Ginny gave a final squeeze to the sturdy body against hers, smiling a little when Lindsay's eyes fluttered open, a disoriented look to her normally alert gaze."Tired, Lindsay?"

Lindsay frowned. She was used to far more activity than this, but clearly her body still hadn't recovered from Jacques and Jean and that damned dog. She refused to give Rat Face any credit at all for her current state."No, I'm not tired." But it was a half-hearted lie that merely earned her a slightly raised eyebrow and smirk.

"It's so quiet here." The hush in Ginny's voice reflected the surroundings. She could see a few small wooden buildings and a church with a tall steeple a block or two down the road. There wasn't a wagon in sight and she couldn't remember the last time silence actually thundered around her like this. In the distance, several plumes of smoke disappeared into the gray sky, probably, she mused, from the town's few houses. What an odd place for the train to stop and try to place children.

"Ahh...." Lindsay breathed in a deep breath of cold, fresh air."Smell that?"

Ginny bent to retrieve their bag and sniffed the air as they began walking towards the buildings. The breeze was scented with the sweet, pungent smell of pine and wood-smoke and... nothing else. "Wow." Clearly impressed, she gazed at the mature trees that lined one side of the street and the snow, so blindingly-white it hurt her eyes. Deep green, pine-covered hills shone in the distance. "If they call this 'Big Ugly,' New York City would give these people a collective heart attack."

The snow on the street was deeper than it looked and came halfway up the women's calves as they trudged forward. Lindsay snorted."New York City is enough to give anyone a heart attack. Even tough as nails New Yorkers!"

"Hideous...but home," Ginny muttered wryly, knowing even as she said the words they weren't really true anymore. Christian had been right. There was nothing left for her there. When she found her family she had a new life to create. For all of them. She desperately wanted Lindsay to be a part of that new beginning. But fear kept her from bringing it up. They'd never spoken about what would happen later, though Ginny knew things couldn't remain unsaid between them for too much longer.

"Where are we starting?"Lindsay scanned the buildings, knowing by the shape of the large one in the middle of the street, and its wide picture window, that it was the town's general mercantile."The store or the church maybe?"

Ginny's stomach growled. They hadn't eaten since their pre-dawn, several-hour stopover in a tiny town whose only industry appeared to be feeding hungry railroad passengers. The food sold in the dining car on the train was ridiculously expensive and so they'd gone without, trying to stretch every penny. She sighed; it was nearly suppertime, but they could always eat later. They needed to begin searching before the last of the afternoon light disappeared."First the church, I think. Christian said that the adoption committees were usually sponsored by one of the local churches or Ladies Leagues."

They crossed the street and headed towards the small, steepled building. "Tell me about these committees," Lindsay said, her thumb fiddling with the bandage on that hand. Maybe tomorrow she could remove it. The cut to her knuckles was healing nicely.

"The committee put up notices around the town and then, when the children arrive, the committee makes sure the people wanting to adopt them are fit. The committees also do all the paperwork, then mail it back to New York. I guess every orphanage does it a little differently, but the trains usually take different routes when they leave New York every month or two. That way a town won't see another train for at least a year and there's a chance, by then, that folks will want more children."

"Mmm... I've seen groups of orphans at a few different railroad stations. They get their own car and don't sit with the other passengers. " Ginny cocked her head to the side and drew in a surprised breath, the cold air stinging her lungs a little."You never mentioned that before."

Lindsay shrugged one shoulder."Nothing to say really. I suppose I've seen just about everything that goes on around trains. Never have seen bunches of kids like that except in New York, though." She didn't mention that many of the children had been sobbing and that she'd seen some forcibly carried onto the trains."I guess if they'd had them in Pennsylvania it might have been me on one of those trains...." She chuckled humorlessly."The State couldn't have held me though, unless they'd tied me up the entire trip... even then I'd have just run away when they finally untied me."

Ginny smiled a little at that, acknowledging that her strong-willed friend probably couldn't have been controlled unless they'd gotten her as a very tiny child. She imagined what Lindsay had been through over the years, growing up cold and hungry, truly alone in a world far too cruel to be navigated by a stubborn little girl. Even before Lindsay had taken to the rails her father had abandoned her emotionally if not physically. As near as Ginny could tell, she'd been robbed of her childhood completely. Maybe, just maybe, my friend, you'd have been much better off on one of those orphan trains.

