“What shall we do now?” Violet asked. “Wait for Frank here?”
“We know he isn’t in the station, that’s one thing sure,” Benny said.
“Why not look for Frank?” Violet asked. “I don’t feel like waiting here.”
“Not enough excitement?” Henry asked, teasing Violet a little. “All right, let me get the car.”
Jessie said, “Oh, Henry, put the car behind the bus station. Let’s walk. His house is about a mile away, right on the river. We can’t miss it.”
The Aldens left their car at the bus station. They locked it and set off for the river.
“We have to go single file,” Henry said. “I’ll go first, and Benny, you bring up the rear.”
There was a narrow, well-worn path along the river. Benny said, “We should see some fishermen along here. It’s just the kind of day for fishermen. Where are they?”
Violet stopped and pointed to a dark streak in the middle of the stream. “Do you see where the water is so dirty?” she asked. “I wonder what makes that.”
“Ugh,” Benny said. “I wouldn’t want to swim here.”
Henry said, “I think the paint factory waste makes the whole river look different.”
They walked along until they thought they must be near Frank’s house.
“Maybe we should look around and not just walk up and bang on Frank’s door,” Benny suggested.
The others agreed. So when they saw a boat pulled up on the shore and the roof of a small house behind some trees, they stopped.
“That has to be Frank’s house. I see a birdhouse in one of the trees,” said Jessie.
There was a little breeze. Jessie sniffed, then she held her nose. “I forgot about that queer smell at the bus station yesterday. Now I smell it again.”
“Look over there,” said Benny, pointing. “See that big chimney? I think we’ve found Frank’s house and the paint factory, too.”
As he spoke, a truck passed the Aldens on the road above the riverbank. It was going to the factory.
“What do we do now?” Jessie asked. She was standing on the path. Bushes and tall grass nearly hid the trail.
There was a rustling sound. A twig snapped.
“Shhh!” Henry whispered. “Get down.” He was sure he had seen someone or something move in the tall grass nearby.
The Aldens dropped down behind Henry. No one said a word. They waited.
“Caught you!” a voice said softly.
“Yeah, caught you!” a second voice said. “What do you want here?”
Slowly the Aldens stood up. The voices belonged to Jud and Troy. The boys scowled at the Aldens.
“We were looking for Frank,” Benny said, no longer surprised. “Anything wrong with that?”
“Sneaking around is a funny way to look for someone,” Jud declared. “Are you spying on Frank or something?”
“That’s stupid,” Henry said. He felt angry at the boys for suspecting anything like that. “We never met Frank until yesterday. We forgot our raincoats and came back to save Frank the trouble of mailing a package.”
“Yeah?” Troy asked. “Do you believe that, Jud?” He turned to his brother.
Jud looked at the Aldens. “I kind of believe it,” he said slowly. “Four people are too many to take along if you’re up to something wrong.”
Jessie said, “We left our raincoats at the bus station yesterday. We came to get them. The station was locked, so we started to look for Frank.”
“I guess you’re OK,” Jud said. “You’ll find Frank down by the river.” And he and Troy climbed up to the road and disappeared.
“Those boys scared me for a minute,” Violet said. “Do you think they were spying on Frank?”
“Or spying for him?” asked Benny. “I’m all mixed up.”
“Let’s find Frank anyway,” Henry decided.
They had not gone far down the path when Violet called, “I see him!”
Frank was lying on the riverbank, pulling something out of the water. He looked around and saw the Aldens.
Jessie said quickly, “We got here early. We just thought we’d come and find you.” She held her breath. Would he be angry?
“I’m glad you did,” answered Frank. “You are just in time to see what I found.” He lifted a large dead fish as he spoke. “It was right here floating upside down in the river. Too bad.”
The Aldens looked at the fish. “That would have made a big dinner for someone,” said Jessie.
