The Bad Seed

The backhanded slap across eight year old Jed Curry's left chin and cheek jerked his head to the right and he stood as still as a statue for several seconds before turning, his chin nearly touching his chest, his eyes cast downward.

"I demand an answer Mr. Curry. Were you being insolent toward Mr. Harker?"

Jed pressed his lips together tightly and fought the urge to clench his fists as Mr. Bixler, headmaster of the orphanage, hovered menacingly in front of him.

"You're a bad seed, Jed Curry, and you need to learn your place in this world. You'll start by learning your place at this school. You may continue to attend classes this week, but you may not leave the dormitory for any reason other than to attend classes. Do you understand?"

Still staring at a knot in the hardwood floor, Jed gave his head two nods.

"If I have so much as one complaint from any teacher, you will spend the week in the detention room. Is that clear?"

This time Jed did not acknowledge Mr. Bixler's threat, but stood stoically still, concentrating on keeping his breathing slow and calm.

"You may return to your dorm now. Your meals will be brought to you."

Jed turned and walked slowly toward the door. He reached out and turned the nob, pulled the door open, and disappeared from Mr. Bixler's sight.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"You didn't come down for supper, you sick?" Hannibal Heyes asked, speaking to the large lump, completely covered in blankets in Kid's bed.

When he got no response, Heyes moved to the far side of Jed's bed and sat down.

"Kid, I know you ain't asleep at this hour. Are you sick?"

"No," came a muffled reply.

"Then what's wrong? Did you get in trouble with Mr. Bixler again?"

Heyes watched the top of the blankets move slightly as the boy beneath the coverings nodded his head.

"Did he hurt you?" Heyes asked, as a mixture of anger and frustration began coursing through him. "Jed?"

Slowly the top of the blankets began to move as Jed, lying on his left side, facing his cousin, slowly exposed his face where a deep purple bruise colored his chin and cheek.

Heyes winced at the sight. "What did he accuse you of doing?"

"Said I was insulated to Mr. Harker."

"Insulated?"

Kid nodded. "I don't even know what that means."

Heyes was quiet a moment as he tried to decipher the correct word. "You mean insolent?"

Kid nodded.

"Were you?"

Kid shrugged. "I don't know. I told you Han, I don't know what that means."

"Insolent means being rude or not respectful. So, were you?"

When Kid did not respond, Heyes decided to take a different approach.

"What happened between you and Mr. Harker?"

Jed pulled the covers back and sat up on the edge of the bed beside his cousin. "Mr. Harker was telling us about the American Revolution. He said the soldiers protected the farmers from the British soldiers, just like the union soldiers did in this war."

Heyes sighed. "An you told him otherwise?"

Jed shook his head. "All I did was close my book."

"Closed it or slammed it shut?"

Jed didn't answer, but he did nod his head.

"Slammed it shut?" Heyes confirmed and again saw Jed's head nod.

It had only been four months since the two Kansas boys had arrived at the Valparaiso School for Waywards and the acclimation had not gone smoothly for young Jed Curry. Having witnessed the atrocities of war, the deaths of his entire family, save for his cousin, Hannibal, Jed carried those scars internally, avoiding any discussion of what he had seen. But externally, he had become increasingly defiant, easily riled and completely distrustful of any adult. The only person who could forge those barriers was his cousin who, in many ways, felt the same as Jed.

But Hannibal was three years older, three years wiser than Jed, and instead of taking the more primal approach to life, Hannibal assimilated the theory that you can catch more flies with honey. Like Jed, there was no adult he trusted, but many he could out wit or out charm, or out talk, and this often gave him a sense of superiority.

"Then what happened?" Heyes asked.

"Mr. Harker grabbed me by the arm and hustled me down to Mr. Bixler's office.

Heyes sighed heavily. "What did he give you for punishment, no supper?"

"Can't leave this room except to go to classes, and can't go to the dining room for a week. He said they would bring me meals right here in the dorm."

"A week!" Heyes exclaimed, then stood up and faced the other boys in the room. "Fellas, anyone got any food you could give Jed? He missed supper and can't go to the dining room for a week."

"They did that to me once, Johnny Roberts said. ""The food is what ever is left over after everyone else has eaten. If there ain't no leftovers, it's just bread and milk."

A few of the boys began scrounging through their meager possessions and soon two apples and half a sandwich that had been saved from supper were offered to Heyes who thanked each of the boys. He unfolded the napkin from the smashed sandwich that had been smuggled from the dining room in one boy's pocket and handed it to Jed.

"Han, when can we get outta here, maybe go back to Lawrence?"

"Jed, the folks in Lawrence ain't much better off then we are. Soldiers pilfered all of them, too. They're all dirt poor themselves now. Nobody there can take in a couple of orphans. We at least got a roof over our heads, food to eat, schooling, and other boys going through the same thing we are."

"Mr. Bixler said if I get into any more trouble this week, he's putting' me in the detention room for a week."

Heyes wrapped an arm about Jed's shoulders and encouraged him to take a bite of his sandwich. "Then make sure you don't get into no more trouble, Jed."

0-0-0-0-0-0

The remainder of the school week passed uneventfully. Jed attended classes, spoke only when spoken to, and returned to the dorm immediately at the end of the day. The other boys all sneaked food from the dining room, so Jed did not go hungry. Even in the dorm with just the other boys in the room, Jed remained quiet and reticent and Hannibal knew something was brewing.

On Friday, Hannibal returned to the dorm shortly before supper and found Jed's bed empty.

"Anybody seen Jed?" Heyes asked the other boys.

"He was in class today, all day," Tom Watson said.

"Did he get in any trouble?"

Tom shook his head. "He's been as meek as a mouse all week."

"Maybe he's in the library," another boy suggested.

Heyes sat down on his own bed to think and noticed the corner of a paper sticking out from under his own pillow. Fearing the worst, Heyes pulled the paper out from under the pillow and read the short note with few words and several ink drop stains.

Ain't staying where I ain't wanted. The note was simply signed Jed.

Jed couldn't have more than a couple of hours head start, so Heyes was hopeful of finding him before dark. He reached over to the top of his wrought iron bed frame and gasped a small string sticking out from the finial that he twisted and loosened. Once he had the finial off, Heyes pulled the string out from the hollow post. There, carefully tied and secured to the other end of the string was a five dollar gold piece, all the money he had in the world. He quickly untied the string and shoved the coin into his pocket.

"I'm going looking for Jed," Heyes told the other boys. "Hank, if we're not back before lights out, stuff our beds with blankets so it looks like Jed and me are already asleep." It was a trick the boys had used on more than one occasion and so far, none of the disinterested teachers had spotted the deception.

"They'll see you're missing at supper, Heyes," Hank reminded him

Heyes shook his head. "Nope, I'll be there. Gotta get some supper for Jed. Then I'll just act like I ain't feeling good and tell em I'm heading off to bed."

"You got any ideas where he might of gone?"

Heyes nodded. "Got a few. With any luck, he'll be right where I think he likely is. I suspect he ain't leaving the grounds till dark."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After supper, with a bag of food hidden beneath his shirt, Heyes sneaked out a side door of the school and carefully made his way across the yard to the barn. The door creaked when he opened it and he immediately saw bits of straw and dust fall through the cracks of the wooden planks of the loft. Heyes smiled, knowing his hunch was correct, but he remained silent and crept his way to the ladder.

"Jed, it's me. I'm coming up," Heyes announced as he climbed the ladder.

As evening approached, the only light source in the barn were the two windows so the loft was dusky. But Heyes was able to make out the shadowy figure if his cousin, sitting with his knees drawn up, leaning against a bale of straw.

"Thought you might be here," Heyes said as he moved across the loft and sat down next to his cousin.

"How did you know?"

Heyes smiled and pulled the bag of food from his shirt and handed it to Jed. "You always come up here when you want to get away from everyone."

"It smells like our barn," Jed replied.

Heyes took a deep breath and nodded. "Yep, it does at that. You planning on leaving after dark?"

Jed nodded and bit into a sandwich.

"Well," Heyes said as he stretched out his legs and leaned against a bale of straw. "If you're going, so am I. We're partners, you and me. What one does, the other does. How much money you got, Jed?"

Jed quit chewing. He knew money was a matter of contention. "Figured I'd get me a job," he replied.

"You could probably get hired as a chimney sweep. You're small enough still to be able to wiggly down inside to clean out the soot... and bats. I hear that job pays well. Means we'll hafta head for a city, though."

"How much you got?" Jed asked.

"Oh, I brung some seed money. We got five dollars between us."

"Where did you get five dollars?"

Heyes smiled. "Outta Mr. Bixler's desk over a month ago. He keeps a little money box in there. I figure he likely don't come by it legal, probably pilfers it from the school's budget, so he ain't gonna make much noise if a little turns up missing now and again."

Jed grinned. He liked the idea of pilfering from such a mean and, as Heyes said, dishonest man.

"Course if we leave now, I ain't gonna be able to do that no more. I had it figured that, if we stayed until we are both old enough to do ranch jobs, we might be able to start out with, oh maybe as much as a hundred dollars."

Jed smiled. "Will you teach me how to do that, Han?"

Heyes did not want to commit to putting Jed at such a risk. "Aw, we'll come up with something else for you to do, Jed. That way we'll have two sources."

