Orphan Train Trials

by Rachel Wesson

  “Kathleen is right, Mr. Fleming. Your wife told me how proud she was of you and her family,” Lily said firmly. “You worked hard to support them and didn’t drink your wages every night. She was always telling us how good you were. She was proud to be your wife.”

  The man looked to Lily, his cheeks crimson at her praise. “I was the one who was proud.”

  He walked away, his hat held in his hands, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Kathleen caught one of the younger Fleming girls going after him.

  “Leave your pa alone for a bit, Helen. He needs some time to himself,” she told the girl gently.

  “Why did God have to do this to us? We needed our ma. He has plenty of people in heaven. Why did he have to take her too?” Helen asked, standing close to Kathleen.

  “I don’t know the answer to that, love.” Kathleen put her arm around the little girl, wishing she could find words of comfort, but nothing was going to help the eight-year-old girl. With time she would learn to deal with the pain of losing her ma, but she would never get over it. Kathleen knew that from personal experience.

  She was glad the Doyle girls weren’t at the church. Bella was looking after them back in the sanctuary. Lily had decided a funeral was no place for the twins, especially as nobody knew where their da was. Dave Fleming had confirmed what Colm had told her, adding the fact that Mr. Doyle was unlikely to return. She looked around her again, taking everything in so she could tell Bridget all about it in her letter. Bridget would be devastated to hear about Mrs. Fleming dying, but at least Kathleen could tell her how much the community showed their respect.

  As she gazed around the church, she spied many from the local gangs. She was surprised to find them here in the church, yet she knew Mrs. Fleming had held their respect. The woman had refused to put up with any of their nonsense as she called it, she had never shown any fear of even the worst of the gang leaders. If anything, she treated them like badly behaved children. It had worked too. There had been no instances of gang violence breaking out in Mrs. Fleming’s tenement. Kathleen hoped that wouldn’t change now.

  Chapter 8

  Cheyenne, Wyoming

  “Good morning, Bridget. Carl said you were feeling a bit brighter this morning,” Edwina Powell said, her eyes full of concern.

  “Thank you, Edwina. The traveling caught up with me. How is Sally this morning?”

  “She is bored already. Anthony told her she has to rest her leg. The plaster will come off next week,” Edwina said, glancing toward her daughter’s temporary bedroom. The Powells had converted a room on the ground floor to save Sally having to climb the stairs.

  “It is so good of you to invite us to stay with you while we were visiting Cheyenne. Sally is a changed girl from the one we left with you last year.”

  “She is happier, isn’t she? The operations have taken their toll, but Anthony is confident she will walk without pain after this last one.”

  Happier was an understatement. If only all the orphans the Outplacement Society placed were as lucky as young Sally. The child had been left with an untreated broken leg after an accident years previously. The Powell’s had not only adopted her, but Anthony had used his medical ability to fix her leg. It had taken three operations, but everyone was hopeful the last one had been successful.

  The door opened as her husband Carl came in, a look of concern on his face. “Morning, darling. I went to send a telegram and picked one up for you.”

  Bridget’s hand shook as she took the telegram from him.

  “I will go put the kettle on,” Edwina said softly. “Come into the kitchen when you are ready.”

  Bridget looked at her friend gratefully. If it was bad news, she wanted to be alone with her husband. She opened the telegram and quickly scanned the contents.

  “Bad news?” Carl asked, putting his arm around her shoulder.

  Bridget nodded, swallowing to get rid of the lump in her throat. “Kathleen wrote to tell me our old neighbor has died. Mrs. Fleming. She was so good to us when Mam was ill. She was the lady who told the people who were looking for me we had moved to our cousin’s place.”

  Carl pulled her close and cuddled her. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

  “I wonder what will happen to her family, not to mention those she helped in that horrible tenement. She will be sorely missed by many.” Bridget knew nobody would ever be able to quantify how many people relied on Mrs. Fleming. Her friend had helped Lily distribute food and clothing to those who were too proud to admit they needed help.

