The Boxcar Children Chapter 2 Summary

Night Is Turned Into Day

  • The children leave the baker's town and arrive at a road, walking by the light of the moon.
  • Henry says he can carry Benny a long way, but Violet thinks they should wake him up—they'll move faster with Benny on his feet.
  • Benny isn't exactly amenable to this plan, but when Violet turns it into a game where Benny pretends to be a little bear, he's totally on board.
  • The children walk past dark farmhouses, and after a long time, the sun begins to rise. They decide they need to bed down somewhere. Benny is already asleep again in Henry's arms.
  • Violet finds a haystack, and Henry declares it a great place to sleep. Sure, Henry. Sounds great.
  • The children make sleep nests in the haystack and fall asleep right away. They're super tired.
  • When they wake up, everyone is hungry. Guess what's on the menu? Bread. That's it.
  • Benny is thirsty, but Henry thinks they need to wait for dark to find water. At nightfall, they make their way to a water pump and drink their fill.
  • As they set off on the road, Jessie says they should hide in the bushes if they hear anyone—and then they immediately hear someone. Good timing, Jessie.
  • The children hide in the bushes as planned. A horse and cart approach, and wouldn't you know, it's the baker and his wife. They're looking for the children.
  • They say they're planning to look in Greenfield and then give up looking, which is useful info for the kids.
  • After the baker and his wife are out of sight, the children emerge from the bushes and continue down the road.
  • Around 2 a.m., they come to a crossroads. One road leads to Greenfield, while the other goes to Silver City. Knowing the plans of the baker and his wife, they choose Silver City.
  • Eventually, they come to a water fountain. It has three levels: one for people, one for horses, and one for dogs. Water fountains used to be way cooler, apparently.
  • Everyone drinks some water, and then Benny starts to complain about feeling tired. Classic Benny.
  • Henry decides they will sleep in the woods. Jessie thinks this sounds like a great plan since the woods seem deserted. Clearly these kids have never seen a horror movie.
  • The kids make beds out of pine needles and prepare to go to sleep. As they drift off, Jessie observes that it looks like it might rain.