Lindsay glanced sideways and shook her head at the pensive look on Ginny's face, easily guessing what she was thinking."I wouldn't change the past even if I could. Besides, if anything had happened differently, I probably wouldn't have met you." She didn't dare turn her head to see the expression on Ginny's face as the unexpected words tumbled out. But she heard a sharp intake of breath next to her and felt her heart began to pound as an unexpected silence grew between them.

Ginny reached out and grabbed Lindsay's sleeve, pulling them both to a stop. Lindsay felt her stomach drop as she looked at Ginny's deadly serious face and their eyes locked."Lindsay-" Ginny paused when a man exited the barbershop door only a few feet in front of them and they caught sight of their first citizen of Big Ugly. His skin was tanned and weather-beaten and he wore a wide-brimmed hat. He was dusting small clippings of white hair from his coat when he stepped outside, nearly bumping into Ginny and Lindsay.

"Afternoon," he said absently as he sidestepped the women. Then his wrinkled eyes met Ginny's and he did a double take, nearly stumbling as his brain tried to reconcile the pretty girl's face attached to a body dressed like a man. Confused, he hesitantly reached up and tipped his hat-just in case. Either way, those folks were standing way too close to each other.

The redhead smiled her hello, while Lindsay politely answered back, "afternoon," and took a small step forward, putting a respectable space between her and Ginny.

Scowling, the man lengthened his stride. The voice was clearly female. And women didn't have any business dressing like that. He began mumbling something about that train and the queer sort of folk it brought to town as he disappeared down the street.

Lindsay rocked back on her heels and let out a low whistle."Lucky that man didn't see us at the depot."

Ginny cringed."I need to change into something more respectable. My dress is wrinkled but clean."Her eyes flicked from place to place, finally landing on something that would do."I can use the outhouse behind the church."

Lindsay shrugged as they began to walk again."To hell with respectable."But her soft voice wasn't angry or even defiant."You look fine to me."

Ginny's lips twitched and her blue eyes twinkled affectionately."I know I do. And you look fine to me too."A light pat on the arm reaffirmed her words."It's other folks I'm worried about."

Lindsay paced outside the outhouse while Ginny changed."Ginny?" She took a step closer to the thin wooden door.

"Almost finished. Ugh... It's cramped in here."

"I'm going back down the street to... um..." Lindsay cast about for an excuse to leave. "To find out if there's a place to stay in this town."Yeah, that's it.

The movement inside the outhouse stopped."What?"

"I'll meet you later. Don't worry, I'll find you...I promise."

"Lindsay, wait."There was a loud thump as Ginny kicked off her shoe so that she could pull her leg out of her pants."Stupid... trouser leg...stupid."

The older woman laid her bandaged hand on the door and softly said, "Good luck."

Ginny's eyes widened. She's serious?"Lindsay, don't you dare leave before I finish!" Ginny grunted in frustration as she buttoned the top of her dress with one hand and scooped up the clothes at her feet with the other. She burst out the door, her face flushed and hair disheveled as she stepped into the snow. She scanned the area around the outhouse. Lindsay was gone and a new set of footprints lead back towards the town. "Argh. Lindsay."Angrily, she stuffed her clothes into their bag. When she straightened she gazed down the street unhappily and combed through her hair, which was growing damp from the falling snow, with one hand. She let out a tiny sigh and whispered into the wind, "Please, Lindsay, stay out of trouble."

Lindsay scowled fiercely at the items in the picture window and was about to step inside the general store when the sound of girlish giggles caused her to turn her head. "Mmm... Hmm... What do we have here?"Two pretty, teenage girls about the same age as Ginny approached her shyly, smiling and blushing the entire time. Reflexively, she smiled back, feeling a little guilty at the thoughts that instantly flooded her brain. What would Ginny think? she wondered, but just as quickly her rebellious side reminded her that Ginny wasn't here at the moment, and now she wouldn't have to resort to paying for it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been forced to sink that low and now maybe she wouldn't have to. Just the thought made her sick.

But they're just girls, her more reasonable side reminded, only to be shot down when Lindsay got a good look at the taller of the two. She was slim but definitely full-grown, with long legs and broad shoulders. Oh, yeah. This could work out perfectly.

