“Benny! Benny, where are you?” Jessie was trying to find her brother.
She looked into Violet’s room. “Have you seen Benny?”
“No.” Violet shook her head. “Did you ask Henry?”
“Not yet.” Jessie started down the hall to Henry’s room just as he came out. “Henry, have you see Benny? It’s almost time for the Teagues and Sunny to get here.”
“I’m ready,” said Henry. “But I haven’t seen Benny. Have you looked in his room?”
Jessie nodded. “Yes, but he’s not there.”
“Maybe he’s downstairs with Mrs. McGregor. It sure smells like something great is cooking,” Henry said.
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.” Jessie went downstairs to the kitchen.
But Benny wasn’t there.
“Mmm, it smells good, Mrs. McGregor,” Jessie said, taking a deep breath.
Mrs. McGregor smiled, “That it does. There’s nothing that smells as good as fresh-baked bread. Or that tastes as good, either.”
“I can hardly wait,” said Jessie. “It smells so good, I was sure Benny would be in here.”
“No, he’s not. But I have an idea if you check out back by your boxcar, you might find him,” suggested Mrs. McGregor.
“Thank you,” Jessie said, and hurried out the back door.
Sure enough, Benny was in front of the boxcar. He had filled an old tin washtub full of soapy water, and he and Watch were covered in water and suds.
“Benny! What are you doing?” Jessie called.
“Giving Watch a bath so when he meets Sunny, he’ll be nice and clean,” gasped Benny, trying to hold on to the squirming dog. Watch thought having a bath was great fun. He was splashing in the water and wriggling all around.
“Oops,” said Benny, waving his arms and trying to keep his balance as Watch bumped into his legs. He tripped and fell into the washtub with Watch.
Jessie started to laugh as soap and water flew everywhere. Benny stuck his head out of the water and wiped his face. He grinned. “I guess I’ll be clean, too,” he said.
“I guess you will. Here, let me help you,” said Jessie. She gave Benny a hand out of the washtub. Then the two of them caught Watch and soaped him all over and rinsed him gently with the hose.
“I remembered to bring a towel,” said Benny proudly. He went over to the boxcar and picked up the towel he had left on the tree stump that was the boxcar’s front step. Together Benny and Jessie dried off Watch.
“Watch is beautiful,” declared Benny.
“He does look good,” agreed Jessie. “Now, we must hurry and get ready. The Teagues and Sunny will be here any minute!”
Jessie and Benny rushed back to the house to change into clean, dry clothes. As Benny went up the back stairs into the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder.
“Don’t you want to come in, Watch?” he asked.
Watch stayed where he was at the foot of the back steps.
“Okay, you can stay outside,” said Benny. “But be good, now. And don’t get dirty!”
The front doorbell rang just as Benny and Jessie finished getting ready. They raced down the stairs as Grandfather Alden opened the front door. Henry and Violet were there already.
In the doorway was a small woman with blue eyes and red-gold hair twisted back into a soft bun. She was wearing khaki slacks, a plaid shirt, and a blue cardigan sweater. She stepped briskly over the threshold and gave their grandfather a big hug. “James Henry Alden,” she said. “It has been a long, long time.”
“Much too long, Annabel Teague,” agreed Grandfather Alden, smiling.
In a moment, two more figures appeared in the doorway.
“This is my daughter, Caryn,” said Mrs. Teague. “And of course, Sunny.”
A tall graceful girl, who looked about sixteen, followed Mrs. Teague into the house. She had hair the same red-gold color as her mother’s, but her eyes were brown instead of blue, and she wore her hair pulled back in a single braid. She was wearing khaki pants, too, and a red pullover sweater.
Caryn was holding a red leash in one hand. At the end of the leash was a large golden-red dog with silky, slightly wavy fur.
“Sit, Sunny,” said the girl in a quiet, pleasant voice. The dog sat down and looked around with a friendly expression on her face.
“Wow,” said Violet.
The girl held out her hand. “How do you do, Mr. Alden?”
“I’m glad to see you again, Caryn,” he answered, shaking her hand. “You won’t remember this, but the last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. You’ve grown up, I see.”
“I hope so,” said Caryn, laughing a little.
Grandfather Alden bent over. “And this is Sunny,” he said. He stroked the top of the dog’s head. “She’s a beauty.”
Both Caryn and Mrs. Teague looked pleased. “Champion Gold Doubloon’s Morning Sun,” Mrs. Teague said. “That’s her registered name. Of course, we call her Sunny.”
“Well, let me introduce my family,” said Grandfather. “These are my grandchildren, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.”
Everyone shook hands. Then Benny held his hand out to Sunny.
“Benny, I don’t think …” Grandfather began.
But Caryn smiled. “Shake, Sunny,” she said.
Sunny held up her paw and shook hands with Benny.
“You’re a smart dog!” cried Benny.
“Maybe you can teach Watch how to shake hands, Sunny. Watch is our dog. His full name is Watch Alden, but we call him Watch. He’s smart, too.”
Benny went to the front door and opened it. “Watch,” he called. “Here, Watch!”
But Watch didn’t come.
“He’ll be here soon,” said Benny confidently, closing the door.
