The Boxcar Children Halloween Special Quotes

“Jessie reached into the box and took out an envelope. On the front was printed THE ALDEN CHILDREN. She opened the envelope, took out a piece of paper, read it, and gasped.
“What does it say?” Henry asked.
Jessie handed the letter to Henry. He read, “Aldens: Go home and stay home.”
“I’ll bet Mr. Carter wrote it. He said he didn’t like neighbors,” Benny said.
Henry said firmly, “We certainly aren’t going to let whoever wrote it scare us away. Are we?”
“No!” Jessie said.
“We aren’t,” Benny agreed.
“I guess not,” Violet said.

The Mystery of the Singing Ghost”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Well, children, I guess we’ll need to get all these statues and skeletons back to the house,” Charlotte said, in a happier voice. “Thank you so much for finding them for me! I had no idea that they were made by a well-known sculptor.” She turned to Grandfather. “James, does the name Clover Dodge ring a bell with you?” she asked.
Grandfather looked at his cousin Charlotte as if remembering something long ago. “Dodge? Yes, yes,” Grandfather began. “I vaguely recall the name--that was the name of the original family that owned Skeleton Point--before it was Skeleton Point, that is. But I had no idea she was a sculptor as well.”
A smile slowly lit up Charlotte’s face.
“What’s funny?” Benny asked.
Charlotte sighed. “In some ways, I’m better off than I was before all this happened! I have all these valuable statues back, including the ones I didn’t even know were missing. And now I have experts--Greeny and Hilda--who can help me bring Skeleton Point back to life.”
Benny walked over to Mister Bones. He was hanging just inside the doorway of Dead Man’s Cave. “Did you hear that, Mister Bones? You might be coming back to life.”

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Perhaps you should head home until you hear from her again.”
The children looked at one another. Why was this woman always trying to make them go away?
Jessie surprised her brothers and sister by agreeing. “Sure. I guess we will go. See you tomorrow.”
When the children got outside, Benny was confused. “Why are we going home? Can’t we ask her about my photos?”
Jessie put her arm on Benny’s shoulder. “We’re only going to pretend to leave. We’ll sneak to the other side of the house and see what the two of them are up to.”
When the children came outside, they waved at William.
“See you tomorrow,” Henry called out loudly. Then in a whisper he said, “And probably a whole lot sooner.”

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“When the children returned to the studio, the STUDIO CLOSED sign was still on the door. This didn’t stop the Aldens.
“Hi, Hilda! It’s the Aldens,” Jessie yelled as she rapped on the window.
Hilda whirled around, startled to see four pairs of eyes staring at her. She opened the door slightly. “What are you doing here? My studio is closed right now.”
Violet looked past Hilda. “Oh, so you have the Clover Dodge statue,” she said before the young woman could block her view. “Are you fixing it? I’d love to see how.”
Hilda stared at Violet. “I’m not here to teach art classes, Violet. I’m here to…well, I haven’t time to explain.”
Henry, who was taller than Hilda, peered right over her shoulder. “Are you fixing the arm from the angel statue, too? Charlotte will be glad you got started on that.”
Hilda studied the Aldens’ faces. “What do you mean? William was the one who got me working on the angel statue, not Charlotte. He told me she left most of the decisions up to him.” Hilda pushed the door to keep the children back. “I really must get back to my work. I’ll see you at Skeleton Point later this afternoon.”
The Aldens had a lot more to say, but they never got the chance. After she slammed the door, Hilda walked over to the windows and pulled the shade down one by one.

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“There was a full-sized seated skeleton in front of them on the steps. “The Walking Skeleton!” Benny said.
Henry chuckled. “No, I guess you’d have to call it the Sitting Skeleton. It’s just sitting there as if it stopped to take a rest.”
“I’m not afraid of Halloween tricks even when it’s not Halloween.” Benny scurried past the skeleton.
Henry looked very serious. “Now I know someone is trying to scare us away from Skeleton Point again,” he said.
“You’re probably right, Henry,” said Jessie. “But who could it be?”
“William Mason and Hilda Stone,” said Benny, almost immediately. “They’re mean to us, and they don’t want us around.”
“You’re right, Benny. Remember that man in town said William Mason wanted to buy Skeleton Point for himself? Maybe he’s mad at Charlotte for buying it first.”
Jessie looked thoughtful. “What about Greeny?” she asked. “We know he doesn’t want us around, either--and we know he’s taking things from the house. Maybe he wants to scare us away so we won’t figure out what he’s up to. We should still keep an eye on him.”
Henry agreed. “In fact, we should keep an eye on all of them.”
When they returned to the house, the Aldens found that William had joined Hilda outside.
Jessie waved. “Hi!” she called out, as if she had come straight from her errand across the lake. “Sorry we took so long. The hardware store was out of those light switches.”
Hilda and William kept working. It seemed neither of them wanted to say anything.
Finally Hilda spoke up. “Oh, it turns out we don’t need them after all.”
William pushed back the brim of his red hat and checked his watch. “Half the day’s gone. I don’t see much use for you kids sticking around here. Hilda and I are doing some technical work Charlotte asked us to do--not something suitable for children.”
“We know how to measure, too” Benny said. “I learned in kindergarten.”
Hilda hesitated. “What we’re doing is a little more complicated than what you do in school. Now, why don’t you children go for a bike ride. Or a swim,” she suggested before going into the house.
Henry turned to William. “We already went for a swim,” he said. “An unplanned one.”
William didn’t say anything about untying the Alden’s boat, but he looked away and cleared his throat. “Well, then, go for a planned one this afternoon. Take tomorrow off, too. Everything’s under control here.”
Before William turned to go into the house, the Aldens looked down. Just as they suspected, William was wearing heavy work boots that left deep prints just like the ones near the statue.