The boldest of girls said hello and Lindsay responded in kind, certain that this obvious flirting was only taking place because the girls thought she was some wet-behind-the-ears buck and not a woman. Oh, well. She gave a mental shrug. They'd figure it out soon enough and Ginny would never have to know exactly what happened. "Hello, girls," she said again, grinning roguishly.

"You're not from around here, are you?"The taller blonde girl found her voice again.

"Noo...." Lindsay drew out the word smoothly, leaning against the store's wall and tucking her bandaged hands into her pockets. "I just came in from New York City."She purred the last word, hoping to add a little mystery and sophistication to what in her mind was a cesspool.

The quieter of the two girls blushed hotly and stammered, "Mercy. Th-that's a big place. Or so I've heard tell."

"Oh, it is. Very big," Lindsay agreed, eyeing her critically, and then deciding in favor of her friend. Still, it never hurt to have a backup. She glanced around until her gaze lit upon a spot that would afford them a little more privacy than in front of the town's biggest store. She briefly considered taking them back to the room she'd already secured for the night. But the alley would do in a pinch. This shouldn't take long."Care to take a walk with me? I could tell you all about the city?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, I don't know," the shy one demurred, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"You're smart not to trust strangers," Lindsay complimented the girl sincerely, a tiny sliver of guilt digging into her gut."But we could always introduce ourselves. Then we won't be strangers anymore."

"I'm Angie," came the anxious reply from the blonde, her voice brimming with excitement."And that's Greta."She indicated her red-faced friend.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Lindsay said, reserving judgment on whether or not to give her own name for later. She began slowly walking towards a narrow alley that separated the barbershop from the local bank.

Angie followed her without question, skipping along in the snow.

Not to be left out, Greta reluctantly trailed after them both, worriedly looking around to see if anyone was watching. She lifted the hem of her dress and jogged the few steps necessary to catch up with her friend. Carol-Ann Johnson's wedding, which the entire town had attended, had ended just a few moments ago, and now people were starting to filter back onto the streets. Her papa had warned her about strangers, but this boy seemed so nice. Still, it was best to be cautious; her father wouldn't understand that the local boys were so boring that she craved talking to anyone new.

The trio ducked into the alley and Lindsay steeled her resolve, reminding herself that she did, indeed, want this. She gave the girls what she hoped was a charming grin."How would you ladies like me to not only tell you about New York City but also show you something I learned there?" Her smile turned inviting."I can guarantee you'll like it."

Angie squealed with delight and a wide-eyed Greta nodded, wondering what fantastic tales this beautiful young man had to tell.

Lindsay steered them deeper into the alley, forcing herself not to look over her shoulder for Ginny.

Ginny stepped into the church, not surprised to find the sanctuary empty. If she hadn't seen that old man outside the barbershop she'd swear Big Ugly was a beautiful ghost town. There were, however, several candles lit around the room."Anyone here?" she called out, stepping inside and carefully shutting the door. She brushed the snow off her shoulders, spinning in a circle as she took in the simple but well-kept room."Hello?"

A middle-aged woman shuffled out of the preacher's office, tucking a strand of brown hair back into her bun. She jumped back a step, obviously not expecting so see anyone in the church."Oh, hello."She laughed a little at herself."I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief."That's fine, ma'am." She smiled warmly and the woman seemed to relax."You don't know how glad I am to see you. I was beginning to think there wasn't but one person in this entire town."

The woman laughed."That would be on account of the big Johnson wedding at the fancy church across town. It's bigger and more suitable for a large crowd. I think just about everyone in town was planning on attending. I was using it as a good excuse to get some work done here." She continued to fiddle with her hair. "My daughter Greta and husband Arnold went to represent the family though," she added quickly, not wanting Ginny to think she was rude enough to snub Carol-Ann.

"I see. That's very... err... neighborly of you." Ginny set her bag down on one of the pews and sucked in a nervous breath. This was it. The time had finally come. She threw her shoulders back, lifting her chin a little as she said, "Ma'am, my name is Virginia Chisholm and-"

"Oh, my." The woman anxiously crossed the room and stopped in front of Ginny. "You're the one looking for her brothers and sister, aren't you?"

Ginny blinked."You... you know who I am?" Uh oh.

"Oh, yes. I received a cablegram yesterday from a man who runs an orphanage. We don't have a phone for the church, but the general store can send and receive cables, of course. He warned me you might be heading here and-"

Blue eyes flashed with sudden anger and Ginny's fists clenched convulsively."You can't believe what Mr. Ward says."She could feel her hackles rise. "He's a liar who can't be trusted."

