Looking for Home

by Arleta Richardson

  “Get our things together, Clara,” Eugenia snapped. “We’re leaving. We’ll take the boy back to the orphanage where he belongs.” She regarded Will with disfavor. “I can’t have him starving to death while he’s in my care. I don’t understand why you find it so difficult to get food into a two-year-old child.” She gestured angrily. “Well, move along! We haven’t all day to stand around.”

  “Yes, mum. If you’ll watch the boy, I’ll pack the car.”

  “Put him in the chair on the veranda. I’ll see that he doesn’t fall out. But hurry. If he starts to cry, you’ll have to come and get him.”

  Dreadful child! Eugenia thought. If they were all like that, she was fortunate not to have any. It would be a relief to get rid of him.

  But now another matter called for serious thought. What was she going to say to Mr. Lehman? As soon as the car was packed and they were on the road, Eugenia gave that problem her full attention.

  Perhaps she could set Will on the inside of the fence where she had picked him up and go on home. This idea was abandoned almost as soon as it formed. Patterson was sure to demand a full accounting this evening, and she knew what he would say if he discovered that she hadn’t faced George Lehman. Patterson was a kind man, but his sense of justice was spread evenly over everyone, including his wife.

  As the miles went by, nothing acceptable came to mind. She pictured George Lehman’s face if she simply announced that she had taken the boy out of the yard, and her husband made her bring him back. It was unthinkable, but no explanation occurred to her that wouldn’t bring the blame squarely down upon her own head.

  There was no sound from the backseat. Probably the boy had fallen asleep again. He didn’t have to have a story ready to explain his disappearance.

  When the car stopped in front of the gate at Briarlane, Eugenia was no closer to a solution than when they had left the lake. Reluctantly she stepped out of the car, removed her driving gloves, and laid them on the seat. Followed by Clara with a sleeping Will in her arms, she began the long trek to the front door of the Briars.

  The next few minutes were a blur of activity. The girl who opened the door took in the scene and shrieked, “Will! Here’s Will! He’s back!” and ran to summon Matron.

  The noise brought Mr. Lehman rushing to the hallway. Before Eugenia could open her mouth, he was shaking her hand and smiling broadly.

  “Oh, Mrs. Quincy! You’ve found him! You’ll never know how grateful we are to you. His brothers and sister have been so upset—as we all have—and you’ve brought him back. How can I ever thank you?”

  Eugenia leaned against the wall in relief. That was it, of course. She had found the child wandering in the road and had brought him back. Everyone was happy, and that was the end of the matter.

  Will had awakened and was crying again. His eager stranglehold on Matron when she took him from Clara’s arms brought unexpected tears to Eugenia’s eyes.

  “Mr. Lehman, I wish to speak with you a moment … if I may,” she said.

  “Of course.” He ushered her into his office and closed the door.

  When Eugenia Quincy emerged sometime later from the Briars, she felt drained but calm. For the first time in her life, she had admitted to herself—and to someone else—that she had been wrong. And she had misjudged George Lehman. He had been most understanding and forgiving. Now she would go home and throw herself on the mercy of the court.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hugh’s Demand

  Will was the center of attention at supper that evening. Although he allowed the children to hug him, he wouldn’t leave the security of Matron’s lap. He ate everything offered to him, including an extra pudding.

  Matron finally had to call a halt to it. “He’s going to be sick all night if you feed him any more.” She laughed. “I know we’re glad to have him back, but let’s save some of the celebration for tomorrow.”

  “Where’d ya go, Will?” Simon asked him. “How’d ya get out the gate?”

  Of course Will couldn’t tell him. His only comment was “pretty car.”

  Bert put the story together quickly. “He went for a ride someplace, that’s for sure. And how many cars have you seen around here?”

  “Only the big one,” Ethan replied. “But Mr. Quincy would’ve known if he was in that one. I still think he went with Mrs. Quincy. I’m going to watch him from now on, in case she decides to come back.”