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“There was a full-sized seated skeleton in front of them on the steps. “The Walking Skeleton!” Benny said.
Henry chuckled. “No, I guess you’d have to call it the Sitting Skeleton. It’s just sitting there as if it stopped to take a rest.”
“I’m not afraid of Halloween tricks even when it’s not Halloween.” Benny scurried past the skeleton.
Henry looked very serious. “Now I know someone is trying to scare us away from Skeleton Point again,” he said.

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Doesn’t that look like Mr. Mason from behind?”
Henry grabbed the glasses. “I think it is him. I recognize the red hat he had on yesterday. If he had a motorboat, why did Hilda tell us they didn’t have time to go to the hardware store?”
Jessie found the towel she’d packed and shared it with Henry. “The sun will have to dry off the rest of us,” she said. “If you ask me, those two are trying to keep us away from Cousin Charlotte’s property.”
“Well, they can’t,” Henry said. “Hop in, everybody. We’re going to follow Mr. Mason back to Skeleton Point.”
But Henry couldn’t follow the motorboat to Skeleton Point. It sped right past there without stopping.
“He must be docking someplace else,” Jessie said. “That gives me an idea. Instead of going back to Skeleton Point, let’s row to that cove we passed not too far from the general store. We’ll hike up from there. If Hilda and William don’t spot our boat coming in, we’ll have a chance to see what they’re up to before they expect us back.”
Henry didn’t need to think twice about Jessie’s good suggestion. He dipped one oar into the water and headed for the deserted cove.

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“After a long bike ride, the Aldens finally came to Skeleton Point. Just as the children slowed down, a familiar dog bounded from the bushes and barked. Then he began to sniff around.
“He smells our ham sandwiches,” Benny guessed.
“There, there, Max,” Jessie said softly.
The dog tilted his head the way Watch always did when someone knew his name and spoke gently to him.
Jessie carefully reached into her bike bag. She found her ham sandwich and tossed a piece of it to Max. This calmed him right away. When the dog whined for more, Jessie tossed another piece farther off. The children didn’t have to worry about the dog now.
“I’m glad that worked,” Jessie said. “I wonder if Greeny knows his dog is loose.”
The next thing the children heard was somebody yelling and whistling. “Max! Maxilla! Get over here!”
“What kind of a name is Maxilla?” Benny wanted to know.
Henry laughed. “It’s part of a jawbone. I guess it’s a good name for a dog whose owner wears a skull shirt.”

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Have you lived here a very long time?” the young woman asked the man, who was wearing a fishing vest today. “I’m trying to get information about those statues out at Skeleton Point. Nobody seems to know how old they are or where they came from.”
“Or where some parts of the statues are going,” the man told the young woman. “Lots of fool stories are going around about somebody--or something--damaging the statues. Stay away from them, I say. Those old statues have been out there forever--before I was born, anyway. Leave ‘em be. Why do you want to know?”
The young woman hesitated, then stopped to read the label on a jar of honey. “Um…just curious.”
With that, the young woman left the store without buying anything.
“Newcomers!” the man told Benny and Violet when he saw them standing there. “Always asking questions. You’d think from that young lady that Shady Lake was nothing but old statues covered with moss. What about our fishing? Why, our trout are practically jumping out of the lake.”
“They are?” Benny asked, hoping to find out where he could see some of these jumping trout.
The man left without answering Benny.

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“A lady at the general store said the Walking Skeleton takes arms and hands from the statues so it can turn into a person again!”
“That’s one of the tales going around, but, of course, it’s just a story,” Charlotte said. “I really don’t know how the statues got damaged recently. They are quite old and already worn away by the weather. But now a few pieces are missing--not just falling off, but disappearing. I do hope you can all keep an eye on the property.”
This gave Jessie a good idea. “We gave Benny an instant camera for his birthday. If we take pictures of the statues and something happens to them, maybe we can figure out when it happened and who was around at that time.”
“Excellent,” Charlotte said. “I’ll be dropping off a job list tomorrow morning with Hilda and William. I’ll make sure to tell them to let you children photograph and sketch around the property. That will give them more time to do other things.”
“Here’s to catching the Walking Skeleton!” Jessie said.
The Aldens clinked their lemonade glasses.

