by Al Lacy
Leah spoke in a low voice to Laura. “Look at that united front! It’s a good thing we’re taking all of them. I’d hate to see their dejection if we took only one or two.”
“Me too,” said Laura. “It’s a blessing that they can stay together. They’ve been through so much sorrow in their young lives.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Will.
As they stopped in front of the trio, Laura ran her eyes over the anxious faces. “Mary, Johnny, Lizzie, how would you like to live on a farm and become Mr. and Mrs. Bantons foster children?”
“Oh yes!” exclaimed Mary.
Johnny’s eyes were dancing. “We sure would!”
Mary looked down at her little sister. “Lizzie, we’re going to go home with Mr. and Mrs. Banton and live on their farm.”
Lizzie looked up with worried eyes. “All three of us?”
“Yes.”
“Do they have cows and horses?”
“We sure do, sweetheart,” said Leah.
“Oh, boy! I like cows an’ horses!”
“And we also have pigs and chickens.”
“Really?”
“We sure do, honey,” said Will.
Lizzie looked up at Mary. “Do they have sparrows on their farm?”
The Bantons and Laura showed their puzzlement at the question, then Mary looked at the Bantons. “Do you?”
Will chuckled. “Lots of them. Why does Lizzie want to know if we have sparrows?”
Mary smiled. “I’ll explain it later, Mr. Banton.”
“Mary, they’re gonna have some more little sparrows on their farm, aren’t they?” Lizzie said.
Chapter Fourteen
Laura Stanfield handed an envelope to Will Banton. “Here are copies of the papers you signed, along with official papers that I have signed as an agent of the Children’s Aid Society to prove that you and Leah are legally the foster parents of the Marston children.”
Will smiled. He handed the envelope to Leah. “Honey, would you put this in your purse till we get home, please?”
“Of course.”
As Leah was placing the envelope in her purse, Laura said, “I’m so thrilled that these precious little ones won’t be separated. Most of the time it has to be that way. We’ve had a few instances when one family took two siblings, and only one other time that I can think of when three were taken. Never more than that. But most of the time, a couple only wants one foster child. Usually it’s because they can’t afford to take more than one into their home.”
Leah smiled. “Well, we’re glad we can take all three. It would be a tragedy if they were separated. They’ve had more than enough tragedy in their little lives already.”
“Yes,” said Will. “Well, Mary, Johnny, and Lizzie, are you ready to go to your new home?”
All three nodded, faces beaming.
Laura held the clipboard close to her chest. “Good-bye, children. I know you will be very happy in your new home.” Then she said to the Bantons, “And I know you will be happy to have these three additions to your home.”
Will chuckled. “We sure will! And I want to find out what this business is about the little sparrows.”
Laura hurried away to take care of another couple down the line.
Suddenly, Jimmy Kirkland began to cry. Johnny turned to him. “What’s the matter, Jimmy?”
The eyes of the Bantons and Johnny’s sisters were turned to Jimmy, who drew in a shuddering breath and choked on the words. “J-Johnny, I don’t want you t- to go away. Pleathe d-don’t go!”
Johnny flicked a look of helplessness at Mary, then said, “Jimmy, I have to go. These nice people are taking Mary and Lizzie and me to live with them.”
“B-but I’ll n-never thee you anymore. You’re my f-friend.”
Mary moved to the child. “Jimmy, please don’t cry. I know this is hard for you, but it’s going to be all right. Maybe at the very next stop there’ll be a nice man and lady who will choose you and take you home with them.”
Jimmy was trying to say something else, but the weeping made it only a muttering.
Will and Leah looked at each other, wondering what to do.
At his original spot close by, Lance Adams was talking to another passenger on the train. Jimmy’s outburst drew his attention. “Please excuse me, Mr. Simmons,” he said to the man. “I’ve got to see about this orphan boy.”
Simmons nodded and Lance rushed to the boy and picked him up. “Jimmy, what’s the matter?”
