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The Boxcar Children Chapter 6 Summary

A Queer Noise in the Night

  • It's time for dinner, which means Henry is finally going to reveal what's in those bundles. Nothing too exciting: bread, milk, dried meat, and a bone for the dog.
  • Dinner is bread soaked in milk. Jessie declares how fun it is to eat with spoons. Poor Jessie.
  • Henry tells the kids about his day: He walked into town and stumbled upon a doctor mowing his lawn. Henry offered to help and, boom, he was hired. You go, Henry.
  • Impressed with Henry's lawn-mowing skills, the doctor tells Henry he wants him to work every day.
  • The doctor paid Henry $1 for his work, and the cook gave him a huge bag of cookies. Score.
  • In town, Henry bought a tablecloth, which Violet can't wait to hem to the right length.
  • The meal finished, the girls wash the dishes, and Henry heads back into town.
  • That afternoon, Jessie makes a broom, and Violet works on the tablecloth. Watch and Benny take a nap.
  • Henry returns later in the day with a special treat: butter. The children feast.
  • Jessie asks Henry about his day. He washed the doctor's car and the windows. Very industrious.
  • Hot and tired from the day's work, Henry looks at the brook and wonders if he could build a swimming pool.
  • Benny offers his wheels for the pool for some reason, but Henry decides he'll make a cart so Benny can haul stones.
  • Bedtime. Everyone falls asleep straight away except for Henry, who's up obsessing over the pool. Suddenly, he notices that the dog is on high alert.
  • Watch starts to growl, and now Jessie is awake. She and Henry are frightened, and they decide to close the door to the boxcar.
  • Uh-oh, Watch is still growling—Jessie wonders if there's a person out in the woods.
  • A stick breaks, and Watch begins to bark. If there really is a person in the woods, now they know about the boxcar. Yikes.
  • Poor, frightened Henry grabs the broom and waits expectantly for an intruder … but no one comes. Whew.
  • After a long wait, Henry opens the boxcar door. Watch promptly goes to sleep, letting Henry and Jessie know all is well once more.
  • Finally, they go to sleep, too.