“Me,” said Frank. “I used to sit here and fish and have a good time by myself. Sometimes I caught a fish in ten minutes. Now every fish is dead and it’s not fun even being on the river in a boat. Pollution has ruined the river.”
“What are you going to do with that dead fish?” Benny asked.
Frank gave a queer laugh. “I think I have a special use for it. It will make a real surprise for someone.” He wrapped the fish in paper as he spoke. “I’ll drive you back to the bus station. Then you can get your raincoats.”
CHAPTER 9
Frank’s Problem
Frank put the dead fish in the trunk of his car. He locked the door of his house, then he got in the driver’s seat. The Aldens slid in, with Benny and Henry sitting in front with Frank.
“I’m glad we don’t have the fish with us,” Violet whispered to Jessie.
They were soon at the bus station and Frank was unlocking the door. He found Bill’s note and put it with the package that had come on the bus.
“If I close up like this in the morning, I don’t miss much business,” he said. “Too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.”
The Aldens had followed Frank into the station. They saw the sun shining in the clean windows. The flowers in the pots on the sills were bright and gay. Frank opened a window and the room was filled with a bird song.
Frank looked around as if the station was his own little kingdom. He said, “Sit down, kids, and let me tell you something. I think you’ll understand, and I need to talk to someone.”
The Aldens sat down quietly and waited. Frank was a puzzling person. He was angry one minute and gentle the next.
Frank reached down and pulled out the envelope Benny had handed him yesterday. He unfolded the letter.
He began, “You saw the chimney of the paint factory when you came to find me. The factory is right there on the river around a little bend from me. You might say it’s my neighbor.”
“We smelled it, too,” Benny said.
“ ’You can say that again,” said Henry.
“I will,” said Benny. “We smelled it, too.”
Frank laughed. “That’s just part of the problem. I don’t like it, but that isn’t the worst of it.”
Frank got up and put the letter down. He pulled out a big notebook. Opening it, he said, “I think you’ve guessed that maybe I’m not just a lunch-counter man and bus station keeper. I’m a chemist. I like living in a quiet place like this. I’m interested in growing plants without using chemicals. I like birds and wild animals. That’s why I’m here.”
“We understand,” Violet said quietly.
“Everything was fine until this Mr. Pickett came along and built his paint factory. There was no way to stop him. He bought the land. He could do what he liked out here in the country. He didn’t expect to bother anyone.”
“He can spoil the river and no one will care?” Henry asked. “Is that what he thinks?”
“Yes,” Frank said. “But he is wrong. He has to be stopped. But how? That’s the question.”
Frank dropped his head in his hands. Then he went on quietly, “I did some experiments to show how the water from the factory pollutes the river. The chemicals are carried in the water. They kill fish and water plants. I thought that if I showed this notebook about my experiments to Mr. Pickett he would stop polluting.”
“But that didn’t work?” Benny asked.
Frank shook his head. “Mr. Pickett just said it was too bad, but lots of people have jobs at his factory. It was too l
ate to build somewhere else.”
Benny looked angry. “Build somewhere else? Pollute somewhere else? That’s no answer.”
“That’s what I said,” Frank continued. “I told him that there are laws to stop pollution. He told me I was a troublemaker. He said he’d get rid of me.”
“How?” asked Jessie.
“Easy enough, I guess,” Frank said. “Mr. Pickett bought all the land along the river. That means all the land around my house and garden. If he likes, he can keep me from getting to my house. That’s what he told me.”
“That’s not fair!” Henry said. “There must be some way to stop him.”
Frank said, “It takes money. I’d have to go to court. Anyway, now he has a new idea. He wants to buy my house and garden to make into a parking lot for the factory workers. Imagine! Tear down my house. Cover my garden with blacktop. That’s what his letter to me was about. I’m not rich. I can’t fight him.”
The Aldens looked at each other. Benny decided to ask another question. “What about Jud and Troy?”
“Yes,” Henry added. “We saw them giving out papers at the bus station when our bus stopped yesterday.”
