The Little Sparrows Read Free Page A

business with Mr. Wilson. Mommy didn’t come to town with us. I just finished a little grocery shopping for her.”
    “Oh, I see.”
    Clara smiled. “Well, it’s nice of you to do the shopping for her, honey.”
    “I enjoy it.”
    Jody noticed Peter and Paul as they stepped across the boardwalk to the hitch rail and stroked Queenie’s long face, speaking to her. Queenie nickered her own greeting.
    The pastor looked at Jody. “Have you and Betty had a good race lately?”
    “Oh yes. Just this morning, in fact.”
    “And who won?”
    “I did.”
    “Well, that’s good. The last time I asked about you girls racing was at church a couple of weeks ago. Betty had won.”
    Jody giggled. “Oh, we trade off as to who wins.”
    “Really? So you two plan on who’s going to win before you race?”
    “No. Millie and Queenie plan it out.”
    The pastor and his wife both laughed. “Come on, boys, we have to be going. We don’t want to be late for your dentist appointment, Paul.”
    The boys left Queenie and moved back to the spot where their parents stood. Jody said, “Tell Dr. Miller hello for me, Paul.”
    Paul chuckled. “Tell you what, Jody—I’ll stay here, and you go see Dr. Miller in my place. Tell him hello in person.”
    “Nice try,” said Clara.
    Paul made a mock scowl. “I don’t want to go to the dentist, Mom.”
    “Nobody does,” said Clara. “But with all of us it’s necessary from time to time.”
    The pastor told Jody he would see her and her parents at church tomorrow, and he and his family walked away.
    Jody sat down on the bench again, took her licorice stick out of her purse, and went back to her people watching.
    A short time later, she saw her father riding down the street toward her. As he pulled up to the hitch rail, he looked at her and smiled. “Get your shopping done, honey?”
    “Sure did,” she said, putting the last piece of licorice in her mouth and rising from the bench. “I already loaded the sacks into the canvas bag.” She ducked under the hitch rail and mounted Queenie. “Pastor Forbes and his family came by, Daddy. Paul has an appointment with the dentist.”
    Sam screwed up his face. “I’m glad we have dentists in this world, but I sure don’t like to go to them.”
    “I never met anyone who likes to go to the dentist.”
    As father and daughter headed north on Main Street, they soon found themselves drawing near the railroad station. They saw that the coal train was gone and a passenger train stood in its place.
    Jody’s attention was drawn to a long line of children who were standing on the depot platform next to the train. Men and women were talking to them. “Daddy, look! It’s one of the orphan trains.”
    “Sure enough. I read the announcement about this train in the
Cheyenne Sentinel
last week. It told that the train would be intoday for prospective foster parents to pick and choose the orphans as they wished.”
    “I’ve heard you and Mommy talk about the orphan trains at times, Daddy, but I never understood about these foster parents. Do they adopt them legally after a while?”
    “Well, from what I’ve read, most of them remain foster parents, even though the plan is to raise them until they are adults. But some do adopt them right away. They simply go to a local judge to get it done.”
    “Well, Daddy, here’s your chance to get that boy you’ve always wanted!”
    Sam laughed. “Tell you what, Jody Ann Claiborne, since you’re such a tomboy, that’s enough! I don’t need a boy.”
    “Then I guess I’m not going to be replaced.”
    “You’re sure not!”
    “Daddy …”
    “Yes?”
    “Could we go in there to the depot and just watch for a few minutes?”
    “Why, sure. Since my meeting with Mr. Wilson was shorter than expected, we have time.”
    They left their horses at hitching posts in the depot’s parking lot and moved up to the platform beside the train. Jody’s eyes were wide as she beheld the scene from close up. She quickly