Escape Into the Night (25 page)

In September, 1991, African Americans and whites marched side by side to the steps of the Old Courthouse. Standing in the rain, white leaders asked forgiveness for past and present sins against African Americans. Black Christians spoke out their forgiveness.

In addition to those already named, a number of other people have helped in the preparation of this book. In Denmark, Iowa, thanks to David and Peg O’Rourke, Leontina Raid, and Carol Whitmarsh.

In Alton, Illinois, thanks to Janice Wright of the visitors center; the librarians of the Hayner Public Library District; Charlene Gill, president, and Shirley Dury of the Alton Area Historical Society.

Roberta and Hurley Hagood of Hannibal, Missouri, shared generously of their time and research. My gratitude also to Susie Guest, library assistant, Burlington Free Public Library; William S. Trump Jr., pastor, and Anna Martin, historian, First Congregational Church, Burlington, Iowa; Neal Dodd and historian John Haufman of Fort Madison, Iowa; H. Scott Wolfe, historical librarian, Galena Public Library District, Galena, Illinois; Phyllis Kelley, DeKalb County historian, Sycamore, Illinois; Harry Alsman, LeClaire, Iowa; and Joseph W. Sutter, editor,
S & D Reflector
.

Emily Miller, librarian at the Missouri Historical Society Library and Collections Center, St. Louis; Barbara Kolk of the American Kennel Club Association Library, New York; Anita Taylor Doering, archivist, La Crosse Public Library; and Ed Hill, Archivist, Special Collections, Murphy Library,
University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, all gave prompt answers to my many questions.

Through the Steamer
George M. Verity
and the Keokuk River Museum at Victory Park in Keokuk, Iowa, I began to feel what it means to live on a riverboat. Robert L. Miller, curator of this National Historic Landmark, also gave of his personal knowledge and resources, helped me in countless ways, and read portions of the manuscript. A thousand thanks, Bob!

In addition to providing information, four other people also read parts of the manuscript and offered suggestions: Linda Slaikeu, Cushing, Wisconsin; Lewis Savage, Quaker pastor, Salem, Iowa; Thomas Robinson, president, Minnesota Valley Kennel Club; and Norma Robinson, president, Newfoundland Dog Club of the Greater Twin Cities, Eagan, Minnesota.

My gratitude, also, to Gene Early, Birdella Johnson, Bill Soderbeck, and Walter Johnson of Frederic, Grantsburg, and Siren, Wisconsin, and to Jena and Randy Luck of Dayton, Ohio, for help with the story line.

Sincere thanks to Bethany House for the first edition of this book and my editors Ron Klug, Barbara Lilland, and Helen Motter for their wisdom and help in developing ideas. Thanks to my artist, Andrea Jorgenson, who made Libby and the other characters come to life.

Thank you to every person at Moody Publishers who had a part in bringing out this new edition of the Freedom Seekers series: Deborah Keiser, Associate Publisher—River North, for her strong gifting, creative planning, and visionary leadership. My thanks, also, to Michele Forridor, Audience Development Manager, for day-to-day marketing and making connections with you, my audience; to Brittany Biggs, Author Relations;
and to Pam Pugh, General Project Editor, for her oversight, management, and working through the details to bring this book to completion. Thanks also to Artist Odessa Sawyer for giving us exciting art that keeps us asking, “What will happen next?”

Finally, I’m grateful to my husband, Roy. After writing a number of Northwoods novels, I asked him, “What can we do next?” When you read the student intro to the study guide you’ll discover the result. Thanks, Roy, for being my terrific idea person. Thanks for the countless times you’ve encouraged me. And thanks for all the fun we had traveling up and down the Mississippi River while searching out the Underground Railroad.

The Freedom Seekers

1.
Escape into the Night

2.
Race for Freedom

3.
Midnight Rescue

4.
The Swindler’s Treasure

5.
Mysterious Signal

6.
The Fiddler’s Secret

Adventures of the Northwoods

1. The Disappearing Stranger

2. The Hidden Message

3. The Creeping Shadows

4. The Vanishing Footprints

5. Trouble at Wild River

6. The Mysterious Hideaway

7. Grandpa’s Stolen Treasure

8. The Runaway Clown

9. Mystery of the Missing Map

10. Disaster on Windy Hill

Viking Quest

1. Raiders from the Sea

2. Mystery of the Silver Coins

3. The Invisible Friend

4. Heart of Courage

5. The Raider’s Promise

Series also available in Norwegian

FaithGirlz:
Girl Talk: 52 Weekly Devotions

For adults:
Either Way, I Win: God’s Hope for Difficult Times

[excerpt from
Race for Freedom
]
CHAPTER 1

A
lantern hung near the gangplank, casting a glow over the
Christina’s
deck. Libby Norstad’s deep brown eyes sparkled in its light. “We got away!” she whispered to Caleb. “We really got away!”

To Libby it seemed a miracle. For the past two days and nights, they had faced constant danger.

