The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (108 page)

I
n a short time the train stopped at Glass Factory Junction. The Aldens got off the train and looked around. They could not see any sign of a town. There was a small freight station on one side of the tracks and a large factory on the other. Everything seemed to be in the middle of the woods. Trees grew almost down to the tracks.

“I wonder where the town is,” said Benny.

Al came to meet them. “The town is on the other side of the woods,” he said. “It’s a very small town, anyway. But we have to stop here just the same to unload potash for the factory. And this glass is all over the ground.” He picked up a blue piece.

“Isn’t that beautiful!” said Violet.

Benny said, “Grandfather, I really don’t want to pick up glass. I want to see that talking horse.”

Mr. Alden thought it over. Then he said, “That’s up to you, Benny. You’re old enough to take care of yourself. If you’d rather walk two miles and see the horse, go ahead. You heard Al say we could stay here two hours.”

Henry said, “I thought you were too sleepy to do anything. You said you didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“Well, I am sleepy. When I get back to the caboose I’m going to take a nap. Al told me I couldn’t miss the path through the woods. I’ll go and see the horse first, and then I’ll go into the little caboose and go to sleep. And don’t any of you open the door. Don’t even peek at me and wake me up.” He started off.

Grandfather called, “Don’t get lost, Benny.”

“I’ll find my way all right. If I get lost, I can eat nuts and berries. Children always eat nuts and berries when they get lost,” Benny said, laughing at his own joke.

“Don’t be late, either,” Grandfather called again. “The train won’t wait for you, you know.”

“Yes, I know. I guess I can walk a mile and back in two hours!”

Violet watched Benny as he went into the deep woods. She said to Henry, “I don’t like it. You go with him.”

Henry said, “No, Violet. I don’t think I ought to tell him what to do. Benny must learn to live his own life and make his own mistakes. We all must.”

“Good!” said Grandfather. “Benny will never learn if you look after him all the time, Henry.”

The Aldens picked up so much glass that they had to get a paper bag from the caboose to put it in. Suddenly a man put his head out of the factory window and called, “Would you like to see the glass factory?”

“We’d like to very much, sir,” said Grandfather. They all went up the steps and met the man at the door.

“I’ll show you first how we make pressed glass. Just follow me. My name is Lidstone.”

“I’m James Alden,” said Grandfather, “and these are my grandchildren.”

“Yes, I know,” Mr. Lidstone said, smiling. “I guess you are the people traveling by caboose. Everyone is talking about it. You young people may know how glass is made,” he went on as they went into another room. “We mix sand and potash and get it so hot it melts. Then we pour it and press the glass into molds.”

It was exciting to watch the workmen pouring the melted glass into fancy molds.

“Oh, what beautiful colors!” said Violet.

“And so many,” said Jessie.

“These small dishes are finished,” said Mr. Lidstone. He pointed at a table. “You may choose any color you want. They will be gifts to remember us by.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Henry. “My young brother Benny isn’t here. He went to see the talking horse. Too bad he is missing this.”

“Then you choose one for him,” said Mr. Lidstone.

“Benny would choose red, I’m sure of that,” said Jessie. She picked up a red dish for Benny.

“Let me tell you something about that color,” said Mr. Lidstone. “We use real gold to make red. In the old days, the glassmakers threw in gold dollars to make red. Have you all decided on your colors?”

Jessie held up a blue dish for answer. Violet had a violet one, and Henry chose green. Mr. Alden had a bright yellow one.

“Now come and see the glassblowers,” said Mr. Lidstone. He took them to another room. Three men were blowing glass. A worker picked up a lump of melted glass on a pipe and began to blow.

“Oh, that’s going to be a pitcher,” whispered Jessie.

The big glass ball on the end of the pipe grew larger and larger. Then suddenly it grew smaller. The man jerked off the pipe.

“No, it’s a vase,” said Violet. “Isn’t it wonderful how they do that?”

In another room the Aldens watched a row of men and women making designs on glass dishes. Mr. Lidstone said, “This is very fine work. Each person here is an artist.”

The Aldens could have watched them all afternoon, but they knew they had to get back to the train. They thanked Mr. Lidstone for their visit and went back to the caboose with their new dishes.

Jessie said, “Benny will like to know that his red dish was made with gold.”

Mr. Alden looked at his watch and frowned. “It’s much later than I thought,” he said. “Only five minutes before we go. I hope Benny is in the small caboose taking his nap.”

Jessie said, “He’s probably been back a long time because we stayed so long in the factory. Remember what he said. He told us not to go into that caboose and wake him up.”

“I’d like to peek in and see if he’s there,” said Violet.

“Don’t do it, Violet,” said Henry. “He’ll come out at supper time. You wait and see.”

The train gave two whistles. Then it started. Off went the Aldens. Soon Glass Factory Junction was far behind them.

W
hile the Aldens were at the glass factory, Benny was walking through the woods. The path was very poor. Sometimes he thought that he was not on the path at all—and he was right.

Benny knew that he was supposed to go a mile, but he knew that he had walked much further than that. After a while, he did come to a main road. He looked both ways. At last he saw a house almost hidden by trees. Two boys were playing in the yard.

Benny walked toward the boys and called, “Do you own a talking horse?”

“Yes, we do,” said the older boy. “Want to see him?”

Benny nodded. “Yes, that’s what I came for,” he said.

The boys led Benny to a large shed. The little boy asked, “How did you hear about old Major?”

