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The Boxcar Children Chapter 9 Summary

Fun in the Cherry Orchard

  • Henry wonders if he should take the other kids to pick cherries, so he asks Jessie what she thinks.
  • Jessie thinks that their grandfather might be on the lookout for four kids traveling together, so she suggests they walk into town in pairs.
  • It's cherry-pickin' time. The whole gang is there, but Benny is too little to pick cherries so he's just going to watch.
  • Henry, Jessie, and Violet start picking, while Benny just runs around eating cherries and making friends with everyone.
  • At lunchtime, Dr. Moore invites the children to stay and eat. He asks if their mother will mind and gives Henry a quizzical look. Could he possibly know they're on their own?
  • Henry doesn't know what to say about the whole mother thing, but Jessie steps in and says their parents are dead.
  • Everyone eats lunch, and there are cherry dumplings for dessert. Yum. Then, Benny settles down for a nap, and the other kids get back to work.
  • At the end of the day, Dr. Moore gives the kids $4 and more cherries. He notes that the kids leave in pairs instead of walking together as a group.
  • The boxcar is just as the children left it, so they have some supper and go to bed.
  • That night, Dr. Moore sees an ad in the paper: A man named James Henry Alden is offering $5,000 for four lost children.
  • Dr. Moore instantly realizes that the children the man is looking for are his workers. You can't get anything by this doctor.
  • The doctor resolves to keep the children's secret, though, 'cause he's cool like that.