  “We mustn’t forget to thank the Lord for bringing Will home safely,” Matron said as they prepared for bed that night.

  Ethan was surprised. “How do we do that?”

  “The same way we asked Him to take care of Will,” Matron replied. “We’ll thank Him when we pray.”

  “I guess Matron was right,” Ethan confided to Bert later. “It is a good idea to pray about stuff. Do you think the Lord really does have His eye on us every minute?”

  Bert nodded. “I heard it in Sunday school, and Matron told us the same thing. She read it in the Bible, so it must be so.”

  Ethan recalled Ma telling them stories from the Bible. Apparently there were more that he hadn’t heard yet. “Doesn’t it make you nervous to think of someone watching you all the time?”

  “It does if I’m doing something wrong.” Bert laughed.

  “What happens if you do something wrong, and He sees you?”

  Bert frowned.

  “Well, if I wish I hadn’t done it, I say I’m sorry and I won’t do it again. Then He forgives me. Matron says the two most important things to say are ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry.’”

  Ethan sighed. “God sure has a lot of people to watch. I hope He doesn’t miss anyone.”

  One person at the Home who didn’t seem to worry about God watching him was Hugh. He did all he could to make life miserable for the younger children, but no one dared report him to Matron or to Mr. Lehman.

  For his part, Ethan kept out of Hugh’s way as much as possible. Yet more and more often he found himself finishing Hugh’s chores or taking on a disagreeable task when Hugh reminded him of what might happen to boys who knew more than they should.

  “How long has Hugh been around here?” Ethan asked Bert. “He acts like he owns the place.”

  “Just about all his life, I guess,” Bert replied. “Him and Riley been here the longest of any.” He narrowed his eyes. “You ain’t lit into him again, have you?”

  “Naw. He can do what he wants to me, but he better not touch my brothers or Alice. What makes him so mean, anyway?”

  “He’s probably mad ’cause no one adopted him. I remember he had a chance to be farmed out once, but he said if he had to clean another barn, he’d rather stay with this one.”

  The day before school began, the boys were informed that haircuts would start directly after breakfast. A tall stool was placed in the backyard, and one by one they submitted to the draped towel and the cold scissors wielded by Matron.

  “Look at all the extra neck we have to wash,” Bert moaned. “And it ain’t even the same color as the rest of us. Now Matron can tell if we forgot behind our ears.”

  He advised Ethan to ignore the snickers and remarks from the girls, but Ethan blushed when Shala pointed out his “rooster tail” and suggested that he put his head under the pump and plaster his hair down.

  Nevertheless, he was excited about beginning school. “I won’t have to stay home ’cause someone’s sick,” he confided to Bert. “I can go to school every day.”

  Unlike Ethan, Hugh became even more sullen as the first day of school approached. “I ain’t going back to that school again,” he declared to Riley. “I’m big enough to get me a job and earn some money.”

  “Mr. Lehman won’t let you quit school,” Riley pointed out. “And you have to live someplace. If you go work on another farm, you might not get any more than you do here—your room and board.”

&nbs
p; “I ain’t going to be no farmer,” Hugh replied. “I’m going to be a … a banker!”

  “A banker!” Riley hooted. “You, a banker?” Then, seeing the scowl on Hugh’s face, he quickly added, “Of course, you’re the best one in school in arithmetic. No one else can do problems in his head like you can. Instead of quitting, you should get ready for high school. Then when you graduate, you could get a job in a bank.”

  Hugh shook his head. “That takes too long. I got to get away now.”

  “You ain’t thinkin’ of running away, are you? I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You might not ever have it as easy as this again.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” Hugh growled.

  Riley left him to his thoughts, and Hugh sat watching the younger boys play in the field. When the ball rolled in his direction, he picked it up and held it until Ethan came running after it.

  “Here, kid,” he said. “You want this back?”

  Ethan nodded and held out his hand.

  “You gotta pay me for it.”

