by Al Lacy
Conlan released the boy’s fists. “Is that it, Jimmy? Were you having a bad dream?”
Jimmy nodded and rubbed his eyes. “Yeth, thir.”
Conlan reached into his shirt pocket and took out a comb. “Here, Jimmy, let me comb your hair. You’ve got it all messed up. I want you to look nice, because we’re about to pull into San Francisco.”
Lance Adams’s nerves were taut across his back and shoulders while he looked out the window as the train ground to a halt in the San Francisco terminal. He spotted the blonde he loved so much standing on the platform among a crowd of people, waiting for him.
His heart began pounding in his chest. “Dear Lord,” he whispered, “the moment has come. I’ll know for sure that You want us to have Jimmy if I find Carol willing to take him, once she has heard his story.”
Lance purposely waited until all the other passengers had left the coach, then picked up his briefcase and headed toward the rear exit. A glance out the window showed him Carol craning her neck while searching the faces of the passengers as they alighted from the other cars.
When he moved out onto the coach’s small platform and started down the steps, Carol saw him and hurried through the dwindling crowd with open arms.
Carol’s lovely features were lit up with a smile. “Welcome home, darling!”
They embraced for a brief moment, then Lance kissed her soundly, told her he loved her, and held her tight once again.
She breathed into his ear, “I missed you so much, darling! I don’t know if I’ll ever let you go to one of those conventions again!”
Lance laughed, eased back, and looked her in the eye. “But I always learn a lot at the businessmen’s conventions.”
Carol giggled. “I don’t know about that, but I’m sure when you gave your lecture, they all learned things they’d never heard of before.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re not just a little bit prejudiced on your husband’s behalf, are you?”
“Why, of course not! I can’t help it if the Lord gave me the world’s smartest businessman to be my husband, can I?”
Lance saw Rachel Wolford lining up the three girls and the four boys. At the same time, the Stanfields and the Conlans were talking with prospective foster parents, making their approvals, and getting them ready to begin the interviews.
Carol took hold of Lance’s arm. “Well, darling, let’s be going.”
Lance’s arm stiffened. “Honey, we can’t leave yet.”
Carol blinked and looked at him questioningly. “Why not?”
Lance took her hand. “Come over here with me.”
She frowned as Lance led her toward a cluster of people on the depot platform who were gathered close to some children who stood in a straight line.
I wonder what’s going on? she thought. Something is in the air with Lance. I felt it the instant I saw him get off the train. For one thing, he’s always among the first passengers to leave the coach he’s been riding in. Just now, he was the last. He seems a bit distracted. I wonder if something went wrong at the convention. Or maybe he’s worried about something. Maybe he’s—
They came to an abrupt halt quite near the spot where the children stood.
Carol ran her gaze over the seven children, then noted the people standing around, and the two women and two men who held clipboards while talking to some of them. “What’s this, Lance?”
“Honey, this is an orphan train.”
“Oh, really?”
“Mm-hmm. I’ve been watching people take orphans as foster children in railroad depots ever since Kearney, Nebraska. There were sixty-one to begin with. It’s been something to behold.”
Lance saw curiosity in Carol’s eyes. “That’s interesting,” she said, looking back at the children.
Lance pointed at the Stanfields and the Conlans, who were each engaged in conversation with a couple. “See those four people with clipboards?”
“Yes.”
“They’re the officials on this train from the Children’s Aid Society. Right now, they’re talking to couples who are interested in becoming foster parents to these children. They have many questions to ask them so they can make sure they qualify.”
Carol nodded. “I see. Guess they have to be careful.”
“Those precious boys and girls have already been through horrible times in their lives. The sponsors want to do the best they can to see that they are placed in the right kind of homes.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ve read about Charles Loring Brace’s burden for the orphans, and I know these people from the Society have to feel the same way.”
Lance gestured toward Rachel Wolford. “See that nurse over there?”
“Yes.”
“She travels with the children so if any of them get sick, she’s right there to take care of them.”
