Boxcar Children 56 - Firehouse Mystery Read Online Free PDF

signed and handed everything back to Benny.

    “What’s your petition for?” asked a woman behind him. When Jessie and Benny told her, she, too, signed eagerly.
    The next person who came by did not want to sign their petition. It was Janet Lerner, from the town council.
    “Still trying to save that old building? It’s an outdated wreck,” she said.
    “We don’t think so,” said Jessie.
    “And a lot of people agree with us,” added Benny, holding up the petition.
    Ms. Lerner looked angry. “I’ve worked long and hard to get a better firehouse, and I’m not going to stop now. You might as well just give up!”
    With that she turned on her heel and walked down the block and into a small building. Jessie noticed that the sign on the door said REBECCA WRIGHT, ARCHITECT.
    “That must be Rebecca’s studio right there,” said Jessie.
    “Ms. Lerner seemed really angry,” said Benny.
    “Yes, she did,” said Jessie. “I can’t believe she told us to give up!”
    “Do you think she knocked over the paint cans, hoping we would quit?” asked Benny.
    “Maybe,” Jessie said thoughtfully.
    Almost everyone else who stopped to talk to the children happily signed the petition. Soon the page was almost full. “Look at all these names!” said Benny. He turned over the page, his eye running down the two long columns, each name in different handwriting.
    “Let’s go back to the firehouse and help Henry and Violet with the posters,” said Jessie. “We can get more signatures tomorrow.”
    A few minutes later, Jessie and Benny were riding their bikes up the road toward the firehouse. The sight of dark green branches on the side of the building caught their eyes. “Look, Henry and Violet have fixed up the window boxes!” cried Benny.
    They found Henry and Violet in the garage, surrounded by several colorfully painted posters. COME TO A RALLY! said one. HELP US SAVE THE FIREHOUSE! said another. Each poster gave the date of the rally and told people to assemble at noon in front of the firehouse.
    “The window boxes look great,” said Jessie. “And so do the posters.”
    “Look at all the signatures we’ve gotten,” Benny said, holding up the page to show them.
    “Good job!” said Henry.
    “We were about to start on the banner,” said Violet as she rolled out the long roll of paper in front of them. In pencil she wrote SAVE THE FIREHOUSE in large letters. Then all the children helped to paint the letters in bright colors.
    It was nearly dinnertime when they were finally finished. They left the banner out to dry overnight. The posters were already dry, so they piled them in the baskets of their bicycles. On their way home, the children would hang them on trees and telephone poles throughout the neighborhood.
    As the Aldens were just starting off, a familiar figure came walking up. “Mr. Frederick?” Jessie called out. “I mean, Ralph?”
    “Hello, Jessie,” he said.
    “Mike told us he never saw you yesterday. What happened?” Henry asked.
    “Oh, I decided not to bother him. He’s such a busy man. But when I got home, I changed my mind. That’s why I came back,” Ralph explained. “After all, I have to get my book finished.”
    “Are you going to include the Old Town Hall in your book?” Violet asked.
    “Uh — the town hall?” Ralph repeated.
    “Yes, it’s so beautiful with all the columns in front,” Violet said.
    “I never noticed,” Ralph said.
    “And the building next to it is at least a hundred years old,” Henry added.
    “Oh, really? I’ll have to go take a look,” Ralph said. “But I’m afraid I must be going now.” And clutching his little blue notebook, he hurried into the firehouse.
    “Hmmm . . .” Jessie said as they began riding home. “You know, I’m beginning to agree with you, Henry. Something about Ralph Frederick does seem odd. For someone who’s writing a book about historic buildings in Greenfield, he doesn’t know much about them.”
    “Didn’t he seem in a