  Ethan backed away. “I don’t have any money.”

  “I’m not talking about money. You gotta do something for me.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll tell you later. You gonna promise, or do I have to talk to Mr. Lehman?”

  “I-I guess so,” Ethan stammered. “But what if I can’t do it?”

  “You can do it all right. You just have to keep your mouth shut. And if I can’t trust you …” Hugh left the rest of the threat unsaid.

  “You can trust me,” Ethan promised. “I haven’t said anything yet, have I?”

  “And you better not. I’ll see you later.” Hugh tossed the ball in Ethan’s direction and then turned toward the barn.

  Ethan ran back to the game, but his heart was no longer in it.

  “What’s that big bully want now?” Bert inquired. “Do you have to finish his chores?”

  “Naw. He didn’t say what he wanted. He just talks a lot.” Ethan pretended that nothing was wrong, but the big lump in his stomach told him that something dreadful lay ahead.

  It wasn’t long in coming. Ethan’s morning chore was dusting the parlor and hallway and emptying the wastebaskets—the job that had been Bert’s the day he met Mrs. Quincy at the door. As Ethan worked, the big front door opened slightly, and Hugh beckoned him out to the steps.

  After looking around, Hugh whispered, “I came to tell you what I want you to do. Remember, you promised. You need to do it now.”

  Ethan was alarmed. “I have to finish my chores, or I’ll be in trouble with Matron! I can’t leave till she checks.”

  “You don’t even have to stop working,” Hugh said. “Have you emptied the trash baskets yet?”

  Ethan shook his head. “You want me to empty the ones upstairs, too?”

  Hugh looked disgusted. “Naw. Why would I want that? I want you to wait until Mr. Lehman goes out to talk to Otis before you get the wastebasket in the office. Now listen. In the top drawer of Mr. Lehman’s desk is a box. It has something in it that … that belongs to me. Just drop the little box in the wastebasket and bring it out to the back with the rest of the stuff. I’ll take care of it from there.”

  “Open Mr. Lehman’s desk?” Ethan backed away. “I can’t do that! I don’t even dust his desk. And he’s always there when I empty the trash.”

  “Keep your voice down! He won’t be there today because Otis just sent someone to get him. By the time he gets back, you’ll be all through here and gone. Now, you gonna do what I told you or not?”

  “I never took anything in my life,” Ethan said, “and I’m sure not going to steal from Mr. Lehman. You can do whatever you want to me, but I won’t do that.”

  Hugh looked angry. “Might have known you wouldn’t be any good. You can’t even keep a promise. I guess we’ll have to see if Mr. Lehman believes you never stole nothin’ when I tell him about what you took from Riley’s cupboard. You’ll be sorry!”

  Hugh ran down the steps and around the building, and Ethan hurried back into the hallway. He would get the basket from Mr. Lehman’s office at once, before Mr. Lehman left. Then the director would know that he hadn’t touched anything. But when Ethan reached the office and pushed open the door, Mr. Lehman’s chair was empty. He had already left to see Otis.

  Now what? Should he risk Matron’s disfavor by leaving his job undone, or rush in and get the basket as fast as he could?

  To his great relief, Matron spoke from behind him. “Aren’t you finished yet, Ethan? What’s taking you so long?”

  “Mr. Lehman isn’t here, and I didn’t know if I should go in.”

  Matron walked in and looked around. “That’s odd. He never leaves his office unlocked when he goes out. He must have left in a big hurry.” She turned to Ethan and patted his shoulder. “You were right, Ethan. We don’t enter the office unless Mr. Lehman is here. Let me get the basket for you. Then I’ll lock the door.”

  She brought out the basket and then turned to push the lock. “No, better not,” she muttered. “If he left that fast, he may not have his keys. We’ll just close the door and leave it.”

  Ethan followed Matron to the kitchen. While he was grateful that her arrival saved him from having to make a decision, he was worried about what Hugh would do next. Should he tell Matron what Hugh had asked him to do? No, she might think he had been on his way in when she appeared!

