CHAPTER 1
Cogwheel Stadium
“Wow!” said Benny. “Two baseball fields! One is on the outside, and another one’s on the inside.” Benny was six years old. He was excited that Grandfather was taking them to a baseball stadium. Not just for a day, but for a whole week!
Jessie, who was twelve, smiled at her younger brother. “There’s nobody using the outdoor ball field right now,” she said. “What does that make you think?” All four Alden children were good at solving mysteries, but Jessie was the one who always listed the facts and what they meant.
“It makes me think we can use it right now,” said Benny eagerly
“Or, it makes me think we aren’t allowed to use it,” said ten-year-old Violet. She was the shyest of the Aldens. As she spoke she slipped a baseball glove onto her left hand.
“Who’s right?” kidded Henry. “Benny or Violet?” Henry was fourteen and very good at figuring out how things worked. Sometimes he even invented his own tools. This time he said, “Look at the sign.”
Grandfather parked the car in the big parking lot surrounding Cogwheel Stadium. They would stay at an inn here in the town of Clayton. And they would go to a baseball game every day.
The four Alden children lived with their grandfather, James Alden. After their parents had died, the children had run away from home and lived in the woods in an old boxcar. They had never met their grandfather and thought he would be mean. But their grandfather found them and they learned he was a good person.
All five Aldens climbed out of the car and looked at the sign. Play Ball! the sign said. Whenever You Want To.
“Benny is right,” said Violet happily. “We can use the ball field!”
“After you’re done,” said Grandfather, “go to the front gate of the stadium. Tell them that Jim Tanaka left tickets for you.”
Grandfather walked toward the front gate of Cogwheel Stadium. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny took bats and balls and gloves onto the field.
“Jessie can pitch,” said Henry, “and I’ll catch. Violet and Benny can take turns hitting.”
Violet turned to Benny. “You can bat first, and I’ll try to catch what you hit. Then we can switch places.”
Benny stood at the plate and Jessie threw the ball. Benny took a wide swing with the bat. He missed the ball.
“Watch the ball as it leaves Jessie’s hand,” Henry told him. “Just keep your eye on the ball, then hit it.”
Benny watched the ball. When it came to him, he swung his bat. The bat hit the ball and the ball bounced across the infield. Violet ran to pick it up near first base.
“Good one,” said Henry.
After Jessie threw twenty pitches to Benny, it was Violet’s turn to bat.
Benny stood near second base and watched. He saw Henry had his catcher’s mitt pointed down. His other hand was down, too. Henry was moving his fingers up and down, almost like he was counting. Benny saw one finger down, then two fingers down, then three fingers down. Then back to one finger.
“Hey!” said Benny. “What’s Henry doing with his fingers?”
Jessie turned around to answer. “I want to practice my pitching, so Henry is giving me signs on what to throw.”
“Signs?” asked Benny. “What kind of signs?”
“Signs with his fingers. One finger down is a sign that he wants me to throw a fastball. Two fingers down is a sign that he wants me to throw a change-up.”
“What’s a change-up?” asked Benny.
“It looks just like a fastball, but comes in slower.”
Benny thought about this. “When I watched the ball come out of your hand, sometimes it came fast. But sometimes I swung before the ball even got to me. That pitch must have been a change-up!”
“That’s right,” said Jessie. “If you had known the pitch was going to be a change-up, you would have been ready for it. You would have hit the ball.” Jessie turned back to throw to Violet.
By now the parking lot was half full. The Aldens gathered their balls, bats, and gloves
Cogwheel Stadium
“Wow!” said Benny. “Two baseball fields! One is on the outside, and another one’s on the inside.” Benny was six years old. He was excited that Grandfather was taking them to a baseball stadium. Not just for a day, but for a whole week!
Jessie, who was twelve, smiled at her younger brother. “There’s nobody using the outdoor ball field right now,” she said. “What does that make you think?” All four Alden children were good at solving mysteries, but Jessie was the one who always listed the facts and what they meant.
“It makes me think we can use it right now,” said Benny eagerly
“Or, it makes me think we aren’t allowed to use it,” said ten-year-old Violet. She was the shyest of the Aldens. As she spoke she slipped a baseball glove onto her left hand.
“Who’s right?” kidded Henry. “Benny or Violet?” Henry was fourteen and very good at figuring out how things worked. Sometimes he even invented his own tools. This time he said, “Look at the sign.”
Grandfather parked the car in the big parking lot surrounding Cogwheel Stadium. They would stay at an inn here in the town of Clayton. And they would go to a baseball game every day.
The four Alden children lived with their grandfather, James Alden. After their parents had died, the children had run away from home and lived in the woods in an old boxcar. They had never met their grandfather and thought he would be mean. But their grandfather found them and they learned he was a good person.
All five Aldens climbed out of the car and looked at the sign. Play Ball! the sign said. Whenever You Want To.
“Benny is right,” said Violet happily. “We can use the ball field!”
“After you’re done,” said Grandfather, “go to the front gate of the stadium. Tell them that Jim Tanaka left tickets for you.”
Grandfather walked toward the front gate of Cogwheel Stadium. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny took bats and balls and gloves onto the field.
“Jessie can pitch,” said Henry, “and I’ll catch. Violet and Benny can take turns hitting.”
Violet turned to Benny. “You can bat first, and I’ll try to catch what you hit. Then we can switch places.”
Benny stood at the plate and Jessie threw the ball. Benny took a wide swing with the bat. He missed the ball.
“Watch the ball as it leaves Jessie’s hand,” Henry told him. “Just keep your eye on the ball, then hit it.”
Benny watched the ball. When it came to him, he swung his bat. The bat hit the ball and the ball bounced across the infield. Violet ran to pick it up near first base.
“Good one,” said Henry.
After Jessie threw twenty pitches to Benny, it was Violet’s turn to bat.
Benny stood near second base and watched. He saw Henry had his catcher’s mitt pointed down. His other hand was down, too. Henry was moving his fingers up and down, almost like he was counting. Benny saw one finger down, then two fingers down, then three fingers down. Then back to one finger.
“Hey!” said Benny. “What’s Henry doing with his fingers?”
Jessie turned around to answer. “I want to practice my pitching, so Henry is giving me signs on what to throw.”
“Signs?” asked Benny. “What kind of signs?”
“Signs with his fingers. One finger down is a sign that he wants me to throw a fastball. Two fingers down is a sign that he wants me to throw a change-up.”
“What’s a change-up?” asked Benny.
“It looks just like a fastball, but comes in slower.”
Benny thought about this. “When I watched the ball come out of your hand, sometimes it came fast. But sometimes I swung before the ball even got to me. That pitch must have been a change-up!”
“That’s right,” said Jessie. “If you had known the pitch was going to be a change-up, you would have been ready for it. You would have hit the ball.” Jessie turned back to throw to Violet.
By now the parking lot was half full. The Aldens gathered their balls, bats, and gloves
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