Frank gave his angry short laugh again. “Oh, yes! They think they can change things. They tried to show how important the river is to wildlife. Older people don’t pay attention to boys. Then they tried to line up some of the workers against the paint factory. You saw how that worked out.”
“Not at all,” Jessie said.
“Yesterday in Oakdale we heard about the town meeting tonight,” Henry said. “We know it’s about Mr. Pickett’s factory and the way it’s polluting the river. Are you going?”
“I’m going,” Frank answered. Then he shook his head. “But I don’t think there’ll be much of a crowd. Mr. Pickett and his workers and friends will be there. Nobody will do anything.”
Jessie said, “It sounded to us as if a lot of people want to save the river, just as you do. You’re not alone. You have to believe that.”
For a minute Frank did not say anything. Then he looked right at the Aldens. “That is good news. Do you know what I was going to do? I was going to take that dead fish to the town meeting and pass it around among the people. It was a stupid idea, but I was angry enough to do it.”
Benny liked the idea. He knew just how angry Frank felt. He said, “I don’t think that would be such a bad idea. It would show the townspeople just how bad the river is.”
Frank said, “If what you say is true and a lot of people really care, maybe we can save the river.”
Benny said in a rush, “I know we’re outsiders. But maybe we can help, too.”
“How?” asked Frank, looking surprised.
“Our grandfather has plastics factories. Maybe you have heard of him. He is Mr. James Alden. His factories don’t pollute any rivers. They don’t make any bad smells either. Let’s see if Grandfather will come to the town meeting. He’s a businessman. Perhaps he can talk to Mr. Pickett.”
Frank thought for a moment. Then he said, “It’s worth trying. Will he come?”
Benny said, “Let me call him right now. We Aldens always like to do things in a hurry!”
CHAPTER 10
Benny Guesses
As the Aldens drove up to the town hall in Oakdale Benny exclaimed, “Look at the crowd! I never thought so many people would come to a town meeting.”
Grandfather smiled. He had been at town meetings before.
“Do you see Frank anywhere?” Jessie asked. “I hope he comes early and meets Grandfather.”
Henry parked the car behind the truck from the paint factory. Someone had crossed out the last letter T on the sign. Now it read “Pickett’s Perfect Pain.”
Henry started to laugh, then he stopped. “There are some people around here who really want to get rid of Mr. Pickett and his factory,” he said.
“I hope there won’t be any trouble at the town meeting,” Jessie said. “People are excited.”
“There’s Frank,” Benny called, waving to him. “I don’t think he brought the dead fish. He has no bundle under his arm.”
After Frank and Mr. Alden had met, the two men stood and talked in quiet voices. People walking into the town hall looked curiously at them.
Benny heard a woman say, “We’ll get the state inspectors to close Mr. Pickett’s factory. He can’t get away with spoiling our river.”
“Wait a minute,” a man said. “I work for Mr. Pickett. I need a job. Don’t try to take work away from me! I don’t want the factory closed.”
“There’s Mr. Pickett,” Violet whispered.
Mr. Pickett walked along quickly. Several men were with him. They did not look at Frank or Mr. Alden.
“I thought we’d see Jud and Troy,” Benny said, looking around. “They’re late.”
“They won’t be coming,” Frank said. “They are against the paint factory. It wouldn’t surprise me if their father has them locked up at home.”
“Locked up!” Benny exclaimed. “They didn’t do anything that bad.”
“You can try telling their father that,” Frank said.
Benny and Violet went over toward the town hall. The others stood, still talking. Benny thought Grandfather looked like an old general planning for a battle. And maybe it would be a battle—there was a lot of excitement as people gathered.
Suddenly Benny stopped Violet and said, “Look over there! Frank’s wrong. Here they come.”
“Who? Where?” Violet asked.
“Jud and Troy! They’re locking their bikes up at the rack over there.”
“Do you think they rode into Oakdale from Plainville Junction?” Violet asked. “That’s a long ride.”