The Bantons and the Marston children looked on as Jimmy sobbed. “J-Johnny’th my friend, and … and h-he’th g-goin’ away! He and hith thithterth are b-bein’ ’dopted by that m-man and lady! I d-don’t want Johnny t- to leave me!”
Tears were in Leah’s eyes as her husband stepped closer and looked compassionately at the little boy. “Jimmy, we’re sorry to take Johnny from you, but he and his sisters are our foster children now. We would take you, too, but three is all we can afford. We have to go now. Johnny, tell your friend good-bye.”
Johnny looked up at his little friend in Lance’s arms. “Bye, Jimmy. Don’t cry anymore. You’ll be in a nice home pretty soon too. I’ll miss you.”
Jimmy drew a shuddering breath as tears spilled down his face.
“I-I’ll mith you t-too.”
As the Bantons and the Marston children walked away, Jimmy cried harder. When they reached the place where they would pass from view, Johnny turned and waved.
Jimmy had one arm around Lance’s neck. He waved with the free hand, sobbing as if his heart would break in two. His entire body began to shake as if he was suddenly penetrated to the core by incredible cold. His breathing became rapid and shallow, and he swallowed uncontrollably over and over again.
The child’s sorrow touched Lance deeply. Tears misted his eyes as he held Jimmy close and spoke into his ear. “It’ll be all right, Jimmy. You’ll have more friends when a real nice family takes you home with them.”
Jimmy shook his head intensely. “N-nobody wanth me ’cauthe I talk f-funny!”
Lance held Jimmy even tighter and swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat. “Now, Jimmy, that’s not so. In some town there’ll be some nice people who won’t care that you stutter and lisp. They will love you and take you into their home to be their boy.”
Jimmy buried his wet face against Lance’s neck. “I w-want to go home w-with you and b-be your b-boy!”
Lance suddenly felt numb all over. This small lad had already unknowingly captured his heart. His mind went to Carol and the discussion they had about adopting a child. He wanted to tell Jimmy he would take him home, but there was no way he could surprise Carol at the San Francisco depot by leading Jimmy up to her and saying, “Guess what, sweetheart, here’s our new son. We’re going to adopt him.”
Jimmy eased back in Lance’s arms and looked into his face through his tears. “W-would you? Would you t-take m-me home w-with y-you tho I could be y-your b-boy?”
Lance bit his lips as the tears coursed down his own cheeks. His voice was tight. “Jimmy, I—I wish I could do that, but I—I can’t.”
A wistful expression shadowed the boy’s countenance. “Why?”
Lance thought his own heart would most certainly shatter inside his chest. He was trying to think how to express it to Jimmy when the boy said, “M-my real m-mommy and d-daddy threw m-me away.”
This was like a sledgehammer to Lance’s midsection.
Tabitha Conlan had left the couple who were interested in Wanda Stevens, to let them talk for a few minutes, while she entered the girls’ coach to get a fresh handkerchief from her overnight bag. When she stepped out of the coach, her attention went to little Jimmy in the arms of the man who was holding him. Frowning, she headed that way while glancing at Wanda and the couple as they chatted.
When she drew up to Lance and Jimmy, Lance was still trying to find a way to get past the blow of Jimmy’s latest words.
“Sir,” asked Tabitha, “is something wrong?
Are you interested in taking Jimmy as your foster son?”
Lance looked at her and took a sharp breath. He was trying to gain control of his voice when Gifford Stanfield moved up. “Tabitha, this gentleman is Mr. Lance Adams of San Francisco. He’s a passenger on our train. I saw him with Jimmy a little while ago and asked him the same question you just did. He is simply touched by Jimmy’s plight and wants to make him feel better.”
Tabitha’s features softened, and she set appreciative eyes on Lance. “Mr. Adams, that’s awfully nice of you. Do you have children of your own?”
“Ah … no, ma’am. My wife and I have no children.”
Jimmy set his red-rimmed eyes on Tabitha. “Th-thome people took my f-friend, Johnny, from me. B-but nobody wanth m-me ’cauthe I talk f-funny.”
Tabitha ran her fingers through his blond hair in a tender manner. “Jimmy, it’s going to be all right. Somebody will take you home just like they did Johnny. You just wait and see.”
