The Little Sparrows (22 page)

After breakfast, the boys and girls each had a piece of paper pinned on their chests with a number from 1 to 61.

At 10:15 the train pulled into the Kearney, Nebraska, railroad station. Once the Kearney-bound passengers had left the train, the sixty-one children were taken out of their coaches and lined up on the platform. Though they were nervous, all sixty-one presented themselves well, and the sponsors were proud of them.

A small number of potential foster parents were waiting to interview the orphans and look them over.

The other passengers on the train left their coaches to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. A soft breeze was blowing across the Nebraska plains. Most of them were interested in watching the orphan-choosing process and moved up close to look on. Among these was the businessman Lance Adams.

Nurse Rachel Wolford positioned herself quite near to the spot where Josie Holden and Wanda Stevens were standing together in the line, praying that God would not let anyone take Josie until she had the opportunity to talk with her about being saved and had the joy of leading her to Jesus.

The Stanfields and the Conlans moved along the line with clipboards and pencils in hand, ready to question the interested couples about themselves and do the paperwork if they qualified to become foster parents.

Soon two couples showed interest, one in an older boy and the other in an older girl. The couples summoned the sponsors and the questioning began.

Rachel noticed a couple step up to Wanda Stevens and begin
talking to her. She was close enough to hear what was being said, and after a few minutes, it was obvious that they were interested in her.

Josie had a couple talking to her, but they soon passed on down the line. Rachel heaved a sigh of relief. She noticed that as Josie listened to the conversation between Wanda and the couple, she was picking up on the fact that they were interested in taking Wanda home with them. Josie’s eyes showed the fear she was feeling. She was disturbed about the prospect of losing Wanda to foster parents.

The man stepped to Tabitha Conlan, who was only a few feet away, and told her they wanted to take Wanda as their foster daughter. Tabitha smiled as she accompanied the man to the spot where his wife stood talking to Wanda.

Instantly, Rachel began to pray, asking the Lord to help Josie to accept it if she lost Wanda so early in the trip; but most of all, that He would not let anyone take Josie until she had the opportunity to talk with her about salvation.

A little farther down the line, Lance Adams was standing near the spot where Jimmy Kirkland was positioned next to Johnny Marston. Johnny’s sisters were on his other side.

While observing the scene, Lance’s heart grew heavy for all the children, whose faces showed the apprehension they were experiencing. He knew that as orphans and street urchins, their lives were already full of sorrow and uncertainty.

Lance’s attention was soon drawn to a couple that had stopped in front of the small, blond boy.

“Hi there, little fellow!” said the man, smiling from ear to ear. “My name is Jack Hankins, and this is my wife, Esther.”

“And what is your name, honey?” asked Esther.

The little boy smiled in return. “My n-name ith Jimmy K-Kirkland.”

Jack and Esther’s smiles vanished as they shot a glance at each other.

Jack said, “Jimmy, are you talking like that because you’re nervous and afraid?”

Jimmy shook his head. “N-no, thir. I … I always talk like th-thith.”

Jack looked at his wife. “Let’s move on, Esther.”

When they were out of Jimmy’s earshot, Lance heard Esther say, “I couldn’t live with the stuttering or the lisp.”

“Me, neither,” Jack said.

Lance felt his heart grow heavy for little Jimmy Kirkland, who had tears in his eyes as he watched the couple walk away.

Lance watched another couple show interest in the little towheaded boy until they heard him talk. They quickly walked away. Moments later, another couple stopped and began talking to Jimmy. As soon as he responded to them, they walked away discussing the speech impediment, and the woman said, “Ralph, that boy is retarded.”

Ralph agreed.

Jimmy was wiping tears.

At the same moment, a man and his wife, who by their clothing were obviously farmers, stepped up to the three children next to Jimmy. The man said, “Mr. Stanfield told us you three are brother and sisters.”

The Marston children nodded, and Mary said, “That’s right, sir. My brother’s name is Johnny. My sister’s name is Lizzie. And I’m Mary. What are your names?”

The man’s eyes twinkled. “I’m Will Banton, and my wife’s name is Leah.”

Leah smiled. “And what are your ages?”

Mary swallowed nervously. “Johnny’s six. Lizzie’s four. And I’m eight.”

