Orphan Train Escape

by Rachel Wesson

  “These kids need a home,” Lily said, her voice shaking. “In an ideal world, they would be adopted by people desperate for children of their own. But we don’t live in a world like that. The one we live in means the Foundling Hospital had to put a cradle at their door to try to stop desperate women from leaving newborns on the cold steps, or in the nearest bin.”

  “Oh, Lily, what sort of world do we live in?” Bridget asked, trying to stop the tears filling her eyes. She refused to cry in public.

  “Shush,” Lily said gently. “We do the best we can, one step at a time.”

  “The rest is in God’s hands. You can help him by preparing the children as best you can on the journey. Talk to them, tell them stories, try to assuage their fears.” Father Nelson groaned as he lowered himself back into a chair, having stood up to take another cookie. “Reassure them they can write to us if they are unhappy.”

  “Write? Most of the children aren’t literate and those that are, are older. What about the younger ones? Who protects them?” Bridget couldn’t stop herself from asking.

  “Bridget, settle down now. We do our best. That is all we can do,” Father Nelson replied in a tired tone.

  Lily sent her a sweet smile while at the same time shaking her head. Bridget took the hint and stayed quiet.

  “I should leave. I have some people to see. Good evening Father Nelson, Mrs. Doherty.” Mr. Watson took Bridget’s hand as if to shake it but held onto it for seconds longer than necessary. “Try to get a lot of rest before Saturday, Miss Collins. Sleeping on a train is not easy.”

  And then he was gone. Bridget stared after him until Father Nelson interrupted.

  “Bridget, be ready at eight a.m. on Saturday morning,” Father Nelson said. “I will collect you then.”

  “Thank you, Father Nelson.” Bridget knew she owed the priest a large debt. He had saved her and her family, but how could he stand behind such a scheme as the orphan train?

  Carl Watson limped out of the room, and out the front door as fast as he could. Scamp jumped as soon as the door opened, wagging his tail as if it had been years since he saw Carl, not less than an hour ago. He sniffed at his hand.

  “Sorry, out of luck, old boy. I forgot to bring you a cookie, I left in a hurry.”

  Why had he? What must Miss Collins think of him rushing off like that? She would think him a frightful bore.

  But her questions were those he asked himself continuously? What type of society provided children by order like a shopping catalogue. Miss Collins was correct to wonder what happened when the sought-after baby didn’t grow into the much-desired child? He scowled. He knew the answer to that question all too well.

  Maud, the lady who usually accompanied him on his travels, never questioned anything. Maud was a nice girl, in fact he felt safe around her. He could talk to her easier than any other woman he had encountered.

  Miss Collins on the other hand, had his tongue tied up in knots. Ironic, given she seemed to come from his class,whereas Maud came from one of the wealthier families in New York. Maud’s rather forceful mother believed her daughter should do some charity work before settling down to get married. She was well-educated and interesting to talk to, although she lacked backbone. She wasn’t particularly interested in the children they placed, not that she would mistreat any, but she didn’t fight for them like he believed they deserved.

  He sensed Miss Collins was already attached to some of the children they would travel with. Her siblings obviously but also Jacob and Lizzie. He had handled the issue of her taking her siblings on the train badly, but he couldn’t bear the hurt and pain she was setting herself up for. Giving up your own family had to be the hardest thing anyone had to do.

  He threw a stick for Scamp to race after ignoring the glares from the people around him. He had to distract himself from that line of thinking.

  Why couldn’t Maud be coming this time? She was a known quantity. She didn’t ask any questions and she didn’t form any emotional attachments with the children. Most of all, she didn’t cause his heart to beat faster or his collar to feel like it was strangling him. He couldn’t remember when a woman had so appealed to him. Especially one as strong-willed and opinionated as Miss Collins seemed to be. He wondered what her story was?

