Orphan Train Escape

by Rachel Wesson

  “Oh yes, ma’am. I love animals. My uncle, he had a horse back in New York. Used to pull his milk cart before he got killed. My uncle, not the horse. I used to help look after him,” Charlie replied eagerly, obviously wanting to impress the lady.

  “I’m not sure if it is allowed, Mrs. Freeman. I mean, well, the rules say you need to be married…” Mr. Watson replied, making Bridget want to hit him. Those rules applied to people like the man from the Mucky Duck, not to genuine people with plenty of love left to give.

  The woman, smiling in response to Charlie’s reply, turned to frown at Mr. Watson. “I was married.”

  “Yes, I know but—”

  “What Mr. Watson is trying to say,” Bridget interrupted, “is thank you, Mrs. Freeman. Your kindness is more than acceptable to the Outplacement Society.” Bridget didn’t look at Mr. Watson. She wasn’t about to let two good homes go because of some silly rule some well-meaning individual back in New York made up.

  “Would that work for you Daniel?” the man called Joshua asked.

  “Yes, sir that would be mighty fine if you could see a way to let us visit one another from time to time. Like for an hour after work on a Sunday for example? Not that I don’t trust you missus, but Charlie’s ma asked me, and I hate to break a promise.”

  “You won’t work on a Sunday, Daniel, and you will see Charlie at church and at school. If Joshua is happy to let you come over to my house for Sunday dinner we can do that too. That okay with you, Josh?” Mrs. Freeman asked, her eyes sparkling.

  “Absolutely, especially if that kind invitation were to extend to me and my missus,” Joshua replied, a big smile on his face. “I can carry my Annie over on the wagon if I make the bed comfortable enough.”

  Bridget knew they had made the right decision and these boys would be well taken care of. She heard Mrs. Freeman’s reply as they walked away, “You know you don’t need an invitation.”

  Bridget watched as the little group walked down to see Mrs. White. She had a feeling Daniel was getting a new father regardless of whether he wanted one or not.

  “You made the right decision, Miss Collins.” Startled at his voice, she whirled around.

  “You think so?” she asked.

  “Yes, I was wrong to even question it,” Mr. Watson told her. “Thank you for stepping in as you did.”

  “I hope you didn’t think me impertinent, Mr. Watson. I have just been party to two—no, three if you include Sally—very happy new families. I wanted a happy ending for the boys as well.”

  “Yes, sometimes throwing the rule book out the window works best,” he said.

  Pleased to see that not only was he agreeing with her, but he appeared to be mellowing, she said, “Yes, it does. I was—”

  Bridget’s words were cut off by a bloodcurdling scream she recognized as Annie’s. Picking up her skirts, she moved toward the sound, realizing it wasn’t coming from the stage. It seemed every person in town was in her way as she tried to negotiate her path. Her brother met her as she made her way to the back of the church.

  Chapter 33

  “Bridget come quick,” Liam told her. “This lady says she is taking Annie and I can’t stop her.”

  Bridget grabbed Liam’s hand and moved quicker in the direction of Annie’s continuous wail.

  “Stop, please stop. Mrs. White do not sign anything. That child is not part of the group,” Bridget cried out.

  “She was part of the group and I saw her first,” said the woman who was trying to take Annie. “You can’t just pick her now.”

  “I'm her sister and she is not up for adoption. Release her this second, you’re hurting her.”

  The woman kept a tight hold on Annie’s arm, her vicious expression making Bridget all the more determined she wasn’t taking her sister.

  “Mrs. White tell this woman Annie isn’t up for adoption,” Bridget demanded.

  Mrs. White gave Bridget a look of disdain. “Her name is on the list.”

  “What? That’s not possible. It shouldn’t be. I didn’t give permission for her to be adopted.”

  “It says a Miss Collins did, Maura Collins,” Mrs. White said.

