Chapter 2:
Rae grabbed his hand, "Please be careful darling," she whispered.
"I will. I promise. You just sit tight, I'll be back in a moment."
She shook her head and crawled from the bed. "I'm going to check on the children."
"... All right... you be careful too."
He gave her a quick kiss and grabbed the lantern beside the bed and left the room. Rae slipped on her robe and walked first into the boys' room. Chris was sleeping peacefully in his bed. Andy had thrown his quilt to the floor and was now huddled in the middle of the bed, trying to stay warm.
Leaning over, she picked up the quilt and carefully draped it over his shoulders, kissing his forehead gently.
With a slight smile on her face she walked into the girls' room. Ann and Julie shared a bed and Julie now slept with her arms around Ann. Ann was still recovering from her mysterious illness both mentally and physically. Physically, she was on the mend, but she had yet to regain the memory of the year that she had lost. Her mental illness was beginning to take a toll on everyone.
Leaning over, Rae gave each of them a kiss on the head. Satisfied the children were okay, she left the girls' room and, when she saw Spot had not yet returned to their room, decided to find him on her own.
She stopped at the base of the stairs to the third floor. Taking a deep breath she began to climb the pitch-black staircase. A cry echoed down the hall and she froze, breathing rapidly. Her heart pounded. What was that noise? It sounded as if someone was being killed! "Spot..." Gripping the banister, she kept going.
Once at the top of the stairs she followed the faint light into one of the tiny rooms. Spot stood in the doorway staring in shock at a young teenaged girl on the floor.
Hastily, she raced over to him. "Spot Conlon, if you killed her I'll kill you!" she hissed.
"I...I found...her like...that..." he stammered.
"What is she..."
The girl screamed again, interrupting Rae.
"Oh my ... Spot, get out of here!"
"Why? What's going on?"
"She's having a baby! Get out of here!"
Two hours later Spot was still pacing the second-floor hallway, only for the past hour he had been holding Ann. She had woken up from one of her frequent nightmares and latched onto him, refusing to let go.
When the girl screamed again, Ann screamed with her. "What is that scary noise?!" she wailed.
Spot gently rubbed her back. "There is a girl hurt up there and Miss Rae is trying to help her."
She sniffled and whimpered. "How did she get hurt up there, Daddy?"
"I don't know, sweetheart," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Try to go back to sleep."
As he paced a few minutes longer, after Ann had fallen back asleep, miraculously, he noticed that there hadn't been another scream in some time. Was everything fine now?
The minutes ticked by slowly without another sound from the third floor. He continued pacing until he heard a faint creak on the stairs.
He looked towards the stairs quickly. "How'd it go?" he asked as Rae appeared.
"Both the mother and the baby are fine, but the girl doesn't want anything to do with her child." Rae said, looking down at the tiny bundle in her arms.
Shifting Ann from one side to the other, Spot peered at the little bundle. "What is it? A boy or a girl?... And why doesn't she want it?"
"It's a beautiful baby girl. She wouldn't tell me anything about herself, except that her name is Molly. She wouldn't even look at her daughter." Rae whispered.
"That's strange... You think that since she was the mother..." Gently, he touched the baby's face.
"She's hiding from something or someone, Spot. I could see it in her eyes."
He glanced at her, smiling resignedly. "Well... I suppose we can suggest she live here. We're growing into a very nice, unusual family."
"That we are," she said with a smile. "But I wouldn't trade any one of them."
"Not at all..." Again he shifted his weight. "Well, shall we go up to see this girl?"
Rae shook her head. "She's sleeping." She looked at him and reached out with her free hand to brush the hair away from Ann's face. "Another nightmare?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yes... She was upset about that girl's screaming too... But somehow she managed to fall asleep."
Rae sighed. "Why don't you try to get some more sleep? No sense in both of us losing a full night's sleep."
"You sleep," he insisted. "Otherwise you'll never wake up tomorrow morning," he teased.