Grandfather said, “Meanwhile, why don’t we take you to your rooms and let you settle in. Then come down for something to eat and drink. You must be hungry after your trip.”
“I have a special traveling kennel for Sunny,” said Caryn. “May I set that up in my room? It’s big enough for her to move around in and to keep her food and water in.”
“Of course,” said Grandfather. “Although she’s so well-behaved, you don’t need to keep her in there unless you want to.”
It didn’t take long for the Teagues to settle in. Soon they were all sitting around the kitchen table, eating fresh baked bread with butter and honey, and drinking milk or tea. Caryn had brought Sunny back down with her. When they’d reached the kitchen, she’d pointed to the corner by the door and said, “Down Sunny.” Sunny had laid down. “Good girl. Stay,” said Caryn. And Sunny had stayed there ever since.
“Does she do that at the shows?” asked Henry, looking admiringly at Caryn.
Caryn shook her head. “You’re talking about obedience trials,” she told Henry. “They’re not part of this show. This show is about how a dog looks and acts. The judges look to see if it walks correctly and has the right color coat and the right kind of ears for its breed.”
Violet looked puzzled. So did Jessie and Henry. Benny was twisting around in his chair looking for Watch, so he wasn’t listening as intently as everyone else.
“At a show,” Caryn explained, “each dog is walked around the ring while the judge watches. Then the judge looks at each dog more closely. The dog that’s closest to perfect for its breed is the winner. So on the first day, Sunny will compete just against other golden retrievers.”
“Oh,” said Violet, looking less puzzled. “I think I see.”
Caryn smiled. “And there’s more. All the breeds of dogs are divided into seven different groups — Sporting Dogs, Non-sporting Dogs, Working Dogs, Herding Dogs, Terriers, Hounds, and Toys. Golden retrievers are in the Sporting Dog group. If Sunny is the best golden retriever, on the second day she’ll compete against other kinds of sporting dogs, like Labrador retrievers and Irish setters.”
“What if she’s picked as the best in the Sporting Dog group?” Henry asked.
“Then on the last night she’ll compete against the winners of the other six groups to see who is the best dog in the whole show.”
“Wow,” said Jessie. “The winner must be a terrific dog!”
“I can hardly wait to see all the dogs,” said Violet.
“Yes,” said Henry. “We’re going to come watch the show and cheer for Sunny.”
Caryn smiled at their enthusiasm. “Why don’t you come to the show tomorrow?” she asked. “It doesn’t really start until the day after, but people will be arriving and getting their dogs used to the place. It will be fun. There’ll be a lot to see and do.”
“That would be great!” said Henry.
Just then there was a scratching at the kitchen door.
“Watch!” exclaimed Benny happily. He rushed to the door and opened it.
Watch bounded in and stopped. His tail went up, and he started wagging it stiffly. The fur on the ruff of his neck stood up. As plainly as if he’d said it in English, he was asking, “Who is this strange dog in my kitchen?”
Sunny raised her head.
“Okay, Sunny,” said Caryn. “Be good, now.”
Sunny stood up. She and Watch touched noses. Gradually the fur on Watch’s neck went down. Suddenly he put his two front legs flat on the floor, while sticking his hindquarters and tail up in the air. He wagged his tail furiously.
“He’s saying, ‘Let’s play!’ ” Caryn laughed.
Everyone watched, smiling, as Sunny did the same thing as Watch.
“Would you like to go outside and play, Sunny?” asked Caryn.
“May we take them out, Grandfather?” asked Violet.
Grandfather laughed. “If it’s okay with Mrs. Teague.”
“Just be careful that Sunny stays in good shape for the show,” said Mrs. Teague.
“Don’t worry,” Caryn said. “I’ll keep an eye on Sunny. I’m sure nothing will happen to her.”
“We’ll show you our boxcar, too,” said Henry. During their snack, they’d told the Teagues a little about their adventures in the old boxcar.
“I’d like that,” said Caryn.
Everyone except Grandfather and Mrs. Teague went outside into the late afternoon sun. Watch and Sunny began to run in happy circles, barking and dancing around each other.
Henry led the way to the boxcar with Caryn walking beside him. Benny ran ahead and Jessie and Violet followed everyone.
Benny climbed up into the boxcar. “Look,” he said, standing in the door. “This is my pink cup. I found it.” The cracked pink cup was Benny’s favorite possession. He had found it when they were all living in the old abandoned boxcar, and he still used it sometimes.
“It’s a very nice cup,” Caryn told Benny. She climbed into the boxcar after Benny and let the Aldens show her their former home, telling how Grandfather Alden had moved the boxcar to the backyard as a surprise, after they had come to live with him. Many of the things — the blue tablecloth, the kettle they’d cooked with, the old teapot and pitcher they’d found — were still inside.
“So this is the boxcar,” Caryn said admiringly. “How lucky you were to find it! And brave to be on your own like that, too.”
“It was fun,” said Benny.
Henry smiled at his younger brother. “It was fun,” he agreed. “But it was hard work, too. I’m glad we live with Grandfather Alden now.”
“It’s a wonderful boxcar,” said Caryn. She and Henry sat down on the front stump and watched as the others romped and played with the two dogs until it was time for dinner. |