The Garden Thief Read Online Free PDF Page A

arrived a few minutes ago,” said Taylor.
    Benny yawned. “What’s inside them?” he asked.
    “Open them,” she said, “and you’ll see.”
    Jessie opened one of the sacks. “Lettuce!” she said. “Lots of lettuce!”
    Violet opened the other sack. “Kale,” she said. “The whole sack is full of kale.”
    “What does this mean?” asked Mr. Yee.
    “That’s what I’d like to know,” said Taylor.
    She looked at the Aldens. “What do you think?” she asked.

    Henry spoke first. “I think somebody is trying to make amends,” he said.
    “I agree,” said Jessie. “Somebody is trying to say they’re sorry they stole your lettuce and kale yesterday.”
    “Yes,” said Taylor, “I think somebody feels bad about what happened and is giving me this lettuce and kale.” She frowned. “It doesn’t make sense, though.”
    “I know what you mean,” said Henry. “If somebody stole your lettuce and kale, why would he or she bother giving you more lettuce and kale?”
    “But if Lucasta’s rabbits ate my lettuce and kale, that makes sense,” said Taylor. “Rabbits can’t return what they ate, but Lucasta could.”
    Violet was starting to wake up. Thinking about a mystery always made her feel more alert. “Maybe it’s not the same person,” she said. “Maybe one person stole the lettuce and kale, but another person is giving you lettuce and kale.”
    “Hmmm,” said Taylor.
    “You will have to eat this lettuce and kale very soon,” Mr. Yee observed. “Vegetables taste best right after they’re picked.”
    “I can’t eat all of this by myself,” said Taylor. “Please take as much as you want for yourselves, and I’ll donate the rest to the food center.”
    “We can sprinkle the burlap bags with water,” said Mr. Yee, “and put them in the shade, so they stay cool.”
    Taylor nodded. “I’ll do that before I start to weed,” she said. “Be sure to take some of these with you when you go home.”
    “Will you eat some of the lettuce and kale yourself?” Violet asked.
    Taylor shook her head.
    “Why not?” asked Benny. “I’ll bet they taste good.”
    “They probably do.” Taylor laughed. “But these aren’t the same kind of lettuce and kale that I grow,” she said.
    She reached into one bag and pulled out a head of lettuce. “This is a light green butter lettuce,” she said, holding it out for the children to see. “It’s very tasty, but I was growing a red-tipped leaf lettuce. I like the taste of it better, and I like the dark green color.”
    Taylor put the lettuce back into one burlap bag and reached into the other bag. She pulled out some kale leaves. “This is a plain green kale,” she said, showing the leaves to the children. “I grow a very dark curly kale.”
    Mr. Yee nodded his head. “These are good vegetables,” he said, “but not as tasty as the kind you grow. If it was the thief who returned these vegetables, I wonder why he didn’t return the same kind he took?”
    Henry scratched his head. “If the thief returned the exact same kind of vegetables he or she stole, then why steal them in the first place?”
    “Do you think this lettuce and kale came from the community gardens?” Jessie asked.
    Taylor shrugged her shoulders. “Who knows,” she said. “Lots of people here grow butter lettuce and plain kale. Alex grows butter lettuce and plain kale. So does Roger. Lucasta used to grow dark green lettuce and dark curly kale, just like Mr. Yee and I do. But Alex and Lucasta don’t enter their vegetables in contests.”
    “Are you talking about me and my sister?” asked Alex Kirk.
    Everybody turned around at the sound of Alex’s voice. They saw him at the side of Taylor’s garden. He was standing in Lucasta’s empty plot, looking at them.
    “Yes,” said Taylor. “I was saying that you and Lucasta don’t enter your vegetables in contests to win blue ribbons.”
    “That’s right,” said Alex. “Vegetables are meant to feed people, not to win blue