Chapter 4

Chapter 4

By the time they got to the station, the children were ready to get out of the wagon and onto the train. It took another forty minutes to settle all of them onto the benches on the train while Mr. and Mrs. Kirby rode in another car with the infants and the boxes of food. Luckily, the cars were connected to each other to make it easy to come and go.

A few hours after the train left the station, Mr. Kirby came through to their compartment to check on them. After he assessed the situation, he spoke to Madeline. “Miss Emmett? Are you comfortable?” he asked. He set a box of food beside her bench.

She laughed out loud. “How is it possible to be comfortable on a train that lunges back and forth like you are riding a wild bull?” Not to mention the shaking and the soot that kept tickling her nostrils. Many of the children were sneezing because of it too.

He gave her such a look of confusion she actually felt sorry for him. “I hope things will calm down for you. The infants are a bit fussy but I wanted to check before we settle in for the night. There’s a box of food for the children’s supper. They’ll have to eat on the go since the train won’t be stopping for a few hours. You know where to find us if we are needed for anything.”

Madeline had to hold her tongue. He was perfectly happy not to be needed for anything from the look on his face. When his eyes rested on the children briefly, his facial expression showed relief that he didn’t have to deal with so many children. She wondered how he stayed employed at the orphanage.

After Mr. Kirby went back to his car, she waited another thirty minutes before handing out the food. It was a bit difficult to stand and walk while the train was moving, especially holding a box in her arms.

Each child received a sandwich and an apple. There were two jugs of milk in the box, along with a metal cup for each child. After they ate their food, she passed around the cups then filled each cup about half way with a little milk.

One of the porter’s came through the aisle to see if he could be of assistance, which she thought was nice, then realized he was staring at her the whole time. Madeline blushed because of someone paying so much attention to her. She felt her cheeks warm a bit. By the time she sat back down, she wasn’t sure what was going on inside of her. Those were feelings she had never experienced before.

The porter was a tall man with eyes that followed her everywhere and had long dark lashes. He wore his hair short and kept a dark blue hat on top of his head, along with a matching jacket and slacks. A whistle hung around his neck on a thin piece of leather.

Madeline was a little confused at his behavior. He was brushing against her arm every time he walked by, which was quite often if she did say so. She was fairly naive, but began to realize that he was trying to attract her attention.

She did not have time for a torrid romance! Oh, she had read stories about women who found romance and fell desperately in love with a perfect stranger. How that stranger gazed at her with the devil in his eyes and all that nonsense. Madeline’s patience was starting to wear thin. Even though the man was being nice, she wasn’t about to embark on a romance with anyone right now. Certainly not from a train!

It was obvious that he was taking an interest in her, but she had to set the record straight right away. They had to travel four days on this train and she didn’t want anyone or anything to distract her from the children. She had to speak up immediately.

“Sir, do you have a minute?” she asked, standing up and walking forward to where he stood looking out a window. It was quite loud in their car, most of the noise coming from outside as the steam engines roared, but the moment she spoke, he turned to smile at her.

Madeline smiled back. The train jerked harder than before and she found herself reaching out to steady herself. The porter took her arm and pulled her closer. She frowned, then took a step back, using the back of the bench close by to balance herself. “I’m here to escort the children to their new homes. I have no other alternative in mind.” There, she told him exactly what she was doing on this train. He had to respect her wishes.

He smiled again. “I’m afraid I read you wrong then. Your smile told me otherwise.” He nodded and walked away.

Madeline was so confused that she walked back to her seat without worrying about the movement of the train car. The porter had disappeared from her sight and she hoped he wouldn’t come back. What did he mean her smile had made him think otherwise? Did he think because she smiled at him that she liked him in that kind of way? Oh, dear! Should she not smile?

That would be a horrible way to go through life without smiling. Madeline was learning a lot in the few hours that she left the orphanage behind. The most important thing was if she were to keep the children safe and herself as well, she should not smile at strangers.

Well, this wasn’t exactly the type of train ride she had in mind!

*****

The next day the train came to a halt at the first stop where they could get off and stretch. She gathered all the children and warned them not to leave her sight. After ten minutes or so, she got them back on, then settled them in for another two hour ride to the next stop. This was the stop where two children would get a new home that had been previously arranged. The others would have to line up in a row in order to be shown, then chosen by someone wanting a child.