“Oh yes. I recall reading about the nurses on the orphan trains.”
At that moment, the prospective foster parents began moving along the short line, of which Jimmy Kirkland was last.
Lance pointed to him. “Honey, see that little blond boy at the end of the line?”
“Mm-hmm. He looks a little frightened. Isn’t he cute? Look at those big blue eyes.”
“His name is Jimmy Kirkland. His parents abandoned him on the doorstep of one of New York City’s orphanages when he was only a few days old.”
Carol’s brow furrowed. “Oh. Poor little fellow.”
Lance felt his pulse quicken. “I’ve gotten to know Jimmy pretty well. Such a precious little boy. But so far nobody has chosen him.”
A smile curved Carol’s lips. “Well, tell you what, if I was looking to take one of them home, he’d be the one I’d choose. He looks so scared, but isn’t he cute?”
Lance’s pulse throbbed the more. “He is scared, honey.”
“Well, he can’t be more than five years old. He’s pretty young for an experience like this. It’s only natural that he be frightened.”
“There’s more to it than that.”
Carol looked at her husband. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re right. He’s exactly five years old. But Jimmy has a speech impediment, honey. He stutters and lisps. I’ve watched people ever since Kearney show interest in him until they start asking questions. When he answers them, they always look at him like he’s a freak. Some people, I understand, think a child who stutters and lisps is retarded. It’s been really something to watch their reactions when Jimmy answers their questions.”
Carol frowned, her eyes fixed on Jimmy. She noticed that he looked at Lance, kept his eyes on him for a few seconds, then looked away. “Well just because he stutters and lisps doesn’t mean he’s mentally slow.” She paused. “But now that you mention it, I have heard that even some people in medical science believe that. Personally, I can’t see how a person could come to that conclusion without more to go on than a stuttering lisp.”
“My sentiments exactly.” Lance’s hopes were rising.
At that moment, a couple stopped in front of Jimmy, smiling down at him. The man hunkered down and asked a question that Lance and Carol could not distinguish because he spoke too low for them to hear his words.
When Jimmy replied, it was to give the man his name, which they could both hear and understand. He stuttered on both names.
The man frowned and asked another question. This one required an answer with words that brought out the lisp in Jimmy’s speech too.
The man stood up, shaking his head, and said something to his wife.
She nodded. Together, they walked away.
Carol laid a hand on Lance’s arm as she saw Jimmy swing his gaze on him once again. This time there was a pleading look in the boy’s misty eyes. His little lips began to quiver. She noted the longing look in Lance’s eyes. The fact that Jimmy was looking to her husband in his grief at being rejected by the couple and that Lance was eyeing him with compassion, told Carol that the two of them were well acquainted. The look of adoration toward L
ance and the pleading in his blue eyes captured her heart. She squeezed her husband’s arm. “Darling, little Jimmy’s asking for your help.”
Lance nodded. “I know, honey. I—”
At that instant another couple stepped up to Jimmy, who still had his eyes on Lance.
The Adamses watched with bated breath.
The young woman smiled as she beheld Jimmy’s innocent face and big blue eyes. “Oh, Max, just look at him! Isn’t he a doll? What’s your name, honey?”
Jimmy dropped his eyes to the platform floor. “J-Jimmy.”
The woman put fingers under his chin and lifted his face toward her. “Don’t be afraid now, Jimmy. What’s your last name?”
Carol’s heart went out to the boy as he looked at the woman with fear in his eyes, but did not respond.
The man bent over. “Son, you’re supposed to answer us when we ask you questions. Now what is your last name?”
Jimmy licked his lips and swallowed hard. “K-Kirkland.”
The man tousled Jimmy’s hair. “Don’t stutter now. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Your name is Jimmy Kirkland, right?”
Jimmy nodded, meeting his gaze.
