Violet ran back to the boxcar as quickly as she could, with Claire at her heels.
“Wait!” Claire called. “What’s going on?”
Violet and Claire arrived breathless in the doorway of the boxcar. Jessie and Benny were sitting on the floor playing cards, and Henry was beside them, flipping through a magazine.
“You guys, you’ll never believe it!” said Violet, gasping for breath.
Jessie, Benny, and Henry looked up at Violet with wonder.
“What is it?” asked Jessie.
Violet took a couple of seconds to catch her breath. “I was just over at Florence Murray’s and she said that Amelia is invited to dinner.”
“Um, that’s nice,” said Jessie, looking confused.
“You came running back to tell us that?” said Benny.
“She said that Amelia Wile is coming for dinner,” Violet said.
“Amelia’s last name is Wile?” said Jessie. “That means — ”
“She must be related to Isabel,” Henry said. “She could be her granddaughter or something.”
Jessie thought a moment. “Actually, if Isabel had gotten married, her name wouldn’t have been Wile anymore. So Amelia must be Louis’s granddaughter — Isabel is her great aunt.”
At last Claire spoke up. “What on earth are you guys talking about?”
Jessie laughed, then told Claire all about the doll and the diary they’d found.
“Amelia’s grandfather must have told stories about living in a boxcar in Silver City,” said Henry. “That’s why she was so interested in old trains.”
“She probably thought this was the boxcar where her grandfather had lived,” said Violet. “That’s why she kept coming back.”
“Louis probably told Amelia about living in the boxcar,” said Henry. “And maybe about the doll and the diary he helped his sister hide.”
“Amelia did ask us if we’d ever found anything unusual here,” Benny recalled.
“She might have been the one who was here at night,” said Violet. “She was probably trying to find that hidden compartment.”
The children heard a car door shut. “I bet that’s Amelia now,” said Claire, running out to see. The Aldens followed her. A small purple car was parked at the curb in front of Florence Murray’s house. Amelia was walking up the front path.
“We should bring Rebecca and the diary over there,” said Violet, going back into the boxcar.
“Yes,” the others agreed.
Claire and the Aldens walked quickly next door. Violet was carrying the doll and the diary.
When Ms. Murray opened the door, she said, “Claire, I’m glad you’re back. Amelia is here and we’re going to be having dinner soon. Would you all like to join us? I can throw some more hamburgers on the grill.”
“Thank you,” said Henry, “but Mrs. McGregor is expecting us at home for dinner. We just wanted to show something to Amelia, if that’s all right.”
“Sure, come on in,” said Ms. Murray.
Amelia and Professor Murray were sitting in the living room chatting. “Hello,” they both said when the children entered.
“Hello,” the children said.
“Amelia, we have something important to show you,” said Jessie. She held out the doll and the diary.
“What’s— ” Amelia began, looking confused. But as soon as she opened the diary she understood. She inhaled deeply and looked as if she was about to cry.
“How did you find them?” she asked the Aldens.
“We found the doll a couple of days ago, in a hidden compartment,” Henry said. “A note in its pocket told us how to find the diary.”
“Isabel was your great aunt, wasn’t she?” Violet asked softly.
Amelia nodded through happy tears. She turned to Professor Murray, who was looking rather puzzled.
“I never told you why I’m so interested in old trains,” Amelia said. “My grandfather, Louis Wile, lived in a boxcar for a few months when his father lost his job. His sister, my Great Aunt Isabel, used to tell me stories about her doll and the diary she’d left there. I started to search for the boxcar they’d lived in. When I found the one in the Aldens’ backyard, I knew it had to be the one. It matched everything my grandfather and great aunt had told me.”
“So you came in the middle of the night to look for the doll and the diary, didn’t you?” said Jessie.
Amelia nodded. “I didn’t want to tell you what I was looking for. So I came at night, with my lantern.”
“I thought you were a ghost!” said Benny.
“I knew you’d seen me,” said Amelia. “I heard the door of your house open and I ran. I’m sorry, I think I knocked some things over.”
“That’s okay,” said Jessie.
“You came back another time, too,” said Henry.
“Yes, I did,” Amelia admitted. “I parked my car at the Murrays’ house and then sneaked over.”
“Why didn’t you just tell us the story?” Violet asked. “We would have helped you look for the doll.”
Amelia shrugged. “I didn’t know you, and I was afraid you might keep the doll and the diary for yourself.”
Violet shook her head. “We would never do that. Those belong to you.”
“We have something else for you,” Jessie said. She handed Amelia the pages they’d copied from the old newspapers. Amelia’s eyes opened wide as she looked at them.
“We think your great grandfather worked for that factory,” Jessie explained.
Amelia nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“Did you find these pages at the library?” Professor Murray asked.
“Yes,” said Henry.
Professor Murray smiled. “You are excellent historians.”
Henry turned to Professor Murray. “We thought it might be you going in the boxcar in the middle of the night,” he admitted.
“Me?” Professor Murray said. “But why?”
“We thought you wanted us to think it was haunted,” said Benny.
“Haunted?” said Professor Murray, looking surprised.
“We thought maybe you were trying to scare us into giving up our boxcar,” said Jessie.
Professor Murray smiled. “I would never do something like that. In fact, I’ve been rethinking what I said about your boxcar. I think you kids should keep it.”
“You do?” they all said at once.
“You take very good care of that boxcar,” Professor Murray said. “I’ve seen what a special place it is to you.”
“Hooray!” shouted the Aldens.
Violet turned to Amelia. “You can come visit anytime. That boxcar is part of your family history, too.”
Just then, the doorbell rang. Florence Murray went to answer it, and a moment later Mr. Alden walked into the living room.
“Grandfather!” the children shouted, running to him and nearly knocking him over with their hugs.
“When did you get home?” Jessie asked.
“Just now,” Mr. Alden said. “I figured I might find you here.”
“I’m so glad you’re back,” said Violet, hugging her grandfather again.
Mr. Alden grinned. “Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?”
“Anything interesting?” said Benny. “Just wait until you hear!” |