Some of the children already had homes planned out ahead of time. She had a list of the ones who were being placed in homes where the parents had already ordered a child. Basically, all they had to do was be there when the train came in and the children were sent along with them as long as their paperwork was in order. The two infants would be sent to Topeka, Kansas, while two of the boys were leaving at the next stop.

Madeline stared at Elijah. He was one of the eight children who would be more or less auctioned off like cattle. She hated that they would have to stand in a row while people looked them over to decide if they wanted to take them home. It wasn’t the way she had imagined a child should be adopted out.

According to the Children’s Aid Society, each family had to fill out an application and be approved in order to be able to participate in the social experiment. The truth was the children may go to someone who just wanted a worker for their farm. Who knew the real reasons why but Madeline’s young mind wanted to believe that only good parents would be accepted to the program. Parents who wanted a child to love and not work them in the fields like some of the stories she had heard about.

According to the rules she had been informed about, each church or appointed person would approve of the applications and post what time to be there when the orphan train stopped. If no one showed up or picked a child, the orphan would go to the next stop until they were chosen.

“What if no one picks me?”

Madeline heard the small voice and looked down beside her. Somehow Elijah had sat down on her bench while she was filling her head with thoughts of the days to come. How had he known what she was thinking? “Why don’t we worry about Jeremiah and Randall for now? They’ll be getting their new family in about a half hour from now. Perhaps if you watch closely, you’ll see how it works and you will no longer have the stomach quenching fear inside of you that I’m sure you are experiencing.”

He nodded, then sighed before rubbing his tummy. “I just want to be an outlaw. Do you think my real father will be out west like you told me in the story about the outlaws?”

Oh, dear. Madeline never thought for a million years she would have to admit that she made those stories up. Perhaps she could reinvent them. “When I told you that your father was probably out west somewhere being an outlaw like the hero in the book, I forgot to mention that most of the outlaws in those books gave up their outlaw ways and redeemed themselves to become perfect citizens.”

“I’m not sure what a perfect citizen is, Miss Madeline.” His eight year old voice sounded tired, and yet he was so curious. He gave her a lop-sided grin, showing perfect white teeth. At least in the orphanage they had to have good hygiene. When Elijah first came to the orphanage, he had been very dirty and filthy, his clothes reeking. He was about two years old at that time.

She had taken him and had washed him in the wash tub, then cleaned his clothes. After that, they had formed a special bond. Madeline didn’t think he had ever known his mother.

The father came to visit on occasion and left money at the orphanage, but after a few months he had disappeared, never to be seen again. Elijah was so stricken with sadness he became physically sick. That’s when Madeline vowed that she’d make sure he found a wonderful family to take care of him. That’s when her fabricated stories had started. She just wanted him to have something to look forward to.

After six years, he was now getting the chance to have a real family. There was nothing that would stop her from making that happen. “Elijah, a perfect citizen is like me. I work, get paid and contribute to society.”

“Is society a place? Like Lancaster? Like where we lived in the orphanage?”

She tousled his hair and didn’t move when he leaned against her side. “Society is a place where people gather. Like a town, or a city, or anywhere you live. Does that make sense?”

When he didn’t answer, she gazed down to see his eyes had closed and he was fast asleep. She noticed the other children were falling asleep as well. When the last little girl closed her eyes, Madeline pulled a woven blanket that had been sitting on the bench beside her and covered Elijah’s legs. She hummed softly to herself knowing giving the children a home had to be in God’s plan.

Madeline must have dozed off too. She heard the brakes squealing in the distance and the pull of the train as the cars began to slow before stopping completely at the station. That had been a fast two hour ride.

The children woke up, mumbling to themselves and pointing at the crowd of people outside the station. People were waving to the children who had placed their heads out of the open windows.

Madeline stood up, glad the train was at a stop for now, ready to get the two boys to lead the way onto the platform. They had been instructed to change into an appropriate pair of slacks and jacket at the last stop. Now, Madeline brushed both boys’ hair, pushing the bangs back and helping to straighten out the wrinkles at the knees. “You both look sharply dressed,” she told them. She instructed them to reach under their seats for their luggage and go to the front of the car.

As she checked each child, she made sure their hair was neat and the girl’s dresses were not wrinkled. Two by two they lined up behind Jeremiah and Randall. Since the infants were not getting off until they were in Kansas, the Kirby’s stayed behind in the car with them.

Madeline thought it might be nice to have at least one of them to help her, but she squared her shoulders and promised she would make do with what she had to work with, herself.

