passengers like you.â
âYou even bet your ship was better than the West Wind! âBenny said.
âYes,â Melissa said with a laugh. âBut we learned otherwise.â She took Ralphâs hand. âWe must go.â
âMaybe weâll meet again,â Melissa said, happily.
âI hope so,â Henry answered.
The Rands moved on.
âI must go, too,â Heather said, blowing them a kiss. Then she was gone.
Grandfather, who was filling out some papers, called to them. âDo you all want to go out on deck? Weâre just coming into Miami!â
âYes,â Jessie said. âWe were so busy saying good-bye to everyone that we almost forgot to see our port.â
The children went out on deck, and over the blue water loomed the white buildings along Miamiâs coast. Closer and closer they came.
A steward came by. âWeâll be docking in fifteen minutes. Please wait until the all clear is given for disembarking.â
The children went inside, found Grandfather, and sat with him.
Before long, over the loudspeaker, a voice said, âAll passengers prepare to disembark.â
The Aldens moved along with a large group and went out on deck.
Down the ramp they hurried.
âThereâre lots of people beyond the gate,â Violet said.
âYes, theyâve come to meet their friends,â Grandfather said.
Suddenly, through the crowd, Jessie glimpsed Max. âLook! Itâs Max!â she shouted.
Sure enough, when they went through the gate, Max rushed forward to meet them.
âHello!â he called, catching up to them.
âMax!â Henry said. âWeâre glad to see you!â
âHow did you come out with the will?â Jessie asked anxiously.
âI was in time. I inherited the house and the money.â Max, who had always seemed so upset before, now appeared to be full of joy.
âOh, Iâm happy!â Benny said. âWe were scared Carla might beat you.â
âNo, I made it with plenty of time to spare,â Max said. âAnd when I open the house to the public, I want you to be my first guests. Iâll give you a private showing!â
His smiled broadened. âIf it hadnât been for you, I never would have gotten Great-Aunt Edithâs house. Tom and Carla would have.â
Grandfather pumped Maxâs hand. âWonderful, Max. I wish we could stay and help you celebrate, but we have a plane we have to catch.â
âI understand,â Max said, smiling, âbut I just wanted to share my good news with you!â
âGood-bye, Max,â Jessie said, and smiled. âMaybe weâll see you again someday soon. Maybe we can come and visit you.â
After theyâd all wished Max good luck and good-bye, Benny said firmly, âI donât like good-byes. I donât like to say good-bye to people. It doesnât seem fair.â
âYes, but think of the new friends you made,â Violet said. âThink of people like Issac and Max.â
âBesides,â Henry said, and he laughed. âWe can always look forward to seeing them again.â
Bennyâs face brightened. âThatâs right. Maybe weâll see Max and Isaac next year.â
âHurry, children,â Grandfather exclaimed. âWe need to catch a taxi to the airport.â
Once in the cab, Jessie glanced over her shoulder to look at the West Wind for the last time. It had been a wonderful trip, but now they were going home. That would be wonderful, too.
About the Author
G ERTRUDE C HANDLER W ARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.
Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write each mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her
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