As the Bantons asked the Marston children questions about their parents and the home in which they were raised, Lance Adams looked back at little Jimmy Kirkland. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he had never seen a more dejected look.

Jimmy’s head was tilted downward. His lips were quivering and his hands were jammed into his pockets.
Nobody will ever want me. I can’t talk right, and I’m too little to be much help to anybody. I’m just no good, I guess
. Jimmy’s little body shook as he sobbed.

Unable to stand it any longer, Lance Adams walked up to the pitiful little boy, bent down to look him in the eye. “Hello, little guy. My name is Lance Adams. I’m from California. And your name is Jimmy Kirkland, right?”

Jimmy sniffed, wiped tears, and nodded.

Lance’s heart was so sore for the child; he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around him. Jimmy offered no resistance, but let the man hold him tight.

“Jimmy, don’t be afraid. Somebody along the line will want to take you home with them.”

At that instant, Gifford Stanfield drew up. He smiled down at Lance. “Are you interested in taking Jimmy home with you, sir?”

Lance let go of Jimmy and stood up. He took one of the boy’s hands in his own. “I’m not a resident. My name is Lance Adams. I’m a passenger on the train on my way home to San Francisco.”

“Oh. I see. I … I thought by the way you were hugging him, you just might want to take him. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

Lance grinned. “It’s all right. Jimmy looked so sad by the time three couples had talked to him and passed on down the line. I just wanted to try to cheer him up.”

Stanfield nodded, and putting the pencil and clipboard in his left hand, offered his right. As their hands met, he said, “I’m
Gifford Stanfield. Maybe you’d like to be Jimmy’s foster father, even though you live in San Francisco. The orphans who are left by the time we get there will still need homes. Interested?”

Lance ran a hand briskly over his mouth. “Ah … no, sir. I wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Stanfield nodded again. “I see. Well, somebody’s going to get a real nice boy when they take him.”

Lance let go of Jimmy’s hand and patted him on the head. “I have no doubt about that. He is indeed a fine boy.” He looked down into Jimmy’s teary eyes. “Perk up, little pal. Some nice people will come along and choose you.”

Jimmy watched the two men walk away together.

When they were out of earshot from the boy, Stanfield leaned close to Adams and spoke in a whisper. “Just between you and me, Mr. Adams, I think the problem is Jimmy’s speech impediment. Our director, Mr. Brace, told us it might be difficult to find him a home because of it. Most people equate a stutter and a lisp with retardation.”

“Mm-hmm. I’ve heard that many times before, and one of those couples who stopped to talk to Jimmy, agreed that he was retarded.”

“Well, you were talking to him. What do you think? Is he retarded?”

“Not that I can tell. His thinking seems perfectly normal for a child his age. What is he, five?”

“Exactly. And I agree. Jimmy is not retarded.”

Someone in the line called for Gifford Stanfield, saying they were interested in one of the teenage boys. He excused himself to Lance Adams. Lance returned to the spot he had occupied before and continued to observe.

By this time, Will and Leah Banton motioned for Laura Stanfield.

“Could we talk to you in private, Mrs. Stanfield?” asked Will.

“Of course.”

Laura led them a few paces away, so their conversation could not be heard.

While the Bantons talked to Laura, the Marston trio stood close together. Johnny noted that Jimmy Kirkland was sniffling, and turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You all right, Jimmy?”

Jimmy wiped a palm over his wet face. “Mm-hmm. That n-nice m-man thaid thomeone will w-want me.”

“Well, he was right. It’ll happen, you just wait and see.”

Johnny turned back to his sisters as they were looking around at the people milling about. Mary had an arm around Lizzie, who obviously was overwhelmed by it all. She leaned into her sister’s side and buried her face in Mary’s dress.

Mary leaned down and spoke into her ear in her most grownup voice. “Lizzie, honey, stand up straight, now. We have to make a good impression. I think Mr. and Mrs. Banton are talking to Mrs. Stanfield about taking us.”

Johnny voiced his fear. “But what if they only want one or two of us, Mary?”

“Yeah,” said Lizzie. “What if they only want you an’ Johnny? What if they don’t want a girl who’s four?”

“Now, sweetie,” said Mary, “they will want you too.”

“But what if they don’t? I want to go with you and Johnny. Please, Sissy, don’t let ’em take you an’ Johnny away from me.” Tears had formed in her eyes.