Jimmy tightened his grip on Lance’s neck. “I want M-Mr. Adamth t- to take me home. I w-want to be h-hith boy.”
Gifford put his face close to the boy’s. “Jimmy, Mr. Adams already told me a little while ago that he wouldn’t be able to do that. But don’t you feel bad, son. We have a long way to go. Somebody in Wyoming, Nevada, or California will want you. They’ll love you and give you a good home.”
“Mr. Stanfield is right, honey. Someone will take you, I’m sure.” Tabitha patted his cheek and walked away.
Jimmy watched her for a few seconds, then looked back into the eyes of the man who was holding him.
Lance met his gaze. “Jimmy, Mr. Stanfield has taken lots of boys and girls on the orphan trains, and you know what?”
“Huh-uh.”
“He has seen those boys and girls taken into homes when they thought it would never happen.”
Jimmy studied Lance’s eyes. “D-did any of ’em talk f-funny like m-me?”
Gifford came to Lance’s rescue. “We haven’t had any who talked quite like you, Jimmy, but that doesn’t make any difference. God has a family ready to take you into their home, and when those people meet you, they’ll want you, believe me.”
Jimmy frowned. “C-could God make Mr. Adamth w-want to take m-me home?”
Gifford turned his gaze to the man with the dark, wavy hair.
Lance could feel the nerves twitching throughout his body. His eyes turned troubled. “Jimmy, I would love to take you home with me, but I just can’t do that. If I explained it to you, you wouldn’t understand. You’re too young.”
“B-but I w-would be good. Really. I p-promithe.”
“I know you would, little pal. It’s got nothing to do with how you would behave.”
“Jimmy,” said Gifford, “it’s going to be okay. Somewhere down the line, God has people just waiting for a boy like you. Take my word for it. You’re going to be taken into a good home where there’ll be lots of love, and you’ll be very, very happy.”
Jimmy looked at Gifford silently for a moment, then set his gaze on the line of children who were being interviewed by the small number of people who were left. He turned his head and met Lance’s loving gaze. “Th-thank you for bein’ n-nice to me.”
Lance smiled and hugged him. “You’re easy to be nice to.”
Jimmy let go of Lance’s neck so he could put him in the line again. Lance then moved back to the spot where he had been standing before.
Cal Simmons was gone, but the conductor, Art Manley, was there. He smiled at Lance, noting the look of anguish on his face. “Pretty sad, isn’t it, Mr. Adams?”
Lance looked at him. “You’ve been observing this scene?”
“Yes. That little fellow is a heart-grabber.”
Lance nodded. “Tell me about it.”
“Too bad about his speech impediment. It just might keep anyone from wanting him.”
“It shouldn’t. He certainly can’t help it, and contrary to what a lot of people think about a child who lisps and stutters, Jimmy is not retarded. His little mind is sharp. I’d take him home with me quicker than you can snap your fingers if it was possible. But it isn’t.”
Manley grinned. “Well, it’s sure obvious that he’d go with you too, if you could take him.” He turned to walk away. “I have to make preparations for pulling out.”
Lance watched Art Manley walk toward the engine, where the engineer and the fireman were waiting for him on the platform.
The effect of the sledgehammer to Lance’s midsection was still there, and his nerves were wire-tight. He looked at Jimmy, who was standing in the line with his head bent low. “Lord, You knew before it happened that I was going to board this particular train in Chicago, and You knew Jimmy would be among the orphans. Something … something has happened in my heart toward that little boy. You know that I love children and have wanted to adopt at least one I could be a daddy to. Jimmy is—well, he’s special, Lord. You know my heart. It isn’t just pity that I feel toward him, though that emotion is within me. But every part and particle of me wants to take him home so he can be my little boy. Jimmy certainly wants to be my little boy. But … but I can’t upset Carol’s life. She made it quite clear that she doesn’t want an adopted child. And, Lord, if I took him home to live with us, it would put a load on her. She would be Jimmy’s mother and have all the responsibilities that go with motherhood. I just can’t do that to her.”