Jed ate the last bite of his sandwich. "Alright," he said with a mouth full of food. "But I ain't going back in there tonight."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing, Jed. It's a nice, warm night...and this barn does smell, and kind of feels like home... It's kind of a nice feeling."

"Han, you think our folks would be mad about us stealing money?"

Heyes gave this a bit of thought. "I think stealing stolen money ain't the same as stealing folk's hard earned money, Kid. I bet they are all looking down at the two of us right now and... are kind of proud of the way you and me are sticking together, taking care of each other... I think your Pa and mine would understand. Heck, they might even be proud of us."

"Proud of us?"

"Proud cause... they know you and me are gonna make it, gonna do something with our lives. They know we're gonna make the names Heyes and Curry fine, honorable names, maybe even famous names one day."

Jed leaned his head back against the bale of straw, closed his eyes, and took a long, deep breath, filling his nostrils with all the sweet and familiar aromas of the barn. In his mind, Jed was home, in the Curry barn back in Lawrence, cleaning stalls or milking the cows, his Pa at his side. He scooted himself down into the straw and used his arm for a pillow.

"Han, I know what it means about farming, but, what does a bad seen mean if you're talking about people?"

"Somebody tell you you're a bad seen, Kid?"

"Mr. Bixler," Jed replied.

Heyes scooted himself down into the straw next to his cousin."You ain't a bad seed, Jed, so don't let that notion go and take root.. A bad seed is someone who is willing to be mean or to hurt another person without feeling no remorse, no guilt."

"Like the soldiers?" Jed asked quietly.

"Yeah, Jed. Like the soldiers."

Kid didn't reply to his cousin's explanation. Instead, his free hand rustled the straw as it found its way to Heyes and came to rest on Heyes' shoulder.

0-0-0-0-0

"Jed, come on, wake up. It'll be light soon."

Kid shifted in the straw, then stretched his arms and legs.

Come on, we gotta get beck before the wake up call," Heyes told him.

The two boys descended the ladder. Leaving the barn, they raced across the grass to the side of the dormitory where, first Jed, then Heyes scaled the rose trellis to a large branch of an old Oak tree. One at a time, each carefully turned himself around on the trellis and, with both arms stretched out in front of him, jumped from the trellis, grabbed the branch and shimmied several feet up the tree to another thick branch that brushed against the dormitory window. Each performed a balancing act and crouched on the branch, carefully timing his push off, and wrapping fingers quickly and tightly around the frame of the open window, then pulled himself up and tumbled through the window, landing with a thud on the hardwood floor of the dormitory, before scurrying across the room to jump into their beds.

An hour later Mr. Harker opened the door to the dormitory and rang the triangle to waken the boys. Jed stayed in his bed as the other boys scrambled to dress and make his bed before falling in line to march to the dining room.

Once the room was empty, Jed threw back the blanket and got up and made his bed. Then he walked to the library table in the center of the room that separated the two long rows of beds. There he sat down and quietly waited for his own breakfast to arrive.

Jed smiled when he saw Mr. Bartley, the school cook, open the door with a tin covered plate and a glass of mile, both of which he set down on the table in front of Jed.

"Hope you're hungry, Jed. I made sure to hold back a extra big serving of eggs and hash for you. I figured you and your cousin are probably pretty hungry after your adventure last night."

Jed didn't say anything, but he looked up at Mr. Bartley who was easing himself into a chair at the table.

"Go on, eat up. You don't got much time before class," Mr. Bartley told him. "I think I'll get a couple of brackets and tighten up that trellis this afternoon. That thing has taken a beating over the years. It gets a little rickety sometimes."

Jed was scooping up a forkful of hash, but his hand stopped suddenly. "You seen us?" he asked.

The man smiled. "I was gathering eggs from the chicken coop. You ain't the first boys to scoot in and out of that dormitory room like that."

"You ain't gonna tell on us?" Jed asked.

"What's there to tell? Boys will be boys. Some things never change."

Jed swallowed a mouthful of hash. "Thanks Mr. Bartley," he said before lifting the glass of milk to his mouth.

"You know, I've been working here here for almost twenty years. I bet there ain't one boy who hasn't taken advantage of the trellis and that Oak tree at least once during his stay here. You and Hannibal are about the best escape artists I've ever seen."

Jed scooped the last bite of his breakfast into his mouth and raised cautious eyes to Mr. Bartley.

"Don't you worry, Jed. You're secret is safe with me. Now, you'd better get dressed and be off to class. You wouldn't want to get yourself into any more trouble."

"Yes sir," Jed replied and got up from the table and and slipped into his jeans and shirt, then gathered his books, then headed to the door. Jed paused at the door and turned around. "Thank you, Mr. Bartley, for the breakfast, and the secret."

Mr. Bartley gave Kid a wink. "Get going now," he said.

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Saturday rolled around, Jed was still grounded, so was not allowed to join the other boys for the weekly fishing trip to the river. This was the one activity that Mr. Bartley took charge of and the the school master did not object as it served three good purposes. The weekly afternoon spent fishing entertained the boys, gave the school staff a welcome break from the children, and provided one meal a week that cost the school very little money.

Jed sat at the library table with his school books spread out in front of him, but his attention was centered on the other boys laughing and giggling as they readied themselves for an afternoon of baiting hooks and catching fish and, if time permitted, an hour of skinny dipping in the cool river water.

As the boys began to file out of the room, Heyes walked over to the library table and dropped a stack on his own books on the table with a loud thud.

"You ain't going fishing, Han?' Jed asked, quite surprised that anyone would willingly bypass such an opportunity.

Heyes shook his head and sat down near Jed. "Too much homework," he grumbled, but Kid smiled, knowing that was a blatant lie.

Both boys actually spent a good hour doing their homework. Then Heyes pulled a checkerboard and box of checkers from a shelf in a small community closet.

"Here, you set up the board and I'll go see if I can charm one of the cooks into giving us something to eat," Heyes told Kid and hurried out of the room.

Heyes returned a few minutes later carrying two glasses of milk in his hands, and a small paper bag under his arm.

"What did they give you?" Kid asked with some expectation in his voice.

"Don't know, but Miss Charlotte said Mr. Bartley left instructions to give this to us if we came wanting something.

Heyes set the two glasses of milk on the table, then sat down and shoved the bag toward Kid. "She told me Mr. Bartley said this was for being so skilled. What do you suppose he meant by that?" Heyes asked.

Jed opened the paper bag and peeked inside, a big grin crossing his face as he pulled four hard boiled eggs from the bag. "He seen us climbing up the trellis and into the tree," Jed explained. "He was gathering eggs when we was sneaking back in here."

"And he ain't reporting us?"

Jed shook his head as he began removing the shells from his two eggs. "He says boys will be boys."

"Nice getting to know the good guys from the bad guys around here. You want red or black?" he asked as he shifted the checkerboard around on the table.

"Red," Jed replied.

Around four in the afternoon the boys all came piling back into the dormitory room to wash up and change into dry clothes for supper. Some of the boys were still dripping wet, having worn their pants into the river when they went swimming.

"We saw the biggest fish I have ever seen," Gabe Merkle said when he spied Heyes and Jed still finishing a game of checkers. "He had to be this big," the boy added with arms stretched well beyond the width of his shoulders."

"A river fish that big? I don't believe you," Jed told the boy.

"I ain't fooling him, am I?" Gabe asked the other boys and several backed up Gabe's story.

"What kind of fish?" Heyes asked.

"Looked like a Blue Catfish to me," Gabe said. "I bet at least fifty, maybe sixty pounds."

"Blue Catfish can get pretty big," Heyes replied. "I've heard tell up to a hundred pounds, maybe bigger. You'd need at least an eight, maybe a size ten hook to catch one that big."

"What kid of bait do you use?" Jed asked.

"Worms, large minnows, pretty much anything that stinks. Catfish love food that stinks," Gabe told him.

"You'd need something stronger than a bamboo or branch cut pole, I s'pect," Jed said.

"Yeah, probably a store bought pole," Gabe told him. "Heyes, you coming to supper?"

Heyes looked at Kid. "You gonna be alright?"

Jed nodded. "Yeah, you go on, Han."

"I'll see if Mr. Bartley will let me bring your supper back with me, Jed."

Jed nodded and watched the boys vacate the room. He sighed heavily and began collecting the checkers to put back in the box.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Sunday morning the boys were required to attend service in the school's Chapel, and this applied even to the grounded Jed Curry. Several nuns and a Priest in Training conducted the ninety minute service, during which time all the boys were expected to be quiet and respectful.. For a group of forty boys, this was a difficult task and the teachers were all aware of that fact, so one teacher sat at the end of each of the six pews that the boys were permitted to occupy.

The priest was a young man who, having been orphaned himself, and having grown up in a Catholic Orphanage, understood the hardship of remaining quiet for such a long amount of time. He spoke to the boys and related stories from the Bible, but omitted the formality of a sermon. While the service was Catholic is nature, the boys were not expected to do anything more than sit attentively and respectfully in their seats. Occasionally a giggle or a snicker could be heard. The young priest ignored these sounds, but the teacher sitting in the pew from which the sound originated, always leaned forward in his seat and glared down the pew until every boy in that pew caught the teacher's eye and quickly sat up straighter and folded his hands in his lap.

