All My Tomorrows (10 page)

As the days and nights passed while the train traveled westward toward Kansas City, the orphan children watched passengers getting on and off the other three coaches, eagerly anticipating the moment when they would cross the Missouri River into Kansas, where they could begin meeting the prospective foster parents.

The train pulled into Kansas City late in the afternoon on Wednesday, April 5. A cold wind was blowing, but the sky was clear and the lowering sun was casting its long shadows.

The sponsors found the children eager to see the Missouri River, which to them would open up the West and the opportunities that lay before them to find homes and enter into a new life.

In the girls’ coach, Betsy Gilder was still seated opposite the Mitchell twins. While waiting for the train to pull out of Kansas City, the girls were talking about their earlier childhood and how much they missed their families.

Betsy set affectionate eyes on Donna and Deena. “I wish you
could be my sisters and we could grow up together.”

Donna smiled sweetly. “I would love that, Betsy.”

“Me too,” said Deena, “but I’m afraid that is next to impossible. I heard Mrs. Radcliff and Mrs. Nelson talking about how it has been for the orphans they have brought west in the past. They said most foster parents only want one child, and some will take two, but only on very few occasions have they ever seen a couple take more than two.”

“Well, if someone took you two but not me, I’d sure like to be chosen in the same town where you are. Then at least, we would get to see each other.”

“That would make both of us happy, Betsy,” said Donna, “but the chances of that happening are pretty slim.”

Betsy nodded. “But not impossible, though. I can hope.”

Donna smiled. “Well, Deena and I will hope with you, honey.”

“We sure will.”

Soon the train pulled out of Kansas City, and shortly thereafter, the children in both coaches were gathering at the windows to get a look at the Missouri River in the light of the golden sunset.

In the boys’ coach, they all cheered when Dale Radcliff pointed at the wide Missouri. “There’s the river, boys! We’re about to pass into Kansas!”

A moment later, the train was on the trestle that crossed over the river.

One of the teenage boys was heard to say, “Wow! That river really is wide!”

“It sure is a lot wider than the East River in New York City!” another said.

Teddy Hansen and Johnny Smith were seated together, and after the train had crossed the trestle, the ten-year-old gripped
Johnny’s arm. “I wish whoever chooses you will choose me too. I’d really like to be your brother.”

Johnny grinned at him. “I’d like that, Teddy. But you will probably be chosen real fast—maybe even in Overland Park.”

Teddy shrugged. “Maybe. But you could be too. If the same people took both of us, then we’d be brothers.”

Johnny patted the hand that was still gripping his arm. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The western sky was still brilliant, though the sun had now dropped below the horizon, as the train pulled into the Overland Park depot.

The children in both coaches looked out the windows, watching the regular passengers leaving the other coaches. They noted that the departing passengers quickly buttoned up their coats against the cold, penetrating wind that was whistling through the depot as they were greeted by loved ones and friends.

Moments later, the children saw Dale Radcliff move up to a group of people who were obviously prospective foster parents. He talked to them briefly, and they were nodding their heads in agreement with what he was saying to them. They wheeled and went inside the terminal.

Dale turned and went to the girls’ coach, and seconds later, entered the boys’ coach, telling them that the wind was very cold, so everyone was going inside the terminal for the prospective foster parents to talk to the children and look them over.

The sponsors led the boys and girls from their coaches to the warmth of the terminal, and lined them up, mixing boys and girls in the line.

The prospective foster parents moved along the line and began talking to the children, who nervously but politely
answered the questions they were asked.

Two teenage girls and one eight-year-old boy were chosen and taken away after the foster parents signed the official papers for the sponsors.

As the rest of the boys and girls climbed back aboard their respective coaches while night fell, there was disappointment showing on some of the faces. Their sponsors and Nurse Mandy Hillen spoke encouraging words to them, saying there were lots of stops coming up, and eventually they would all be chosen.

The train pulled out of Overland Park and soon was rolling westward at full speed.

