny went over to the counter and said, “If you are Frank, I think this is your letter.”
Without saying thank you Frank took the letter and threw it on a shelf behind the counter. But he said to the Aldens, “You can wait here. Do anything you like. Sit down. Walk around. It’s pretty hot outside.”
His voice was pleasant now as he spoke to the Aldens. It was plain that he liked them better than the two young boys.
The Aldens folded their raincoats across the wooden bench. They all sat down.
Henry asked, “Can we buy our tickets now from you?”
“Yes, indeed,” said Frank.
“We want just one-way tickets,” Henry said quickly. “The bus driver told us we could buy our return tickets at Oakdale.”
“Right,” said Frank, handing four tickets to Henry.
Violet was looking out of a window. “Oh, dear,” she said, “I hope it doesn’t start to rain. Just the same, we’re lucky that we brought our raincoats.”
The others looked out. Dark clouds were beginning to fill the western sky. But the leaves on the trees hardly stirred.
“No need to worry about the rain,” said Frank. “This won’t last long. You can keep dry if you wait inside.”
Benny suddenly remembered the bad smell outdoors. Now he said, “Oh, we’ll wait inside for sure. The air outside smells just terrible.”
Frank’s face changed. He looked angry. “That’s my new neighbor,” he said gruffly. “New neighbors—they
“He isn’t going to shout at us,” Henry said with a laugh. “We haven’t done anything to annoy him. Those boys must have done something he didn’t like.”
“Must have been something big,” Benny said. “Was he ever mad!”
While the Aldens were talking, the mailman came along in his car. “Are you going into the station?” he asked the Aldens. “Hand this letter to Frank, will you?”
Benny said, “Sure,” and took the letter. It was a thick letter with the name Frank Timmons typed on the front. It looked like a business letter. Benny couldn’t help seeing the printing in the corner of the envelope. A large, bright-colored paint can was printed in the corner. Paint running out spelled the slogan, “Pickett’s Perfect Paints.”
“Come on,” Henry called. “Let’s see if the bus for Oakdale is on time.”
He went up the steps to the station and opened the door. Benny was the last one to enter. He thought he heard the two boys under the tree laugh as he went in.
Were they laughing at him? Benny didn’t know.
CHAPTER 2
Trouble Inside
T he bus station really turned out to be a small lunchroom. There was a counter on one side, and along one wall were some small tables with chairs pushed up to them. There was one bigger table. Near the door was a bench where passengers could wait for the bus.
The man who had just slammed the door looked up as the door opened. He held a watering can, and he was watering a plant at one end of the room.
“You’re Frank, aren’t you?” said Henry at once.
“Yes, I’m Frank,” the man said shortly. “What do you want? It’s too early for lunch. I haven’t made any sandwiches yet.” He didn’t smile.
The four Aldens were thinking the same thing. This man was not very polite. In fact, he was not a good man to run a lunch counter in a bus station.
“Do you sell bus tickets?” asked Benny as if nothing had happened.
“Yes,” answered Frank, “and I run this lunch counter.”
Benny explained, “We are going to Oakdale to the hobby fair. We have to change buses here to get to Oakdale. Is that right?”
“That’s right,” said Frank, not so crossly. “But the bus to Oakdale will be late today. You may have to wait here an hour.”
“Yes,” said Jessie, nodding. “We expected to wait here an hour, even before we started from Greenfield. We don’t mind.”
“This is a nice station to wait in,” added Violet. She was thinking about the two boys Frank had told to wait outside.
Benny went over to the counter and said, “If you are Frank, I think this is your letter.”
Without saying thank you Frank took the letter and threw it on a shelf behind the counter. But he said to the Aldens, “You can wait here. Do anything you like. Sit down. Walk around. It’s pretty hot outside.”
His voice was pleasant now as he spoke to the Aldens. It was plain that he liked them better than the two young boys.
The Aldens folded their raincoats across the wooden bench. They all sat down.
Henry asked, “Can we buy our tickets now from you?”
“Yes, indeed,” said Frank.
“We want just one-way tickets,” Henry said quickly. “The bus driver told us we could buy our return tickets at Oakdale.”
“Right,” said Frank, handing four tickets to Henry.
Violet was looking out of a window. “Oh, dear,” she said, “I hope it doesn’t start to rain. Just the same, we’re lucky that we brought our raincoats.”
The others looked out. Dark clouds were beginning to fill the western sky. But the leaves on the trees hardly stirred.
“No need to worry about the rain,” said Frank. “This won’t last long. You can keep dry if you wait inside.”
Benny suddenly remembered the bad smell outdoors. Now he said, “Oh, we’ll wait inside for sure. The air outside smells just terrible.”
Frank’s face changed. He looked angry. “That’s my new neighbor,” he said gruffly. “New neighbors—they
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