  Besides, Ethan didn’t trust Hugh not to harm his brothers or Alice. He’d better keep it to himself. When Hugh went to Mr. Lehman, Ethan would have to explain things the best he could and hope that Mr. Lehman would believe him.

  Life was hard, Ethan decided. If only he had himself to worry about, it wouldn’t be so bad, but he had three others depending on him. He couldn’t do anything to get them sent away.

  “We ain’t got much longer to do this,” Bert remarked as he and Ethan fished on the river’s edge that afternoon. “You been to school much?”

  “Yeah, some,” Ethan replied. “I had to stay home to help Ma when she got sick. But I know how to read and write, and I can do some numbers. Will I be in your grade?”

  “Probably. You’re eight, and so am I. I like school pretty much. ’Course, some of the guys call us ‘Thorny,’ but I don’t pay any attention to that.”

  “‘Thorny’? Why do they call you that?”

  “’Cause we’re from the Briars,” Bert explained. “Some kids from here don’t like to be teased, but it doesn’t bother me. The town kids found out that you don’t call Shala that more than once. She can use her fists as good as any boy. They stay away from her.”

  Ethan understood that. But before he could open his mouth to say so, someone crashed through the bushes behind them and ran to the river. Almost as though she had heard her name, Shala appeared and plunked herself down beside the surprised boys.

  “It’s getting kind of crowded in this spot,” Bert said in disgust. “Let’s go down the river, Ethan.”

  “Wait,” Shala panted. “Wait till I catch my breath. I was sent down to get you.”

  “What’s the matter? Is Will gone again?” Ethan jumped to his feet in alarm.

  “Will’s fine,” Shala assured him. “He’s with Matron. Mr. Lehman wants to talk to everyone together, so you have to come back now.”

  “What’s he going to talk about?” Bert asked as they hurried toward the house.

  “Don’t know,” Shala said. “He just said to round everybody up. So I came after you.”

  “How’d you know where we were?” Bert demanded.

  “I saw you start out with your fishing poles.” She grinned. “I figured you weren’t on the way to the orchard to pick apples.”

  “Smarty,” Bert muttered. “You better not be trying to fool us.”

  The boys joined the other children in the dining room just before a solemn Mr. Lehman ca
me in.

  “Something very serious has happened here today,” he said. “A box containing some money belonging to the Home is missing from my desk. I’m not accusing anyone here of taking it. I’m hoping it was misplaced. I only want to ask all of you to keep watch around the house and the barn. If you see any strangers, let one of us know right away.”

  Mr. Lehman said a few more things, but Ethan wasn’t listening. His heart had dropped to his shoes. Could that be the box Hugh wanted him to get? Did Hugh go back and get it himself after Ethan and Matron had left? If so, he would surely tell Mr. Lehman that Ethan had taken it. Should he try to talk to Hugh about it?

  As carefully as he could, Ethan looked around the room for the older boy.

  Hugh was nowhere to be seen.

  By bedtime everyone knew that Hugh was gone.

  “Are we going to ask the Lord to bring him back, like we did Will?” Ethan asked when Matron came to pray with him.

  “We’ll certainly ask the Lord to protect Hugh and be with him,” Matron replied. “I don’t reckon he’s in as much danger as a little boy would be. He can pretty well take care of himself. But I don’t like to see him leave the Home before he finishes school. This is the only family Hugh has ever had.”

  After Matron had turned out the light and left, Bert asked Riley, “Do you know where Hugh went?”

  “Nope.”

  “Do you think he’ll be back?”

  “Dunno.”

  “Did he tell you he was going?”

  “Not exactly. He said he didn’t want to go back to school. He wanted to get a job and earn some money.”

  “If they find him, will they bring him back?”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Riley answered. “If he got himself apprenticed somewhere, it’s likely Mr. Lehman would let him stay. He only had another year to be ready to go out on his own.”