After the service the priest stood at the exit door. Mr. Bixler stood beside the priest, as a reminder to the boys to thank the priest for coming. Each boy dutifully shook hands with the priest as he filed out of the chapel.

"Those were good stories you told us today, Father," Jed said as he shook the priests hand.

"Thank you Jed."

"Can I ask you something?"

The priest crouched down to Jed's level. "Of course you can."

"You was talking about reaping what you sow."

"That's right. I'm glad you were listening."

"What if you're just a bad seed?"

"A bad... Jed, no child is a bad seed. Every child has the potential to do great things in his life, if he follows a life of good will toward others."

"And shows respect to his elders," Mr. Bixler added.

Jed looked warily at Mr. Bixler, then turned his blue eyes back to the priest.

"Every child is a good seed, Jed," the priest repeated, then gave Jed a wink before standing up again.

Jed walked out of the chapel and climbed the stairs to the dormitory accompanied by his cousin.

"You might be pushing your luck a bit Jed," Heyes cautioned.

"What do you mean, Han?"

"Don't try to fool me with that innocent look. It was Mr. Bixler that called you a bad seed, wasn't it? That's why you asked Father Hannigan about it, cause Mr. Bixler was standing right there to hear every innocent little word out of your mouth."

"Don't know what you're talking about, Han."

"Uh-uh. Outta the mouths of babes," Heyes mumbled.

Upstairs, all the boys quickly changed out of their good clothes. While they were restricted to the school grounds, Sunday afternoons belonged to the boys and they were all eager to get out in the sunshine and open space of the school grounds.

Jed spent much of the afternoon sitting in a chair by a window that looked out into the back yard and beyond, and watched the other boys playing tag or hide-n-seek, or dodge ball. He could hear the laughter and squeals as he sat alone in the room.

Late in the afternoon Mr. Bixler opened the door and walked into the dormitory. The teachers never knocked as they believed the element of surprise helped keep the boys in line.

Jed looked up with a start and immediately rose from his chair and stood at attention, his eyes downcast so as not to appear to be challenging Mr. Bixler in any way.

"Come over here and sit down, Jed," Mr. Bixler said, gesturing toward the library table.

Jed walked over to the table and slipped into a seat and Mr. Bixler sat down beside him.

"You posed an interesting question to Father Hannigan this morning."

Jed stiffened, expecting some sort of severe reproach.

"Don't be alarmed, Mr. Curry. I admire the fact that you not only listened to what I told you the other day, but you're seeking to understand the meaning of what I said. You're young enough Mr. Curry, you can mend your ways."

"Yes sir."

"Father Hannigan tells me he is looking for some help at the church on Saturday mornings. After your conversation with him, he asked for you specifically."

"Me sir?" Jed asked with some surprise.

"That was my reaction as well. It sounds like an easy job, just some preparation of the sanctuary for Sunday service. Things like placing the hymnals in each pew, the collection plates in the back of the church, that sort of thing. Would you be interested?"

"Just mornings, sir?" Jed asked, not wanting to miss out on the Saturday afternoon fishing trips.

Mr. Bixler nodded. "Just mornings."

"What does it pay?"

Mr. Bixler chuckled. "That you would have to negotiate with Father Hannigan. It may be a volunteer job for all I know."

"Alright sir. I'll do it," Jed replied, excited to be getting the chance to actually leave the school grounds, even for a limited time each week.

"Fine. I'll notify Father Hannigan. Now, one more thing, Mr. Curry."

"Yes sir?"

"Mr. Harker tells me you have been very respectful in class this week. That and the fact that you have accepted the request to assist Father Hannigan suggests to me that you have learned your lesson. I am going to suspend the remaining two days of your grounding, effective immediately. You may go outside with the other boys, Jed."

Jed tried to hide the smile that threatened to expose his excitement. "Thank you, sir," he managed to utter.

"Remember Mr. Curry, when you go to the church to help Father Hannigan, you are representing this school. I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"I will sir."

"Alright, you may go now."

Jed jumped from his chair and raced out of the room, down the stairs, and out the back door.

Heyes was standing under a tall Oak tree talking to two other boys when he spied Jed running across the yard toward him.

"Get back upstairs before somebody sees you! You want to add more days to your sentence?"

"No, it's okay, Han. Mr. Bixler just canceled my grounding," Jed exclaimed as he came to a standstill next to Heyes and the other boys.

"How did you weasel that outta him?" Frank Mowery asked.

"I think it had to do with my talking to Father Hannigan this morning, but I can't be sure."

"You mean Father Hannigan stood up for you?" Heyes asked.

Jed nodded as he tried to catch his breath. He even offered me a job!"

"Doing what?"

"Helping him at the church on Saturday mornings."

"Helping him do what, Jed?" Heyes asked.

Jed shrugged his shoulders. "Just getting things set up for Sunday morning, I guess."

"He needs help doing that?"

"That's what Mr. Bixler said."

"Are you getting paid?"

"I don't know. Mr. Bixler said that was up to me to negotiate... What does that mean, Han?"

"Means you and the Father can dicker over how much he's gonna pay you."

"I don't care if he don't pay me nothin' cause it gets me outta here every Saturday morning."

"Boy, some fellas have all the luck," Frank grumbled.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The week passed slowly, but Jed was careful of his manners and caused no disruptions in Mr. Harker's class after Heyes pointed out to him that his work privilege would be the first thing stripped from him if he did anything evoking a punishment. So he remained quiet in class and spoke only when directly called upon. He also worked to establish a habit of tackling his homework as soon as classes were dismissed, but this proved to be far to great a challenge, and by Friday schoolbooks were tossed on the bed, forgotten in the light of far greater priorities such as tree climbing and digging for worms for the Saturday fishing trip.

Meal times were not adjusted for the weekends, so Jed and all the other boys were up, dressed, and sitting in the dining room by six a.m. Then, after a quick visit to the outhouse, and a quick once over by Heyes to make sure he had washed behind his ears and scraped the dirt from under his fingernails, Jed was on his way down the road toward town.

Uncertain just where he was to meet Father Hannigan, Jed's pace slowed as he reached the large, stone church. He climbed the steps to the sanctuary and found the doors unlocked. Stepping inside, Jed found himself in a long narrow alcove with two large archways. A pedestal upon which rested a bowl half filled with water stood on each side of both archways. Jed's steps echoed as he approached one of the archways and peered into the large sanctuary.

Unlike the chapel at the orphanage, this room was regal in its simplicity. Two rows of pews filled the center of the room, with a long aisle separating the right and left rows of pews. At the end of the aisle were three marble steps, and at the top of the steps was a large, marble alter table. Stained glass windows lined much of the walls, and a ten foot tall crucifix adorned the wall facing the pews. While Jed's family had faithfully attended Sunday services in Lawrence, the church he remembered was far less ornate as that building had also served as the local school.

Jed walked slowly down the long aisle and slipped into the front row pew, assuming Father Hannigan would expect to meet up with him there. He sat as quiet as a mouse, growing more and more nervous with each passing minute.

"Ah, there you are Mr. Curry," Father Hannigan said as he entered the sanctuary from a side door near the back of the room. "Right on time."

Jed scurried out of his seat and stood nervously. "Mr. Bixler said you wanted some help, Father?"

"Yes, indeed. Today I'll show you what needs to be done each Saturday morning. The work shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Is ten cents a week agreeable with you?"

"Yes sir, I mean Father," Jed replied, excited at the thought of actually earning some wages.

"Fine. Have you had breakfast, Jed?"

"Yes sir."

"Well then, we'll get to work, and then perhaps an early lunch before you head home."

Jed nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Follow me," Father Hannigan told him and lead Jed to a narrow closet. "The hymnals are stored in here. Place four hymnals on the seats at the end of each pew. Make sure each is clean, with no broken bindings. If you find one in need of repair, set it aside and make sure that is brought to my attention."

"Yes sir."

"Dust all the pews and kneeling boards, place the candle holders on the alter and make sure the candles are at least six inches tall and have no cracks or breaks in them. The candles, the holders, and the dusting supplies are all in the closet with the hymnals."

"Yes sir."

Father Hannigan piled a stack of hymnals in Jed's arms, then gathered a stack for himself. "You take one row of pews and I'll take the other. When you run out of hymnals, there are plenty more in the closet."

With two people, the work moved along quickly and they were finished well before ten. Father Hannigan stood in the front of the sanctuary and looked out across the pews, nodding his head in satisfaction.

"Perfect," he said with a smile. "Now, how about some lunch?"

Jed followed him through the side door and down a long hallway to a dining room. There on the table sat two plates, two glasses of milk, and a tray filled with sandwiches.

"Have a seat and dig in," Father Hannigan said and sat down across the table from Jed.

Jed waited patiently, expecting Father Hannigan to say a prayer, but the priest simply smiled and lifted the plate of sandwiches toward Jed. "I'm confident the Lord knows how grateful we are," he said.

Jed smiled and reached for a sandwich. "Thank you, Father," he said.

"Oh, before I forget," Father Hannigan said and reached into his pocket for the ten cent piece he had promised.

"I only did half the work today," Jed protested.

"Work plus training. You earned your money, Jed."

Jed reached for the ten cent piece and slipped it into his pocket. "Thank you, sir."

"So, what does the rest of your day entail?" the priest asked.

"Mr. Bartley takes all us boys fishing on Saturday afternoon. Whatever we catch is what we have for supper."