She glared at him, but her eyes softened as she looked back down at the baby. "I would, but someone needs to sit up with Baby, here."
"I'm not totally useless, you know," he replied with a snort.
"Do you have any experience with newborns?"
"I uh... well... no... Do you?"
She smiled. "More than you. I used to go help Trent in my spare time. I helped him deliver a couple of babies."
He snorted but smiled as well. "Well, of course. I should have known." He kissed her forehead. "Well, if you insist... wake me up if you need anything."
"I will." Rae said, heading to the parlor and sitting on the couch.
Spot smiled and left the room as she sat down and rocked back and forth slowly. "What shall we name you, little one?" she asked, stroking the baby's small hand. She vaguely remembered seeing a book about names in the study. Maybe she could go find something in there. Carefully she stood up, but the baby awoke and began to whimper. "Maybe later," she murmured to herself, sitting back down. She began to hum a lullaby, unaware of the fact that someone was watching her from the darkened hallway.
Spot smiled and then frowned deeply. 'She's wonderful with kids... and here I am, I can't give her any...' He sighed. That baby looked so perfect in her arms. He could see the longing in her eyes for a baby, but there was nothing he could do about that. After a minute or two, he entered the room quietly. "Have you thought of a name?"
"Not yet," she whispered, never taking her eyes from the baby's face.
Slowly, he sat by her. "Is the mother still around?"
"I left her upstairs sleeping."
Spot reached out and stroked the baby's face. "I wish she was ours... I mean, really ours."
Rae sighed and placed her hand on his. "I love you, Spot."
He kissed her hand gently. "I know... I still wish you could have your baby though..."
She placed a finger on his lips. "We've been through this before, Darling."
"I know," he replied with a sigh. "But that still doesn't keep me from wishing it." His reply was a bit muffled sounding because her finger was still on his lips.
She smiled a little. "Come here," she whispered.
He leaned closer.
"I love you," she whispered, kissing him.
He smiled a small smile and kissed her back. "I love you too." Then, with a growing smile, he hovered a hand over the baby's eyes. "She shouldn't be watching this... She's too young."
Rae giggled. "She's sleeping."
"You never know what sleeping eyes can see." He nodded wisely.
"You're..."
"Horrible, I know." She grinned and he kissed her forehead. "But you love me anyway."
"I try," she teased.
"Are we going to keep this little one too, since her mother doesn't want her?" he asked.
"Most likely... if you don't protest."
"Who said I was going to protest? This little thing can't be as much trouble as the others."
"Well, I wasn't sure how many kids you'd want underfoot. Four is a lot already for starting couples."
He shrugged, "Who says we have to be like everyone else?"
She smiled. "I guess that's what makes us so special."
He smiled back at her. "Sure does."
"How about Kendra?"
"Kendra? For what?"
"Her name."
"Who's- oh, the baby's..." Spot looked at the baby and then nodded. "Yes... I think that's a wonderful name."
"Good." she whispered, kissing the baby on the forehead. She looked up at him, startled. "How are we going to explain this to the others?"
"The stork?" He grinned. She rolled her eyes. He shrugged. "Maybe just tell them what happened."
Rae nodded and looked down at the baby again. "Ann is going to get might jealous of the attention we will have to show Baby Kendra."
"Well... it's just something she'll have to get over."
She looked up at him, "Did Ann say anything to you tonight about what we told her earlier?"
"Well... no... but she still called me Daddy..."
Just then Kendra woke up crying. "I think she's hungry," Rae said. "But there's nothing I can do about that. Her mother is just going to have to take care of her for now."
"Do you want me to get her for you?"
"No, I'll take Kendra up there to her."
"Alright, if you insist."
She gave him a quick kiss. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay then, I'll be waiting."
Rae smiled as she left the room and carried the baby upstairs. She sat on the edge of the girl's bed. "Molly," she said, gently shaking her shoulder.
