Orphan Train Christmas Read online

  Orphan Train Christmas

  Hearts on the Rails Book 3

  Rachel Wesson

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  December 5th, 1895

  “We can’t give every child a perfect Christmas. We have to focus on those we can help.”

  Lily set aside the scarf she was attempting to knit. She glanced at the pile of presents Kathleen was sorting into small piles on the side table. “I’m worried about you, Kathleen. You haven’t been yourself since Thanksgiving. I know it wasn’t the day you’d hoped for, but we did our best, given the circumstances.”

  Kathleen knew Lily was right. They had a lot to be thankful for. The children destined to go on the orphan train had escaped New York before the worst of the outbreak of cholera. It hadn’t been as bad as the epidemic of 1892, but it was serious enough to result in many deaths.

  “Kathleen, last Thursday was never going to be as special as previous Thanksgivings. The staff were missing the children who left, and we had the little ones to deal with. George, who lost both his parents and—”

  Kathleen interrupted quickly. “I know I am being selfish and silly, but I just wanted it to be a good day. We have so much to be thankful for. Bridget surviving her illness, Bella’s and Brian’s wedding, the placements for the children. I feel guilty for being upset, but we had such a lovely day planned. Richard missed it due to his work at the hospital. You had to stay away for fear of falling sick, and… Oh, listen to me. I am being so whiny, aren’t I?”

  Lily smiled her gentle smile, but her eyes were filled with concern.

  “Kathleen, I think you are overtired, and it is normal to be emotional. You were a real trooper over the last few weeks. If it weren’t for Sheila and Cook and you nursing all those who fell ill, the death toll would have been much higher. We didn’t lose one child. Who else can say that? You beat the Cholera, and those children owe you and the rest of our ladies their lives.”

  “Father Nelson and the boys, Tommy and Mike, played their parts, too. If only the city officials would listen to Father Nelson and others like him. If the tenements were cleaned up and weren’t so overcrowded, the disease wouldn’t spread so fast. We aren’t asking for much, just clean water and good food for everyone.”

  Kathleen knew she was repeating everything Lily believed in and fought so hard for. Some days the fight just seemed too hard, and today was one of them.

  “You can’t give up now. I won’t let you. Yes, the others did their bit, but you showed true leadership throughout the whole ordeal. You lead by example and showed maturity beyond your years. I am very proud of you, and I know Bridget is, too.” Lily fell silent for a few seconds, possibly to gather her thoughts and to keep from falling into the same melancholy Kathleen was feeling. “We have to learn to celebrate small victories. Big change comes after a series of small changes. So, for now, we have to forget the bigger problems. We just have to work on making Christmas special. The children are missing their friends who left on the train, and those who lost family members are obviously upset. We must do our best to give them a good Christmas.”

  Chapter 2

  Kathleen knew Lily was right and resolved to do her best to get into the Christmas spirit.

  “When will Bridget arrive?” Lily asked, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

  “Carl sent a telegram to say they hoped to be here tomorrow. They stopped over to see Jacob and Lizzie and also to catch up with Sally. I can’t wait to see them.”

  “Me, too,” Lily agreed. “But I hope it won’t be too difficult for Bridget to see me like this. And the twins.”

  Kathleen wasn’t sure how Bridget would cope, but knowing her sister, she would be happy for Lily. “You know Bridget. She wouldn’t let anything dim her joy for Charlie and you. It’s not your fault she can’t have children.”

  “I know, but it’s hard to accept that. She is such a natural mother. I wish things had worked out differently for her.”

  “So do I, but at least she is alive. We have to count our blessings,” Kathleen responded, but did she really believe what she was saying? It was difficult to accept God’s will sometimes. Some people had children so easily, even those that didn’t want them. Others, like Bridget and Carl, who desperately wanted to be parents, couldn’t.

  They heard sounds of children fighting upstairs in the bedrooms. Kathleen stood up.

  “You stay where you are and rest. I will see what’s going on. Are you hungry? Can I fetch you a sandwich?”

  Lily laughed. “I know you all think I am a glutton, but I can’t help it. I am starving all the time now. A sandwich sounds good. Can you ask Cook to put in some of her pickle and some apple slices with the ham?”