Father Hannigan smiled. "Teach a man to fish..."

Chewing on a mouthful of his sandwich, Jed just nodded.

0-0-0-0-0-0

After lunch, Jed ran the entire mile back to the orphanage. He raced up the stairs taking the steps two at a time, his ten cent piece pinched tightly between his thumb and first finger. Rushing into the dormitory room, Kid spied Heyes sitting at the library table working on his homework.

"Ten cents, Han!" Jed exclaimed and thrust his hand right under Heyes' nose. "And I get one of these every week!"

"Five dollars and twenty cents a year," Heyes replied.

Jed's smile turned to a frown. "I didn't think about that. It'll take forever to add up to a sizable amount."

Heyes had not meant to deflate Jed's enthusiasm. "Every penny counts, Jed. By the time we've graduated, it'll be a sizable amount."

"Han, I ain't staying here for seven years. Maybe four till you graduate, but not seven!"

"Maybe some nice family will adopt us," Heyes suggested.

"Uh-uh," Jed replied. "I ain't gonna go live with strangers, neither. I'll run away before I'll do that. I swear, Han, I'll run away."

Heyes sighed. The entire conversation had somehow gotten off course and Heyes knew it was his doing. "Kid, if either of us ever decides to run away from here, we'll both go. Agreed?"

Jed visibly relaxed. "Agreed."

"Now go change outta your good clothes. We don't want to be late for fishing."

Promptly at one in the afternoon, forty boys and one cook gathered near the Oak tree. All the boys had makeshift fishing poles, cut and whittled from tree branches, and used horsehair for their fishing lines. But Frank Mowery had a fine bamboo pole with fishing line made from silk. All the boys were envious as Frank could cast out as much as three times further than any of the other boys. The silk line was a good deal stronger than the horsehair as well, making it much easier to successfully pull in a catch.

"I got a number 10 hook today," Frank told Heyes and the other older boys who all felt they were much more knowledgeable about the art of fishing than the younger ones.

"You're going for that blue catfish, aren't you?" Heyes asked.

"I can cast all the way to the middle of the river, and I got me a handful of big, fat, juicy grasshoppers."

"Fifty pounds of catfish for supper tonight and we'll all be going to bed with a full belly," Heyes replied.

Mr. Bartley did a quick head count. "Everybody got their poles and their bait?" he asked and was met with a resounding affirmation from the group. "Well then, best be heading for the river."

Once they reached the river, the boys broke into pairs or small groups, and Mr. Bartley assigned each of the older boys to look after one of the groups. Heyes naturally volunteered to look after the group that included his cousin. The older boys were allowed to fish, but they were also expected to help the younger ones if needed and to keep an eye on their general locations.

After about two hours, they had caught nearly two dozen fish. At this point, Mr. Bartley let the older boys go off a little way to continue fishing, while the younger boys stayed in an area down stream and stripped down to their long johns, or nothing at all, for an hour of splashing and swimming in the river which Mr. Bartley took great care in over seeing.

This was a common swimming spot for the boys and years ago a long, thick rope had been tied to an overhanging branch so the boys could swing out over the water and make a grand splash. Every boy swimming took his turn swinging from the rope.

Upstream Heyes joined Frank Mowery as he wanted to see the bamboo fishing pole in action. Heyes had abandoned his own fishing, just to watch the ease with which the silk line glided through the air, the baited hook landing with a plop in the center of the river just as Frank had promised.

"You don't use a bobber?" Heyes asked.

Frank laughed. "A fifty pound fish is gonna give enough of a pull to let me know he just sank his jaw into that hook."

They waited patiently but had nary a nibble. Frank pulled the line out and found the grasshopper had disappeared from the hook.

"Guess that fifty pound catfish is pretty smart," Heyes chided.

"Come on, let's try another spot," Frank said, moving downstream a few yards.

Frank opened his jar to retrieve another grasshopper and set to work baiting the hook.

Down streams the boys splashed and played and did cannonball jumps into the water from the swing rope. Jed climbed the tree with the ease of a well experienced tree climber. Standing on the long, thick branch, he reached out with one hand and grabbed hold of the rope. Grabbing just below the middle of the rope, Jed clenched the rope with both hands and pushed himself off the branch. Swinging way out across the water, Jed let go of the rope and plummeted downward, entering the water with a huge splash and and plunging into the depths of the river.

Jed used his feet to push against the bed of the river to propel himself back to the surface. He reached the surface and tilted his head upward to breathe in air as he dog paddled back to the shore. But just as his head surfaced, the number ten fishhook attached to the silk fishing line, attached to the bamboo pole, snagged Jed under his chin and he let out a loud yelp.

Jed's predicament was unbeknownst to Frank, and feeling some resistance on the line, Frank tugged on the pole, further embedding the hook in the underside of Jed's chin.

Jed's squeal this time was loud and frantic enough to draw everyone's attention. Heyes, recognizing the voice, immediately searched the water for his cousin. Jed was not hard to find as he flailed and squealed in the water.

"Your hook! It caught Jed.! Cut your line!" Heyes shouted to Frank and he dove into the water.

Several other boys were already near enough to pull Jed to the shore where Mr. Bartley pulled Jed up the bank and laid him, still squealing and holding the embedded hook in one hand. Mr. Bartley pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it around the edges of the profusely bleeding wound.

Heyes waded quickly out of the water and ran up to the spot when Kid lay.

"Jed, I'm going to have to work that hook out," Mr. Bartley explained. "It's gonna hurt, but its the only thing we can do."

"Han!"

"I'm right here, Jed. Take hold of my hand and squeeze as hard as you need to."

"I need a few of you older boys to hold him down, and one of you up here to hold his head still," Mr. Bartley told the boys.

Several of the older boys scrambled into place.

"Any one of you boys got a bandanna or a handkerchief? If you do, go soak it in the river, then bring it back up here."

Two boys ran back down to the river.

Mr. Bartley situated his knees on the ground until he had the desired leverage. "Alright boys, on the count of three you hold him still with all your weight. One, two...three."

Mr. Bartley moved and shifted the hook, inching out the path it had entered. Jed screamed in pain and agony and Heyes reached for a stick and, when Jed's mouth was wide open in a loud scream, Heyes stuck the stick between Jed's teeth.

"Bite down on it, Jed."

"What seemed like hours, but was actually less than two minutes, Mr. Bartley was able to pull the hook free and he quickly pressed his handkerchief directly on the bleeding wound. When the boys returned from the river, Mr. Bartley replaced the dry handkerchief with a cold wet handkerchief.

Mr. Bartley turned to Heyes. "You can help me get Jed back to the school. Frank, you see that everything gets gathered up and everyone else gets back safely."

"Yes sir," Franks told him.

"Jed, can you walk?" Mr. Bartley asked.

Jed nodded, but needed help getting to his feet as he used both hands to apply pressure to his still bleeding chin. His steps were slow and Mr. Bartley leaned down and picked him up and carried him back to the school.

"As soon as we get back, you run to town and get the doctor," Mr. Bartley told Heyes. He's in store for a bit more pain I afraid. I think he's gonna need some stitches."

Before Mr. Bartley had gotten Jed into the school, Heyes had darted across the yard and ran into town for the doctor.

Hearing a commotion as Mr. Bartley set Jed down on the porch and opened the back door, Mr. Bixler came rushing into the kitchen. "What happened?" he exclaimed seeing the very bloody handkerchief that Jed had pressed against the underside of his chin.

"He had a rather unpleasant encounter with a fishhook. I sent Hannibal after the doctor. I think the boy's gonna need a few stitches."

Mr. Bixler looked at Jed whose eyes were wet with tears. "Let's get him upstairs and into bed. I'll get some clean towels and a pan of water."

"Doctor should be here soon," Mr. Bartley said and ushered Jed up the stairs and into his bed.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Given the circumstances, both Heyes and Jed were excused from the Sunday service in the chapel the next morning. Jed had gotten six stitches the night before and his chin was bruised and terribly sore. Mr. Bartley had brought breakfast up to the dormitory room for both boys, but Jed was too groggy from the medicine the doctor had given him and he made no effort to try to eat anything.

Upon hearing of Jed's accident, Father Hannigan had arranged it with Mr. Bixler to keep the other boys out of the dormitory for an hour so he could visit with Jed privately.

Heyes had been doting on Jed all morning, but Jed was feeling too poorly to object, despite that fact that he wanted to do just that. When there came a knock on the dormitory door, both boys looked at each other questioningly. No one ever knocked before entering the dormitory.

"Come in," Heyes called.

Father Hannigan walked in and greeted both boys. "I missed you two at the service this morning, but I can honestly see why you weren't able to attend," he said as he came to stand at the foot of Jed's bed.

"Sorry Father," Jed replied without moving his jaw.

"Mr. Bixler told me what happened yesterday. That sounds like a million to one chance of happening."

"It did happen, Father," Jed said weakly.

"Oh, I'm not disputing you, Jed. I'm just amazed by it. And a number ten hook is quite large."

"The doctor said Jed will carry the scar of that all his life," Heyes said.

"It should make a very interesting fish story one day, all about the one that didn't get away."

Heyes smiled. "I suppose so, Father."

"Well, I won't keep you. I just wanted to let you know that if you can't make it to work next Saturday, I'll understand completely."

