Benny was right. It did not take too long to fix the store. First, some carpenters took down the wall between the two stores to make one big room.
Benny noticed one special carpenter. He was an old man. He was slow, but he did fine work. He kept looking at Benny and Puggsy with a twinkle in his blue eyes. The Aldens noticed that he listened to every word they said. The old man always stopped pounding for a minute when they talked about the cabin or Tom Nelson’s baking.
Jessie said, “I wonder why that old carpenter is so interested? He’s a good workman. He fixed all the windows so that they don’t rattle.”
But when the painters came everyone forgot the old man. They painted the walls bright yellow. Franklin’s Store was painted the same color. Now it was one big store.
A gray tiled floor was put in, and the windows were washed until they shone. Big stoves and refrigerators were moved into the bakery side. A new sign was put up outside:
FRANKLIN’S STORE
BENNY’S BUNS
That was not all. The radio carried news about the store and the newspapers had pictures of Tom, Barbara, Puggsy, and Benny.
The Nelsons bought white uniforms. Barrels of flour came rolling in, barrels of sugar, boxes of eggs.
At last the store opened. It was a Saturday. Benny and Puggsy were there, but Henry was at his college.
People were interested in the new store. There was no doubt about that. When the Nelsons and Roger Franklin came to unlock the door early Saturday morning, there were six people waiting on the steps.
Benny and Puggsy put on their white uniforms at once and stood behind the counter. They sold buns with Mrs. Nelson. Puggsy was too young to take the money and make change, but he could sell buns and put them in bags. Everybody smiled when they saw him and the women said, “How cute!”
People who came to Franklin’s Store went into the bakery. People who came into the bakery went into the grocery department. Roger Franklin began to sell twice as much because he now had a bakery.
A woman came in and said, “Tm interested in these buns. There must be a story about the secret recipe.”
“Yes, there is,” said Puggsy.
A crowd gathered around Benny and Puggsy. When they told about Watch chasing the squirrels, everyone laughed.
“That’s a wonderful story,” the woman said. “I like those letters on the closet door. Do you know what the question mark stands for?”
“No,” answered Puggsy. He shook his head. “Nobody knows except my dad and my mother.”
Just as Benny was getting hungry the door opened and in came Mr. Alden, Jessie, and Violet.
“How are you doing?” asked Mr. Alden.
“Very hungry,” said Benny.
Tom laughed. “That’s right. But we are selling so much we can’t stop to eat.”
“That’s why we came,” said Mr. Alden. “You need a change. We’ll sell while you go out to eat lunch.”
“We planned to eat buns and coffee right here,” said Tom.
“Never mind,” said Mr. Alden. “You’ll work harder when you come back. Just give me your white uniform. Violet can wear Benny’s.”
Barbara gave her uniform to Jessie, and soon everyone was ready. His friends thought it was a joke to find Mr. Alden working in a bakery.
The four hungry workers went down the street to a restaurant. On the way people stopped them to say how good Tom’s baking was.
While they waited for lunch Benny heard a girl say, “I’m delighted to have a real bakery here. I love that little Puggsy at the counter.”
The man with the girl said, “I’d go in just to hear him talk.”
Benny and Puggsy made faces at each other.
It was a long day, but a happy one. The Nelsons had dinner with the Aldens before going to their home over the old store.
Puggsy said, “I do miss the squirrels. It was fun to see Watch chase them.”
“Well, I don’t miss them,” Jessie said. “But I do wonder where they went.”
Benny said, “Listen, some day let’s go back to the cabin and see if we can find the squirrels.”
“We could take a lunch with us,” Violet said.
Jessie looked at Tom and said, “I still don’t know how that blue card got up in the attic over the bedrooms.”
Tom answered, “I don’t either.”
Not long after that on a beautiful day the Aldens and the Nelsons went up to the hunters’ cabin. Before they reached the cabin Watch began to bark.
“Listen!” said Benny. “That’s pounding!”
They walked faster. A ladder was leaning against the side of the cabin. A man on the roof was pounding shingles. He saw them and waved.
Jessie said, “That’s the carpenter who worked on Franklin’s Store. Remember?”
Benny shouted, “Did you get all the squirrels out of the attic first?”
“No squirrels there!” called the carpenter. “I looked.” Then he pointed at the tall tree in front of the cabin. “I think you’ll find your squirrels in that tree. There’s a lot of ’em.”
“Oho!” Puggsy said. “Mike said they might move into that tree. And there they are.”
At first no one could count the squirrels. They were running around in the tree, chasing each other. At last Benny was sure there were five. Not a nut was left on the step.
Benny said, “I bet they took every nut into that hole before night.”
“Well,” said Violet, “we don’t have to worry about the squirrels. Let’s have our picnic lunch in the cabin. It’s too cold to eat outdoors.”
The carpenter called down, “I’m leaving now. You can have your picnic without any pounding.”
“No hurry,” answered Jessie. “We’ll go in and look around.”
“I’d like to talk with you before I go,” said the man.
“Now what does he want?” wondered Benny. He took out the key and everyone went into the cabin. Barbara and Jessie began to put the lunch on the table.
In a few minutes the carpenter tapped at the door and Puggsy let him in. He sat down on the couch, holding his old felt hat. He looked at the Nelsons and said, “My name is Don Perry. When I was working in the new store I heard you tell how the blue recipe card was found up here.”
Tom Nelson said, “Yes, that was the strangest thing. I’m sure my father wanted me to have that recipe card. But I have never been able to guess how he thought I could find it.”
“He never knew a thing about the new ceiling,” said the carpenter. “After your father died, the cabin was sold to the Sportsmen’s Club. They told me to shut in that part over the bedrooms to make them warmer at night.”
“I told you so,” said Benny.
The old man went on, “When I was putting up the new ceiling I did notice some old papers on a beam. And there were some blue cards, too. But I didn’t think anything about it then.”
Jessie said, “We thought the squirrels carried them up there.”
“No,” said Mr. Perry. “Old Mr. Nelson put them there, and I nailed ’em in.”
Tom Nelson said, “This explains everything. I never knew that the attic was closed after my father died. I thought the ceiling had always been there. I’m glad we know.”
“Oh, I’m glad we got caught in the snow,” exclaimed Jessie. “If it hadn’t snowed, we wouldn’t have found the recipe. And if the snow hadn’t been heavy, the ceiling wouldn’t have fallen down.”
Violet added, “Now we don’t have to worry about anything—the squirrels, the recipe, or Benny’s Buns.”
Tom Nelson laughed. “The recipe is in the bank and safe in my head.”
“And in mine,” said Barbara.
“But not in mine,” said Puggsy. He shook his head sadly.
“A good thing, too,” Benny said. “If you knew that recipe you’d tell everybody. You couldn’t help it.”
And to this day, Tom and Barbara Nelson are the only ones in the world who know the recipe for Benny’s Buns. And they will never tell—until, of course, Puggsy grows up enough to keep a secret. |