"What..." the girl muttered gruffly, groping blindly in the air. "Whoz'ere?"
"Your daughter is hungry. I don't care if you don't want to keep her, but you have to feed her right now. That's something I can't do."
Molly struggled to sit up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Wha?" She yawned hugely. "Who're you?"
"You are in my house," Rae snapped, "And I just delivered your baby."
The girl yawned again. "How'm I s'posed to feed it?" She suddenly looked very worried.
Rae rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long night.
~*~
Spot was asleep on the couch when Rae finally came back downstairs with Kendra in her arms. With a smile, she kissed him on the forehead.
He smiled, his eyes still closed. "It's 'bout time you got back."
She smiled. "Did I wake you?"
"Yeah, but I don't mind at all."
Rae kissed him gently. "Well that's good."
"So what took you so long?"
"Molly was being difficult," Rae muttered sitting beside him.
Spot propped himself up. "Kendra's mother? What happened?"
"Molly wants nothing to do with her child. She didn't even remember having her."
"Maybe she came about getting pregnant in an unpleasant way... if you know what I mean..." he suggested.
Rae sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "I guess Kendra just reminds me so much of myself," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
"How is that?" he asked, stroking her hair.
"My parents didn't want me, either," she whispered as a single tear rolled down her face.
He kissed the tear away. "Well, now you have someone who does want you."
"And that means more to me than you will ever know," she said as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
He wiped her tears away. "There, there... You'll soak the baby," he teased gently, kissing her.
She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder again. "What did I do to deserve a guy like you?"
"You came to Brooklyn. It's all you needed to do... well that, and not take any bull from me."
"There must have been something more."
He grinned. "Mmm, nope. You just kinda got stuck in my heart one day and wouldn't go away, so I figured I'd marry you."
She smiled. "I think it may have been the other way around. You got stuck in my heart and wouldn't go away."
He grinned. "We're a couple of heart sticky people, I supposed."
She giggled. "I love you, Conlon."
He grinned, kissing the tip of her nose. "I love you more, Conlon."
"That's questionable."
"No, I'm afraid it isn't. Spot Conlon is never questionable." His grin turned impish.
"I beg to differ."
"Mm, beg away, missy."
She grabbed the front of his shirt with her free hand and pulled him closer. "I will," she said, kissing him.
He laughed. "Don't squish the baby now."
"I won't," she whispered, kissing him again.
He kissed her back. "Good."
"Convinced yet?" she asked.
"Mmm, not quite. It may take a lot more convincing."
She stood and headed for the door. "I'm going to find a cradle to put Kendra in."
He nodded. "Hurry back this time." He stood and kissed her cheek.
"Why don't you come help me?"
"Mm, better idea." With another nod, he followed her.
Rae stopped at the top of the stairs. "I think I remember seeing one in the closet in that room," she said, nodding toward the empty room.
Heading into the room, he opened the closet and pulled out a rickety old cradle. "This?"
"That's it. Bring it into our room and we can pad it with some of those extra quilts."
With a grunt, he hefted it up and followed her out of the room. "Good grief, this thing weighs a ton."
"They are supposed to be sturdy."
"Well yes, but they shouldn't be so heavy."
She merely smiled at him.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he finally set it down. Grabbing a handful of quilts, he carefully arranged them in the cradle and stepped back so Rae could set Kendra in it.
Rae knelt beside the cradle and placed the baby inside. She gently rubbed the baby's cheek. "How could someone not want this tiny bundle of perfection?"
He shrugged and sat next to her. "Who knows?"
"It's just not right."
"No," he agreed, "it isn't." She leaned against him and sighed. He kissed her forehead. "Come, let's get to bed... something tells me we're going to be busy tomorrow."
She nodded and leaned down to kiss the baby's forehead.
Taking Rae's hand, he led her to bed.
