Read The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm for Free Online

wife stopped, looking for the hospital. His wife was about to have a baby.
    “The hospital is in the next town over,” said Mama. She looked closely at the woman.
    “What’s your name?” she asked.
    “Milly,” said the woman. “My husband’s Matt.”
    “Well, Milly, I think you’re not going to make it to the hospital. You’d better come into the house.”
    And that night, in Mama and Papa’s bedroom, a baby boy was born. His name was Thomas.
    Benny was happy to have someone younger than he was. He sang to Thomas and told him stories.
    “Could Thomas sleep with me?” he asked Milly.
    Milly smiled.
    “I wish he could, Benny,” she said. “He’s a little young for that.”
    “And Thomas isn’t a dog,” said Violet.
    “I wish you all lived with me,” said Milly. You are the very best family in the world.”
    “You are,” said Matt.
    “When Thomas is older I will tell him about that wonderful place where he began his life,” said Milly.
    “I could be Uncle Benny,” said Benny.
    “You are Uncle Benny,” said Matt.
    After a week, Milly, Matt, and Thomas left. And it was quiet again.
    Rubin came over and cut the first crop of hay, and when it dried, Henry and Jessie and Papa gathered it for winter storage. He gave Rubin half for his work.

    The next day, when Papa came back from town, he had a letter from Meg and William.
Dear Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny,
    We are here! The car worked. Papa is a great fixer. We live in a house big enough for all of you, with our aunt and our grandfather.
    You’re invited to come anytime. Remember, we are only three inches away. And we are family. Papa has some work as a handyman, and William is working at a farm for the summer. There is a nice cow there that the farmer won’t let Meg ride.
    We miss you! And tell Benny that Joe will be very happy when Benny comes to visit. He likes sleeping with Benny more than us. He told us so in woof talk.
    Love to all,
    William and Meg
    PS Kiss Betty on the nose for Meg.
    “William and Meg like their new place,” said Jessie.
    “It must have been hard to leave their old place, though,” said Henry.
    “I wouldn’t like to leave here,” said Violet. “They’re brave.”
    “I wish we had a grandfather to visit,” said Benny.
    No one said anything.
    “You will one day,” said Papa. “You will.”
    There was another silence. Mama looked at Papa.
    “Will he get me a dog?” asked Benny.
    Papa smiled.
    “He might do that,” he said.
    “We’ll go visit William and Meg sometime,” said Mama.
    “Sometime,” said Papa. “But it is a long way.”
    “Three inches only,” said Violet.
    “Three inches is much longer in real life than it looks on the globe,” said Mama.
    “And I will not kiss Betty on the nose!” said Papa, making them all smile.

Chapter 12
A Spool of Thread
    “Summer is almost over,” said Henry in the barn. “School will start soon. I smell fall.”
    Jessie laughed.
    “I remember you saying the same thing about last spring,” she said. “And then it snowed.”
    “I did say that,” said Henry. “And you stretched out your neck like Betty and said you smelled it, too.”
    Jessie stretched out her neck and smelled.
    “I don’t smell fall yet. I think there’s more summer to go.”
    Papa tooted his funny-sounding car horn for Mama.
    Mama carried trays of cookies and biscuits out to the car to deliver. Papa opened the door for her, and she set them on the backseat.
    “We’ll be back this afternoon,” she called. “Do you want anything in town, Lambs?”
    Henry and Jessie smiled at each other at the word lambs .
    “Nothing for us,” called Henry.
    “I need some brown thread, please,” called Violet.
    “A dog,” called Benny.
    Mama smiled her big smile. Papa waved.
    “Take care of one another,” called Mama. “You know how to do that.”
    And they were off.

    Waves of summer heat rose off the land. Henry and Jessie watched them over the big meadow.
    “No. Not fall yet,”