At that moment, a couple stepped up to little Jimmy Kirkland and began talking to him. When Jimmy responded to their questions, Lance saw both of them get sour looks on their faces. The man patted Jimmy on the head, said something Lance could not distinguish, then moved away.
Lance shook his head sadly. “Lord, Carol is Your child. You could speak to her. You could change her mind about our adopting a child.” He drew a deep breath. “But, of course, by then it would be too late. Certainly somebody will feel toward Jimmy like I do, and they will take him home to be their little boy. By the time this train gets to San Francisco, Jimmy will already be in someone’s home. Unless … unless You would work in Carol’s heart, and at the same time, keep anyone from taking Jimmy.
“Lord, I just thought of something. In Genesis 18, You visited Abraham at his tent in the plains of Mamre and told him You were going to give him and Sarah a son in their old age. Sarah overheard what You told Abraham and laughed to herself, saying she was beyond childbearing. And Lord, You said to Abraham, ‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?’
“And, Lord, You said, ‘Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ O, dear Father, if You want Carol and me to have a son—and I mean, Jimmy Kirkland—You can time it all out and make it happen. Is anything too hard for You? Please work in Carol’s heart, and in Your own inimitable way, You can give us Jimmy as surely as you gave Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. You have brought Jimmy into my life and given me a deep love for him. He loves me and has asked to go home with me and be my little boy. Please, Lord, bring it to pass.”
Further up the line, Rachel Wolford was standing close to the spot where the interested couple was talking to Wanda Stevens as Tabitha Conlan returned to finish the paperwork. Rachel felt sorry for Josie Holden, who looked on dolefully knowing now that the couple would be taking Wanda with them.
From the corner of her eye, Josie saw Rachel looking at her. She turned her head and her face pinched. Rachel rushed to her and wrapped her in her arms. “I love you, Josie.”
“I love you, too, Miss Wolford,” came Josie’s shaky reply.
“Honey, I know you’ve gotten close to Wanda, and it’s hard to let her go, but she deserves the happiness she’ll find with those people. You wouldn’t want to take that away from her.”
“Of course not. It—it’s just so hard, knowing I’ll probably never see her again.”
“Well, Josie, that’s how life is. This kind of thing happens in people’s lives s
omewhere in the world every day. But you keep your chin up. I’m sure you will be chosen by some good family before the train reaches the end of the line.”
At that moment, Wanda turned from her new foster parents while they were signing papers and moved to Josie.
Rachel said, “Honey, I’ll let you and Wanda have this moment alone.”
Josie nodded, her eyes already filmed with tears, then turned to face Wanda.
Wanda wrapped her arms around Josie, and as they embraced, Wanda said, “I love you.”
Josie choked on a sob. “I love you too, Wanda.”
“I hope you will be chosen before the train reaches the end of the line.”
They released each other, and Josie wiped tears from her cheeks. “Thank you, Wanda, for being my friend.”
The woman called, “Wanda, dear, we must go now.”
The man had the official papers in his hand.
Wanda kissed her friend’s cheek. “Good-bye, Josie.”
As Wanda walked away between the man and his wife, Josie struggled to keep from breaking down. Suddenly she felt an arm slip around her waist, and turned to see Rachel Wolford looking at her with eyes of compassion.
Tabitha Conlan observed with a smile as Rachel and Josie embraced. Tabitha walked toward her husband, who was standing close by, holding his clipboard. Derek said, “Apparently those two girls had become quite close in this short time.”
Tabitha looked back at Josie. “That they did, darling. That they did.”
While holding Josie close, Rachel said, “Honey, I know you’ll miss Wanda, but I’ll try to take her place.”
Josie eased back and looked her in the eye. “Oh, thank you, Miss Wolford. I’d love to be close friends with you.”
At that instant, Gifford Stanfield rushed up and said, “Rachel, we’ve got a boy over here with a nosebleed.”
Rachel nodded and looked at Josie. “We’ll spend time together on the train.” With that, she hurried away on Gifford’s heels.