The man’s voice took on a hard tone. “Little boy, when you are asked a question by an adult, you’re supposed to answer, ‘Yes, sir’ or ‘No, sir,’ ‘Yes, ma’am,’ or ‘No, ma’am.’ Now answer me correctly. Is your name Jimmy Kirkland?”
Carol felt Lance stiffen, but kept her attention on the scene before them.
Jimmy’s face went pale. His voice sounded small and insignificant as he said, “Y-Yeth, th-thir.”
The man glanced at his wife, then set his eyes once again on the boy. “How old are you, Jimmy?”
The little lad swallowed hard, showing his fear. “I’m five y-yearth old, th-thir.” He used his sleeve to wipe away the saliva from the corners of his mouth.
Carol could tell that Lance was ready to rush to the spot if one more thing was said to frighten Jimmy.
The man looked at his wife. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Her face was sour. “Yes. Let’s go.”
Lance’s body relaxed and he sighed as the couple walked away. Carol saw Jimmy send another pleading look to him. Lance was about to go to the boy when another couple approached him.
Carol squeezed her husband’s arm again. “You okay, honey?”
“I am now.”
While Lance’s eyes were fixed on Jimmy and the new couple, Carol squeezed his arm another time. “Darling, there’s something I should tell you right now.”
He glanced at her. “What’s that, sweetheart?”
“Well, while you’ve been gone I’ve been giving much thought to the suggestion you made a few months ago that we should consider adopting a child.”
Lance felt a jolt like an electric shock spear through his body. “You have?”
“Uh-huh. Honey, I was completely wrong. My attitude and the way I cut you off in that conversation was wrong.”
This time, Lance’s heart jumped in his chest. “Really?”
“Really. Want to know when I realized it?”
“S-sure.”
“At the very moment your coach pulled away from the platform that day I put you on the train to Chicago.”
“Really?”
“Yes, darling, and while I was riding home in that carriage you hired, I started praying about it. I’ve prayed about it over these days you’ve been gone, and I believe the Lord would have us look into adopting a child. He spoke to me in a way I could not misunderstand.”
“Really?”
“Really. It was all I could think about when I pillowed my head at night, and it was the first thing on my mind when I woke up every morning. I was planning to talk to you about it when you got home—you know, to the house.”
Lance’s breath was coming in short spurts. “You were?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful!”
Carol’s line of sight went back to Jimmy, who was talking to the couple who were now showing interest in him. “And darling, I didn’t even know you were going to be on an orphan train.”
Lance’s pulse was throbbing on both sides of his neck, in unison with the thunderous beats of his heart. That familiar stirring was making itself known again in his mind and heart. He knew he had his answer from God.
At that moment, the man and woman who were talking to Jimmy walked away, saying something to each other and shaking their heads.
Lance looked at where the line of children had been. Three of the other six children were gone, and the remaining three were walking away with their new foster parents.
Jimmy Kirkland was the only one left.
He stood there, his head bent down, wiping tears.
Lance took hold of Carol’s shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. “Sweetheart, could you be Mommy to a little boy who stutters and lisps?”
A smile spread over Carol’s beautiful face. “Darling, as far as I’m concerned, that isn’t even a factor. I could, and I will! Let’s take him!”
Lance’s heart felt like it was going to plow right through the wall of his chest. He let go of Carol and dashed to the little towheaded boy.
Jimmy was looking straight at him.
Lance bent over Jimmy, hugged him, then drew back so he could look into his eyes. Jimmy, do you still want to go home with me and be my little boy?”
Jimmy’s eyes brightened. “I thure d-do! I n-never had a d-daddy!”
“You never had a mommy, either. Do you want a mommy too?”
The boy jumped up and down excitedly. “I th-thure do!”
Lance took hold of Jimmy’s hand, turned him toward Carol, and pointed to her. “Well, that’s her, right over there.”
Jimmy fixed his gaze on the blond lady who was looking at him and smiling.
“Come on.” Lance led the boy to Carol. “Jimmy, this is your new mommy. Mommy, this is your new little boy!”
