Whistle-Stop West (8 page)

Miss Carmen sat in the last coach on the train and looked back at herself from the reflection on the darkened window. Behind her she observed Madame Mona flipping through a magazine. Across the aisle, with their feet on the seats in front of them, sat Rudy and Jack, the animal trainers. There was nothing to be seen out the window, nor was much of interest going on inside the car. So she reflected on yesterday's unusual happenings.

Miss Carmen had been sitting on the station side of the last coach on the train. As she looked idly out at the people hurrying by on the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, platform, she was hardly aware that her head barely rose above the windowsill, or that her feet swung high above the floor. She had never been much more than three feet tall, and she had become used to the fact that ordinary furniture hadn't been built with her in mind.

“I'll certainly be glad when we get to Ames,” she had said to the small person next to her. “I don't know why we had to go so far north of Davenport to be able to switch and go back to Des Moines.”

“I'd say it's because that's the way they laid the tracks,” Madame Mona had answered. “Looks on the map like Ames is the hub of Iowa. At least we didn't have to go too far west and backtrack.”

“I guess you're right,” Miss Carmen had to agree. “We were so late leaving Florida that we're fortunate to hitch on anywhere. This is the first time I've had to travel with the animal cars and the trainer.”

Her companion nodded. “I know. It was too bad you were too ill to travel with the rest of the troupe. But you're better now, and this has been a comfortable trip. I'm glad they've let us get off on the opposite side of the coach. These little towns are swarming with people when we stop. What are they out there to see? Do they meet every train that way?”

“I don't think so,” Miss Carmen replied. “I think it must have something to do with those two cars ahead of us. They're loaded with children. Have you noticed them?”

“I thought I saw a lot of them running around up there, but it's hard to tell from back here. I never go out to walk on the platform side.”

Across the aisle one of the animal trainers stood at the window. “You don't have to be outside to see them,” he remarked. “There's one standing right under our windows.”

Carmen and Mona both slid from their seats and hurried to the other side of the car to peer out the glass.

“Why, that's the little boy I saw in Davenport,” Carmen exclaimed. “He's just a baby! What's he doing out there alone?”

As she spoke, they heard the
whoo, whoo
of the whistle for departure.

“Rudy! We can't leave that little boy out there! Go and get him!” she urged.

Rudy hesitated. “I can't do that, Carmen. What if he happens to be a kid who lives here in Cedar Rapids? They'd arrest me for kidnapping!”

“I tell you I saw him in Davenport,” Carmen insisted. “He didn't get from there to here without being on this train. We're going to be moving in just a minute. You've got to go get him!”

As steam puffed around the wheels and smoke blew back from the engine, Rudy leaped down the steps, scooped Simon under one arm, and bounded back into the car.

Just when Simon thought he'd be left behind, a man had swooped down from the train, picked him up, and whooshed him back into a railcar—almost in a single motion.

That man's name, he'd found out, was Rudy. Rudy had placed the boy on a seat, then sank down beside him. “Whew! We almost didn't make it! What were you doing out there, kid?”

Simon didn't answer. He was staring at two ladies who stood in the aisle beside him. They weren't any taller than he was, and he was sitting down!

“What's your name?” Carmen asked after introducing herself and Mona.

“Simon.”

“Were you riding on this train?”

Simon nodded.

“Are you with your folks?”

“Ain't got no folks. Some men came and carried Ma away, and I hid under the table. Ethan said that Ma went to heaven.”

Mona clasped her hand over her mouth in horror. “Poor child! Then where's your pa?”

Simon struggled to remember what he had heard about that, but nothing was clear to him. He shrugged. “Don't know. Gone.”

“Well, what were you doing out there on those rails?” Carmen insisted.

“Looking for you.”

“Looking for me? You don't even know me!”

“Ethan and Bert don't think I saw you. They said I made you up. I didn't mean to almost smack you in the nose. I didn't know your nose was down there.”

