The Boxcar Children

Jessie wakes up in the morning and sees heavy clouds. The wind picks up, and lightning approaches, which means rain. She walks into the woods searching for something they can hide under and finds an old boxcar on rusted rails. She hurries back and wakes the others. They run to the boxcar, step up onto a tree stump next to the boxcar’s door, pull it open, and climb in. They close the door just as wind-swept rain begins to pour down.

A while later, the rain stops. They look out: The sun is shining, and they notice a nearby brook that tumbles over rocks. Jessie decides this is a perfect place to live. She begs Henry to agree, but it’s Benny who doesn’t want to live there. He’s afraid an engine will haul the boxcar away. Henry assures him that the car is old and long abandoned and that no one will move it.

They share the last bread loaf. Benny wants milk, so Henry volunteers to go to the nearest town and get some. He worries about leaving them alone, but Jessie assures him they’ll be all right, and they’ll have a surprise for him when he returns, so he departs.