In the girls’ coach, Donna and Deena Mitchell were on their seat with Betsy Gilder between them. All three girls were showing their disappointment when Lorinda Radcliff came to them. “Girls, don’t you remember what Mr. Brace told you that morning we left for Grand Central Station? There are many stops ahead. Come on now. Cheer up. You’ll be chosen before this trip is over.”

Betsy didn’t voice it, but said to herself, I sure hope I can be chosen in the same town as Deena and Donna.

Supper was served to the children in both coaches, and by the time they were finished eating, some of them were covering yawns. The lanterns were dimmed, and not long afterward, they were in dreamland.

The train arrived in Topeka during the night, when most of the passengers were asleep, including those in the orphan coaches. By seven o’clock in the morning, the children had been fed their breakfast. They donned their coats, caps, and scarves, and because the air was chilly, they were taken inside the terminal and lined up. The prospective foster parents were ready, and as soon
as they had been interviewed and approved by the sponsors, they began moving along the line, looking the orphans over and asking them questions.

In the line were siblings Katie and Richie Woods. Katie was nine years of age and Richie was two years younger.

A few couples had passed by when a husband and wife in their late twenties stopped at Katie, and introduced themselves as Tom and Vivian Selby. They told her they owned a small farm south of town and began asking questions. While answering the questions, Katie could tell that the Selbys were definitely interested in her.

Vivian bent down to Katie’s eye level. “Even though you’ve always lived in the big city, honey, do you think you’d like living in the country?”

“Oh yes, ma’am. We both would.”

Vivian batted her eyes. “Both?”

Tom frowned.

“Yes,” said Katie, putting her arm around her little brother. “This is my brother, Richie. He’s seven.”

Richie smiled at the couple.

Tom cleared his throat gently. “Well, ah … Richie, we would like to be able to take you too, but we just can’t afford to take in two children. We’ll give the sponsors our address, then when somebody takes you, they can give it to them. Then you and Katie will be able to keep in touch.”

It was Katie’s turn to frown. She didn’t want to be separated from Richie.

Tom turned and motioned to Dale Radcliff, who stood close by with the clipboard in his hand. Dale stepped up and smiled. “Interested, Mr. and Mrs. Selby?”

“Yes,” said Tom. “We’re going to take Katie.”

Dale nodded. “And how about Richie?”

The Selbys looked at each other, then Tom said, “We’d like to, Mr. Radcliff, but we cannot afford to take in two children.”

Richie began to cry. He gripped his sister’s arm and wailed, “Don’t leave me, Katie! Please don’t leave me!”

Katie’s chest tightened and her voice was strained as she looked at the Selbys and said, “I—I’d better stay with my little brother.”

Tom looked down at her with tender eyes. “Katie, we would like to take Richie too, but it just isn’t possible.”

“But—but—”

Vivian put an arm around her. “Katie, we really do want you. We’ll give you a good home.”

Katie’s eyes were misty. “But I can’t leave Richie.”

Dale said, “Katie, listen to me. The executive board of the Children’s Aid Society has a rule that if only one sibling can be taken by foster parents, they are allowed to do so. This was explained to all the prospective foster parents before they started through the line a few minutes ago. The reasoning behind it is that the executive board feels it is better for brothers and sisters to be separated out here in the West, than to stay together on the streets of New York where so many starve to death or freeze to death in the winter. Since these nice people want to take you, I must allow them to do so.”

Tom laid a tender hand on Richie’s shoulder and looked at Katie. “We’ll do as I said, honey. We’ll have Mr. Radcliff give our name and address to whoever takes Richie, so you can keep in touch with each other.” Then he said to the boy, “We really wish we could take you too, Richie, but we just don’t have the money to take in both of you.”

Richie turned to his sister, sobbing, and Vivian let go of her. The boy wrapped his arms around his sister. “Please, Katie! Don’t leave me!”

Katie knew there was nothing she could do to change the situation. She must go with the Selbys. Meeting her little brother’s tearful gaze, she said, “Richie, it’s better this way than living on the streets of New York like we did for almost a year after Mama and Papa died. Like Mr. Selby said, the people who take you into their home will be given Mr. and Mrs. Selby’s address. They will write and let us know where you are. If it isn’t too far down the line, we may even get to see each other from time to time.”