  “I will take you to see Mr. Fleming when we get back to New York,” Carl said before giving her a hug.

  Bridget lay her head on his shoulder, thankful she had him by her side. She was nervous about returning to New York. It had been some time since she had injured Mr. Oak Jr. when she ran from his unwanted attentions, but had it been long enough?

  “Let’s go and put Edwina out of her misery. She is bound to be concerned,” Carl murmured, kissing the top of her head.

  She loved her husband so much. He was always thinking of others. She followed him into the kitchen where Edwina was setting plates on the table.

  “Bridget got some bad news from home. A friend of hers passed away,” Carl said as he took a seat.

  “Mrs. Fleming. She was a neighbor and a young mother to five children,” Bridget explained. “We lived beside them when my own parents were alive.”

  “I am sorry for your loss. Will you return to New York sooner than planned now?” Edwina asked as she poured tea into Bridget’s cup. It was another example of her kindness. She had bought tea specially for their visit as she and her husband were coffee drinkers.

  Bridget exchanged a look with Carl. There was no point in returning now, the funeral would be over and there was still work to be done here in Cheyenne.

  “No, Edwina. We still have work to do here, following up some of the placements. Mrs. Fleming would understand the children come first,” Carl confirmed, his eyes searching Bridget’s.

  A wave of love passed through her. She knew her husband would take her back to New York today if she said she wanted to go.

  “She sounds like a wonderful woman. Would you like me to cancel the coffee morning? We could postpone it to next week?” Edwina asked.

  Bridget wanted to say yes but that was being selfish. Edwina had put a lot of work into organizing a group of people to come to her home for a chat about the Outplacement Society. In addition to prospective parents, Edwina had also invited those with positions of responsibility in Cheyenne. The mayor, the teacher, a pastor, and some other leading lights of the community would be useful in finding new homes and opportunities for the children from New York.

  “No, thank you, Edwina, but you are kind to offer. I know how much work you have put into making this morning a success. Carl and I have come up with a series of suggestions on how to make the orphan trains more effective. We are looking forward to discussing them with your friends and listening to their views and opinions. When we get back to New York, we will sit down with Father Nelson and the other representatives of the Outplacement Society. I look forward to telling them about your achievements.”

  Edwina blushed a becoming shade of pink. “I think you overstate what I did. It didn’t take much to speak to a few people.”

  “If you hadn’t adopted Sally in the first place, those people wouldn’t be listening in quite the same way,” Bridget replied firmly.

  “I love Sally like she was my own. In fact, Anthony and I would be open to offering another child a home. When you spoke about the attitudes some people have, you know how some believe that as long as the children were taken off the streets of New York and sent somewhere—anywhere—else, it was a blessing, we felt we needed to do more.”

  “Oh, Edwina, that’s wonderful. It’s true that for some people the interests of the children couldn’t be further from their minds, but thankfully we have met people like yourself and Anthony. Those willing to open their hearts to the children.
Finding homes like yours makes it all worthwhile.”

  Bridget and Carl were determined to protect the children from being exploited in any way they could.

  “We won’t be staying in New York long. I telegraphed Father Nelson to tell him we were staying in Cheyenne for a couple of weeks and he wrote back to me. I collected his letter first thing this morning.”

  “What does he say?” Bridget asked.

  Carl read out a few pages to her. The Priest was looking forward to their return but also worried about the Oaks. He also wrote of a group of orphans that needed to be escorted to towns along the same route they had taken before. Bridget couldn’t help but wonder if Father Nelson had deliberately put the trip together, so they got a chance to visit Liam and Annie. It would be wonderful to see her younger siblings again. She missed them, but knew they were enjoying a happy and stable life with their new adoptive parents.