  Her clothes, while flattering, weren’t quite right. Not that she would dress like Maud in any event. One dress Maud wore could feed a whole train of starving orphans for the month. Maud wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a long blue skirt that didn’t quite reach the floor. He had glimpsed a pair of rather fetching ankles. Oh, what was he doing thinking about Miss Collins? They had to work together for the next two months or however long it took to find homes for all the children.

  The children were his priority not anything else. He limped faster as if by putting physical distance between him and the young lady with the brown curls escaping from her bun would remove her from his mind.

  Chapter 20

  Lily hailed a cab and they rode back to the sanctuary in silence. Bridget wanted to ask Lily more, but the look on the other woman’s face stopped her. She had never seen Lily look so sad and it unsettled her.

  “Bridget, you will need to read these,” Lily said, handing her a small pile of papers. “They are the rules regarding the children. I expect Mr. Watson has them memorized, so you might want to learn them as well.”

  “Thanks, Lily. Do you know if there will be anyone else to help with the babies? I think Father Nelson mentioned there might be more than one.”

  “I think you have four going on this trip,” Lily said. “The older girls will help you. It seems the charity doesn’t have the money to employ more adults to help.”

  “Or it’s not their priority,” Bridget said.

  “I understand you are disappointed and possibly quite shocked, but they do the best they can. The economy is struggling, and quite a few of the richer benefactors are finding themselves having to reduce their spending.”

  “Sorry, Lily. I just get so upset thinking of those children. It’s one thing to be orphaned but another to be given up because your mother cannot afford to keep you. Can you imagine how hard it would be for anyone to do…Oh Lily, please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I know Bridget. It’s not really you. It’s just…well this morning I found out I am not with child. I thought maybe this time I would be. I’ve tried for so long.” Lily put her head in her hands and wept. Bridget stood for a moment before moving over to her new friend and putting her arms around her. Lily’s sobs grew louder. “Four years we have been wed and still no sign of a baby. I think God is angry with me for my past sins.”

  “Lily, no. Don’t think like that. He couldn’t possibly be angry with you, not when you do so much good for others,” Bridget assured her. “He isn’t like that anyway. We cannot believe in a God who is vindictive. Likely it isn’t the right time for you and your husband. You will have a baby when He believes you are ready.”

  “Bridget, how I wish I believed that. But I think there may be a reason for why I never fell pregnant. After all those years of abuse. I…oh, what does it matter. Crying won’t cure anything.”

  “No,” Bridget agreed. “But I always feel better after a good cry. You are so brave and strong all the time. You don’t have to be like that. You have real friends who care about you. Let them help you.”

  “I shall miss you, Bridget. Even though we have only known each other these few short weeks.”

  “Maybe I can come back to New York to see you sometime, or you can come visit me in Wyoming. I heard it’s beautiful,” Bridget said.

  “Thank you,” Lily said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I’d best get my face sorted out, or Mrs. Wilson will send me home to bed. Bridget, go find your family and take some time with them. Bring Kathleen too. You need to explain what is happening.”

  “Thank you, Lily.”

  “I know I wouldn’t relish a journey with Mr. Watson, but please try to see it as a means
to an end. He will be busy looking after the children under his care, so hopefully he won’t have much time to annoy you,” Lily said.

  “Lily, I can’t ever repay all you have done for me. For us.”

  “Yes, you can,” Lily said. “All I ask is that you help someone less fortunate. If everyone helps someone who then helps someone the world would be in a better place than it is now. Small steps will lead to big actions. At least that is what Charlie, my husband, keeps telling me.”

  Bridget gave Lily a hug, then, before she started crying herself, left to go spend time with her family. After Saturday who knew when she would see Kathleen and Maura again, if ever.

  But Bridget didn’t go straight back to her room. Instead, she went to find Mrs. Wilson and told her Lily was upset but not the reason.

  “Thank you, Bridget. I will go to her now. You have a lovely heart young lady. Try never to let that go.”

  Bridget didn’t reply. Mrs. Wilson had already walked away.

  Bridget was about to go into the room she shared with her sisters when Bella called to her. The younger girl seemed quite agitated and clearly wanted to speak to Bridget in private. She followed Bella into the work room which, since it was nighttime, was empty.

