Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Thank you for the push, Rachel, Amy, et al, to continue with the posting of my novelization of the TV movie Orphan Train, written by me at age 11. If you want to catch up on events, there are the first 7 chapters. Now we will move on to Chapter 8.
Chapter 8
2 days later Miss Sims was straightening out all of the clothes and things on the tables when a small boy with a little green hat on walked into the kitchen. He slowly approached Miss Sims.
He tugged on her dress and she turned. When she saw the little boy’s anxious face she smiled.
“Hello, Mouse!” This nickname was given to him for the reasons that he was small, he didn’t eat much and he supposedly had big ears.
“Liverpool’s in trouble!” His absolute idol was Liverpool. His eyes filled with tears.
“He is? Oooh, I told him so. Mouse, don’t you worry. I’ll get him back.” She stood up and wiped her hands on her dress.
“He’s at the jail waitin’ fur his sentence or whatever you say. I forget.” Mouse looked at her with pleading eyes.
“Well, I’ll go over there and get him now.” Miss Sims picked up her small blue coat and put it on.
“Thank you, Miss Sims!” Mouse sat down on a bench to wait for Miss Sims to return with Liverpool.
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Miss Sims sat down on the hard stone bench to wait for the two policemen to arrive with Liverpool.
When they did he was in handcuffs and looking very depressed.
“What do you want?” Liverpool growled.
“I want you to come out to the West with us. Honestly, Liverpool, I wish you would listen to what I say.” Miss Sims hoped with all her might that Liverpool would wish to come.
“What happens to me if I don’t come?”
“Either you come with me or you wait here for your sentence.”
Liverpool rolled his eyes. “That ain’t much of a choice.”
Miss Sims shrugged. “Well, it’s all you’ve got so you had better take advantage of it.”
Liverpool sighed. “I’ll go with you.”
Miss Sims sighed with relief. “That’s wonderful, Liverpool! Now, we’d better hurry. We’re leaving in 2 hours for the train.”
Liverpool was released from his handcuffs and Miss Sims stood up.
“Ma’am,” one of the policemen informed her. “We will bring Liverpool to the station, for safety, you know.”
“Oh, but I can take care of him,” Miss Sims protested.
“We are well aware of that, but for the safety of you and the other children we will bring him to the station and make sure he doesn’t get into mischief,” the policeman said firmly.
“Oh, all right. I’m so glad you decided to come, Liverpool.” Miss Sims flashed him a smile and walked out of the police station.
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She hurried back to the kitchen joyfully. Liverpool was going to come! She would try to civilize him. He seemed like a nice boy and if only he had better manners he also would be a likable boy.
She rushed in through the door. Mouse looked at her expectantly and she nodded with a smile.
J.P. had seen some dresses she liked but she had to pick boys clothes. She picked some grey knickers, a brown shirt and a tan jacket.
Miss Sims expected everyone to make a good appearance at each of the stops so they had to take baths.
J.P. was fearful about that. Everyone thought she was a boy and she couldn’t take a bath in front of everyone because it would show she wasn’t a boy. She looked around nervously and gathered up her clothes. She went into the bathroom and put her clothes down. She took off her cap and wet her hair down to make it look as if she had a bath.
You see, there was no bathtub in the bathroom so they had to take baths in a tin washtub out in the open. J.P. would have died of embarrassment.
She put her cap back on and walked out of the bathroom.
“Now, does everyone have the clothes they need?” Miss Sims called above the chatter of the children.
“Yes!” they cried in chorus.
“Good. Now –” she was interrupted by a great din outside the kitchen.
People were throwing eggs and other food at the kitchen! They were disgusted that anyone would want to take those “slum trash” anywhere!
But Miss Sims still held her ground. She didn’t care what anyone said. They had gone this far to go on the journey and they would make it. Nothing could stop them now.
Ha!
I didn’t really think you had the rest.
The underlining gets me every time.
Makes me wonder what I was doing at 11. I think that was the summer I watched Singin’ in the Rain everyday the entire summer. If I hadn’t taped it from TV, then I probably would have written out my own script and acted out the dances.