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Well, young fellow, I hope you’re not trying to see what cards I’m holding,” one of the cardplayers said with a twinkle in his eye. “Your eyes are bigger than my ice-cream bowl.”
Benny felt his ears get red. “Are you playing Go Fish?” he asked. “That’s what we played in the car when we drove from Greenfield. Only now it’s time for Go Eat Ice Cream, not Go Fish.”
Everyone at the table chuckled.
“I’m getting chocolate ice cream,” Benny continued. “And know what? We’re going to Skeleton Point. Grandfather’s cousin Charlotte bought it--even the skeletons. She asked us to help her fix up the house. We might even get to stay there overnight.”
The players looked up from their cards when they heard this.
“Well,” one silver-haired lady said, “you must be very brave. A lot of strange things have been going on at Skeleton Point ever since Charlotte bought Dr. Tibbs’s old place.”
Another man at the table put his finger to his lips. “Now, don’t go scaring the boy with all that foolish talk about the Walking Skeleton.”
The woman ignored the man. “Well, don’t say we didn’t warn you. I heard from William Mason, who’s working out there, that there’s a skeleton in the house trying to turn into a real person again. If you ask me, that’s why some of those statues have missing parts.”
Now Benny’s eyes were bigger than dinner plates.
“Everything’s been falling down at Skeleton Point for years, especially those statues. I was glad to hear Charlotte’s going to fix up the place. That’ll stop all this Walking Skeleton nonsense.”
“Maybe the Walking Skeleton is a real person already,” Benny said. “I’m a walking skeleton, too. Only I have muscles on top of my skeleton.”
The cardplayers laughed again and returned to their game.
When the Aldens got their cones, they sat on the front porch of the general store to enjoy their ice cream.
“Where to next?” Grandfather asked when everyone had finished. “As if I didn’t know.”
“Skeleton Point!” the children cried at the same time.
“Skeleton Point it is,” Grandfather said.

The Mystery at Skeleton Point”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Did someone break in?”
“Looks that way,” Henry said. “We locked the door last night, so whoever it was must have picked the lock.”
“Wait a minute,” Jessie said suddenly. “If someone was trying to get in, they’d pick the lock from the outside, right?” she asked.
“They’d have to,” said Henry.
“Well, look at these scratch marks.” The children bent and looked where Jessie was pointing.
“So?” Benny asked.
“If someone was trying to get in, he or she would be on the outside of the door, right?” Jessie asked. “But the scratches are on the inside.”
“So this lock was picked from the inside,” Henry said.
“So that means…” Violet began.
“Someone was trying to break out,” said Jessie.
The children looked back into the room. They looked all the way down to the other end where the coffin lay. And then they noticed something they hadn’t noticed before.
Something even more frightening than the picked lock.
The lid of the coffin was open.

The Mystery of the Mummy's Curse”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“You kids haven’t been touching these, have you?” asked Dr. Snood.
“No, we--” Henry began.
“Make sure you don’t,” said Dr. Snood in a stern voice. “And make sure the lid on that coffin stays closed.”
“Of course--” said Jesse. Before she could say any more, he walked out.
The Aldens stood still for a moment, stunned by Dr. Snood’s harsh behavior.
At last Jessie said, “I don’t know which was stranger: the way he was looking at those artifacts or the way he just spoke to us.”

The Mystery of the Mummy's Curse”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Benny sat on the floor next to Mrs. Collins and said, “Would you come and visit us sometime? I’d like to show you our boxcar. You know we ran away once, too.”
Mrs. Collins smiled. “Benny, I would love to visit you and to hear about your adventures.”
“We’ve had lots of them,” Violet said. “But you know, I think this one was the best.”

The Mystery of the Singing Ghost”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Will all you children come and visit and tell me more about the house?”
“If you’d like,” Jessie said. “Someday maybe Grandfather will bring you to your old home so you can see it again.”
“That would be my pleasure,” Grandfather said.
Mrs. Collins stood and walked to the door with the Aldens. “Someday I will call you, and my housekeeper can drive me to the old house. I would like to see it again and to meet your cousins.”
She kissed each of the children and shook Grandfather’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for giving me back my father.”
The Aldens got into Grandfather’s car and rode in silence for a while. Then Jessie said, “I’m so glad we found Celia.”

The Mystery of the Singing Ghost”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special

“Grandfather, there’s something we want to talk to you about.”
Grandfather looked concerned. “There’s nothing wrong, is there?”
“It’s about the Roth house,” Benny said. “It’s a funny house.”
“Funny?” Grandfather asked.
“Well,” Violet began. “Benny is right. There are funny things in the house and funny people outside the house.”

The Mystery of the Singing Ghost”
― Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Boxcar Children Halloween Special