Lance still had hold of Jimmy’s hand.
For a moment, Jimmy and Carol looked at each other, smiling. Then Carol opened her arms to him. “Come here, Jimmy, and let Mommy hug you!”
As Jimmy let go of Lance’s hand and dashed into Carol’s embrace, Lance wiped happy tears from his eyes and looked toward heaven. “Oh, dear Lord, thank You for answered prayer!”
Still looking toward heaven, he heard Carol speaking sweet words to Jimmy and recalled that God had said in Isaiah 65:24, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
Lance drew a shaky breath. “Precious Lord, thank You! Thank You that even before I ever saw Jimmy for the first time on this trip, You were already working in Carol’s heart, and answering prayers that I began uttering after I saw Jimmy and he crawled into my heart!”
At that moment, Laura Stanfield stepped up. She looked at Lance, then at Carol and Jimmy, who were hugging. A smile lit up her face as she looked back at Lance. “Does this mean what I think it does?”
“Yes, it sure does! Thank you for praying, Mrs. Stanfield!”
Carol took hold of Jimmy’s hand and held it as she glanced at Laura, then looked at her husband.
“Mrs. Stanfield, I want you to meet my wife, Carol. Carol, this is Laura Stanfield.” Lance chuckled. “It just so happens that I have had Mrs. Stanfield praying about Jimmy becoming our little boy.”
Carol smiled, let go of Jimmy’s hand, and put her arms around Laura.
“Thank you, Mrs. Stanfield. God, indeed, answers prayer—sometimes even before we offer the prayer.”
“Yes, He does! He makes that clear in His Word.”
The women let go of each other, and Laura said, “Let’s get the paperwork done so you two can take Jimmy home!”
Jimmy stood between Lance and Carol as they talked with Laura Stanfield and answered her questions. Soon, the Adamses were signing official papers. When it was done, Laura fastened the Children’s Aid Society’s papers to the clipboard,
then handed Lance his copies that made it official. “There you are, Mr. Adams. You and Mrs. Adams are now Jimmy’s legal guardians and foster parents. Congratulations!”
Lance thanked her and looked down at the bright-eyed lad. “Well, Jimmy, Mommy and I are now your parents!”
Laura bent down, hugged the boy, and kissed his cheek. “Congratulations, Jimmy! God has given you a mommy and daddy who love you. Always be happy, won’t you?”
Jimmy nodded. “I will. I h-have a home n-now.”
Carol picked Jimmy up, squeezed him tight, and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be happy too, sweetheart, because I get to be your mommy!”
Jimmy wrapped his arms around her neck. “I l-love you, M-Mommy.”
Carol’s eyes were now swimming in tears. “And I love you, sweetheart.”
She kissed his cheek again, then turned to look at her husband.
Lance gave her a watery smile. “My turn.”
Carol let Lance take Jimmy into his arms and looked on with pleasure as he held him close. Jimmy put a powerful hold on Lance’s neck, held it for a brief moment, then eased back. “You’re my d-daddy, now. I l-love you, D-Daddy!”
“I love you too, son,” Lance said past the tightness in his throat. “More than you will ever know.”
Jimmy’s smile faded away. “Are y-you thure you w-want a boy who t-talkth funny?”
Lance pinched Jimmy’s little nose playfully. “I know I want you. The way you talk is part of you, Jimmy. God made you the way He did for a very special reason, and I wouldn’t change one thing about you.”
Jimmy’s winsome smile was back in place and a serene look of contentment settled over his shining face.
Chapter Twenty-three
On Thursday, July 16, the Nebraska sun stared down out of a blue sky above the Banton farm a few miles north of Kearney.
Will and Leah had been up since well before dawn in order to get as much of the daily work done as possible while the night’s coolness remained in the air. Mary, Johnny, and Lizzie Marston had left their beds just before breakfast, at Leah’s call.
After breakfast, Johnny joined his foster father to help him with work that needed to be done in the barn.