  So far, all the placements made on her first orphan trip had worked out well. In addition to Sally, they had visited most of the other children too. Some were working as indentured servants. They worked long hours but were treated fairly. Others enjoyed a closer bond with the families who had accepted them. Like Sally, some of the other children had been formally adopted. She had been thrilled to catch up with the Kelly siblings. Jacob Kelly was like a new person, he walked straighter and was doing well at school. This time last year he hadn’t been able to read and now he read the newspaper with his father every evening. His sister Lizzie—Elizabeth, she corrected herself quickly—was just as exquisite-looking as she had always been. Dressed now in luxury clothes and looking every inch the precious daughter of a well-to-do couple, Bridget had been thrilled to see she hadn’t lost her kind heart. The newly formed family was devoted to each other. She glanced up and caught Edwina’s eye.

  “Are you nervous about this morning, Edwina?”

  “No, Bridget, not really. All I have to do is tell them about Sally, and I could talk about my daughter until the cows came home.”

  Bridget loved the look of love on the older woman’s face. Some days her work brought nothing but joy. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for Darlene Fleming. She hoped she was resting in the arms of the Lord and promised to do anything she could to help her family.

  Chapter 9

  New York

  Bella looked up from her machine as Mrs. Wilson came into the room. She was working extra time on her own designs. Lily had agreed to her and Kathleen using the machines for their own projects. She hoped to sell the dresses she was working on to a local market stall holder.

  “Bella, can you look after the Doyle twins today,” Mrs. Wilson asked. “I have errands to run and, well, there is nobody else.”

  Bella sighed, wanting to refuse. But Mrs. Wilson had been good to her. Also, she knew the supervisor was fair and would have asked the others. The fact she was asking Bella again meant Maura, Patricia, and the other women had refused. Kathleen would usually step in, but she had gone to see the Fleming family. Dave was struggling to cope with the girls, and Kathleen had volunteered to teach young Jess and Helen how to keep house. Lily and everyone at the sanctuary didn’t want the family to be split up.

  “They will have to be quiet. I have a lot of work to do,” Bella responded. She didn’t like getting close to the children who came to the sanctuary as they always left. She hated goodbyes.

  Megan and Eileen started off well-behaved, sitting in the corner of the sewing room playing quietly. But then they got bored.

  “Bella, will you play with us?” Megan asked.

  “Not now, Megan. I have work to do.”

  “But can’t you do it later? Please, Bella, we want to play. Pa always had time for us. Mrs. Fleming did, too,” Megan pleaded, her angelic smile lighting up her face. The girls weren’t what you would call beautiful, they had bright red hair, freckles, and crooked teeth. But when Megan smiled like that, few could resist. Eileen was the quieter twin, but she was a charmer too with her blue eyes and bright smile.

  “All right. What do you want to play?” Bella asked, giving in to their hopeful smiles.

  “Do you know any games?” Megan asked.

  Bella didn’t.

  “Why? What did you play when you were young?” Megan asked, her head cocked to one side as she studied Bella.

  She wasn’t about to tell Megan what her childhood had been like. That would give the twins nightmares.

  “I can’t remember, Megan. Why don’t you show me a game you enjoy playing? Maybe a song? Or would you like to make a rag doll?”

  “Make a doll? Can we really do that?” Megan asked excitedly. Then her face fell. “But we can’t sew.”

  Eileen sat sucking her thumb, but her eyes flew between Megan and Bella showing she was listening to every word. Bella wondered if she ever did anything she wanted or was she content for Megan to always lead.

  “I can teach you. See that basket over there? That’s where we keep spare bits of material. We usually make them into quilts, but nobody will mind us taking some for a doll.” Bella hoped that was true.

  “Two dolls. We need one each,” Eileen insisted.

  Bella smiled. So that was how it was. For a child who didn’t say much, Eileen knew what she wanted.

  Surprised, she found she enjoyed the time with the girls. Mrs. Wilson arrived back all too soon.

  “Look, Mrs. Wilson, Bella is helping us make dolls,” Megan said as the supervisor came in.

