"Alright, children, everybody listen up!" Ruth gestured for the orphans to looks at her. They were all sitting in the main cabin of the train, turned every which way in their seats. In a way, she was glad to see them being boisterous because that meant that they were finally starting to act like children, a far cry from the scared, robot-like juveniles that had boarded in New York.
"Everybody be quiet and listen to Sister Ruth," Kid Cole ordered. He was just plain fed up of all the noise. That got them to calm down, but Sister Ruth shot him a look as if to say she didn't need his grouchy remarks.
"We're gonna be reaching out first stop soon, and it would be nice to make sure you're all here before we get off the train. So I'll just read off your names. Raise your hand and give a big holler if you're here. If you're not here, don't say nothin'," she said seriously. There was a serial number next to each child on the list that the orphanage had given her and Kid, but she ignored those and her eyes roamed straight to the names.
"Francis Block?" she began. A blond haired, blue-eyed five-year-old's hand shot up. "That's me," he piped up.
"Hi, Francis. Alright, next we have Elsie Slagle." One of the two older girls raised her hand this time; she looked to be about 14.
The list went on, consisting of twenty-seven children in all. She called George and Annie, too, even though they were not on the list. When she was finished calling role, Kid came in with some information.
"Train's pullin' in! Welcome to Savannah, Missouri!" he said, as the train rolled into the station.
All of the children were relieved to finally meet their potential parents and be off that stuffy train for a three whole days! Ruth guided everyone safely down the stairs, while Kid went to the train station to inform the necessary people that the orphan train had arrived and to find out about their lodging arrangements.
Two families had already requested specific children, and two women stood at the train station, holding up cards with numbers written on them. One woman's card was painted with a "7" and the other woman's was painted with a "20." A little girl with the number "7" sewn into the hem of her dress let out a delighted shriek.
"That's my new mommy!" she squealed with joy. Ruth waved for the women to come over to them as she didn't want to leave the other children alone.
"Howdy, name's Ruth Cole, but you can just call me Sister Ruth." To the woman with the "7" card, she said, "I take it you're here to adopt Jennie."
"Yes, ma'am. My name is Mrs. Brooks."
Ruth scanned her list, something that made her feel official and important. Yet, she wasn't used to keeping things in order, since the only book she ever carried with her was the Bible. She located Jennie's name and instructed Mrs. Brooks to sign off.
"Now, Jennie, you be a good girl, y'hear?" Ruth hugged her, having already grown slightly attached to all the children. She didn't see how a parent could bear the pain of letting their own baby go, but she understood in her heart that in leaving them at the orphanage, they were trying to give them a better life. The pair went on their way, with Jennie skipping off into the distance.
The next woman was about to finish signing off for a four-year-old named James, when Ruth took the time to count all of the children in her sight. Twenty-four. That sounded about right, minus Jennie and James.
At about this time, Kid was finished at the station and came sauntering back towards the group.
"Two of 'em just up and left us," Ruth said in jest, but with a twinge of feeling behind her words.
"Well we just happen to have two extra passengers," Kid said. He motioned to Annie, and…
"Where's George?" Kid asked.
"Right behind me," Ruth said casually, pointing to where he was standing a minute ago.
She turned around.
"Oh, Lord where has that boy gone off to?" she said towards the sky.
Kid seemed a bit agitated, but amused. "How about you take this congregation down to the church?" He pointed to a steeple down a large, grassy hill. "The ticket agent told me we're supposed to meet a Reverend Thomas. I'll go track down the rascal."
Ruth nodded in agreement, bewildered that she had let George out of her sight, but relieved knowing that Kid would find him and return him safely.
Kid was content to search for George; it was far more appealing to him than the alternative: tracking down a gang of thieves or even worse criminals for a reward. Here, his reward would be finding George and giving him a good talking-to. Maybe he was getting soft in his old age, but knowing this made him smile.
As he walked through the streets, Kid asked passers-by if they had seen a six-year old boy with brown skin, a tan shirt, and brown pants. A lot of them were no help, but someone suggested he try the nearby shantytown. He thought that was a decent idea, since George wanted parents and would most likely gravitate towards those of his own race.
The town reminded him of Colorado Springs a little, but it was even smaller. Shantytown was only about a half-mile walk, and it consisted of about ten shacks, a water pump, and a few tents. Kid tipped his hat to the first woman he saw.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but has an unfamiliar little boy wandered around here, today? You see, I'm an orphan train agent and one of the children in my care has run off." He was a bit embarrassed, but it needed to be said. He gave her George's exact description.
"No sir, can't say that I've seen any new children here" she said.
"Well, if you see a boy like that, please let me know. I'll be staying at the boarding house."
"Yes sir, I will."
Kid began his walk back to town, wondering where he should look next.
Peeking behind a rock, George watched him walk away.