“Mr. Shaw, the stationmaster at Pinedale, told me,” said Benny. “He said Major was a circus horse.”

“That’s right,” said the boy. “Cho-Cho the clown works for Mr. Shaw. He used to own our horse, but he sold him to us.”

The three boys stopped at the door of the shed, and sure enough, inside was the horse.

The big boy said, “Well, Major, are you glad to see this stranger?”

The horse tossed his head and looked at Benny. The boys took the horse out of the shed.

“Are you afraid of the stranger?” asked the boy.

Major shook his head from side to side. His beautiful white mane blew in the wind. Benny was delighted.

“Could I ask him a question?”

“Sure,” said the boy. “Maybe he will answer you.”

“How much are two and one?” asked Benny in a loud voice. The horse pawed the ground three times.

“Sit down, Major,” said the boy. The horse sat down like a dog.

“What do you want to do now?” asked the boy. The horse lay down on his side and shut his eyes.

“He’s a wonder,” said Benny. “I suppose you will never sell him?”

“Well, it’s possible,” said the boy. “Major is lonesome here. You’re the first visitor we have had for two weeks. Where are you going from here?”

“Back to the train,” said Benny.

“You’d better get going then,” said the boy. “The train may leave, and the path isn’t very good.”

“I think I lost the path coming over. My name is Benny Alden. Maybe I’ll write to you sometime. Is your name Cutler?”

The big boy said, “Yes. If you want to write about the horse, you’d better send the letter to my father. His name is John Cutler. Send it to Glass Factory Junction.”

Benny thanked the boys and turned into the woods. “Keep going right along,” called the smaller boy, “or you’ll miss your train.”

“I’ll go as fast as I can,” shouted Benny. “Goodbye!”

Benny could not see any path. He struggled through the bushes. Once he tripped and fell on a stone and cut his knee. At last he said to himself, “I’m certainly lost. But I know I’m going the right way toward the station.”

Soon the path was better, and he began to run. In a minute he saw a little house that he had not passed on his way to the Cutlers. On the step sat a little boy and his mother.

“Look, Mom,” said the little boy. “Somebody’s coming.”

Benny was very glad to see some people. He said, “I want to catch that freight train. Do you think I can make it?”

“No,” said the woman. “I’m sorry. We just heard one whistle already. When it whistles again, the train will start. You can’t go fast enough to catch it.”

“I have to go just the same,” said Benny. “I lost the path when I came over. It took me a lot longer than I expected.”

The boy said, “Did you go to see the talking horse?”

“Yes, I did,” said Benny. “He was fun, but now I’ve lost my family.”

The boy looked at his mother. Then he said, “I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t look old enough,” said Benny.

“Oh, yes, I am,” said the boy. “I know the way to the station anyway, and I know every single train that goes by.”

“Yes, he does,” said the woman. “In summer he hasn’t anything else to do except watch the trains.”

“Come on,” said the boy. He led the way, running.

Benny followed him as well as he could.

“What’s your name?” he called to the boy. “Mine is Benny Alden.”

“Charley Jackson,” said the boy, running faster. “Be careful! This is a bad place!” It was too late. Benny had tripped over a great bunch of vines and fallen again on his sore knee.

“I’m sorry,” said Charley, coming back. “I guess you’re not used to running in the deep woods.”

“No,” said Benny. “But I ought to have seen those vines.”

“You’re caught for sure,” said Charley. “This is what I use for a knife.” He took a thin flat stone out of his pocket. He started to cut one vine after another.

“Well, that stone is sharp,” said Benny.

“Yes,” said Charley. “I have to carry something. I’m always needing a knife in these woods. There you are. Pull your foot out now.”

Benny started to get up.

“Look out! Don’t touch that!” said Charley. “That’s poison ivy!”

“Oh, I see it is now,” said Benny. “I wasn’t even looking. A good thing you stopped me, because that stuff poisons me.”

When Benny was on his feet, the boys ran on.

“Don’t feel bad about falling,” Charley called back. “I’ve seen grown-up men fall down in here, going to see the talking horse. I know where you went this morning. You weren’t on the path at all. This is bad, but that is worse. Oh, oh! There goes the whistle again.”

“And now I’ve lost my train,” said Benny.

Charley slowed down. “What are you going to do?”

“Well,” said Benny, “I’ll have to go to the railroad station just the same. You see my grandfather and my big brother and two sisters are on that train.”

“Won’t they make the train wait for you?” asked Charley.

Benny shook his head. “No. I told them that when I came back I would take a nap. I told them not to open the door and wake me up. So they will think I’m sleeping in the caboose.”

“Caboose!” said Charley. “I never heard of such a thing—traveling on a caboose!”

The boys walked slowly now.

“Yes,” said Benny. “We are taking a trip in two cabooses. I’ve been trying to think what my grandfather will do when he finds I’m not there. I’m sure he will come back to this station. There’s no other place for him to go.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Charley. “That’s the only road except this path. This road just goes a long way around by Cutlers.”

“My family won’t know I am lost until it’s supper time,” said Benny. “Oh, boy, am I hungry!”

“What did you have for lunch?”

“I didn’t have any lunch,” said Benny.

“No wonder you’re hungry,” said Charley. “Do you like apples?”

“I love them!” said Benny. “I could eat about a dozen right now.”

The boys reached the station. The door was locked. The factory was shut, too. The train had gone.