  “What’s wrong, Bella?”

  “I heard you are going on the orphan train. Don’t let them take Annie or Liam away from you. But especially Annie.”

  “I won’t,” Bridget tried to reassure the girl, while wondering how news had traveled so fast.

  “I mean it, Bridget. You have no idea what they do to orphans,” Bella spoke, the whole time looking around her as if afraid someone would hear.

  “Bella, sit here and tell me why you are so scared. You know Lily would never do anything to hurt you. Or anyone else here. Has someone threatened you?”

  Taking a deep breath, Bella sat, but then immediately stood up again. Bridget drew her gently into the seat beside her. She put her arm around the younger girl’s shoulders.

  “Tell me, Bella. I promise to help if I can.”

  Bella stood. “I got to show you something.” She slipped the top of her dress from her shoulders to show Bridget her back. Bridget gasped at the ugly scars crisscrossing the girl’s shoulder blades.

  “Bella, who did that to you? Oh, you poor girl.” Standing, Bridget covered the girl’s back and hugged her close.

  “The woman who took me from the orphan train,” Bella said. “I don’t know what she wanted. Everything I did was wrong, and she used to hit me with her rawhide whip. I close my eyes, and I can still hear the sound of the leather screaming through the air.”

  “Oh Bella. I am so sorry,” Bridget said. “But perhaps you were just unlucky.”

  “Lots of orphans on the trains be unlucky. I tried to run away but they kept sending me back. Then her husband, he, he…” The girl shuddered, leaving Bridget to guess what had happened. Her grip on the girl tightened.

  “Bridget, you can’t give Annie to a family like that. She is so pretty. She looks like a little angel. You got to promise you won’t.”

  Bridget held Bella while she sobbed. The poor girl whom she had dismissed as being hard as nails, appeared to care more about Annie than Maura did.

  “I promise you, Bella. I won’t do it. You are safe now, you know that, right?”

  Bella didn’t answer.

  “I saw you put something in your pocket the other day,” Bridget said. “I didn’t want to ask you what it was.”

  “It was just a dream is all.”

  “What dreams, Bella? You can tell me.”

  Bella looked uncertain but then she put her hand in her pocket and took out a dog-eared piece of paper. She handed it to Bridget. It was an ad from a man looking for a wife.

  “Bella, you are too young to get married,” Bridget said.

  “I know, but I could lie about my age. If I were married, I wouldn’t be an orphan no more.”

  “Oh, Bella, this is not the way. You don’t know anything about this man. He may mistreat you. You cannot trust a stranger.”

  “It was just a dream. Who’d want me anyway?”

  Bridget stroked the younger girl’s hair back from her eyes. “Someone would be lucky to marry you, Bella, when you are a little older. You have a big heart, although you hide it well. Why don’t you tell Lily about this man?”

  “She hates me.”

  “Lily?” Bridget asked, surprised. “No, she doesn’t. Lily couldn’t hate anyone. You sometimes look quite scary, so maybe she doesn’t see you as I do. But talk to her, Bella. She can help. I know she can.”

  Bella stared at the ground, her expression reminding Bridget of Annie when she was told to go to bed early.

  “Please, Bella. You trusted me with your secret, now why don’t you trust what I am telling you is right.”

  Bella looked her in the eye. “I don’t trust no one.”

  “No, and I can’t blame you for that,” Bridget said. “But until you learn to trust yourself and those around you, you will never be happy.”

  Bella shrugged her shoulders, taking the newspaper copy and put it back in her pocket.

  “I liked you. I hope you get to be happy.” Then, after one fierce hug, she was gone.

  Exhausted, Bridget lay beside Kathleen, but sleep eluded her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Mr. Wilson. He intrigued her. At first, she had thought him to be cold, formal, and more interested in doing things by the book rather than in the interests of the children. But she sensed there was more to him than what she had seen. For instance, the expressions on his face when Father Nelson was describing the baby outplacement service suggested he didn’t share Father Nelson’s belief it was a good solution. But then his insistence on white aprons for all the girls was taking things a bit far wasn’t it? There were more important things in life.

