Circle of Love by Joan Lowery Nixon

Author:Joan Lowery Nixon [Nixon, Joan Lowery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-82760-9
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2013-11-26T16:00:00+00:00

11

THE NEXT MORNING, after their first stop, Eddie sidled up to Frances, who was helping little Nelly with a tangled tie on her bloomers. He thrust a folded section of newspaper at her and whispered, “Page four. Read it.” He jerked his head in Seth’s direction and added, “But not when the preacher’s around.”

As Frances stared at the newspaper while smoothing down Nelly’s skirts, Eddie said, “I didn’t steal it.”

“I didn’t think you had,” Frances assured him. “You’re a fine boy, Eddie, and you’re too smart to steal.”

Eddie looked surprised. “Nobody’s ever called me a fine boy,” he said. “You believe that, do you?”

“Yes, Eddie, I do,” Frances told him.

“I like newspapers,” Eddie said. “Especially newspapers from New York City. Reminds me of what I left behind. So when I saw this gentleman gettin’ ready to board back at the last depot, and knew he was goin’ to throw away a perfectly good copy of today’s paper, I up and asked him for it. Then I read through it and …”

Eddie glanced at the back of the car again. “Better tuck that paper out of sight. The preacher will be here to talk to you soon. He sure spends a lot of time with you.”

Wondering how much Eddie might have overheard the night before, Frances found herself uncomfortably trying to explain. “Reverend Diller needs someone to talk to—just as you do,” she said.

“No matter. I just don’t want him to see that news story.”

Frances bent to tuck the folded newspaper inside her journal. As her fingers rested on the soft blue cover, she felt a pang of loneliness. Even though Johnny had rejected her, she didn’t want to forget him. She couldn’t forget him.

A shout came from one of the little boys. “Miss Kelly, I lost my dog!”

“That’s Walter,” Frances said. “His little stuffed dog never leaves his side.” She stood and asked Eddie, “Why don’t you tell me what the news story is about?”

Eddie shook his head. “Just read it.”

But Frances had to tend to the children. She found Walter’s dog on the seat under his jacket, but the requests and complaints and arguments didn’t stop. The children were bored and restless. The closer they came to Harwood, the more nervous they grew and the more frequently they fussed and cried.

She had no sooner soothed Lucy, who had last-minute fears about not being chosen, than Will Scott began to sniffle. Frances squeezed into the seat next to him and handed him a clean handkerchief. He wiped his eyes and blew his nose, but Frances could see that he was embarrassed.

“It’s all right to cry,” Frances told him. “It’s only natural. My brothers and sisters and I all cried when we came west on an orphan train.”

“I’m not an orphan,” Will said. “I have a father. Someday maybe he’ll come for me.”

Frances smiled and patted his shoulder. “We had a mother who sent us west to give us a chance for a better life than we’d had on the streets of New York.

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