* * *
Spot was pulled from a deep sleep by an unfamiliar sound. He rolled over and listened for a moment, before sitting up suddenly. That was a baby crying! He frowned. What was he supposed to do? ... Get the girl, yes... The girl was her mother, the girl would have to take care of the crying until she wasn't dependant on the mother quite so much...
He ran up the stairs two at a time and knocked on the door of the room where he had found her the night before. When there was no answer he opened the door. She wasn't there! He swore under his breath. Regardless of whether or not the brat wanted the baby, she still had SOME responsibility for her. "MOLLY!" he yelled, storming through the attic. He searched through all the rooms with no luck.
Down the stairs he headed, and entered his and Rae's room again. Shaking her shoulder briefly, he said in a sharp voice, "Rae, wake up." Kendra was screaming now. She rolled over toward him but still didn't wake up. With a sigh, he bent down and kissed her. With a groan, she awoke, rubbing her eyes drowsily. Spot managed to smile. "Wake up Sleeping Beauty, guess who's gone."
Rae sat up suddenly. "If I ever get my hands on that girl..."
"You and me both... though I doubt either of us will get the chance..."
Rae jumped from the bed and ran over to the cradle. She picked up Kendra and tried to quiet the screaming baby.
Spot peered over her shoulder. "I'm sorry I had to wake you... I didn't know what I was supposed to do... what ARE we supposed to do?"
"I don't know"
Kendra screamed on.
Rae began to pace the room, gently rocking the baby. She sent Spot a helpless look.
"Maybe she needs to be changed?"
Rae nodded and set Kendra on the bed.
"Do you need a clean diaper? What do you use for diapers, anyway?"
"I cut up a sheet last night....but I left the others upstairs."
"I suppose I can rescue it for you."
"Please?"
"Be right back."
Rae picked up the baby and tried to comfort her while she waited on Spot. When he returned she quickly changed Kendra, but she kept screaming.
"Hungry, maybe?"
"Maybe... but what do we feed her?" Rae scowled. "Molly left!"
"Can't you do something?" Spot asked.
"I'm trying to think of something!" she snapped.
Just then four bodies came stumbling sleepily through the door.
"What's all that crying?" Julie inquired.
"Yeah, I heard it all the way down the hall," Chris added.
"What is it?" Ann and Andy asked simultaneously.
Rae looked at Spot, hoping that he would explain.
With a sigh, he turned to them. "Everyone, meet Kendra, the new addition to the family."
"I didn't know Rae was pregnant," Chris commented.
"She wasn't, muttonhead... was she?" Julie asked.
"No... There was a girl hiding out in the house... she left Kendra with us."
"Can I see?" Julie asked, creeping closer.
"If you can get close enough to the screaming... She's upset for some reason..."
Julie backed away. "I think I'll pass until she settles down."
"Good plan," Rae replied, sitting on the bed, bouncing just slightly.
"Why is she screaming like that?" Chris asked.
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Spot replied.
"Is she hungry?" Julie asked.
"Probably, but we don't know what to feed her... Her mother up and left us!"
Spot turned to Chris. "Go into town and find a doctor. Maybe he would have some ideas."
"Uh... where would I find a doctor?"
"Uh, ask one of the townspeople?" Spot rolled his eyes.
"Oh...right," Chris said, darting out the door. Two minutes later he came running back in. "I found this on the doorstep." he said, holding out a bottle of milk.
Both Rae and Spot's brows hiked up. This was getting weirder and weirder.
"Hand it here," Rae snapped. Chris gave her a startled look and did as told. Rae was shocked, yet pleased when Kendra stopped crying and began to drink the milk.
Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief, and Spot gently sat beside her. "Now we hope that it doesn't make her sick."
Rae nodded. "I sure hope she doesn't get sick."
"Does anyone know anything about doctoring babies? Like, what will make them sick and all?" Spot asked.
Chris and Julie shook their heads. "I don't know too much," Rae admitted.
"I guess we'll just have to wing it then, hmm?"
"I suppose," she said. "Spot, I'm getting a little hungry myself, do you think you can go fix something to eat?"
