Free Circle of Love by Joan Lowery Nixon Page B

Aggie asked.
    "We'll arrive at the first stop in eastern Missouri tomorrow. It's a town called Harwood," Frances said.
    Suddenly, it seemed, the children remembered why they were on the train. The car fell quiet as everyone became absorbed in his or her own thoughts.
    Lucy reached into the aisle and tugged at Frances's skirt. "Will you help me find a family?" she asked.
    "Of course," Frances said. She slid into the seat beside Lucy and held her hand.
    "I want a special family," Lucy said, "with a mother and a father and a little sister for me to love. I've always wanted to have a little sister."
    "Lucy, dear," Frances began hesitantly, "if people already have a child, they may not come to find another."
    Lucy's eyes shone. "Oh, yes, they will! You see, their little girl will want a big sister. She'll be looking for me.'' She held out Baby and said, "I'm going to share my doll with my little sister."
    Frances hugged Lucy to her, unable to answer.
    Ten-year-old Harry Stowe suddenly popped into the aisle next to her. Throwing quick glances back to where he'd been sitting with his brother, he lowered his voice and asked, "Can I talk to
    you?"
    *Of course," Frances said. "I'm listening." 80

    "Adam hangs on to me all the time. He's been doing that ever since Mama and Papa died."
    Frances nodded as Harry went on. "If somebody takes Adam and somebody else takes me, I don't know what will happen to him." Tears flooded Hany's eyes as he added, "I don't know what will h^pen to me.''
    Frances put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, I'll do my best to keep the two of you together, but I can't make any promises."
    Hany's shoulders sagged. "I'm scared, Miss Kelly. You don't know how scared."
    "Yes, I do," Frances said. "I was scared, too, when I thought my brothers and sisters and I would be separated."
    "I can't let anything bad happen to Adam," Harry insisted.
    "We won't let anything bad happen to him," Frances said. "A few months after the placing-out, Andrew MacNair comes to each of the homes to make sure the children and the adults are happy."
    Harry wiped a hand across his eyes. "But how can Adam be happy without me?" he asked.
    Adam suddenly shouted, "Harry! Where are you?"
    "Right here," Harry caUed. "Please, Miss Kelly. Please try to keep us together."
    "ni try," Frances promised, and fought to hold back her own tears.
    She rose to continue down the aisle, but a sob stopped her. She looked down at David Howard, who was rubbing his eyes with his fists.
    "Want to tell me about it, David?" Frances asked as she knelt next to his seat.
    "I miss my chum, Mickey," David answered.

    Frances patted David's shoulder. *Tell me about Mickey," she said.
    David gave a long sniffle, squinted at Frances, and said, "Mickey's the best chum anybody could ever have. He's older than me, so he looked out for me. He's a street arab, and smart as—"
    Frances interrupted. "What did you call him?"
    David looked surprised. "A street arab," he said. "Mickey sold newspapers and shined shoes, and he took care of me. He said I'd never be anything more than a guttersnipe, and not a very good guttersnipe at that"
    "Oh, David, I'm sure that Mickey didn't mean it," Frances told him.
    David looked back at Frances with big eyes. "Yes, miss, he meant it," David said. "Guttersnipes aren't smart enough to be street arabs. I tried, but I couldn't take care of myself. So Mickey decided I should go west on an orphan train and find a family to take care of me."
    "I—I'm sure Mickey was right," Frances said.
    "Mickey's always right," David siaid matter-of-factly. "He said that a family would give me love and food and a good bed to sleep in, and even send me to school,"
    ^That's true," Frances said.
    "I'm not sure about school, though. I read some because Mickey taught me, but it's hard," David said.
    Frances hugged David. "Mickey is a very special friend," she said.
    David nodded as he whispered, 'That's why I miss him so much."
    Frances continued up the aisle to her seat