Mary stroked her little sister’s cheek. “Don’t you worry, Lizzie. We’ll stay together.” She wished she felt as sure as she sounded.

Johnny was looking at the Bantons as they continued to talk to Laura Stanfield. Mary’s line of sight followed his, and when Lizzie saw it, she looked back at the Bantons.

At the spot where the Marston children’s attention was focused, Laura Stanfield was asking the Bantons the normal personal questions required by the Children’s Aid Society.

The Bantons told her they owned a 160-acre farm a few miles north of Kearney and made a good living. They explained that Will was forty years old, and Leah was thirty-eight. She could not bear children. They had wanted children in their home since early in their marriage and were thrilled with the prospect of getting all three of the Marston children at once.

Laura felt an electric current of excitement flow through her at these words from the Bantons. “Now, I need to ask about alcoholic beverages. Do you folks imbibe?”

“Absolutely not,” responded Will. “We never touch the stuff. There is no liquor and no wine in our house.”

“Great!”

Will said, “Mrs. Stanfield, may I butt in here?”

“Of course.”

“Mary and Johnny told us their parents drowned off the coast of Nova Scotia when their ship went down in a storm this past April. Is this so?”

“Yes, sir. It is exactly as they told you. I need to ask you something else. How about your church attendance? Are you members of a Bible-believing church, and if so, do you attend faithfully?”

Will’s face tinted. He cleared his throat nervously. “We … aren’t members anywhere, and we know we should be. We … ah … really need to change that.”

“Well, Mr. Brace insists on it. You need to know that from time to time the Children’s Aid Society checks up on children they have placed in homes to make sure all is well. We definitely want the children in church and Sunday school.”

Will looked at his wife, then at Laura. “I promise, Mrs. Stanfield, we’ll start going to church immediately.”

Laura smiled. “I’ll take your word for that, Mr. Banton.”

“We appreciate that, Mrs. Stanfield,” said Leah. “We will have those precious children in Sunday school and church on a regular basis.”

Satisfied that the Bantons would keep their word, Laura wrote it down on the official papers on the clipboard. “All right,” she said, handing Will the clipboard, “I need both of you to sign at the bottom of this page and the transaction will be done.”

When Will and Leah had both signed and handed the clipboard back to her, Laura said, “Let’s go tell Mary, Johnny, and Lizzie that they are going home with you.”

Mary Marston was watching the Bantons and Laura Stanfield. Johnny was talking to Jimmy Kirkland. When Mary saw the Bantons signing something on the clipboard, her heart skipped a beat. They handed it back to Laura and the three of them turned and headed back toward the line. Her heart skipped a beat again.

Mary prayed, “Dear Lord, please keep us together. Don’t let them take only one or two of us.”

All three of the adults were smiling broadly as they drew near. Johnny turned from Jimmy and looked up at them. Lizzie’s eyes were wide with curiosity. Mary put an arm around Lizzie’s shoulder, and on the other side, Johnny took Mary’s hand. The three of them presented a picture of determination not to be separated.

Leah spoke in a low voice to Laura. “Look at that united front! It’s a good thing we’re taking all of them. I’d hate to see their dejection if we took only one or two.”

“Me too,” said Laura. “It’s a blessing that they can stay together. They’ve been through so much sorrow in their young lives.”

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Will.

As they stopped in front of the trio, Laura ran her eyes over the
anxious faces. “Mary, Johnny, Lizzie, how would you like to live on a farm and become Mr. and Mrs. Bantons foster children?”

“Oh yes!” exclaimed Mary.

Johnny’s eyes were dancing. “We sure would!”

Mary looked down at her little sister. “Lizzie, we’re going to go home with Mr. and Mrs. Banton and live on their farm.”

Lizzie looked up with worried eyes. “All three of us?”

“Yes.”

“Do they have cows and horses?”

“We sure do, sweetheart,” said Leah.

“Oh, boy! I like cows an’ horses!”

“And we also have pigs and chickens.”

“Really?”

“We sure do, honey,” said Will.

Lizzie looked up at Mary. “Do they have sparrows on their farm?”

The Bantons and Laura showed their puzzlement at the question, then Mary looked at the Bantons. “Do you?”