"No, I'll be there," Jed replied, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Well, you look tired and should get some sleep. You'll be in my prayers this evening, Jed."

"Thank you, Father."

Heyes walked Father Hannigan to the door, then shut the door tight after the priest left.

"He sure has taken an interest in you, Kid. I wonder why?" Heyes said as he returned to the bed.

But Jed had already fallen back to sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Late that night Jed lay in his bed, wide awake in the darkness. The underside of his chin throbbed, and he could feel the stitches stretch a bit if he opened his mouth wide, but the initial severe pain had ebbed to a constant dull ache. Having slept most of the day Sunday, Jed had no sleep left in him, so he lay quietly in the room lit only by moonlight and listened to the light snoring of some of the boys.

"You alright?" Heyes whispered from the next bed.

"You should be sleeping, Han."

"So should you. Now, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. My chin itches more than it hurts."

"You got your homework done for tomorrow?"

"Oh, I forgot.. Maybe I should pretend being sick one more day..."

Heyes smiled."Come on, bring your books over to the table. We'll have to keep the light down low, but I'll help you get it done."

The two boys, clad only in nightshirts climbed out of their beds and slipped into chairs at the library table. Heyes lit the lamp and turned the wick down low. Jed opened his math book first. Three quarters of an hour later, the math problems were complete.

"What else you got to do?" Heyes asked, keeping his voice at a whisper.

"Mr. Warner wants an essay about what I like most about living here. Heyes, I don't like nothing about living here."

"It does seem a little early for asking you to write such a thing. Pretty obvious Mr. Warner was never an orphan. How long does it hafta be?"

"Just one page."

"Well, write as big as you can without it looking obvious that's what you're doing. What about the friends you've made here?"

"We hafta read em out loud, Han. I'd hafta mention every boy in the class."

"Yeah, that's true... Hey, what about Mr. Bartley? Everybody likes him, and he pretty much saved your life on Saturday."

Jed nodded eagerly. "That's a good one, Han."

"Just don't mention about him sneaking snacks up here to to you. That might get him in some trouble, and if he ain't doing that for all the boys, it might not go over well that he's doing it for you."

Jed nodded and put his pencil to work."

By the time the first light of morning began to creep through the windows, Jed's homework as done, and by the time Mr. Bixler opened the door and rang the wake up bell, Heyes and Jed were already up and dressed and sitting on the edges of their neatly made beds.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The week passed quickly and by Saturday, most of the bruising on Jed's chin had faded and he was able to talk and eat without any discomfort. The stitches itched, and Jed was actually looking forward to Tuesday when the stitches would be removed.

Jed spent the morning at the church, dusting and placing the hymnals at the ends of each of the pews, placing the candle holders on the alter and gently laying the long candles beside each holder.

Jed had noticed a middle aged, slightly stout woman cleaning all the windows and scrubbing the floor in the sanctuary, but their only conversation had been a polite greeting. That changed when Father Hannigan returned late in the morning to pay Jed his ten cents.

"Why don't the three of us move to the dining room for a glass of lemonade," he suggested.

Once in the dining room, Father Hannigan gestured for Jed and the woman to have a seat while he poured three glasses of lemonade, then joined them at the table.

"Were the two of you introduced?" the priest asked.

"We greeted each other this morning, but I'm afraid names were not exchanged," the woman replied.

"Well then, Mrs. Applegate, this is Jedediah Curry. He lives at the orphanage just outside of town. Jed, this is Mrs. Applegate. She and her husband are the custodians here at the church.

"Pleased to meet you, Ma'am," Jed replied politely.

"Pleased to meet you, Jedediah."

"Most folks just call me Jed, Ma'am," Jed replied, then gulped down his lemonade.

"Would you like some more?" Father Hannigan asked.

"Oh, no, Father. I have to get back for the fishing trip."

"You're going fishing after what happened last week?"

Jed nodded eagerly. "Doctor said I shouldn't go swimming today though, on account of the stitches."

Father Hannigan smiled and reached into his pocket for the dime to pay Jed for his work.

"Thank you, Father," Jed said as he took the ten cent piece and carefully slipped it into his pocket. He gulped down the last bit of his lemonade, wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, and climbed out of his chair. "It was nice meeting you, Ma'am. Will likely see you next week," Jed told her, then hurried out of the room to head back to the orphanage.

"Such a sweet boy," Mrs. Applegate told Father Hannigan.

"All the boys there are so well mannered. I don't know if they all just had a good upbringing or if the school has taught those boys some manners. Jed and his cousin Hannibal arrived there about three or four months ago. Like so many of those children, they are casualties of the war. In Jed's case, he and his cousin lost their parents when soldiers raided their farms."

"How did they escape?"

"Would you believe, they were away fishing when the raids occurred. These two actually found and buried the bodies."

Mrs. Applegate smiled sadly. "How very tragic, Father."

"Yes, yes it is."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Jed raced back to the school, eager to add his wages to the money he and Hannibal had carefully stashed away, and to change into his everyday clothes for fishing.

"They got a lady janitor at that church," Jed told Han, quite impressed with that fact. "She and her husband take care of all the custodial things there. She was there today washing windows and scrubbing the floor."

"Her husband there, too?"

Jed shrugged. "Dunno. If he was I didn't see him."

"Ten minutes!" Mr. Bartley called to all the boys from the bottom of the stairs.

"Be right there," one of the boys shouted in return.

"Hurry up, Jed. We don't want to be late," Heyes told his cousin.

Ten minutes later, all the boys had gathered with Mr. Bartley under the old Oak tree and set out for another day of fishing and swimming.

"It's been decided that we all stop fishing an hour before we head back to the school," Mr. Bartley explained. "This will give everyone a chance to swim without risking a repeat of last week."

All the boys raced down to the river bank with their makeshift poles and cans on worms in hand. Frank and several of the other boys again moved upstream, away from the younger boys.

"Remember, two hours, then meet back here for swimming," Mr. Bartley called to them. With their backs to Mr. Bartley, all the older boys nodded and continued on their way up stream.

Two hours later, with a total cache of almost thirty fish, the boys all gathered and piled the fish and their poles where Mr. Bartley could keep an eye on them. Then they shed outer layers of clothing and everyone, except Jed, went wading or jumping into the water.

Jed sat down next to Mr. Bartley and leaned against the trunk of the tree.

"So how was work this morning?" Mr. Bartley asked.

"Fine," Jed replied, paying more attention to the boys swimming than to the conversation..

"That Father Hannigan sure is a nice fella."

"Uh-uh."

"He's actually helped to get three or four boys adopted out into families in that church. He makes a point of getting to know the boys and the families to make sure it is a good match."

The wheels turning in his mind, Jed was suddenly very interested in what Mr. Bartley had to say. "How does he get to know them?"

"Oh he might invite the boy over for lunch or supper to get to know the child. Then he might invite the boy a second time and also invite a family that has shown some interest. That way they can all get to know each other a little better."

"Do the boys get any say in it?" Jed asked.

"Oh, I'm sure if the boy isn't happy with the people, Father Hannigan will keep looking. He wants what's best for all concerned.

Jed was suddenly quite concerned that Father Hannigan might have had a specific reason for hiring him that was not the reasons Jed had been lead to believe. Wanting to end the conversation with Mr. Bartley, Jed pulled himself to his feet and began gathering the fish he and Heyes had caught, as well as their poles.

"Time's up!" Mr. Bartley called to the boys in the water. "We gotta be getting back."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Heyes was given permission to walk Jed to the doctor's office after school Tuesday afternoon to get the stitches removed.. Jed was very quiet on the walk to town and Heyes assumed his cousin was just nervous about the process. But the doctor removed the stitches without a hitch, although he told Jed he was likely to have a permanent scar.

"I thought you was just nervous about seeing the doctor, Kid. But you're still awful quiet and, come to think of it, you were pretty quiet all day yesterday, too. So, what's on your mind?" Heyes asked as they walked slowly back to the orphanage.

"I'm thinking I should quit my job," Jed replied.

"Already? Did something happen on Saturday?"

Jed chewed his bottom lip nervously. "Ain't sure, Han. But I think Father Hannigan might be trying to get me adopted."

Heyes stopped in his tracks. "What makes you think that?"

"Mr. Bartley says Father Hannigan has helped other boys get adopted into families at that church."

"That don't mean he's trying to get you adopted," Heyes replied and resumed walking again.

"Mr. Bartley said when Father Hannigan picks a boy for adoption, he tries to get to know the boy better, asking him to lunch or supper, then asking the new family, too, so they can get to know each other."

"Has he done that with you?"

"Ain't sure. Last Saturday we had lemonade with the lady janitor."

Heyes could see some merit to Jed's thinking, but remained doubtful. "Have you talked to him about it?"

Kid shook his head. "Han, I don't want adopted."

"Well, I think we'd better be certain that's the plan, Kid. No sense stirring up trouble where there ain't none."

"You want I should ask him next Saturday?"

"No, Kid. In fact I don't think you should say a word about it. I want you to pay real close attention to what gets said and done on Saturday. Then, if we need to, maybe you and me can have a talk with Father Hannigan after Chapel on Sunday."