  Bridget fumed, imagining what she’d like to do to her older sister if she were in front of her. “I will not agree to her being adopted. This woman isn’t suitable to raise any child.” Bridget made a grab for Annie, but the woman held her tight.

  “Now you take that back. You don’t know me, lady, and you can’t say things like that,” the woman said.

  “I know you aren’t suited to having a child. Look at what you’ve done to Annie. Your hold on her arm is too tight. You could break it.”

  “Nonsense. Spare the rod and spoil the child. And it’s the rod you’ll get as soon as I get you home if you don’t stop that screaming you little—”

  “You let her go right now,” Bridget warned. “Or you’ll be nursing a broken arm yourself you old—”

  “Enough,” Mr. Watson interrupted. “What on earth is going on here?”

  “This girl just threatened me. I want her arrested,” the woman demanded.

  “I did not threaten you. I made you a promise. You continue to hurt my sister and I will hurt you. Now release her,” Bridget said.

  “Ma’am, please release the child,” Mr. Watson said.

  “She’s mine.”

  “No, she isn’t,” Mr. Watson said. “She is Miss Collins’ sister. I would suggest you choose another child, but your behavior does not give me reason to believe you will treat that child properly. Please leave.”

  “I will not. Who do you think you are, coming into this town and ordering me around? I will have you know I am the mayor’s sister.”

  How could this evil woman be related to the nice man they had met earlier? Bridget pulled both children closer.

  “I don't care if you are the president’s sister, ma’am. You are not fit to raise a child and you won’t have one of these children. Now, please leave. We are done here, Mrs. White. The rest of the children, and Miss Collins, shall return to the train right now. I will follow as soon as I have a copy of your records.”

  Bridget tried to move but her feet seemed glued to the spot.

  “Miss Collins, you need to leave now,” he said, his voice firm, but his eyes boring into hers as if willing her to gather her strength.

  “Bridget, come on we got to go,” Liam said, pulling at her sleeve.

  Liam dragged herself and Annie off. With one last look at Mr. Watson, Bridget gathered the remaining children and made her way to the train station where they waited. Mr. Watson obviously felt it wasn’t prudent to spend the night in the hotel as planned.

  Chapter 34

  That night as the children slept on the uncomfortable seats, Bridget was too restless to even sit quietly. She walked through the car checking on each child, all the time her mind was working overboard. How could Maura sign the papers for Annie and Liam? She hadn’t even mentioned it to Bridget, despite knowing she was going on the same train. If she was back in New York, she may well put her hands around her sister’s—

  “Miss Collins, is there something wrong? You seem rather agitated,” Mr. Watson said as he walked over to her, concern etched all over his face. Scamp whined as he came to lick her hand, the dog obviously picking up on her feelings.

  “I am fine, thank you,” Bridget answered.

  “We both know that’s not the case,” he said. “Why don’t you come sit at the front of the car? I have some lukewarm coffee if you’d like some.”

  “Thank you.”

  She wasn’t sure why she accepted the offer. He wasn’t the first person she would think of confiding in, but he was the only other adult. She sat with him, nursing the cup in her hands.

  “The first day is always difficult,” he told her. “I would like to tell you the next time will be easier, but I do not like lies.”

  “Why do you do it?” Bridget surprised herself by asking.

  “What do you mean?”

 
; “You don’t seem to enjoy the work and, well, if I am honest, you don’t seem to be suited to working with children.” She wanted to take the words back as soon as she saw the amusement in his eyes. He was laughing at her. Stunned, she didn’t know what to say. She had expected him to go cold or get angry. But laugh?

  “I may not be as warm or outgoing as you, Miss Collins. But believe me, I am committed to these children. I try my best to find them homes, each and every one.”

  “But that’s not enough is it? They deserve more than food and shelter, they deserve love and happiness.”

  “Yes, they do. But I am a practical person. I do not believe in fairy tales. There are the occasional times when a match is made purely out of love. For example, with young Sally today. But most of the time, the people adopting these children are doing it for other reasons.”