  Kathleen rolled her eyes. Lily’s unusual sandwich combinations made everyone smile, but Cook insisted on making them just the way Lily asked. Regardless of how stomach-churning they seemed to everyone else.

  Chapter 3

  The children had finally settled down for the evening and Lily had enjoyed her pickle, apple, and ham sandwich. Kathleen had settled for a plain ham and was sitting at the fire, toasting her feet. Charlie would arrive soon to take Lily home. She glanced at the pile of presents on the table.

  “Do you think we will have enough for all of them?” Kathleen asked, her teeth nibbling her lower lip.

  “Kathleen, the children will be thrilled. Most of them haven’t seen an orange before, let alone had a whole one to themselves. Cook is baking sweets—she let me taste her chocolate fudge, and it is amazing. Those are the presents the kids will like most. They may benefit from the socks and gloves and warm underclothes, but they won’t be jumping up and down with excitement, because they got an extra pair of socks.”

  Kathleen knew Lily was right, but she wanted this Christmas to be perfect. Only George, one of the orp
hans who had lost his parents to the cholera outbreak and was currently living at the sanctuary, had seen a Christmas tree before and remembered getting gifts from Santa. The other children didn't have such nice memories. They would be leaving New York in January on the next Orphan train, and she wanted them to leave with good memories.

  “Have you finished the paperwork for Father Nelson, Kathleen?”

  “I have the cards for the new orphans to do yet, but the rest is done. I have made a list of all the placements we made in the last year. Thankfully, Bridget and Carl adopted their own recommendations and kept such records. It’s a pity it took the committee so long to agree to their suggestions.”

  “Yes, it is, but committees take a long time to agree on anything. Charlie went to a few of the meetings, and he said they seemed most worried about the extra costs involved in checking on the children placed with families.”

  Kathleen sighed. Her sister and brother-in-law had come up with several recommendations to protect the orphans leaving New York and other places. Having seen for themselves how hit and miss the placements could be, they had suggested to Father Nelson and his co-committee members different ways to protect the children. But it always came down to a question of money. Some people believed money was more important than a child.

  “Can’t they see we would have fewer orphans running away if the families were vetted before the children were placed? I know it isn’t realistic to check on every family who takes a child, but I believe Carl was right when he said the mere threat of being checked on would be enough to ensure some families treat the children better.”

  “We have to accept small victories,” Lily told her. “The committee agreed to the families being vetted by the senior members of the town, be it the priest, pastor, or mayor. Each child will have a record of their placement now, so they can be traced in the future should family members appear. It is better than it used to be.”

  “But it isn’t perfect. There are still families taking children who shouldn’t own a skunk.”

  Lily smiled at the reference before moving forward, a serious expression on her face. “Nothing is ever perfect, Kathleen. We have to work with what we have and be grateful for forward-thinking people like Carl and others for pushing good ideas through. You should stop being so hard on yourself.”

  “I don’t want any of our children being subjected to the abuse my brothers endured. Look at Michael. He’s spending Christmas in jail. He wouldn’t have ended up there if a good family had taken him in.”

  “I love you like a sister, but you know that’s not true. Michael was in trouble before he ever left New York.”

  Chapter 4

  Kathleen knew Lily was right, but she didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want to think about Michael, because then she thought about Shane, and he was even more of a disappointment. She started counting the gifts again, mentally matching them with each child. This Christmas would be fabulous.

  “Have you asked Richard if he wants to have Christmas dinner with us and the children? Charlie and Carl will enjoy his company. Father Nelson may join us this year as well, depending on what he has going on in the church.”

  Kathleen could feel the heat rising from her neck into her cheeks at the mention of the doctor, even though Lily was the only other person in the room.

  She hadn’t told Lily, Richard had declared his feelings on the train when they brought Shane back to New York. Since then, Richard had never mentioned the subject again. He seemed set on staying in New York, and she still wanted to go live in Riverside Springs with her sisters and Bella. Didn’t she?

  “You haven’t asked him yet, have you? What are you waiting for?” Lily exclaimed. “I know you haven’t seen much of him over the last few weeks. He’s been working himself into an early grave. He and you are cut from the same cloth.”

  Kathleen knew Richard had worked harder than anyone during the outbreak, with no regard for his own personal safety. He had taught her a lot about caring for patients suffering from cholera, and she had no doubt he was the reason the children had all survived. He really was a hero, and she loved him. But she couldn’t just tell him her feelings had changed. Could she? Surely she should wait for him to say something first. What if he had changed his mind?