  Chapter 21

  Saturday morning came all too quickly. Her eyes red, Kathleen had elected to say goodbye at the sanctuary, saying she would embarrass the Collins name if she were to travel to the train station. Maura hadn’t said a word and didn’t make an effort, not even to hug Liam or Annie.

  “Write to me Bridget, never forget me,” Kathleen begged.

  “Forget you? Never,” Bridget promised. “You will always have a piece of my heart.”

  “Look after Bridget and Annie, Liam. You are the man of the family now,” Kathleen said.

  “I am? I thought Shane and Michael were going on the train as well,” Liam said.

  “They are, darling, but not this one. Now say goodbye to Kathleen. We can’t be late,” Bridget replied.

  Bridget could only imagine how Mr. Carl Watson would react if they were not on time. She didn’t want to get into his bad books any further, although, to be honest, she hoped they had very little to do with one another on the journey.

  They were to meet the children at the station. Thankfully, Lily had agreed to come to say goodbye as had Father Nelson. Looking ahead, she spotted Mr. Watson standing with some children and a dog. It looked like one of the many strays that roamed the railway. She hoped the children wouldn’t be frightened of it. Why wasn’t Mr. Watson making it go away? Lily’s voice distracted her.

  “Please write to me, Bridget, you have become a firm favorite in your short time here.”

  “I will, Lily. Thank you for everything. Please look after Kathleen. I know you will, but she is so upset.”

  “I will, don’t worry,” Lily reassured her.

  Then Lily hugged her close before hugging Annie and Liam. Annie was clinging to Bridget as if she would never let her go. Liam was trying to be a man but the look in his eyes told Bridget he was just as terrified as Annie.

  “We will be fine,” Bridget promised as she bent down, pretending to tie Liam’s shoelace. “I won’t let anyone take you two. We are going to stick together.”

  “You swear?” he asked.

  “I promise,” Bridget gently corrected her little brother.

  “Bridget never breaks promises. She isn�
��t like Maura,” Liam whispered to Annie putting his arm around the little girl’s shoulders. Bridget had to turn away, so he wouldn’t know she had heard.

  “Please give my regards to Reverend Franklin,” Father Nelson said. “Tell him I look forward to our next game of chess.”

  “I didn’t know you saw him regularly, Father Nelson. Does that mean you come out to Riverside Springs sometimes?” Bridget asked, hope making her voice squeak.

  “Sadly, no,” he answered. “The last game of chess we played was about twenty years ago. Around the time he transferred out of New York. I miss him.”

  “I will tell him, Father. Thank you for everything you did for my family.”

  “May God look after you and your family. Trust him, Bridget. You may not always understand why things happen, but there is always a reason.”

  “Yes, Father,” Bridget replied more or less automatically. If there was a reason her lovely family had to split up, she really couldn’t see it. But now was not the time to argue with the old man.

  “Miss Collins, if you are quite ready,” Mr. Watson prompted her.

  Bridget looked up at the cold tone but was surprised to see a flicker of something in the man’s eyes. Pity? Understanding? Then it was gone, to be replaced by what she was going to call his teacher’s face. The stray dog was by his feet, but he didn’t seem to notice although he could have easily hit it with his cane. What had happened to his leg? He was speaking, and she hadn’t been paying attention.

  “Miss Collins, we need to get the children settled,” he went on. “I have divided them up into girls and boys. This young man will have to come with me.”

  “No,” Liam said. “I ain’t leaving my sisters.”

  “Liam, ‘ain’t’ isn’t a word we use,” Bridget told him. Then to Mr. Watson, “I apologize for my brother, Mr. Watson. He wants to stay with us. I will look after him.”

  “But I must insist,” Mr. Watson answered in a tone that made the dog sit. She would have laughed but for the fact he seemed to be serious.