  “Such as?” Bridget was afraid to ask, but she had to.

  “Duty, more often than not. Some genuinely feel they should offer a home to get a child off the streets. Others want to impress their neighbors, their church, or their religious elders by showing their charity by providing a family for a brat.”

  His ugly word stunned her.

  “I apologize. I shouldn’t have put it in those terms.”

  “It’s almost as if you are speaking from experience,” she ventured but he didn’t reply. Instead, he gave her another lecture.

  “If you want to stay sane, Miss Collins, you will need to toughen up. Think of the life these children had back in New York. Almost anything we can offer them is better than returning them to a life of squalor and neglect.”

  She didn’t agree, but she didn’t want to argue either. She handed him back her cup and stood.

  “I shall see you in the morning. Goodnight, Mr. Watson.”

  She walked back to her seat and sat beside Liam and Annie. Her brother had his arm around his younger sister, doing his best, even in sleep, to protect her. She closed her eyes, wondering how many of the other children had known love like this before it was cruelly taken away from them. She was determined not to become like Mr. Watson. She would retain her heart.

  Chapter 35

  Carl watched Miss Collins as she took her seat with her siblings. He knew he had upset her, but the truth hurt. She was setting both herself, and the children, up for failure if she insisted on happy-ever-after endings for everyone. Sally, and those who found a kind, loving home were lucky. But, in reality, most of the children would end up living in houses where they were considered strangers. Not quite servants, not quite family members. They would be the lucky ones. The unlucky ones, well, he would do his best to ensure none of these children would experience that lifestyle.

  He settled himself against the bench, knowing sleep would prove elusive. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind focused on Miss Collins. Not only did he find her more attractive than any other women he’d met, he found her mentally stimulating too. She wasn’t afraid to stand her ground. The way she had stood up for the children today showed she had backbone. He smirked at the thought of her threatening the woman who had tried to adopt Annie. He could only imagine she would follow through on her threat.

  So why had her elder sister left her to travel with the children? Why had she signed them away? And why was Miss Collins becoming a mail order bride? Surely, with her looks and personality, she would have had more than one suitor back in New York. He wished he had asked Father Nelson more about his traveling companion, but he was too angry to enter into conversation with his old mentor. When he had offered his services to Father Nelson, the last job he’d wanted was to act as an agent for the Outplacement Society. Not because he didn’t believe they did good work. He knew they tried their best. But it wasn’t the right role for him. He couldn’t give the children the love and care they needed, his heart having died some years previously. Scamp snuggled closer into his side as he absentmindedly stroked his ears.

  Chapter 36

  The children who hadn’t been picked weren’t too upset on the first day, in fact some, like Lizzie and Jacob, were really pleased. But after a few more stops and the ongoing rejections, the atmosphere in the car was dismal. Bridget tried every trick she could think of to raise their spirits, but nothing worked.

  “Why won’t God give me and Jacob a family, Miss Collins?” Lizzie asked her one evening.

  “I don’t know the answer to that question, Lizzie.” Bridget swallowed hard at the look on the child’s face. She didn’t want to give her false hope. The chances of her and Jacob being adopted together were low. Alone, she would have been placed ten times over with her silver blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She looked like an angel. Jacob, on the other hand, looked anything but, with his scarred face. Would anyone care enough to see past the disfigurement or even question how he had come by it?

  “I pray we will find someone in the next town, Lizzie,” Bridget said.

  “If we don’t find parents, will we have to go back to New York?” Lizzie asked.

  Bridget had promised to be honest with the children where possible.

  “Yes, love, you will, but don’t start thinking about that. We have quite a few towns left to go first. You and Jacob may find a family in one of them.”

  “Maybe you should talk to Jacob and tell him we got to let two families take us,” Lizzie surprised her by saying.

  Bridget remained quiet, waiting to hear the girl’s reasoning.