"Of course I can. Come on, I'll need some help," he said to the kids. He didn't really, but it got a couple of them out of the room and out of Rae's hair.
Rae smiled down at the baby. There was no way that she was going to let this little thing go through the same things that she did.
Spot whipped up some eggs that Rae had bought, grumbling under his breath when he noticed the girl that had been an unknown guest for a few days had taken more food with her, and buttered up some bread, feeding the children, and then taking some up to Rae.
He found her sitting on the floor beside the cradle, staring down at the baby. "That brat took more food with her when she left."
She scowled. "If I find that girl I will soak her 'til she can't walk."
"Only after I finish soaking her," Spot said, handing Rae the plate of food.
She smirked, thanking him. "That kid will be a mess when we're done with her... Not that she isn't a mess already... Mm, good eggs."
"Thanks. Umm...Rae...are you sure we are ready to handle taking care of a baby...I mean the twins are one thing...but a newborn..."
"I am NOT sending this child to an orphanage."
He nodded. "If that's what you want, then we won't send her to an orphanage."
"That's what I want..."
"Alright. We'll manage somehow."
She kissed his cheek. "Thank you Spot..." She looked down at the baby. "We WILL manage."
"She's sleeping...why don't you come downstairs with the rest of us?"
Giving Kendra one last look, she gently placed her in the cradle and followed Spot. When they entered the kitchen they found only Chris and Julie finishing up their breakfasts. "Where are the twins?" Rae asked.
"They went to the playroom," Julie answered.
Spot and Rae glanced towards the playroom and shrugged. "At least they're getting along again," Spot muttered with a slight yawn.
"Why don't you go take a nap, darling? I can handle things on my own."
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
"If you say so. I'm going to the study. To see if I can try to discover the mystery of this house."
Spot nodded. "All right then... We'll clean up... Chris, Julie."
They both nodded as Rae headed toward the study. She sat down at the desk and opened the bottom drawer that had held all the money. It was empty now, since they had placed all the money in a bank for safekeeping, but she noticed something that she had never noticed before. It looked like a small switch.
Immensely curious, she walked over and touched it. A board fell to the floor under the drawer. The drawer had a false bottom. Rae knelt next to the drawer and moved the piece of wood. On the wood lay a small book. Lifting a brow, even more curious, she sat down in a nearby chair and opened the book gingerly.
The pages were filled with hand-written notes. It appeared to be a journal of some sort. Rae flipped to the first page and squinted at the sloppily written words, slowly beginning to read. An hour later she was still reading, so intrigued by the story unfolding before her that she didn't notice when Spot walked in with the baby.
With a smile, he leaned over her shoulder. "What have you got there?"
"It's some kind of journal that I found hidden away."
"Who wrote it?"
"The owners of this house, but the dates are in the 50s."
"That's some pretty old stuff." Sitting, he gave her Kendra.
She handed him the book and took the baby. "This house was used as a part of the underground railroad."
"All the way up here in New York?"
"According to the book, when the Fugitive Slave Law went into effect it was illegal to help slaves run away, and their masters could chase them up here and take them back home, so the underground railroad took them all the way to Canada."
"Wow... Sure that ain't a textbook?" he kidded.
"The entries in that journal are very detailed."
Spot picked the book up and flipped through a couple of pages. "Wow... how can you read this?" He turned it upside down and sideways. "Very tight writing."
She laughed. "I told you that I used to help Trent after I sold my papers...his handwriting is much worse."
Nodding, he handed her the book again. "Then I trust your reading skills."
"This journal was written by the lady of the house. She hid the runaways without her husband even knowing about it."
"Wow." He nodded his approval. "Wonder what he would have done had he found out?"
"They were newly married. It was an arranged marriage, so she says she has no idea how he would react were he to find out."
"Does it say their names?" He shifted his weight and sat next to Rae, peering over her shoulder.
