After a supper of spaghetti and salad in the lodge dining room, Grandfather drove the children to the cabin.
“This is as close as we can get,” he said as he stopped the station wagon.
“We’re close enough,” Jessie said. “From what Mr. Mercer told me, that’s our cabin just over there.”
Their log house stood out from the others. It was the only one with a light on.
Everyone hopped out of the car. Watch ran, his nose to the ground. Henry unhooked the skis from the car’s roof. Jessie gathered the skates from the back. Violet, Benny, and Mr. Alden carried the children’s suitcases to the cabin. When Grandfather opened the door they all saw a fire dancing in the small stone fireplace with a sofa and two overstuffed chairs clustered around it. At the end of the room, near a small kitchen, stood a bare table and six plain chairs.
Jessie and Henry came in. They looked around for a place to put their skis and skates. Henry noticed a long wooden board on the wall beside the door.
“This rack must be made for skis,” he said. He slipped his skis between two of the metal bands on the board.
“There are pegs here, too,” Jessie said. “A perfect place to hang our skates.”
“And there’s still room for our coats,” Violet said as she slipped out of her purple jacket.
They all took off their coats and boots while Grandfather looked around the cabin. He found two small bedrooms, each with bunk beds and a large chest of drawers.
“The beds aren’t made,” he said when he returned to the main room, “but there are plenty of sheets and blankets in the dresser drawers.”
“Well find everything, Grandfather,” Jessie assured him. She knew he wanted to get back to the lodge to visit with Mr. Mercer.
“All right then,” Mr. Alden said, “I’ll be on my way.”
He opened the door and Watch darted in. His nose and whiskers were all white, and snow hung from his chin like a beard. He ran around the room smelling everything, leaving little puddles of melting snow wherever his nose touched.
The Aldens waved to their grandfather. Then, Henry closed and latched the door.
“Benny and I will share one bedroom,” he said. “You girls take the other.”
“I get the top bunk,” Benny said.
“Fine with me,” Henry agreed.
Benny unzipped his duffel bag. He pulled out a white box. “What should we do with this?” he asked.
“What’s in it?” Jessie asked.
“The cookies we made this morning,” Benny answered.
Jessie looked around the room. There was a small sink near the table. Above it was a cabinet. She opened its door. “Put them in here, Benny,” she said.
Benny handed her the box. He wasn’t tall enough to reach the shelf.
“There’re dishes in here and paper napkins. And, look! Here’s a tablecloth,” Jessie said.
“Let’s cover the table,” Violet suggested. “It’ll look more homey.”
Jessie took out the red-and-white checked cloth and laid it on the tabletop.
“Now all we need’s a centerpiece,” Violet said.
Benny dragged his duffel bag across the room. “How about some fruit?” He put several apples and oranges on the table.
“Here’s a container,” Henry said. He slipped a basket off a peg beside the fireplace.
Violet arranged the fruit in the round basket and placed it in the center of the table.
Then, Benny said, “Let’s eat.”
“We just had supper,” Henry reminded him.
“I know, but I’m getting sleepy,” Benny said, “and I can’t go to bed without a snack.”
Jessie took down the box of cookies. “I don’t suppose a cookie or two would hurt,” she said.
“Too bad we don’t have something to drink,” Violet said.
Benny pulled several cans of juice from his bag. “Ta-da,” he said.
Henry laughed. Then, he took four cups from the cabinet shelf.
“I don’t need a cup,” Benny told him as he fished in the duffel. “I brought my own.” He held up the cracked pink cup he had found in a dump when they had lived in the boxcar.
Jessie gave each of them two cookies on a red paper napkin.
Henry poured the juice.
“The juice is warm,” Benny said. “I like it cold.”
“I can fix that,” Henry said. He took a bowl from the cabinet and went outside. He returned with a bowlful of snow.
Benny scooped some into his cup. “It’s like a snowcone without the cone,” he said.
They began talking about the next day’s activities.
“Whose team will we be on?” Violet wondered aloud.
“Maybe we’ll be on different teams,” Jessie said.
“I want to be on Freddy’s team,” Benny said.
“Why?” Violet asked. “Jimmy’ll be a good captain, too.”
“But Freddy said her team was going to win,” Benny reminded his sister.
“Just because she says it, doesn’t make it so,” Jessie argued.
“I don’t care who wins,” Violet said. “Just being a part of a team will be fun.”
“There might not be any teams,” Henry said.
They remembered the locked equipment shop.
“What do you suppose happened to the keys?” Jessie asked.
“Maybe someone took them,” Benny said.
“Why would anyone do that?” Henry asked.
They could not think of a single reason.
“Maybe Mr. Mercer put them somewhere else and forgot,” Violet suggested.
“Let’s hope he finds them,” Jessie said.
“Or figures out some other way to get into the equipment shop,” Henry put in.
Benny shivered with excitement. “I can’t wait to find out whose team I’ll be on,” he said.
They decided to make up their beds and go to sleep. That way, morning would come faster. |