“No, I suppose you didn't.” Carmen chuckled. “No harm done. But you have to be traveling with someone. They'll be looking for you. Who are you with?”

“Matron. And Ethan and Bert and Riley and Will and the girls and—”

“You were right.” Mona turned to Carmen. “That car ahead of us is loaded with children. They can't all belong to one person. Must be fifteen or twenty of 'em.”

“It sounds like they all might be orphans,” Rudy offered. “I wonder where they're going?”

“I'm hungry,” Simon announced. “It's suppertime.”

“You're right.” Mona reached into a bag and took out an apple. “Here, eat this, and I'll get Jack to fix you something hot. Do you like stew?”

Simon nodded and munched happily on the apple while he watched the activity in the car. He was soon fed a big bowl of meat and vegetables and a slice of bread with apple butter on it. This was followed by a generous piece of cake. Simon hadn't eaten like that since he left Briarlane.

“We can't keep him in here,” Carmen said. “This matron must be frantic if she's missed him.” She glanced out the window. “It's dark already. I hope no one stayed in Cedar Rapids to look for him.”

“I'll take him up there,” Rudy offered. “I can tell the matron what happened.”

“Maybe they'll let you come back and visit us before we leave Ames tomorrow,” Carmen told Simon.

“Can I bring Ethan and Bert? Then they'll believe me.”

“Sure you can. We'll be glad to see them.”

“Come on, kid,” Rudy said. “Let's go before it gets any later.” He took Simon's hand and led him toward the adjoining car.

“Better take a light,” Jack suggested. “You have two cars to go through.”

Rudy grabbed one of the lanterns that hung from the ceiling of the coach. The platform between the two cars swayed and creaked. Rudy pushed open the door on the other side and told Simon to walk through in front of him.

Cold air and the smell of animals hit them. Simon gasped, then swiveled and buried his face in Rudy's pant leg.

Rudy looked down at him in surprise. “Oh. I forgot you didn't know what was in here. They're all in cages. They won't hurt you.”

A sudden roar next to him caused Simon to hang on tighter. He didn't dare look to see where the noise had come from.

“All right. How about if I carry you?” Rudy set the lantern on the floor, reached down to lift Simon in his arms, then stopped to retrieve the light. “There. Is that better?”

Simon put both arms around Rudy's neck and clung tighter.

“Just don't shut off my air,” Rudy told him. “Here, look. They won't get out. Don't you want to see all the animals?”

Simon lifted his head enough for one eye to peek out. “What is it?” he whispered.

“This one's a lion. Didn't you ever see one before?”

Simon shook his head, then became brave enough to look with both eyes. Rudy started slowly down the aisle between the barred cages.

“This one here is a tiger,” he explained. “He's a big cat.”

Simon regarded the huge, striped animal with awe. It certainly didn't look like the cats he remembered at Briarlane. The long freight car was filled with “big cats” pacing the floors of their cages or stretched out on the straw, tails flipping back and forth.

“Wait until you see what's in the next car,” Rudy told him. “I suppose you never saw an elephant either. Now, they are really big.”

This, Simon found, was certainly true. He had never seen any living thing that huge before. Not even the workhorses at the orphanage stood that tall. Suddenly one of the animals thrust its trunk between the bars, and Simon shrieked in terror.

“Whoa, whoa,” Rudy reassured him. “She won't bite. This here's Priscilla. She just wants a handout.”

Rudy put the lantern down again and dug in his overall pocket. Simon watched as Priscilla daintily took a handful of peanuts in her trunk and transferred them to her mouth.

“I don't suppose you'd like to give her some?”

Simon's head shook wildly.

“All right, then. Let's go on. Over here's a couple of babies.”

Rudy held the light high, and Simon gazed at two small elephants lying in the straw. These babies were bigger than the hog he had encountered on the farm, bigger even than the cows he stayed away from in the barn. Simon was grateful for the safety of Rudy's arms, even though he was assured that none of the animals could get loose.