  Mrs. Wilson raised her eyebrows, making Bella worry that she’d done something wrong.

  “It’s only from remnants. I didn’t use any of the fabric we need. I had to do something to keep them busy,” Bella tried to explain.

  Mrs. Wilson looked annoyed. “Enough Bella. There is no need to get so defensive. I was going to praise you for your initiative.”

  “Oh,” Bella said, feeling ashamed. “Sorry.”

  The supervisor just tutted before saying, “Come on, girls, let’s go. Bella has work to do.”

  “Can we come back tomorrow? Will you help us finish the dolls? Please?” Megan asked.

  Bella looked at Mrs. Wilson who didn’t say a word.

  “You can, but only if you do everything Mrs. Wilson tells you to do.”

  “Thank you, Bella.” Megan threw her arms around Bella and hugged her. Eileen joined in. Bella didn’t have time to react as the girls raced off.

  “Children are good judges of character, Bella,” Mrs. Wilson said as she followed the girls out of the room. The twins had liked her and wanted to spend more time with her. It was a nice feeling. She had to stay behind to catch up with her work for the day, but she didn’t mind. She was looking forward to spending more time with the girls tomorrow.

  Chapter 10

  New York

  Kathleen was humming as Bella approached her. Kathleen stopped sewing to look at the bundle of shirts in Bella’s arms.

  “Was he happy with the last lot of work we did?” Kathleen asked, taking some of the shirts.

  “Yes, so happy he increased the order. It was a fantastic idea to ask him to work with us direct rather than going through the agent.” Bella had believed Kathleen was out of her mind when she’d first come up with the idea of approaching Mr. Herschel, a tailor with a local workshop and a store on Fifth Avenue, with a business idea.

  By asking Mr. Herschel to deal with the sanctuary direct rather than using a middleman, they were able to give Mr. Herschel a more favorable price while earning more money per shirt. This helped Lily keep the sanctuary open to provide for those who needed it.

  “He is so happy, he said he is going to recommend some of his friends use us as well,” Bella said happily.

  “Oh, that is good news. Lily might look less worried,” Kathleen responded.

  “She said some of Mr. Prentice’s richest friends had lost a lot of money in business and some were facing ruin. She also said that was why more people were out of work.”

  “Yet Mr. Hershel and his fine goods store seems to be
expanding. It’s funny how some people survive and prosper no matter what happens, isn’t it?” Kathleen asked.

  “I am glad they do because if Mr. Hershel keeps increasing his orders, we will have lots of money,” Bella said. She firmly believed money was the answer to a lot of problems. The rich never had to worry about where they would sleep or what they would eat. She was determined never to be poor again, no matter how hard she had to work. Kathleen was humming again.

  “Why do you hum that same tune?” Bella asked.

  “Mam used to sing it when I was younger. I guess it’s a habit,” Kathleen replied.

  “You are so lucky to remember your mam. I don’t remember anything about mine.” That wasn’t strictly true. She remembered a smell of rosewater and a necklace she’d liked to play with. When she tried hard to remember, she could see a shape but never a face. “She dumped me at the foundling hospital when I was around two years old. I have no idea why she kept me so long then had to dump me. My adopted mother said it was because I was a bas—”

  “Don’t, Bella, that horrible word should never be used by anyone. Maybe your dad died, and your ma couldn’t afford to keep you. I am sure she would have preferred to keep you with her.”

  Bella knew her friend loved her, but did she really mean what she said?

  “Do you really think so?” Bella asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Kathleen replied firmly. She didn’t know what Bella’s mother had been thinking, but why not give her some comfort. They were of a similar age, yet Bella had lived a lifetime experience-wise. She had been sent from New York on an orphan train when she was little and had been treated badly. The scars on her back were horrible, but the non-visible scars were probably worse. Bella didn’t trust anyone. Or at least she hadn’t until she’d met Bridget who had struck up a rapport with her. When Bridget left, Bella and Kathleen had become close.