Jed nodded, grateful that he now had an ally.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Jed was reluctant to go to work on Saturday morning. Mr. Bartley's comments had made quite an impact on him and he worried that he and Heyes might have no say about an adoption. Until last week, despite living in an orphanage, Jed had never entertained any thoughts of adoption. In Jed's eyes, he had a family and after the deaths of his parents and siblings, the size of his family had been significantly reduced. But, thanks to his cousin, some core root of his family still existed, so the thought of being adopted by strangers had simply not occurred to him.

Jed walked into the church and set to work, hoping to complete his tasks as quickly as possible, get paid, and get out of there. Jed headed straight to the storage closet and retrieved the feather duster and the dusting cloth. As he headed to the first pew, the door he had entered was thrust open and Mrs. Applegate and a man he could only assume was her husband, walked in with armloads of cleaning supplies and a ladder.

"Good morning, Jed," Mrs. Applegate said with a smile. "You're here bright and early."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You must have big plans for this afternoon. I hear you boys all go fishing on Saturday afternoons."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jed replied and busied himself with the dusting of the first pew.

"Oh, this is my husband," she told him. "John, this is Jedediah Curry."

"Nice to meet you, son."

Jed could feel a resentment building and he wanted to blurt out to the man that he was not his son. He took a quick deep breath and chewed his lower lip. "Nice to meet you, sir," he finally replied.

"Well, we won't keep you from your work, Jed. As you can see, we've got our own set of chores to complete."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jed managed to reply.

By ten thirty Jed had finished his work and returned the supplies to the storage closet. He shut the closet door and stood, contemplating what to do next. Father Hannigan had not made an appearance and until he did, Jed could not be paid. Jed looked across the room. Mr. Applegate was high on the ladder cleaning the stained glass windows, while Mrs. Applegate was scrubbing the floor. Resigning himself to waiting, Jed walked over to the first pew and sat down.

It was nearly eleven when Father Hannigan made an appearance. "You're way ahead of me this morning, Jed."

"Yes, sir," Jed replied as he quickly exited the pew.

"Good morning, Mrs. Applegate, John," Father Hannigan said in greeting. "I have sandwiches and lemonade in the dining room. Is this a good time for a break?"

"That sounds lovely," Mrs. Applegate replied.

"Jed, will you join us?" Father Hannigan asked.

Jed wanted to make a quick exit, but Han had told him to listen carefully to any conversation. "Maybe one sandwich," he replied, not wanting to turn down an offer of food. "But it's getting late. I can't stay long."

Father Hannigan lead everyone to the dining room. Jed waited until the Applegates were seated, then sat down on the opposite side of the table.

"Oh, before I forget," Father Hannigan said, reaching into his pocket and handing Jed a ten cent piece.

"Thank you, sir," Kid replied.

"Please, all of you, help yourselves," the priest told them, then sat down at the head of the table. "The three of you make quite the team. I don't think I've ever seen the sanctuary look any nicer than it does this morning."

Jed bit into his sandwich to keep from having to comment.

"The Applegates have been the custodians here for... how long?" Father Hannigan asked.

"Nearly a dozen years," Mrs. Applegate replied.

"They also own a small farm just outside of town. Mr. Bixler tells me your father was a farmer, Jed."

Jed nodded. "Near Lawrence," he replied, feeling obligated to make some comment.

"Did you know the Windsors?" Mrs. Applegate asked.

Jed shook his head. "No Ma'am."

"Well, I suppose their children are all a good deal older than you," she replied. "Mrs. Windsor is my second cousin."

"Father, I noticed the spouting just above the entrance is looking a little loose," Mr. Applegate said. "I could take a look at that while I got the ladder, if you want me to."

"I'd appreciate that, John," Father Hannigan replied.

Jed set his half eaten sandwich down on his plate. "Father, if it's alright with you, I think I'd better get going."

Father Hannigan smiled. "Of course, Jed. I wouldn't want to make you late for that fishing expedition. You can take your sandwich along with you, if you like."

Not wanting to be rude, Jed picked up the remains of his sandwich. "I'll see you next week," he said and hurried out the door.

"Just a lovely boy," he heard Mrs. Applegate say on his way out.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Han, you and me have gotta find a fishing spot where we can talk without being overheard," Jed told Heyes as he changed into clothes suitable for the afternoon.

"Did you hear something interesting?" Heyes asked.

Jed looked around at the other boys who were also getting ready for the fishing trip. He nodded his head . "Not here," he told his cousin.

Once at the river, Jed and Heyes moved upstream, almost to the point of being out of sight of the others.

"So what happened this morning?"

Jed baited his hook and cast it into the water. "I had lunch with Mr. and Mrs Applegate and Father Hannigan," Jed said.

"And?"

"And Mrs. Applegate is related to the Windsors from Lawrence."

"Windsors, they lived east of town, didn't they?"

Jed shrugged. "I don't remember em."

"They had a boy a couple of years older than me. I think his name was Tom. He didn't go to school. His pa needed him on the farm. I saw him in town once or twice.

"Han, that ain't the point of what I'm telling you. I'm telling you that Father Hannigan is already starting to get me and the Applegates acquainted. It's just a hop, skip, and a jump to adoption after that! We gotta do something, Han!"

Heyes realized that while Kid might be exaggerating the immanency of the danger, there was still a lot of truth to what he was saying. "Mr. Bixler hasn't mentioned the possibility of you being adopted, right?"

"Right."

"Then I think we ought to go straight to the horse's mouth. I think we'd best talk directly to Father Hannigan."

"After Chapel tomorrow?"

Heyes shook his head. "I think we should go in to town and talk to him there. Maybe I'll go with you on Saturday."

"The Applegates are likely to be there on Saturday, Han."

"Well, might not be the worst thing if they are. At least they'll know how we feel about the matter."

Jed nodded, knowing it was going to be a long week.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Saturday morning both Jed and Heyes were up before sunrise and both dressed in their Sunday clothes, wanting to present as positive an appearance as possible. They made their way down the stairs as quietly as they could and headed into the dining room. At the far side of the dining room the wall had a cutout section where trays of food could be passed from the kitchen to the dining servers. This space offered a clear view of the kitchen and, Heyes being the tallest, peered through the space in search of Mr. Bixler.

"Mr. Bixler, could we talk to you for a minute?" Heyes called to him.

"I'll be right out," Mr. Bixler said as he wiped his hands on his apron and headed or the door leading to the dining room.

The dining room still had the dim night lighting, but it was enough for the three to see their way to a table.

"Now what can I do for you two early birds?" he asked.

"Well, I'm going with Jed to his job this morning, but there ain't no sign-out sheet posted this early."

"I'll see that you names gets on it, Hannibal. You hoping to get yourself a job there?"

"Oh, no sir. Jed and me just have something we want to talk over with Father Hannigan," Heyes explained.

"You think he ain't paying you enough, Jed?" Mr Bixler asked with a smile.

"Something like that," Heyes replied before Jed could get a word out.

"Suppose you're wanting some breakfast before you go?"

Jed smiled. "That sure would be nice."

"Hannibal, why don't you turn up the lights in here, and I'll go see what I can rustle up."

An hour later, with eggs and bacon, and milk in their bellies, the two boys started out for town.

"Han, what are we going to do if he says we got no say in the matter?" Jed asked as the early morning sun slowly turned the sky a soft light blue.

"It's like I'm always telling you, Kid. We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it."

"But we won't never split up, will we?"

"No Kid, we won't never split up. I promise you that."

They walked into the empty church that somehow seemed enormous to Jed this morning. The sound of their boots echoed with each step.

"He's likely in the dining room," Jed said. "Come on, I can show you where it is."

Jed opened the door that lead down a long hallway. He stopped at the dining room and was surprised to see both Father Hannigan and Farther Archer, as well as several nuns seated at the table with heads bowed.

Jed quickly turned to Heyes and held a finger to his lips to let Heyes know to be quiet.

"Amen," they heard Father Archer say, followed by a resounding 'Amen' from the others at the table.

At this point, Jed knocked lightly on the frame of the open door and all heads turned to see who was standing in the doorway.

"Jed," Father Hannigan said with some concern. "Is everything alright?"

Heyes moved around Jed so he too was visible to the people inside the room. "We're sorry to interrupt your breakfast, Father, but we were wondering if we might have a word with you in private."

"Of course," Father Hannigan said and excused himself from the table. "This way," he said leading them further down the hall to his office. He opened the door and ushered the two boys inside. "Have a seat and tell me what this is about."

Heyes and Kid sat down and looked at each other, neither certain just how to begin. Father Hannigan moved behind his desk and sat down as well.

"Well Father," Heyes began, suddenly feeling far less confident that he had on the road to the church. "Well Jed and me are under the impression that..."

Again Heyes fell silent. This can of worms was a big one and he didn't want to just spill it all over the floor.

"Are you trying to get me adopted?" Jed asked, ending any question as to how to begin the conversation.

"Ah, so that's why you were in such a rush to leave last week," Father Hannigan replied.

"Well, are you?" Jed asked.

"Would that be such a terrible thing, Jed?" Father Hannigan asked.

Jed nodded, his biggest fear had now become the elephant in the room.

"This church works with the orphanage to try to find placements for as many of the boys as possible. The Catholic Church is very large and that gives us a wonderful opportunity to enrich a boy's life by finding an appropriate family that can offer the child a home, can love him and give him guidance, a good education, sometimes siblings, can feed him, clothe him, make him a part of a family again."

"Han?" Jed said, urgently seeking support.