"A liar?"The woman looked confused."Who is Mr. Ward?" She frowned and shook her head in exasperation."I'm afraid I have no earthly idea what you're talking about. The cablegram was from a Mr. Christian Spence." Her face suddenly relaxed, easing the tiny creases that surrounded her mouth and eyes."Even from his few words I could tell what a wonderfully polite man he was. I wonder if he's single." She touched her chin with her index finger as she pondered."My Greta just turned seventeen last month."

Ginny's knees went weak with relief and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. It wasn't Mr. Ward. Thank God. She hadn't imagined until now what harm a few simple cables could do to her search. She only hoped Mr. and Mrs. Ward hadn't thought of it either."Christian is very kind, ma'am."

"No need to be so formal," the woman assured Ginny kindly."I'm Mrs. Arnold Watts, the church secretary. But please do call me Josephine." She glanced back at the closed door by which Ginny had entered and then around the church. "Where's your friend? The undercover agent for the Child Protection Agency of New York?"Just saying the words gave Josephine a little thrill. She whispered conspiratorially to Ginny even though there was no one else around to hear their words, "Mr. Spence said she'd be posing as a man and that her work was so secretive she couldn't even reveal her name." Her eyes lit with glee and she clasped her hands together."How terribly thrilling."

Ginny bit back a laugh. How long was that cablegram? Oh, Christian, do we ever owe you one. "Yes, Lind... agent... er... well, the woman helping me is frequently in disguise. It's best to not call her anything at all." She cleared her throat a little, wanting to get back to the matter at hand. "I'm here for my family, Josephine. My sister and two brothers-the Robsons."

"I'm afraid they're not here."She gave Ginny a contrite look, watching uncomfortably as the young woman absorbed the unhappy news.

Ginny closed her eyes and mumbled something under her breath that Josephine couldn't quite hear. All the same, the woman was sure it wasn't appropriate language in the House of the Lord. Or anywhere else for that matter.

"I couldn't give the information to Mr. Spence, you see. Privacy and all that. But seeing as how you're their sister, I can't think it would hurt you to know. No one ended up choosing them."Her forehead wrinkled."Sort of."

A wave of nausea hit Ginny, and Josephine encouraged her to sit with a gentle hand. Her eyes filled with tears and she swallowed hard."No..." she paused and swallowed again, irrationally angry that no one found her siblings worth adopting."No-one wanted them?" She shook her head fiercely."There's nothing wrong with them! They're smart and beautiful and...."

Unconsciously, Josephine fed off Ginny's distress. Feeling a little upset herself, she quickly pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of her dress and offered it to Ginny. Her voice was a little panicky."Oh, it's not that. I'm sure your brothers and sister are all those things." Ginny still hadn't accepted the cloth so Josephine pressed it into slightly trembling hands."You look like you could use this. No, it wasn't that there was something wrong with the children, but in the end, no one came forward to adopt them. And we would have stopped it even if they had."

Ginny took the small cloth and wiped her cheeks, resentfully wishing Lindsay hadn't abandoned her."But you said-"

Josephine dropped down onto the pew next to Ginny."Let me explain, dear. Do you know how these children find families once they get here?"

Ginny shook her head.

"All right. Then if you'll be patient, I'll explain that too. This is only the second time a train has come to Big Ugly carrying orphans. Why, only last spring eight children found homes here," she stated proudly."Five girls and three boys. This year folks were looking for boys, probably because the mines have been short of little fellows or very young men for the past few months. For some reason the mines can never seem to have enough short men to do..." she waved her hands in the air, "...whatever small men do in coal mines."

Ginny paled a little at the thought of James or Lewis working in a dark, dank coal mine. Suddenly, she wasn't so upset they hadn't ended up in Big Ugly after all.

Josephine picked up a Bible that had been left on the pew and neatly stowed it in the holder on the back of the next pew."So because it was boys that people were after, your sister wasn't chosen."She smiled."I remember the little blonde girl myself."

"How'd she seem?" Ginny asked softly, desperate for any scrap of information.

"Fine. Fine." Josephine patted Ginny's hand, wanting to reassure her anyway she could."The girl didn't shed a tear the entire time; she was a chubby little thing, if I recall."