Caleb Whitney’s blond hair fell over his forehead, nearly reaching his eyes. He grinned at Libby, then glanced up at the hills of Burlington, Iowa. The steamboat owned by Libby’s father lay at the landing. While deckhands brought in the gangplank, Caleb kept watch.

Now, late at night, the streets looked empty, yet Libby knew that Caleb was searching for someone. Near the riverfront, the windows of tall warehouses seemed like dark eyes staring down at them.

With three quick blasts of the whistle, the
Christina
put out into the Mississippi River. As the strip of water between the land and boat grew wide, Libby felt relieved. In spite of all kinds of danger, they had escaped!

Just then Libby felt a movement behind her. As she turned, she saw Jordan Parker creeping forward without a sound.
When he drew close to the lantern, he stopped, as if afraid to enter the circle of light.

A fugitive slave, Jordan had managed to get away from his master, a cruel slave trader named Riggs. Like Caleb, Jordan also stared up at the city. On the streets above them no one stirred. Then a dark shape stepped out from the shadow of a warehouse.

Jordan moaned. “It’s Riggs!”

With one quick movement, Caleb lifted the glass of the lantern and blew out the flame. Libby dropped down on her hands and knees, but it was too late.

“Riggs knows,” she whispered as Caleb joined her behind piles of freight. “He saw you.”

“He saw you too,” Caleb warned, his voice low.

A feeling of dread tightened Libby’s stomach. “What should we do?”

Caleb shushed her. “Sound carries on water.”

A short distance out from shore, the
Christina
started to turn. As her bow swung around to face downstream, Libby stared at the man next to the warehouse. Then the center of the boat blocked her view.

“How long was Riggs there?” she whispered. “How much did he see?”

“Too much,” Caleb told her. At fourteen, almost fifteen, he was nearly a year older than Libby. Now Caleb led her and Jordan to a place at the front of the boat where no one could hear them talk.

When the boys dropped down on crates, Libby found a nail keg to sit on. “You’re sure it was Riggs?” she asked. It had been too dark to see the man’s face, and she wanted to believe
they were wrong. According to Caleb, Riggs was the cruelest man he knew.

“It were Riggs, all right.” Jordan’s voice held no doubt. “He gots one shape—and I knows it!”

“But he could have stayed hidden,” Libby answered. “Why did he step out so we could see him?”

“That man
wants
us to know he’s on our trail,” Jordan said. “He wants to scare us any way he can.”

In the darkness Libby shivered. As long as the slave trader searched for him, Jordan would never be safe. Libby didn’t like being frightened by the sight of Riggs, but deep inside she trembled just thinking about him.

Then she remembered. “Jordan, you weren’t in the light. Maybe Riggs doesn’t know that you’re with us.”

Jordan sighed. “I wish you was right, Libby. That man Riggs is like a bloodhound on my trail. When he sniffs out Caleb, he sniffs out me.”

Since the age of nine, Caleb had worked on the Underground Railroad, the secret plan to help runaway slaves reach freedom. Once fugitives started on the secret route, they usually kept moving if it was safe. Instead, for special reasons, Jordan would stay on the
Christina
.

“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked Libby, as though sensing her worry.

“N–n–nothing!” Libby hated the sound of her voice. “Nothing at all!” If she told Caleb what bothered her, he would think she was a scaredy-cat. Instead, Libby tried to push her fear away.
I want to have courage
, she thought.
Courage like Caleb and Jordan
.

On that March night in 1857, Libby knew the penalty for anyone who helped runaway slaves on their race to freedom.
According to law, slave hunters could follow fugitives into free states. There they could gather a posse and bring runaways back to their owners.

Leaning closer, Caleb peered into Libby’s face. When she tried to hide her feelings, the light of the moon gave her away. “You’re scared,” Caleb said. “You’re scared that Riggs will come on board and find Jordan.”

“Well, doesn’t that frighten you?” Libby asked.

“Nope,” Caleb answered.

“What do you mean,
nope?
Pa is captain of this boat and owner too. Don’t you care that he could be arrested for hiding a runaway slave?”

“Of course I care!”

“You don’t sound like it!” Libby felt upset now. “You know what would happen if Riggs found Jordan on the
Christina
. It’s the law of the land that Pa could be found guilty for hiding a fugitive. He’d have to pay a big fine!”

“Is that all you’re worried about?” Caleb asked. “The fines? The money?”

Libby stared at him. “What if Pa can’t pay the fines? He would lose the
Christina
!”

“Yup! He would.” Caleb didn’t sound too upset.

“What’s worse, Pa could go to jail! Wouldn’t you be scared if the captain were your father?”

Caleb sat with his back to the moon. Darkness shadowed his face, but Libby saw the shake of his head. “There’s something that bothers me a whole lot more,” he said.

“What’s that?” Libby asked. More than once she had found it hard to understand this strange boy. “What could be worse than Pa going to jail?”

Before Caleb could answer, Jordan leaped up. “Don’t you worry none,” he told Libby. “First stop we make, I leaves the boat.”

“No!” Caleb exclaimed. “Don’t listen to Libby! You can’t leave now!”

“Yes, I can. I ain’t goin’ to hurt Libby’s Pa.”