  “If we have to go back, they will separate us anyway. They will send Jacob away and give me to the nuns. I don’t want to leave my brother. If we were in the same town, maybe I would get to see him sometimes? I don’t want to live with the nuns.”

  Bridget cuddled the child close, only then realizing that Jacob had been listening to the conversation. She watched as the boy turned and walked away, his shoulders slumped. Dear Lord, why couldn’t someone see these children had suffered too much already? They needed love and lots of it.

  Chapter 37

  That evening, Mr. Watson walked to her end of the railway car. “Miss Collins, I wonder if I might speak to you,” Mr. Watson said.

  “Of course, just let me get Liam and Annie settled, and I will be right with you,” Bridget said.

  “The conductor brought me a hot coffee pot this time.”

  Bridget just smiled. Coffee would be nice, but her stomach was roiling wondering why he wanted to speak to her.

  He waited until she had got herself situated with a cup in her hands.

  “Tomorrow is our last town,” he said. “If we do not place all the children, I will be returning to New York with those left over. Usually, we would also conduct an inspection of the placements made for other children, but I gather your plans are different.”

  “Yes, they are,” she said. “I am traveling onto Riverside Springs with my siblings.”

  “To meet your fiancé.”

  Her cheeks heated as he kept staring at her. She should look away, but her eyes seemed trapped in his gaze.

  “Miss Collins?”

  “Yes, sorry. We will continue on the train until Green River and then take a stagecoach. My fiancé will meet us in Riverside Springs.”

  “He must be a man of means if he can afford to take on two children.”

  She looked away. She didn’t want to lie but telling the truth would be too difficult

  “He doesn’t know does he?” Mr. Watson asked gently.

  “How did you know that?” she asked.

  “Something young Liam said. What are you going to do if he refuses to marry you?”

  “He won’t,” she said, refusing to consider any other possibility. She refused to think about her worries about her ability to be a farmer’s wife. Surely it couldn’t be that difficult. Anyway, she would learn. She would do whatever she had to do in order to protect her family.

  “Aside from your considerable charms, Miss Collins, what if he simply cannot afford it?”

  He thought her attractive. Why would that give her such pleasure? Her heart
beat even quicker.

  “I have prayed about this and believe God will find a way,” she answered.

  “You place a lot on that belief.”

  Shocked, she stared at him open-mouthed. Hadn’t Father Nelson said he was once in the seminary?

  “I thought you were to become a priest,” she said.

  “I was.”

  “So then, how could you say something like that?”

  “Because I believe it to be true,” Mr. Watson said. “Anyway, my beliefs are of no concern. I am more interested in your plan for Liam and Annie should you find yourself deserted.”

  “What do you mean?” She tried her best to hide her dismay he had picked up on her concerns. There was a very real chance Brian Curran wouldn’t marry her, she had deceived him after all by bringing her siblings.

  “If your fiancé refuses to marry you. Riverside Springs is, I believe, a very small town. What if you cannot find suitable employment?”

  “I will. I am a good seamstress and a hard worker. I cannot return to New York and I won’t be parted from any more of my family. If that happens, that evil man will have won, and I might as well have stayed in that factory.” She shuddered, thinking of Stephen Oaks. Too late she realized she had said too much. She stared at the floor, mumbling an apology. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten carried away.”

  He bent toward her, she could feel his breath on her ear, and put his hand under her chin gently forcing her to look up at him.

  “Please don’t be sorry you said those things. You must be running from something horrible if you are prepared to marry a man you haven’t met. I wish there was something I could do or say to help you.”

  Looking at his face, she saw the look of concern in his eyes fighting with something else. Was it admiration?

  Her heart leaped, but she clamped down on those feelings. She had promised a man in Riverside Springs she was going to marry him. He may not want her when he sees she has two children with her, but she was not going to be the one to break the promise. Mr. Watson’s hand was still on her face, stroking the side of her chin, sending chills running down her spine. She fought the impulse to move closer to him.