Free Rory's Promise by Michaela MacColl, Rosemary Nichols Page B

had a second chance and she wasn't going to waste it.
    “’Cause I'll owe you one!” Rory panted.
    “How do I know you're good for it?”
    “I never break a promise!” Rory shouted.
    “It's a deal!” She leaned from the window and stuck both her hands out toward Rory. “Jump!” she commanded.
    Rory stretched out her arms and leapt for the moving train.

CHAPTER Fifteen
    R ORY’S H A NDS CAUGHT HOLD OF B RIGID’S. H ER KNEES AND feet banged hard against the side of the train. The clicking of the wheels against the rails sped up and the passing air pushed against her body, blowing her skirt up over her head. Luckily there was no one to notice. Rory saw the train had cleared the platform. If she fell now she'd drop to sharp stones.
    “Pull yourself up,” Brigid ordered.
    “I'm trying,” Rory gasped. “Don't let go!”
    Rory struggled to climb up, the toes of her worn boots sliding against the side of the train. Rory could see the top of the window was cutting into Brigid's arms, but the girl's grip didn't loosen. Rory kicked at the side but her feet couldn't find any purchase.
    “Hurry!” Rory cried.
    With a huge yank, Brigid hauled Rory up. Rory let go with her right hand and took hold of the window sash. Brigidgrabbed Rory's shoulders and Rory tumbled through the window to the wooden bench beneath.
    “Thanks,” Rory managed to say, panting for air.
    Brigid collapsed in the corner between the bench and the window. “I couldn't believe it when I saw you there on the platform,” she wheezed. “I wasn't sure until I saw that hair, then I knew.”
    “My hair?” Rory patted at her head but her kerchief was gone.
    “What are you doing here?” Brigid asked. “I thought your nuns would never let you get shipped out.”
    Rory sighed. “They shipped my baby sister instead. They took her from me and are sending her to a family in Arizona.”
    “Ah, Red, that's rough,” Brigid said. Her voice was husky and she seemed to have trouble catching her breath. Rory remembered Brigid had had a bad cough in jail too.
    “I'm stowing away so we don't get separated,” Rory said.
    Brigid grinned appreciatively. “Red, I didn't know you had it in you.”
    With a shrug, Rory said, “I'm just doing what I have to. What about you?”
    “I told you I was doomed to head west,” said Brigid. “The Society put me on the first train.”
    “You were right,” Rory agreed. “Where are you heading?”
    “St. Louis, I think. So where are your precious nuns and sister?” Brigid asked.
    “They have a private car at the end of the train.”
    “A private car? Ooh-la-la.” Brigid whistled. “It has to be a lot nicer than this.”
    Rory examined her surroundings. There were wooden benches, the seats covered with a thin fabric. Every bench had three or four kids her age or older crammed into it like sardines in a tin. At the end of the car, there was a partition with a curtained door. That must be where the toilet was. There was nothing else in the car.
    “I'd just about given up when you called to me,” Rory confessed. “I'd still be on that platform without your quick thinking.” It was a miracle, she thought but didn't say. “I owe you.”
    “They called me Fast Fingers Brigid on the street,” she said ruefully. “I'm glad I could be useful for something other than thieving.”
    “Of course you are!” Rory exclaimed. “Sister Anna always says we're on this earth for a purpose. We might not know what it is, but God has a plan for everyone.”
    “That's nice to hear,” Brigid said. “Usually people just tell me I'm worthless. When I got this cough my uncle threw me out. He didn't want to get sick too.”
    Rory gazed at her for a long time. Brigid's tough exterior showed some signs of cracking. She reached over and touched Brigid's hand. “At the Foundling, the nuns say no one is worthless.” Rory spoke from her heart. “And they take care of anyone who asks for help.”
    “They sound nice,” Brigid