CHAPTER 1
The Newspaper Article
H enry! Jessie! Violet! Benny!” Mrs. McGregor called across the backyard. She held up a newspaper. Mrs. McGregor was the housekeeper for the Alden family.
Ten-year-old Violet Alden, who’d been playing catch with her six-year-old brother Benny and their dog, Watch, turned around and ran toward Mrs. McGregor.
Their older sister Jessie, who was twelve, and their older brother Henry, who was fourteen, were repairing a bicycle tire nearby. When they heard Mrs. McGregor, they came quickly over.
“Our picture! Our picture!” said Benny excitedly.
Mrs. McGregor handed the newspaper to Henry. Sure enough, right there on the front page was a photograph of all four of the Alden children, and Watch, too. They were standing in front of their old, red boxcar.
Underneath the photograph were the words, “A part of Greenfield history,” and a short article about the Aldens and their boxcar.
The story was one of several articles the newspaper was doing on the history of the town. That was because the anniversary of the founding of Greenfield was coming up.
The town of Greenfield was holding a big Founders’ Day celebration. The Aldens were going to have a special Founders’ Day dinner to celebrate, too.
“Look, Watch!” said Benny. “You’re in the picture! See? Sitting on the stump in front of our boxcar.”
Watch wagged his tail.
“Let’s take this photograph and put it up in our boxcar,” suggested Jessie. “May we have the newspaper, Mrs. McGregor?”
“Grandfather’s not home,” Violet pointed out. “He hasn’t seen it yet.”
Mrs. McGregor smiled. “He knew it was going to be in the newspaper today. He’s planning to buy extra copies. I’m going to cut the picture out of one of the copies and put it on the refrigerator. And you can keep this one.”
“Thank you,” said Jessie.
“Don’t forget, I need you to go to the grocery store for me a little later,” Mrs. McGregor reminded them.
“We won’t,” promised Henry.
“I’ll get some scissors so we can cut the picture and the article out,” said Violet.
“And some tape, too,” Henry said.
Violet walked back to the house with Mrs. McGregor to get the tape and scissors. The others went out to the boxcar and sat on the edge of the open doorway to admire the picture.
“They even put Watch’s name in,” Benny said, smiling. “We’re all famous!”
When Violet came back, she carefully cut out the picture and the article and they put it up in a place of honor on the door of the boxcar. Anyone who came into the boxcar could see the photograph right away.
Jessie returned the rest of the newspaper to the house. As she walked back toward the boxcar, she saw a shiny yellow taxicab pull into the driveway by the house.
A thin man with an enormous mustache that curled up at the ends got out of the cab.
“Little girl!” he called. “Little girl, come here. Where is your grandfather?”
Jessie didn’t like being called a little girl, but she walked politely over to the thin man.
“Wait for me,” the thin man told the taxi driver. When Jessie reached him, he repeated, “Where is your grandfather? I must speak to him!”
“He’s not here,” said Jessie. “But he should be back soon. Our housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor, is here.”
The thin man shook his head impatiently. “She won’t do. She won’t do at all!”
He looked around the Aldens’ yard. Then he stopped. He stared. A smile lit up his face. The ends of his mustache seemed to quiver like the whiskers on a cat.
“Ahhhh,” he said. “There she is!”
“Who?” Jessie looked around, expecting to see Mrs. McGregor or Violet. But she saw no one.
“An excellent, excellent specimen. A real collector’s item. And I, little girl, am a collector!”
Jessie still didn’t know what the man was talking about. “My name is Jessie,” she said.
“Oh! Yes, er, Jessie. Jessie Alden, isn’t it? I just saw your picture in the paper. I rushed
The Newspaper Article
H enry! Jessie! Violet! Benny!” Mrs. McGregor called across the backyard. She held up a newspaper. Mrs. McGregor was the housekeeper for the Alden family.
Ten-year-old Violet Alden, who’d been playing catch with her six-year-old brother Benny and their dog, Watch, turned around and ran toward Mrs. McGregor.
Their older sister Jessie, who was twelve, and their older brother Henry, who was fourteen, were repairing a bicycle tire nearby. When they heard Mrs. McGregor, they came quickly over.
“Our picture! Our picture!” said Benny excitedly.
Mrs. McGregor handed the newspaper to Henry. Sure enough, right there on the front page was a photograph of all four of the Alden children, and Watch, too. They were standing in front of their old, red boxcar.
Underneath the photograph were the words, “A part of Greenfield history,” and a short article about the Aldens and their boxcar.
The story was one of several articles the newspaper was doing on the history of the town. That was because the anniversary of the founding of Greenfield was coming up.
The town of Greenfield was holding a big Founders’ Day celebration. The Aldens were going to have a special Founders’ Day dinner to celebrate, too.
“Look, Watch!” said Benny. “You’re in the picture! See? Sitting on the stump in front of our boxcar.”
Watch wagged his tail.
“Let’s take this photograph and put it up in our boxcar,” suggested Jessie. “May we have the newspaper, Mrs. McGregor?”
“Grandfather’s not home,” Violet pointed out. “He hasn’t seen it yet.”
Mrs. McGregor smiled. “He knew it was going to be in the newspaper today. He’s planning to buy extra copies. I’m going to cut the picture out of one of the copies and put it on the refrigerator. And you can keep this one.”
“Thank you,” said Jessie.
“Don’t forget, I need you to go to the grocery store for me a little later,” Mrs. McGregor reminded them.
“We won’t,” promised Henry.
“I’ll get some scissors so we can cut the picture and the article out,” said Violet.
“And some tape, too,” Henry said.
Violet walked back to the house with Mrs. McGregor to get the tape and scissors. The others went out to the boxcar and sat on the edge of the open doorway to admire the picture.
“They even put Watch’s name in,” Benny said, smiling. “We’re all famous!”
When Violet came back, she carefully cut out the picture and the article and they put it up in a place of honor on the door of the boxcar. Anyone who came into the boxcar could see the photograph right away.
Jessie returned the rest of the newspaper to the house. As she walked back toward the boxcar, she saw a shiny yellow taxicab pull into the driveway by the house.
A thin man with an enormous mustache that curled up at the ends got out of the cab.
“Little girl!” he called. “Little girl, come here. Where is your grandfather?”
Jessie didn’t like being called a little girl, but she walked politely over to the thin man.
“Wait for me,” the thin man told the taxi driver. When Jessie reached him, he repeated, “Where is your grandfather? I must speak to him!”
“He’s not here,” said Jessie. “But he should be back soon. Our housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor, is here.”
The thin man shook his head impatiently. “She won’t do. She won’t do at all!”
He looked around the Aldens’ yard. Then he stopped. He stared. A smile lit up his face. The ends of his mustache seemed to quiver like the whiskers on a cat.
“Ahhhh,” he said. “There she is!”
“Who?” Jessie looked around, expecting to see Mrs. McGregor or Violet. But she saw no one.
“An excellent, excellent specimen. A real collector’s item. And I, little girl, am a collector!”
Jessie still didn’t know what the man was talking about. “My name is Jessie,” she said.
“Oh! Yes, er, Jessie. Jessie Alden, isn’t it? I just saw your picture in the paper. I rushed
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