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Baker Publishing Group - Vogel Sawyer Kim

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142 pages

English

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Three orphaned immigrant children are separated, but long to find each other again. A prairie story in the tradition of Janette Oke.

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 mars 2008
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441202321
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

MY HEART REMEMBERS
A NOVEL
Books by Kim Vogel Sawyer FROM BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS
Waiting for Summer s Return
Where Willlows Grow My Heart Remembes Where the Heart Leads A Promise for Spring
MY HEART REMEMBERS
A NOVEL
Kim Vogel Sawyer
My Heart Remembers Copyright 2008 Kim Vogel Sawyer
Cover design by Brand Navigation
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sawyer, Kim Vogel.
My heart remembers / Kim Vogel Sawyer.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7642-0493-7 (alk. paper) - ISBN 978-0-7642-0262-9 (pbk.)
1. Orphans-Fiction. 2. Brothers and sisters-Fiction. 3. Orphan trains-Fiction. 4. Missouri-Fiction. I Title.
PS3619.A97 M9 2008 813 .6-dc22
2007034603
In memory of Tantie
CONTENTS
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
PART TWO
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. . . .
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. . . .
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
. . . Thy right hand shall hold me.
- Psalm 139:1, 5, 7, 10b KJV
P ART O NE
C HAPTER O NE
Maelle
New York City
March, 1886
M aelle Gallagher sat straight up, careful not to bump Mattie, who slept sideways in the bed, his head near her hip. An odd yellow glow lit the tenement s bar-covered window, making shadows dance on the far wall. Maelle frowned. Light came from sunshine, but Ma and Da in their bed across the room meant it must still be nighttime. She rubbed her eyes, then looked again at the glowing window.
She smelled something that reminded her of the fireplace back at their cottage in Ireland. The smell made her throat tighten and her stomach feel full. She tugged at the buttoned collar of her nightshirt, covering her mouth and nose. Her heart pounded in fear, although she wasn t sure why she was frightened.
She scratched her short-cropped hair-oh, how she missed the long curls Da used to tug when teasing her-and slipped from the bed. Tiptoeing, she crossed the room and peeked out the window. The light was brighter there, making her squint. Sounds she hadn t heard in the city before-like dry grass crunching under someone s feet and the far-off roar of a river-came through the open window, increasing her confusion. The fireplace smell was stronger by the window, and she coughed.
Who is it?
She sucked in her breath, realizing she d roused her father. She whispered, Me, Da.
My . . . elle. Her name split with his yawn. Lass, what re ya doin up in the middle o the night?
The gently scolding tone made Maelle shrug her shoulders and look down in shame. Suddenly he leapt from the bed and let loose a string of language of which Ma did not approve. Da only cursed when angry. Maelle shrank against the window frame.
Lass, wake yer brother!
Maelle stared stupidly at her father as he raced to the bureau, yanked open the top drawer, and withdrew a cloth bag. She watched him throw several items into the bag and then spin toward her. D ya hear me, Maelle? He shoved the bag into her arms. Wake yer brother n get out!
Maelle s fuzzy brain could not comprehend the strange order. Get out? Why would Da pack her a bag and send her away? And why make Mattie leave? Mattie still slept like the good boy he was. He had done no wrong. She remained rooted in place with the bag in her arms, shivering although the night was unusually hot.
I m tellin ya, lass. Get out!
Da s hollering woke baby Molly, and she wailed from her basket on the floor. Ma sat up then, as did Mattie. Still Maelle stood by the window, watching, listening, her breath coming hard and fast as fear made a foul taste in her mouth. Screams pierced the night, adding to the crackling and roaring that seemed to grow louder by the minute.
Rubbing her eyes, Ma said, Angus, what-?
Da snatched up the wailing Molly. A fire, Brigid!
Fire? Ma leaned into the corner, pulling the sheet to her chin. Her eyes looked wild. She began to moan. Oh, saints in heaven, save us!