“It is,” Benny agreed. “I guess they really wanted to get here. I hope they aren’t going to start any trouble. It would be easy to get this crowd angry.”
Then Benny heard a voice he knew. It was Troy’s. He was with Jud.
Troy was saying, “We couldn’t leave until Dad was gone. And if we walk into the meeting after it has started, everyone will stare at us.”
“You don’t see Dad outside, do you?” Jud asked. “How about his friends?” He sounded worried. Then he saw the Aldens.
“Look who’s here!” he exclaimed. “Did you forget something again?”
“Yeah, you’re outsiders. What are you doing here?” Troy asked.
“We’re with Frank,” Benny said. He didn’t see why he had to explain anything to these boys.
“With Frank?” Jud asked. He looked around then and saw Frank and the other Aldens coming into the building, too.
“Who’s that with you?” Troy asked.
“That’s my grandfather,” Benny answered. “He has some ideas that can help save the river.”
“He does?” Troy asked, surprised. “Do you think my dad will listen?”
“Boy, I wish he would,” Jud said. “I really wish he would.”
“We’ve tried everything we can think of,” Troy said. “Dad says there isn’t anything he can do. He doesn’t want the river spoiled. But he thinks he can’t do anything about it.”
The town meeting was about to begin. The last people who had been standing outside were beginning to come in.
“Come on,” Jud said to his brother, “I don’t want Frank to see us. Let’s slip in and get some seats where Dad won’t see us.”
The boys disappeared, leaving Benny standing there. He saw his family and Frank starting toward the hall entrance.
Still Benny stood in the one spot. He was putting a lot of ideas together. Who was Jud and Troy’s father? Benny thought he knew—should he tell the others? Maybe not. They’d find out soon enough, he felt.
Inside the hall, chairs were set up in rows. There was an aisle down the middle. A long table at the front was for the township officers.
All Mr. Pickett’s friends and workers sat together on one side. The persons who wanted to save the river filled the seats on the other side of the aisle. Up in front, the township o
fficers took their places.
The big clock showed exactly eight o’clock. The crowd grew quiet as the moderator called the meeting to order. He explained why everyone had been asked to come. He said he hoped some way could be found to save the river. He asked everyone to take turns in speaking.
First, Mr. Pickett stood up to tell how his new factory helped Plainview Township. He pointed out that people needed jobs. He believed workers needed something useful, like good paint, to make. When he said Pickett’s Perfect Paint was the best, some of the people behind him clapped.
The moderator said, “Let’s hear from that lady from Oakdale.”
The woman rose and said, “We need new factories. We need work so that people can buy things at our stores. But we don’t want our river spoiled. People are important. So is nature. Isn’t there some way we can have jobs and save the river too?”
Men and women on both sides of the hall clapped.
Benny twisted around to see if he could find Jud and Troy in the audience. He finally saw them sitting toward the back. They had slid down in their seats as if they didn’t want anyone to recognize them. Benny didn’t blame them. Not if his guess was right.
A man who introduced himself as a teacher spoke next. He told how the river had changed since the factory had been built.
“Mr. Pickett may make good paint, but he is ruining our river,” he declared. “We can’t swim in it. We can’t fish in it. And all because one man pours dirty water from his factory into it. I say Mr. Pickett’s factory should be closed. We can do it!”
“Agree! Agree!” many people called out.
Mr. Pickett jumped to his feet. “You can’t do that!” he cried. “You can’t close my factory. I have put a lot of money in my business. Who needs fish from the river? You can buy fish at the market the way I do.” Then he sat down.
Suddenly a lot of angry voices began to fill the hall. It was impossible to tell what was being said.
The man in charge of the meeting called out, “Order! Order! Let one person speak at a time.”
Frank raised his hand to show that he had something to say.
Benny was sorry not to see the bundle of fish in his hand. “Too bad,” he said to Henry. “That fish would have been a good piece of evidence.”