But Father Hannigan interrupted before Heyes could utter a word. "In many ways, every orphan who enters the doors of Valparaiso School for Waywards, or any other orphanage in the country shares some common needs. Every orphan child needs a sense of security, of belonging. They need love, and hope, and family."

"Father, I know Jed's and my stories ain't much different from any of the other boys, but there is one important difference. Jed and me is family. We're the only family either one of us has got, and we made a promise to each other that we'd stay together. Now I know your intentions are good, but Jed and me look at things a little different than you. I look out for Jed's welfare and he looks out for mine. If Jed wants to get himself adopted, I won't stop him, but if he don't, well sir, I'll do everything in my power to keep that from happening."

Father Hannigan was struck by Heyes' honesty and loyalty toward his cousin. "Is that how you feel about this Jed?" he asked.

"Han and me is partners, Father. We're cousins and we're blood brothers. I go where he goes and he goes where I go. Han calls it 'watching each other's backs,' and I think that pretty well tells the story. If you get me adopted, I'll just run away."

"What happens when Hannibal graduates and leaves the orphanage?" Father Hannigan asked.

"That's three years away, Father. I s'pect we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Heyes replied. "But I know an education is important, and I'll see that Jed graduates, too."

"The church works closely with the orphanage to find suitable placement for as many of the boys as possible. If everyone stayed till they graduated, there would be very few spots for any new orphans each year, and a home environment is so much better for a child than an institution. You wouldn't want to deny Jed that advantage, would you, Hannibal?"

"I won't deny Jed anything that he actually wants, Father. But he don't want to be adopted."

Father Hannigan sat back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. "I'm going to be brutally honest with you boys. The orphan population in this country has tripled since the war. There are not enough beds to serve all the orphans. In New York City alone, there are over thirty-four thousand orphaned and homeless children living on the streets. Have either of you ever heard of orphan trains?"

Both boys shook their heads, so Father Hannigan proceeded.

"Orphan trains carry children half way across the country, stopping in various towns and cities. During these stops, many orphans are literally sold to the highest bidder, solely for the purpose of cheap labor. Most orphanages boot a child out into the street by the time the child reaches the age of fourteen. I'm telling you these things because I want you to get an understanding of just how... fortunate in many way, you actually are.."

"Father Hannigan, Jed and me became orphans when soldiers raided our family farms and killed our folks, and Kid's sister. Jed and me found them and the two of us buried them with our own hands, and shovels that bore their blood. So don't go telling us that we are fortunate. The only good fortune we've had since that day is the fact that we have been able to stick together., and neither one of us wants some do-gooder to change that," Heyes said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"I'm aware of the kinship the two of you share, but the Applegates are not wealthy. They can't afford to take on two children. Do you want to deny Jed a home, with two parents who love him?"

"Father, don't I get no say in the matter?" Jed asked.

Father Hannigan silently debated just how frank he should be with such a young child. But he knew that without the information, Hannibal would never be persuaded to think adoption might well be in Jed's best interest.

"As orphans, you are both considered wards of the state and you retain that status until one of two things happen. You reach what your state considers to be the age of consent, or you are adopted into a family. As wards of the state, the state pays the orphanages, or in some instances, foster care providers until you reach the age of consent or are adopted. So in answer to your question Jed, no, you do not get a say in the matter. That's why I try very, very hard to match children with compatible adults."

Both boys were stunned by the massive roadblock of red tape and legalities. Heyes placed a hand on Jed's shoulder.

"So that's it...There's nothing we can do... Come on, Jed, we got fish to catch."

Heyes lead Jed toward the door, but Jed stopped suddenly and turned back to the priest. "Father," he said in a voice void of emotion. "I won't be working here no more."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Jed."

Heyes' grip tightened on Jed's shoulder, and Jed turned back and the two boys walked out of the church.

"So what do we do now?" Jed asked as they made their way back to the orphanage.

"It don't sound like anything's finalized yet, Jed. Give me some time to think on it."

"I ain't getting adopted Han, not without you."

"I know. I'll think of something. I promise."

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Heyes and Jed hurried up the stairs to the dormitory to change into their everyday clothes. Their meeting with Father Hannigan had taken a half an hour at best and since Jed resigned from his job, they had a few spare hours before the fishing excursion, Heyes suggested they use that time to do their homework, thus making Sunday a full free day to "plan our futures," as Heyes phrased it.

Jed worked on his math problems while Heyes read a couple of chapters of a book he was assigned to read, then write a detailed book report on. The book was 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' and Heyes found his mind often drifting from the story to the possibility of he and Kid building a raft and setting off on their own adventure. He imagined them both skillfully navigating the mile wide waters of the Mississippi River, dodging sandbars and fighting strong currents, fishing off the raft on a moonlit night, waving a greeting to tugboats and steamships, exploring the streets of New Orleans...

"Han, you ain't listened to one word I've said," Jed scolded, effectively snapping Heyes out of his daydream.

"Sorry Jed. What was you saying?"

"I just heard a train whistle and was thinking if we was to run away, we could hop a train and get far away from here real quick."

"You two planning to run away?" Frank asked and sat down at the library table with them.

"Don't be silly Frank. Of course we ain't running away," Heyes replied. "But if we was to do that, well this book is all about two boys that build a raft and head down the Mississippi River," Heyes replied, hoping to convince Frank that the comment simply stemmed from the book Heyes was reading.

"I read that last semester," Frank replied. "Tom and Huck live every fella's dream."

"Living on a half a dozen logs tied together?" Jed asked. "How do they eat? You can't build no fire on a raft."

Frank caught Heyes' eye and he winked. "They eat the fish raw," he told Jed.

"What? Han, I ain't living on no raft."

"Hey, instead of fishing today, why don't the three of use build a raft? We could test it out on the river!"

Jed looked skeptical, by Heyes loved the idea. "It wouldn't hafta be a big raft, just wide enough to hold the three of us. We're gonna need some rope or leather to tie the logs together."

"Let's sneak out to the barn. I bet we can find what we need out there."

"Han, we're asking for trouble," Jed warned.

"All I'd have to do is say I was doing research for my book report," Heyes replied. "Given the book I'm reading, they'd believe me."

Listening to Heyes, even Jed was beginning to grow intrigued with the idea. "We'd better get out to the barn pretty quick. We leave in the short end of an hour."

Outside in the barn the boys scoured the stalls and loft for some suitable rope.

"There ain't enough thongs, and the only rope I can find is this thick one," Frank said, after a thorough search of the barn.

"Well, gab that then. One of us can unravel it while the other two search for usable logs," Heyes replied.

"How we gonna hide it so Mr. Bartley don't know what we got?" Frank asked.

Jed picked up an empty burlap bag from a pile of bags in a corner of the barn. "Stuff it in here. If Mr. Bartley asks, we can tell him we brought our books along to get some homework done."

"It's Saturday. He's never going to believe that story," Frank replied.

"We'll tell him we made a time capsule and we're gonna bury it," Heyes said and both boys nodded their heads. "Come on, let's go. We don't want to raise suspicion by being late."

When the group reached the river, Heyes, Jed, and Frank carried their fishing poles and can of worms, and Frank carried the burlap bag far enough upstream as not to be seen by Mr. Bartley or the other boys. Amazingly to them, Mr. Bartley had not asked about the contents of the burlap bag.

Jed sat down on the ground and set to work unraveling the rope into long strands of thick string, while Heyes and Frank went in search of six foot logs. They worked diligently all afternoon and by the time they were all to gather for an hour of swimming, the three boys stood proudly over their six by four foot raft that they could only hope was seaworthy. "Lets cover it up and hide it with leaves and twigs and try it out next week," Heyes suggested and Jed and Frank agreed.

Mr. Bartley watched the three boys approaching, each with his pole slung over his shoulder. "Three boys, three hours, and not one fish?" he asked of them.

"Oh, but we almost caught that blue catfish, Mr. Bartley," Frank lied.

"Spent three hours on a pipe dream, did you? Looks to me like you've been rolling in the dirt. You might want to brush all that bark and leaves off your clothes."

The three boys looked down at their clothes and could plainly see what Mr. Bartley was talking about. Each boy began to diligently brush the debris from their shirts and pants.

"A dip in the river might do you some good, too. Maybe scrub the dirt from your faces and arms."

"Yes sir," they replied in unison and after brushing off their clothes, they stripped down to their long johns and waded into the water.

Mr. Bartley shook his head, but his eyes carefully noted the location from which the boys had emerged.

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The next morning all the boys filed into the Chapel and took their seats. Jed insisted he and Heyes sit near the back. After quitting his job so abruptly the day before, he did not want to call attention to himself or feel Father Hannigan's eyes resting upon him. He squirmed nervously as he waited for the service to begin. Twice Heyes rested a hand on Jed's knee to silently tell him to settle down.

The service was shorter than usual, much to Jed's relief, and after shaking Father Hannigan's hand, Jed and Heyes raced up the stairs to await the priest's departure.

Mr. Bartley waited until all the boys had migrated up to the dormitory before approaching Father Hannigan.

"If you don't mind, Father, I think you and I should take a walk. Got something important to discuss with you."

"Of course," the priest replied.

Mr. Bartley lead Father Hannigan out the back door of the school. "Beautiful day. Let's walk down to the river."

"This has to do with the young Curry boy, doesn't it?" Father Hannigan asked.