Da stood for a moment, staring at Ma. Then he shook his head and whirled toward the bed Mattie and Maelle shared. Holding Molly against his shoulder, he grabbed Mattie by the arm and jerked the boy from the bed. Mattie cried out as Da shoved him in Maelle s direction. Mattie fell against her, nearly knocking her down. Maelle caught him, holding him up, though her limbs quivered. Da had never been so rough.
Out! Out! Da yelled in Maelle s face, and finally Maelle found the ability to obey. Clutching the bag Da had given her, she took hold of Mattie s hand and stumbled behind Da to the hallway. Molly s high-pitched screams carried over all other sounds, the baby s red face furious as it bounced on Da s shoulder.
Smoke hung heavy in the hallway, stinging Maelle s eyes. People milled in a jumbled stream toward the stairway that led to the lower floors, their feet pounding, voices calling out to hurry, hurry. At the top of the stairs, Da shoved Molly into Maelle s arms and then stepped away from her. Follow the others, lass, n get yerself n the wee ones outside. I ll get yer mither n some more o our things, n then I ll follow. Take care o the wee ones. Don let them out o yer sight. D ya hear me, lass?
I hear ya, Da, Maelle gasped. Then Da touched her hair- her short hair-and gave a little pat. A gentle pat. The kind Maelle expected. His smile flashed, and he turned and disappeared into the smoke.
Gagging against the horrid smell that cut off her breath, Maelle struggled to keep hold of Molly. The baby bucked and cried in her arms as they made their way down the stairs. Hold tight t me, Mattie! She felt his hand grasp a fistful of fabric at her back. Others, all set on escape, pushed past them, and Maelle feared they would be separated. But Mattie s hand held tight to her nightshirt, and finally they burst through the outside doors and sucked in great gulps of night air.
Clanging bells and horse hooves on cobblestone sounded above the voices of frightened tenants. Men in blue uniforms with sticks in their hands pushed in front of the building, forcing people away from the entrance. Get back! Get back now! The fire wagons are comin ! Make way!
Maelle led her brother across the street, where they could watch the doors for Da and Ma. She sat cross-legged, the sack at her feet and Molly in her lap. Mattie stood beside her, his hand clamped on her left shoulder. Mattie and Molly both cried, but Maelle didn t cry. Blinking to clear her vision, she squinted across the street. She didn t want to miss seeing her parents come through those doors.
She would show Da she d done just as he d asked-she d looked out for the wee ones. Remembering his hand on her hair, she smiled. He d be so proud of her.
Maelle? Maelle . . .
Something shook her arm, and she grunted in displeasure, unwilling to surrender her sleep. She jerked away from the intrusion, pushing a bulky weight from her lap. A baby s cry brought her fully awake. Opening her eyes, she saw little Molly sprawled across the sidewalk and Mattie leaning over the baby.
Maelle, ya should be shamed. Ya threw poor Molly onto the ground.
Her brother s tone reminded her of Da s. She scooped up Molly and patted her. Sorry I am, wee one. I meant no harm to ya. She continued rocking Molly, who sucked her fist and complained. Looking around, she realized they were on the sidewalk across from their apartment building. Confusion dizzied her mind.
She pressed her memory-the last thing she remembered was watching streams of water from the fire wagon shoot over the building and hoping Ma and Da wouldn t get a soaking. Although she d meant to stay awake until her parents came out, tiredness must have overtaken her. The noisy milling crowd from last night had cleared, although people still stood in small clusters outside of their building, and some stretched on the sidewalk near where she and Mattie sat.
Do ya see Da or Ma, Mattie?
Mattie shielded his eyes with a dirty hand, peering across the street. Then he shrugged and squatted beside her, putting his hand on Molly s tangled curls. Maybe they went to work?
Worry made her tummy tremble. If Da and Ma had already left for their jobs at the manufactory, they wouldn t be home until late. Maelle was accustomed to caring for Mattie and Molly in her parents absence, but she was always instructed to stay in the flat. Da would not be pleased if they spent the day outside.
She struggled to her feet, her movements awkward due to Molly s uncooperative bulk. Pick up the bag, Mattie, an come with me.
Where re we goin ?
To the flat. We canna be outside in our nightclothes. Maelle looked both ways, then dashed across the street, wincing when her bar