Rae opened the book again, and carefully turned a few of the pages. "It hasn't given any names yet. She always refers to him as 'My husband'."
"Well, that tells us what she thinks of him at the moment..."
"Well, I can relate, I mean, her husband is a perfect stranger."
"Oh... yeah, that's true."
"She hasn't yet said, how she managed to hide them from him, but I'm guessing there was some kind of hidden room in the house somewhere."
"We ought to find it one day, when we have the free time."
"Maybe if we keep reading, she'll tell us where it is."
He smiled at her. "But that defeats the purpose of it."
She smiled back at him and quickly kissed him before turning back to the book.
Wrinkling his nose, he said, "Aww, you're no fun."
"Well, I'm trying to balance a baby and a book in my arms," she teased.
He took Kendra from her. "There." Then he grinned.
She leaned toward him again, but dropped her head and kissed the baby's forehead, instead.
"Hmm... lucky kid..."
Rae smirked at him. "Alright," she laughed, leaning over to kiss him again.
Spot grinned, kissing her back. "That's more like it."
"At least she doesn't protest every time we kiss."
Just then Kendra whimpered a bit. Spot grinned. "You were saying?"
Rae snickered and took the baby from him. "I think she's getting hungry."
"Is there any milk left?"
"I don't think so."
Spot frowned. "Ah... well..." There was a knock on the door. "Come in," he yelled.
Cautiously, Chris entered the room. "Uh.... you might want to see this..."
"What is it?" Rae asked, curiously, shifting Kendra in her arms.
He just shook his head, stunned. "You'll have to see it... you won't believe it..."
Spot stood and helped Rae up. "Where is it?"
"In the barn..." Chris turned on his heel and led them out the door, out of the house, and to the barn. A distinct sound came from the barn.
"Is that a cow?" Rae asked.
"If it just went moo, then I think it's a cow..." Spot replied, astonished, walking hesitantly in the barn. And there stood a brown and golden colored heifer. Rae's and Spot's jaws dropped.
"Spot, that is a cow! That is a cow! How did it get here?!"
"I didn't see anyone out here," Chris said. "It just showed up."
"Cows just don't 'poof!' into someone's barn!"
"This one did."
Spot walked over to the cow and touched it tentatively. He was positively afraid of that cow! Not that anyone could blame him. The cow turned her sleepy black eyes on Spot and blinked slowly, mooing. He jumped causing Rae and Chris to snicker. Spot glared at them halfheartedly, looking at the cow again. Leaning against the stall door, he asked, "So cow... how did you get here?" The cow mooed again. "Very interesting," Spot said, rubbing his chin and studying the cow seriously.
Rae and Chris exchanged glances and laughed.
Spot turned to them, "Cow doesn't know how it got here."
"Mm... I didn't think it would," Rae replied, smiling. "Chris, do you know how to milk this thing?"
Chris blinked at her. "Uh... I... I don't know... I haven't milked a cow in... years."
"Could you give it a try?"
"She.... she might kick me..."
"But you've milked a cow before. That's more than either of us have."
"I... I guess I could try..." He scavenged the barn for a bucket. Finding one, and dusting it out, he entered the stall slowly, talking softly to the cow, sitting next to her. After a moment the only sound in the barn was the milk hitting the bucket. The cow mooed and looked at him, blinking slowly, and chewing straws of hay that stuck out of her mouth partly.
Pleased to have the milk problem solved, Rae turned and took the baby back inside.
Spot leaned over the edge of the stall, watching Chris milk the cow. "You'll have to teach me that."
Chris smirked up at him. "Sure thing, cause I ain't doing this no more."
"You will if I say you will." Spot's lip quirked and he looked at the cow again. "I guess we'll have to name her too."
"Bessie," Chris said.
"Is that a cow name? I wouldn't know, I ain't ever seen a cow up close before."
Chris laughed, "Yeah, that's a cow name. At least that's what we called our cow."
"Then Bessie it is."