A stern looking woman with yellow flowers in her hat and wearing a yellow dress with a black shawl stood stiffly on the platform in front of the car. She held a pencil in one hand and a notebook in the other. As each child went down the metal stairs, her eyes followed each child down the platform where they were instructed to stand in a long row. Another woman in a frilly white and lavender dress was directing the children.

When Madeline made her way down the steps, she gave the woman a warm smile but she did not reciprocate it. “I’m Madeline Emmett.”

“Good afternoon. I am Miss Pearl. My associate is Miss Clayborn. We are from the Divine Church of the Baptist of Virginia. We’ll take over from here. Where are the two friendless orphans that will be going with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson?”

Madeline wanted to stick her tongue out at the sour woman. She was so uptight and wouldn’t give anyone a smile. This was no way to help a child with their fears. Please do not reprimand this woman. The children need a home!

She knew in her head that this woman wasn’t the important one in the children’s lives. The families who were taking them were. The orphans were important, too. So why did she have to speak up when it would’ve been far easier to keep her mouth shut?

“Do you intend to answer my question,” the cranky woman insisted.

“I beg your pardon, Miss Pearl. The boys to whom you are referring to are the first two in line. They are not friendless orphans, nor do I expect you to speak to them with disrespect. They’ve traveled a long way to find a family.”

The woman opened her mouth then snapped it closed. She nodded to Madeline, turned and waved to a couple who were anxiously standing at the end of the platform.

Madeline watched as the two boys waved goodbye and followed the young couple out of the train depot. The man tousled each boy’s hair and the woman knelt down and spoke to them before they got into a wagon and drove away. A feeling of peace came over Madeline knowing the boys would probably be okay.

Someone would follow up with them in six months or so, plus, the boys were required to send a letter to the orphanage within the next year telling them of their experience. Madeline had no doubt they found a good family.

A small crowd of people made their way to the platform and began to walk towards the children. Madeline took a few steps closer to make sure no one would attempt to harm any of them. Elijah stood on the end, a step away from the others. She watched him closely and realized he looked a bit sheepish. Two of the pockets on his vest were torn and had frayed ends also. She hadn’t noticed that in the train car.

As each couple that walked by hurried by him as if he had some kind of disease, she heard a few moans and several coughs coming from a few of the women.

She watched closely before walking up to Elijah. Something wasn’t right. She found out what it was the moment she stood beside him. Holding her breath, she leaned down then whispered in his ear, “Elijah Blume, you are in big trouble!”

“It wasn’t me!” he argued, but she knew better when she saw how he was grinning like nobody’s business.

“You know better than to expel bodily functions in public. Whew! That’s terrible!” She almost gagged standing next to him, then covered her nose and mouth. “March, young man. You will remove yourself from this line and go back to the train.”

Elijah didn’t hesitate at all. He almost ran back to the train, hauling himself up the three metal steps and then plunking down on the wooden bench. Madeline stood back from him. “From the look on your face, I believe you deliberately sabotaged yourself from being chosen.” She placed a hand on each hip and stared at him.

He lost the devilish grin he had a few moments before that and shook his head. “Did you see the people there? They were all mean looking. I don’t want to go with them. I really want to find my outlaw father.”

Madeline sighed. She had created a big problem telling him stories that weren’t true about his father. Even if the kid knew there was no outlaw father, which she knew deep down he had to know, she wasn’t going to force him to go somewhere he dreaded going. To deliberately pass gas so horrible that everyone steered away him told her that he was serious about finding the right people to be his family.

“You cannot do this again, okay? I’ve promised you that I’d find you a good set of parents. If you try to reject anyone who comes near, you’ll never find -”

“The perfect family,” he finished for her. Elijah sent her his best lop-sided smile.

Madeline tried hard to keep from smiling. He was so naughty. He was spirited and made her laugh and filled her with joy. She turned to go back out to apologize to the others. “You stay right here,” she warned. “From now on, you will behave like an eight year old boy who has been brought up properly in a wonderful orphanage. Do you understand?”

Elijah once again gave her adorable grin that caused her heart to soften up. She shook her finger at him until he muttered, “Yes, ma’am.” Then he crossed his arms and lowered the hat over his brow. Just like an outlaw would.

She shook her head as she stepped down from the metal steps. Someday, he will meet his match. Madeline gave the crowd a smile and prepared to apologize for her charge.