Richie clung to her, begging her not to go. Finally, Dale pulled him loose from her, saying the Selbys needed to be going. Katie kissed her little brother’s cheek. “I love you, Richie.”

Dale kept a hand on Richie’s shoulder as Katie sniffled and walked away with the Selbys. When they passed from view, he said, “Richie, don’t cry now. You’re going to have a good home farther out West. Why, maybe somebody right here in Topeka will even take you. There are still more people coming along the line.”

At that moment, Dale saw a man motioning to him down the line. “Yes, sir?”

“We want to take this little six-year-old girl, Mr. Radcliff.”

Dale nodded. “I have to go help those people, Richie. I’ll see you later.”

Richie watched Dale head toward the couple and the little girl, then turned to see who might be coming toward him. There was a couple talking to a teenage boy next to him. They were showing interest in the boy and concentrating on him. The two girls on Richie’s other side were talking to each other. No one was paying attention to him.

Richie took a couple of backward steps, made sure no one was looking at him, and made his way in the direction his sister and the Selbys had gone. It took him a couple of minutes to locate the main door of the terminal building. When he did, he hurried out
the door just in time to see the Selby wagon heading south out of town.

Still crying, he ran that direction. “Katie! Katie! Don’t leave me!”

The wagon was too far away for Katie or the Selbys to hear him and soon passed from view. Richie kept running. After some ten minutes, he reached the edge of town. He could see a wagon on the road in the distance, but he wasn’t sure it was the Selby wagon. One thing he
was
sure of—the Selby farm had to be in that direction. Shoving his hands down in his coat pockets, he maintained a brisk walk southward.

A few minutes had passed when Richie heard the clopping of hooves and the rattle of a wagon. As he turned to look at it, he saw two teenage farm boys in the driver’s seat. They were both looking at him. The boy who held the reins pulled the wagon to a halt. “Hey there, little fella. You need a ride?”

Richie looked up at him and nodded. “Some people took my sister for a ride to their farm, but they forgot me.”

The other boy asked, “What’s the peoples’ name?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Selby.”

“Oh? Tom and Vivian Selby?”

“Uh-huh.”

“We know them. Their farm is about a mile farther down the road than ours. We’ll take you to the gate of our place, then you can walk to the Selby farm from there, okay?”

“Sure!”

“Well, come on,” said the one with the reins. “Climb in!”

At the depot, Dale Radcliff finished the paperwork with the couple who were taking the six-year-old girl, then headed back up the line. When he drew near the spot where Richie had been, he
noticed that he was not there. He looked back and forth along the line, then asked the children who had been flanking Richie if they knew where he went. They replied that they did not. They were busy talking to the adults who were asking them questions.

Dale turned and went to Lorinda, who was busy signing up a couple who were taking a child. She looked at him as he drew up. “Honey, you look worried. What’s wrong?”

“Have you seen Richie Woods?”

“No. Didn’t those people take him and his sister?”

“They only took Katie. I left Richie in line to go and help another couple, and now I can’t find him. The children in the line said they didn’t notice him leave.”

“Well, somebody must have seen him leave.”

“I’ll see if Royce and Shelley saw him.”

Dale hurried to the Nelsons, who were standing at the head of the line, talking to Mandy Hillen. They had not seen Richie leave, either.

By this time, the prospective foster parents were almost through looking and no one else seemed interested in taking any of the other children.

Dale told the Nelsons and Mandy Hillen he was going to take some of the older boys to help him find Richie. Royce said he would go with him. When they had chosen six boys twelve to sixteen years of age, Dale stopped by Lorinda and informed her that he and Royce were taking the boys to help him find Richie. He asked her to inform the conductor, so he could hold up the train until they returned.

At the Selby farm, Tom and Vivian were with Katie in the bedroom they had prepared for her.

Katie ran her gaze around the bright room and patted the
lovely bedspread. “Oh, this is just wonderful! I’ve never had my own bedroom before.”