"SPOT!" came Rae's distressed cry from the kitchen door.
Frowning, he left Chris to finish the milking and ran into the house. "What? What's the matter?"
"I can't find the twins!"
"Are you sure? Did you look all over?"
"I looked everywhere. They aren't in the house."
Walking out of the kitchen, Spot bellowed, "Ann! Andy! Game's over! Come out right now!" but no one showed up. Rae stepped up beside him. "Do you think they found the underground place?" he suggested uncertainly.
"I sure hope not," Rae said. "Ann, sweetheart, please answer me!"
"Andy! I'm not kidding! Come out right now!"
They searched all the rooms in the house, looking for the two missing children, as well as a sign of any hidden places. "They aren't here Spot!" Rae said.
"Okay now, calm down... Maybe they went outside to play."
"They would have told us, Spot, they know better than that."
"Well... you know how kids are... sometimes they DON'T know better.... it can't hurt to look..."
Kendra began screaming as Chris entered the house with the milk. Rae sighed, "I have to feed her."
Gently, Spot put his hands on her shoulders and eased her into a chair. "Relax.... Just concentrate on feeding her first.... I'll go outside to look for them."
"Who?" Chris asked.
"The twins."
"Where's Julie?"
Spot and Rae exchanged glances and Spot ran into the living room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found her fast asleep on the couch. "Well... at least that's ONE less worry." He walked back into the kitchen, "She's asleep on the couch. Chris, come help me look for the twins outside."
Chris nodded. "Yes sir." And the two of them headed outside.
"Where could they be, Kendra?" Rae asked the baby as she fed her. She just blinked at Rae innocently.
* * *
"My feet hurt, Andy," Ann whined as they walked down the dirt road.
"Well it was your great idea to run away... And now it's getting dark...."
"I want to go home," she whimpered.
Andy looked around. "We walked through the woods some, and I don't know where we are."
"Well YOU wanted to walk through the woods... Now we're lost forever and ever!"
Just then a buggy came rattling down the road. "Isn't that the man that took us home?" Andy asked.
Ann shrugged. "I dunno.... How'm I supposed to know?"
"Hey, Mister!" Andy yelled, waving his arms
The carriage slowed and a head peered out. "Aren't you two out a little late?"
"We're lost," Ann whimpered.
"You kids have any parents?"
Andy shook his head, but Ann nodded.
The man smiled, shifting his weight. "Well, which is it?"
"Our real parents went away," Andy said.
"But Mr. Spot and Miss Rae are our new Momma and Daddy," Ann said.
"Is that so? Did Mr. Spot and Miss Rae adopt you?"
Andy scratched his head thoughtfully and then finally shook it. "No, I don't think so."
"Very interesting... Would you kids like a ride home?"
Ann nodded eagerly. "Please mister?"
"I don't know Ann..." Andy began.
"Pleeeeassse Andy? I'm so tired!" she whined.
Andy looked at the man again and then back to his sister. "Alright Annie, he can give us a ride."
The man smiled and helped them into his carriage, snapping the reins lightly over his horses' back. The carriage jolted into motion. Ann leaned her head against Andy's shoulder. He reached up and felt her forehead as he had often seen Miss Rae do. "You feel warm, Annie."
"No I don't 'cause I'm cold..." She yawned and closed her eyes.
Andy shrugged off his little jacket and wrapped it around her.
The man smiled at them. "You two sure are sweet kids... brother and sister?"
"Twins," Andy answered with a yawn.
"Oh ho, not everyday you run across a pair of twins now, is it?"
Sleepily, they shrugged.
"Why don't you kids get some sleep, I'll have you home soon."
"No, we're awake," Andy protested, but Ann was already asleep and he was dozing off quickly after.
The man laughed quietly. "Get some sleep kid, you've had a rough day."
And immediately, Andy zonked out.
The man smiled down at them as the carriage rattled onward, but little did the sleeping twins know, that the carriage was not headed home.