Ginny let out a half-sob and nodded."She is chubby. Mama's arms used to ache from holding her, so then me and Alice...umm...she is...was my sister... well, we'd take turns. I don't think Jane's feet touched the ground for more than a minute for the first two years of her life. It's amazing she learned to walk at all."

The women shared watery smiles, each lost in their own memories of the children in their lives.

Ginny sniffed."Bu-but what about the boys?"

Josephine tried not to grimace. Their story was somewhat more distressing."After everyone inspected them-"

"What do you mean inspected?"Red brows knit together.

Josephine blinked, shocked at the banked flames she could see flickering behind Ginny's eyes. Like dry tinder, Ginny's anger was itching to combust."Oh, my," Josephine breathed."That was perhaps the wrong choice of words. You see, the children walk up there." She pointed to a 10x10 platform behind the pulpit where the town sometimes held children's plays and the church's choir stood to sing."And then everyone can see them without descending upon the children all at once and frightening them," she explained.

Ginny's eyes strayed to the stage as Josephine spoke. She imagined her brothers standing there as men and woman looked them over like pieces of meat.

"If they see a child or two they want they come to us, the Ladies Committee. I'm the treasurer this year." She smiled toothily as though that last bit was a grand announcement. "We're the ones who determine whether prospective parents are fit to adopt."

Ginny's voice was low and controlled."Let me understand this. You march the children up on stage to be inspected like livestock at auction or perhaps slaves, so that people decide whether or not they want them? And what about the homely or skinny child? Do they have to stand up on some stage in every town, wondering why no one wants them?"

Josephine's back went ramrod straight."That's not fairyhood else are folks supposed to decide?" Her cheeks flushed."We don't see a picture or know anything about the children before they get here. The citizens who come to this church for those children are taking strangers into their homes, sometimes to live alongside their own flesh and blood children. I think it's a little much to expect them to do that sight unseen. Is it so different from how any orphanage works where people come to see the orphans?"

Ginny didn't have an answer for that and she ducked her head, a little ashamed by her outburst, though her blood still ran hot at the entire process.

"Some of the children were living on the streets back in New York. They were outside in the cold. Can you imagine that?"

Ginny's head snapped up and her jaw worked."I can imagine it."

Josephine continued, undaunted. This young woman wasn't the first person to criticize the way the Ladies Committee did things."Other children don't speak a word of English. Because of what we do, some of those children have families of their own and roofs over their heads." She wrung her hands together, truly upset that this young woman didn't see the good in what she and the other women were trying to do. "I understand that the process can seem a little...harsh. We aren't perfect, Virginia. But isn't the result the most important thing?"

"I...You're right, of course," Ginny said quietly, sinking deeper into the pew. Most of these orphans came from places exactly like Orchard Street. It was hard for her to remember that she and her siblings had been very lucky...even in that harsh place where she'd scrounged for every nickel and worked until she could fall asleep standing up, she'd always had what mattered most. Who was she to criticize a woman who was trying to give that to total strangers? She glanced up at Josephine, heartsick."I'm sorry."

Josephine let out a deep breath. It had been a long day and that had been building up inside her for far too long."It's all right, dear."The tips of her ears reddened when she realized how rude her defense of the Ladies Committee had been." I didn't mean to snap. If I were in your shoes.... Well," she sighed. "I'm just glad I'm not."

"My brothers?"Ginny reminded.

"There were two families interested in each of those boys."

Ginny nodded in understanding."But they didn't qualify to adopt."

"No, actually they did. They were all Christian families with some visible means of support."

Ginny shot to her feet and glared at Josephine."That's it? You let people take children based on that alone?"

"You did hear the part about how we make them swear to be Christians?"

Ginny dropped her face into her hands."Oh, boy."

"Like this?"Angie asked a little uncertainly, dragging her eyes up to meet Lindsay's.

"Oh, yeah. You're a natural," Lindsay praised."Just... umm.... Not quite so hard."

"Remember what String Bean said," Greta prompted her friend as she began buttoning her dress. "Don't use your entire arm. It's all in the wrist."She smirked at Angie, delighting in torturing her friend over the fact that she'd gotten to go first. Of course they were both undoubtedly going to hell for this. But she'd kissed Mickey Jackson only last week and was, most likely, already on her way there anyway."You'll be hard-pressed to do better than me, Angie."