  “Lily, I can’t. The man is supposed to do the courting, and I feel as if I am chasing him.”

  Lily burst out laughing, causing Kathleen to stare at her.

  “Kathleen, you can be so dim at times. Why do you think he spends so much time here at the sanctuary? I mean, before everyone fell sick. The man was here so often, I was tempted to ask him to move in.”

  Lily smiled at her own joke. There was a clear no-men-allowed rule at the home, and Lily took the reputation of her sanctuary very seriously.

  “He comes to check on the children to make sure they are healthy,” Kathleen said. “You know that.”

  “Before the outbreak, those kids were the healthiest orphans we ever had. Richard has no reason to come visiting, apart from the fact that a certain, young lady lives here. He couldn’t make it plainer.”

  Kathleen squirmed in her seat. She wanted Lily to be right, as her feelings for Richard had grown in the sixteen months she had known him. At first, she was grateful for his kindness to Patrick, the orphan she had met on her trip west, and then to her brothers. That was why she had hesitated when he first declared his interest. She thought it was just gratitude on her part. She knew now her feelings had deepened. It wasn’t just a physical attraction, although she thought him very handsome. He was also kind and funny and caring and wonderful in so many ways. She had seen how hard he worked and how much he cared for those around him, particularly the little ones.

  Lily wasn’t letting her off the hook. “Didn’t he ask you to numerous shows and events over the summer?” Lily asked.

  “Yes, he asks me to speak about the orphans, how difficult the trip on the trains can be, and how damaging it is to be overlooked in town after town. He says I help him to raise funds for the cause.”

  Lily blew her hair out of her face, as she often did when she was exasperated over something. “You spend a lot of time together. Have you let him know how you feel? Not by telling him, but with gestures. Maybe he is shy.”

  Richard, shy? Kathleen didn’t think so, but was he waiting for her to bring up their past conversation? He’d said he’d wait however long it took, but maybe she had taken too much time to realize her feelings. Had she lost him?

  He did spend a lot of time with her. He was passionate about children receiving the best care possible and often told her about his arguments with senior doctors at the hospital. He spent hours trying to convince his peers to spend a couple of hours a week seeing patients who couldn’t afford their fees. He often complained his fellow doctors couldn’t see a person’s worth unless it was attached to a wallet full of cash.

  Sometimes, she thought he might say something about their conversation on the train. She had caught him staring at her a few times, and he often held her hand, even when he didn’t need to. The other night, when he helped her out of the cab, he had held her waist for a few seconds longer than necessary.

  She wished Bridget were here. She could talk to her sister and ask her. Lily was a very good friend, but she was biased. She knew Richard and liked him. In Lily’s head, she had them already married off.

  “Lily, stop matchmaking. Now, I said I would help with the Christmas-tree decorations. Do you want to come up to the sewing room?”

  “You can run from me but not from your heart, Kathleen Collins,” Lily teased, before putting her hand on her bump. “I think I best stay here. Junior is kicking me again. I swear he will walk out of there himself, if he gets any bigger.”

  Kathleen could see how tired her friend was. Maybe Lily would nap if she were alone.

  “Put the knitting down, and close your eyes for a few minutes. The children would love to see you later, if you feel up to it. They want you to pick out the best decoration fr
om the ones they made for the tree.”

  Lily smiled but her eyes were already closing. Kathleen pulled a blanket over her friend and left her to rest. She wondered what was keeping Charlie, as he was later than usual. Knowing him, he had gotten caught up studying. He had decided to take his law exams and was working hard, when time became available. As she walked toward the sewing room, Kathleen wondered if Lily was right. Was Richard waiting for a sign from her? How could she tell him she was in love with him? It wasn’t something you just announced. Not if you were a well-brought-up lady, someone a doctor would want for his wife.

  Chapter 5

  Mary Clark threw a glance over her shoulder to make sure nobody was following her, as she moved deeper into the dark alley.

  “Kenny? Are you there?” she whispered, trying to find her brother without bringing the attention of any of the gang members to her. She didn’t want to be caught alone in a dark alley by any of them. She had heard the whispers of what they would do to a lone victim.