Mollie Campbell - Orphan Train Sweetheart

She set her focus on filling out the paperwork as she met Helen Watson, age four and sister to James and Gertie, a lovely ten-year-old down the line. Then there was Sophia Butler, seven, and Jane Dalton, eight. Jane was very clearly Patrick’s sister. They looked almost like twins, with matching dark hair and stormy gray eyes.

Finally she stood in front of the oldest girl, fifteen-year-old Ada Baker, who held six-month-old Clara Brown. Ada was a beautiful young woman, with a slim figure and wavy blond hair. Watching her bounce the baby with practiced ease, Cecilia fervently hoped the girl would find a wonderful home where she could experience a few years of childhood before marrying and having children of her own.

Standing back with the list still in her hand, Cecilia addressed the children, who stood at full attention thanks to Simon’s prodding. “Thank you all for answering my questions so well. The people of Spring Hill are so pleased to welcome each of you. I know you’ll all find parents who will love and care for you. And I hope each of you will attend school when the fall term begins since I’m the teacher and I would love to see you again.”

She tried to meet as many of their eyes as possible with a broad smile as Simon took over from her, reminding the children of the process that would soon begin.

The weight of worry that had settled on her became a heavy knot in the pit of her stomach as Cecilia slipped outside to see people already gathering to look the children over. She prayed that they would be gentle and kind as they examined the orphans. She had heard stories of little ones being treated like livestock at auction at these events. She would hate to see any of those darlings handled that way.

The three men who formed the approval committee stepped forward to speak with her. Mr. Collins, the head of the school board and owner of Spring Hill’s largest mercantile, greeted her first with a tip of his hat. “Miss Holbrook. A fine day for placing out some orphans and doing our Christian duty, eh?”

She nodded, trying to keep her irritation with the man at bay, as always. He had made it his mission for months to make sure she knew he didn’t care for a woman teaching their school. Fortunately, the rest of the board hadn’t voiced any disapproval with having a female teacher. Even if she didn’t love teaching the school as much as she had expected to, Cecilia needed the job. It was vital to keeping her independence, and thus, worth the frustrations that came along with it.

The other two committee members greeted her with more sincerity than Mr. Collins. Then all three men filed into the school to meet Simon and the children.

Cecilia stood in the shadow of the building and watched the gathering crowd. She knew many of the faces, but Spring Hill was growing quickly and there were always new people settling in. She offered up another prayer on the children’s behalf. There were so many unknowns about how this day would turn out. How could Simon stand the strain of doing this so often with so many children?

Finally, Simon stepped out of the school and came to stand at the base of the steps. “Hello, everyone. If I could get your attention for a moment, I’ll give you the details of today’s proceedings and then you can go in and meet the children.”

He paused, looking around until the crowd had quieted and stood watching him. “Thank you all for coming today. We have brought ten children, four boys and six girls, ranging in age from six months to fifteen years. They are all healthy and strong. We have worked with them the entire trip, so they will be well-behaved. Feel free to talk to the children and look them over, but please, be kind.”

Turning back up the steps, Simon opened the door and held it open as the crowd streamed into the school.

Cecilia watched from her position in the shadows, examining each face that passed her, wondering if they were as nice as they looked. She tried to determine if that woman would be a gentle mother or if that man would take good care of a child not his own.

Shaking her head, she reminded herself that it didn’t matter what she thought. Simon and the approval committee were the only ones who could deny a placement. After the last person walked through the door, she started up the steps. She tried to guess Simon’s emotions as she approached him where he waited inside the door. His jaw was tight, arms crossed over his chest as he shifted on restless feet. Those intense eyes locked on hers as he spoke in a low voice. “Well, I guess it’s time.”

Pressing one hand against her stomach in an effort to calm the fluttering inside, Cecilia fixed a smile on her face. “It is. Let’s go find good homes for your orphans.”

Chapter Two

Simon’s heart raced as he and Cecilia moved through the crowd toward the children, but no one paid any attention to them. The room buzzed with quiet voices. Many of the visitors stood around in clumps talking to each other and watching the proceedings. But one group of people had spread out in front of the line of children and were talking with them in low voices. Simon positioned himself at the boys’ end, hoping to keep an eye on as many of the children as he could at one time.

A middle-aged couple stood in front of Edwin, their eyes appraising as they listened to him answer their question. Simon was pleased with the way the boy responded. He was respectful—

“No!” The loud shout broke through the hushed tone in the room, startling Simon. His heart froze and he tried to force air into his lungs. He looked past Edwin to see Charles fighting to pull his arm away from the grip of an older man. Rushing down the line of children, Simon just missed grabbing Charles’s arm as the boy ran by him and escaped out the door. Simon was torn. He hated to leave the group, but he had to go after Charles.

When his eyes swung to Cecilia, she met his gaze and nodded even as she moved toward him. “The committee will take care of the other children. I’ll help you find Charles.”

He didn’t want to think about how nice it felt when she fell into step with him as he hurried past gawking people and out the door. Instead he focused on praying that the boy hadn’t gone far. But the schoolyard was empty, as was the street that led to the hotel where they had spent the previous night.

Turning to Cecilia, he tried not to let panic show, but he was certainly feeling it. He couldn’t let one of the orphans down. Again. “You know this town. Where could a nine-year-old boy hide?”

She looked down the street, emotions playing across her face as she thought. Then it brightened and she pointed to the next street over. “Maybe the mercantile, around the corner, down Second Street. There are lots of shelves and displays to hide behind and enough people coming and going that he wouldn’t be noticed.”

Simon nodded in agreement and they took off in the direction she pointed. As they hurried down the dusty street, he tried to piece together what had happened. “Did you see anything? I only heard him shout and caught a glimpse of a man holding his arm, then he was running away before I could stop him.”

“I saw Mr. Huntley talking with Patrick and Charles. Neither of them looked very happy. But then one of the girls started talking to me and I didn’t see what happened to make Charles run.”

Stomach clenching, Simon increased his pace. He had to find out what had happened before one of the other children went home with this Mr. Huntley. He and Cecilia entered the mercantile, several customers glancing their way as they barreled through the door. Simon scanned the room. Cecilia was right, this was a great place for a little boy to hide. He went straight to the counter near the front, where a woman in a richly trimmed dress covered by a tidy apron eyed them with derision.