When they finally reached the boys' car, Rudy set Simon on the floor. It was dark and quiet. Simon climbed up onto an empty seat and lay down. Exhausted from his adventure, he fell asleep right away.

The instant Rudy returned to his own coach, he was barraged with questions.

“Were they glad to see him?”

“Did they want to know where you found him?”

“How many kids are up there?”

“Where are they going?”

“I don't know any more than you do,” Rudy replied. “The car was dark, and everyone I saw was asleep. I just set the boy down, and he climbed up on a seat. He fell asleep right away, so I left.”

“Are you sure you left him in the right car?” Carmen asked. “Were the other children in there?”

“Looked like kids to me. A lot of them. Grown-ups don't go to sleep this early, and no one was walking around. You know what? That little kid never saw a wild animal before! Never even saw a picture of one, I guess. Scared to death, he was.” Rudy chuckled. “He wouldn't even feed Priscilla some peanuts. Guess he thought she'd eat him, too.” He sat down and stretched his legs out.

“We'll be in Ames in the morning,” Carmen said. “What time do we leave for Des Moines?”

Rudy pulled the schedule from his pocket. “Six p.m. We'll be in Ames all day to take on feed and water. Got time to look over the town if you want to.”

Carmen frowned. “No, we get too many stares when people see us outside the circus tent. I was thinking that maybe the children's car won't be leaving right away either. Perhaps we could entertain them while we're waiting.”

Mona looked excited. “If Simon never saw an animal, it's a pretty sure thing that not many of those children have ever seen a circus! I say let's do it.”

“It wouldn't be a big three ringer,” Rudy said, “but we could put on a few acts. We can't let the animals out, but I can prop up the sides of the cars in back so they can see them. I'll wear my clown suit and makeup.”

Everyone thought of something that could be done in the small space they would have available.

“We'll dress up,” Rudy declared. “And we've got a tumbling act, a juggling act, and the dogs.”

The train chugged toward Ames, Iowa, as Charles Glover gazed in disbelief at Simon, who was sleeping soundly in the seat across the aisle from Ethan. This was the place the boy usually occupied, but everyone knew that he hadn't been there last night when the lights were extinguished. Where had he come from, and how had he gotten there?

Charles returned to his seat to ponder the situation. There would now be no need to make arrangements for leaving the Orphan Train in Ames while he made his way back to Cedar Rapids to search for Simon. Glancing at his watch, Charles saw that they would be arriving at their destination soon. But it wasn't necessary to awaken anyone yet.

However, in a very few minutes, Bert awoke. When he saw Simon curled up on the seat, he shouted, “Hey, Ethan! God brought him back! Simon's here!”

It didn't take long for the news to reach the girls' car, and soon everyone was gathered around the little boy, demanding to know what had happened.

Simon's answers to their questions were brief and straightforward.

“Where were you?”

“I was out there.” Simon pointed out the window.

“How did you get back on here?”

“A man lifted me up.”

“What man?”

“Rudy. He lives back there.” Again Simon pointed, this time toward the back of the train. “The little lady lives back there too. She didn't have a hat on, but she gave me some supper. Rudy showed me some big animals on this train. El'phants and lions and tigers, and they made a lot of noise. Then Rudy opened our door and let me in here. I couldn't reach my blanket, and I'm hungry.”

Further questioning revealed nothing more about Simon's adventure. He had told all he knew, and everyone had to be satisfied with that.

It was a mystery indeed, and Charles continued to ponder it.

With the excitement of finding Simon, everyone was awake much earlier than usual. So Matron decided they might as well get breakfast over with. Since it was barely light, they had a long day ahead of them.

“We'll be in Ames until evening,” Charles Glover told them. “I understand that the cars ahead of us are going on north, and the ones behind us will be going south. We'll keep on west toward Nebraska.”

“Miss Carmen said we can come and see her,” Simon announced between bites of breakfast roll.