Mr. Bartley nodded. "You can't split them two boys up, Father."

"And why is that?"

"You remember Billy Hogan?"

Father Hannigan bristled. Three years ago Billy Hogan had arrived at the orphanage with his older brother, Tom. Billy was ten and his older brother was thirteen when they arrived and, like Heyes and Jed, these two boys shared an inseparable bond. When Tom was about to be discharged from the orphanage, at the age of fourteen, Father Hannigan has secured a loving home for Billy, which everyone thought was an ideal situation as Billy would have siblings so would not feel abandoned with Tom on his own. But such was not the case and three weeks after Billy was adopted, he hung himself in the new family's barn. Father Hannigan carried a heavy burden with the death of Billy Hogan.

"You think this is that kind of a situation?" Father Hannigan asked.

"I can't predict the outcome. But I know Jed and Hannibal are joined at the hip. One coughs, the other sneezes. You remember when Jed had that accident with the fishing hook?"

"Yes."

"Hannibal never left Jed's bed. I take all the boys fishing every Saturday afternoon. It gives me a chance to get to know each boy. I watch them, and I learn. When Jed was injured in the water, Hannibal jumped in after him before the rest of us even knew he was hurt. They got a sixth sense about each other. They thrive off of each other. I doubt if either one one em would survive without the other."

"But the Applegates are a good family..."

"We've got sixty boys in that school. Fifty-eight of them would acclimate just fine in the Applegate's home. Two of them would shrivel up... Choose another boy, Father. Do what's best for Curry and chose another boy."

They had reached the river and Father Hannigan stood at the water's edge, gazing out at the water moving along a lazy current. He closed his eyes and Mr. Bartley stood silently nearby as he could tell the priest was praying.

"I want you to come with me Father," Mr. Bartley said when the priest raised his head again. "Jed and Hannibal and another boy were busy yesterday while the rest of us were fishing. They piqued my curiosity, so I came back down here early this morning. I want to show you what I found."

Walking a good quarter mile downstream, Mr. Bartley stopped in front of the raft he had found beneath the pile of twigs and leaves.

"A raft?" Father Hannigan remarked.

"A pretty sturdy one at that. It could easily hold a couple of boys."

"They're planning to run away on a raft?"

"Hannibal and Jed are farm boys. Ingenuity is a necessary skill when you don't live near a town. That Hannibal has got one of the most imaginative minds I have ever come across."

"Oh dear Lord. Those two boys must be terrified."

"I wouldn't say terrified, but I would say determined."

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Late Sunday afternoon Mr. Bixler walked into the boy's dormitory unannounced. "Mr. Curry, Mr. Heyes, I want you to come with me to the Library," he announced, then turned abruptly and walked out of the room.

Jed and Heyes exchanged quick but very nervous glances, then jumped from their seats and hurried after the School Master.

Holding the Library door open, Mr. Bixler ushered the two boys into the room. Both boys stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Father Hannigan and the Applegates, already seated at a long conference table. Two empty seats remained on one side of the table, next to the seat Mr. Bixler would fill. Father Hannigan and the Applegates sat on the other side of the table.

"There's two empty seats for you over there," Mr. Bixler said as he shut the door and headed toward the empty chair at the head of the table.

"Mr. Curry, I want to start off this meeting by telling you I was wrong in my summation of you several weeks ago," Mr. Bixler began.

"You told me I was a bad seed" Jed said, finding courage in the hand that Heyes had gently placed on Kid's shoulder.

"I did, and I had no call to do that. You are a strong-willed child, perhaps a bit stubborn in your thinking, but you are also very intuitive and, I've recently been told, very resourceful."

"Is that what this is about?" Heyes asked. "To apologize for some name calling?"

"No," Mr. Bixler replied. "As I see you are both very much aware, this school and the church in town, work I conjunction to find suitable families for as many of the orphaned children here as possible."

Jed started to reply, but a squeeze to his shoulder effectively stopped him.

"The Applegates had voiced a strong interest in adopting you, Jedediah, but they have neither the room, nor the finances to take on two children. The state gives me the authority to accept or deny such a request, and I don't take my decision lightly. With the help of Father Hannigan, applicants are carefully scrutinized and the Applegates have been found to be very suitable for taking on such a responsibility."

Heyes could feel Jed's muscles tighten. "It's alright, Jed. Let's hear them out," Heyes whispered.

"I understand that Father Hannigan has explained much of the adoption process to you boys," Mr. Bixler continued and both boys nodded their heads.

"After talking with you boys yesterday, and taking a long walk with Mr. Bartley early this morning, I discovered some serious concerns about separating the two of you," Father Hannigan said, taking lead of the meeting. "So I met privately with the Applegates just a short while ago. They are no longer willing to separate you boys, but they are still unable to take on the financial expenses of two children."

"So I ain't getting adopted out?" Jed asked.

"Mr. Bixler and I have decided that neither of you can be adopted without the other."

From the corner of his eye, Jed saw Mrs. Applegate raise a handkerchief to her eyes, and he saw Mr. Applegate reach over and take his wife's hand.

"Mr. and Mrs. Applegate understand that we will continue the search for a child for them to adopt. But you are not that child, Jed," Father Hannigan told the boys.

Jed and Heyes exchanged jubilant smiles before Jed grew serious and turned his attention to the Applegates.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out for you, and I hope you find a boy real soon," he told them.

"There's a bit more to be said," Father Hannigan told the boys. "Because the two of you are essentially a..." He stopped as he searched for the right words.

"A packaged deal?" Heyes suggested and a humored grin crossed the priest's face.

"Yes, a packaged deal," he replied. "Placement will be far more difficult, especially given the fact that you, Mr. Heyes, will be reaching the age of consent in just a few short years. In all honesty, that means the two of you will likely remain wards of the state until such time each of you are officially discharged from the orphanage. As I explained to you yesterday, that places a long term financial burden on the state. In order to compensate the state to some degree, the two of you will be working at the church, without pay, every Saturday morning for as long as you're living at the orphanage"

Neither Heyes nor Jed objected to this requirement.

"You Mr. Heyes, will be assisting the Applegates with maintenance while Jed will resume the duties he has already been doing. Twenty-five cents a week, one dollar each month, will be given to the orphanage. Mr. Bixler will in turn, reimburse that amount to the state."

"Thank you Mr. Bixler, Father Hannigan, and a special thank you to you Mr. and Mrs. Applegate," Heyes said to the group. "Kid... rather Jed, and me know the kind of sacrifice you're making and, I don't know how much Jed realizes, but I fully realize how important this is to Jed's welfare... No, to the welfare of the both of us."

"The two of you may return to the dormitory now," Mr. Bixler told them.

Both boys stood and gave the group a respectful nod before hurrying out of the room. Those remaining in the room heard the whoops and hollers that slowly faded as the boys climbed the stairs.

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The following Saturday, when all the boys were lined up along the river bank, and all the lines had been cast into the water, Mr. Bartley pulled Heyes, Frank, and Jed aside.

"The rest of you boys stay right where you are, and don't none of you go getting in the river till I get back," he told the boys. "Now," he said, turning to the chosen three, "The four of us are taking a walk."

Mr. Bartley lead them upstream and each boy grew increasingly nervous that their secret had been discovered. When they reached the spot where they had hidden the raft, they watched Mr. Bartley clear the camouflage from the raft.

"You boys built this?" he asked, letting the boys continue to wonder about their fate.

"It don't have a rudder yet," Frank said, hoping to appease Mr. Bartley with the fact the raft was not ready to be plunged into the water.

"Well, this river's got a slow current and ain't more that four or five feet deep. A couple of guiding poles should keep it on course... Shall we give it a go?"

All three boys broke out in huge smiles "Yes sir!" they exclaimed.

"Go find yourselves a couple of suitable poles," he told them and the three boys dashed off into the woods, returning quickly with two seven foot long and relatively straight and suitable branches.

"Cut off all them little shoots," he told Heyes and Frank. "Jed and me will get the raft to the water."

Once everything was in place, Mr. Bixler took Jed by the arm and climbed onto the raft. "Now, hand me your poles and then the two of you shove her off and climb on. One of you get on each side of the raft to guide it with your poles."

Heyes and Frank were knee deep in the river by the time the raft was fully afloat. They quickly scrambled onto the raft, picked up a pole, and assumed their positions. Shoving off with the poles, the raft began slowly moving downstream.

"Hey, look what's coming," Taylor Billings shouted as he pointed upstream and all eyes turned to see what Taylor was talking about.

"That looks like Mr. Bartley," and other boy shouted.

"And he's got Hannibal and Frank and Jed with him," a third boy exclaimed.

Soon all the boys were cheering and waving as the raft slowly passed by.

"Wonder where they got that? I hope we get to keep it," Taylor said.

"You know Mr. Bartley," Frank said as he worked in unison with Heyes to keep the raft on a steady course. "If we was to get an anchor, we could anchor this raft in the middle of the river and maybe catch that blue catfish after all," he exclaimed.

Mr. Barley smiled. It was good having things back to normal, the boys just being boys once again.

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Author's Notes: Orphan trains were a common practice from the early 1800s, into the 1930s. It was not uncommon for these children to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

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Bixler School master

Harker Mean teacher

Bartley Cook

Father Hannigan

Mr. Warner Teacher