Everyone stopped eating to look at him.

“Who's Miss Carmen?”

“The little bitty lady with ...”

“... the hat and purse!” Ethan finished the sentence for him. “Simon, I told you to cut it out! Nobody's going to believe you saw anyone like that. I'm not even sure you saw all those animals, either.”

“Did.” Simon continued his breakfast calmly. “Rudy will tell you.”

“We didn't see any Rudy, either,” Bert reminded him.

“He had to get back here some way,” Riley put in. “There wasn't anyplace to hide when we were looking for him last night. He couldn't have made all that up.”

“Children,” Matron broke in to end the argument, “we'll believe what Simon told us until we know otherwise. Now we must decide what we'll do today if we stay in town. We simply cannot have anyone else almost missing the train or getting lost. Mr. Glover will make plans for us.”

“We'll stay on the train until we're switched to a siding,” Charles said. “You can watch from the windows. I'm going to do some shopping, and when I get back, we'll see about going to a park in town, together. No one will go off by himself. Is that understood?”

Heads nodded.

Shala stared at the boys with disdain. “The girls always stay together. You don't see us running off and getting lost. Some of us know that Matron doesn't need any more work than she already has.”

“Thank you, Shala,” Matron said, “but we don't need a sermon. I'm sure the boys will be more careful today. How about getting our dishes washed up before the cars start banging back and forth?”

By the time the train arrived in Ames, everyone was ready for the day. This time the children gathered around the windows on the back of the car where Simon stood.

“Just in case he really did see something we haven't seen,” Bert said.

Thus, no one observed the tall man who stopped Charles Glover as he stepped from the train. No one could have heard their voices anyway, as Rudy made arrangements for the group to attend the afternoon's entertainment.

When the noon meal ended, Matron gave directions for leaving the car. “Everyone walk with your partner. Simon will go with me this time, and Will can stay with Mr. Glover. The rest of you follow right behind us. If I turn around, I want to see fourteen of you there. Are we ready?”

They were, and the parade down the platform began. When they reached the end of the last coach, Charles Glover turned toward the tracks.

“Isn't town the other way, Mr. Glover?” Riley called from the back of the line.

Before Charles could answer, a clown ran across the rails toward them. The children stopped, and their mouths dropped open in surprise.

“Welcome! Welcome, everybody, to the circus,” he called. “Right this way, ladies and gentlemen. Come to the big top for the grandest show on earth!”

“Maybe Simon did see something,” Bert whispered to Ethan. “We better keep a closer eye on him from now on.”

The children rounded the railroad coach and were met with an astonishing sight. The sides of the freight cars were lifted, and rows of cages revealed the animals that Simon had seen last night. In front of the cages stood another clown and two very small ladies dressed in tights and little skirts.

“Meet Jacko the Clown, Madame Mona, and Miss Carmen,” their escort said. “I am Rudolfo, your ringmaster. Now, on with the show!”

Never in their most fantastic dreams could the children have imagined the things they saw before them. These amazing circus folks made a pyramid by standing on each other's shoulders, rode a bicycle through a burning hoop, found coins behind the children's ears, and performed every kind of acrobatic trick imaginable. The animals roared and trumpeted and growled to add to the noise and circus atmosphere.

When the show ended, every child shook hands with the performers and received a bag of peanuts and candy. They walked back to the Orphan Train dizzy with excitement.

“They'll not sleep tonight,” Matron predicted, smiling. “Wasn't that the nicest thing that could have happened?”

“It was,” Charles agreed. “They'll never forget it. Now we'll have to watch to see that no one runs away to join the circus!”

Simon was the hero of the evening.

“I'm sorry. I should have believed you,” Ethan said to his brother. “You never told stories before. But it's hard to believe something you didn't see yourself ... and couldn't imagine.”

The children waved good-bye to the circus train after supper.

A short time later, the Orphan Train headed west again, carrying sixteen children toward lives as unimaginable to them as a circus train.