CHAPTER 1
The train rumbled along through the country side past fieldsbare of any growing thing. It was February and still too coldto plant. The train was cold. You could see your breath in theicy dawn. The sun was just showing color to the East.
Lila Jo Brewster lay curled up across the hard bench seat. She wascovered with the old, brown, moth eaten, wool coat that Miss Lettiehad given her just as she almost pushed her out the door.
Jo had lived at the Kavanagh Children's Home in a small placecalled Gransburg, bordering between Wisconsin and Minnesota, sincejust before she turned six years old. Her mother had died giving birthto the child she had wanted so badly. She had named her Lila Joannbefore she was born, knowing in her heart, she was a girl.
Randolph Brewster had tried his best to raise the child that lookedso much like his beloved Jodie. That was the only reason he marriedagain just before Jo turned four. People kept telling him that she neededa mother, that he wasn't capable of raising a daughter. He thought hehad been doing a pretty good job really. He could see that they wereright in some ways; the child needed some one to possibly make her adress or do something with that mass of curly hair that crowned herprecious head. It always seemed to be tangled no matter what he did.
That young woman; what was her name Kate or Kathy Wise?She seemed nice and she had been really great bringing special foodsto the old woman, Jodie's grandmother, to tempt her appetite, andshe had made Jo a couple of pretty dresses. Jo seemed to like her andshe seemed to like Jo, but the poor girl was homely. Jodie had beenextraordinarily beautiful and he had loved her so. He felt sure hewould never love another as he had Jodie but he wasn't looking forlove, just someone to be there and to help raise his child; after all, hehad known real love and knew that he would never know anythingeven close to that again.
Jodie's grandmother had raised her and she and her new husbandhad moved into her home to take care of the elderly lady when theymarried. Randolph and the baby had stayed on and in the beginningthe old lady was able in some way to help take care for the little one,but by the time the child was a year old the old woman's health hadreally begin to fail. Two months after Leila Jo turned two years old theold lady died. She had not been of much help with the child in the lastseveral months, but she had given the child love and he knew this wasas important as all the rest.
John Adams had died in an accident on the railroad, where heworked as a brakeman. One night during a bad ice storm he had madea jump for the train and his foot slipped on the icy step and he fell underthe wheels. They wouldn't let her see him, but one of the other men thathad worked with John had told her that he had not suffered. She hadbeen grateful for that.
He had been a dare devil. That was one of the things she loved mostabout him. Martha had warned him time and again to please be a littlemore careful, but he didn't listen.
She had loved her dare devil and she missed him something awful,but he had not been much of a manager with money. If Martha or oneof the girls said they would like to have something, he went out andbought it for them if at all possible. Just days after they came and toldthem that he was dead, she learned that they had been living, as it wassaid, hand to mouth.
Martha could find no work. There weren't many jobs for women,especially in a small town. She tried taking in washing, but she didn'thave the stamina for that. The railroad gave her his last pay checkand were good enough that they added an extra check. She learnedsometime later that the men that he worked with had chipped in andmade up enough to make a check for her. It was a help but it didn't gofar. With the little money she made doing laundry and the money fromthe railroad she was able to make it almost a year.
One day when it looked as if the world was going to come to an endalong with the last of the money that she had been so careful with, shehad gone crying to her neighbor Molly Doyle.
"Molly what am I going to do? The only thing I see is to go to MissHollie's place and take a job as one of her girls."
The other woman gasp out, "Martha, you can't do that. You aren'tthe type; besides what would John say?"
"John would say nothing! John is dead and if he had been lesscareless he would still be here to support me and our girls." She almostscreamed out, and with this she broke into tears.
"Martha, there is another way."
"What, what way?" The distraught lady ask curtly.
"You could marry again."
"Marry again? And who would I marry? I don't go anywhere tomeet anyone. Every man in this town is married, so just who am Isuppose to marry?"
"No one." Molly came back with.
"Who then? Who in Harrisburg Pennsylvania is not married?"
"Well Randolph Brewster! Jodie has been gone, what? Close to twoyears? He is a nice guy and I am sure he needs help raising that little girlof his. The old woman, ugh, Jodie's grandmother I think she was. Shewas real old and she has been as much help to Randolph as she couldbe but now that she is dying, he is going to need someone to help withhis child as you need someone to help you and your girls."
"I don't know Moll. I have never been with any man but John andI don't know if I could preform the wifely duties he would expect."
"You don't think you can provide wifely duties, but you could godown to Miss Hollie's establishment and provide, ugh, duties?"
"No, No." Martha said horrified. "I could never do that. I was justspouting off! I was miserable and I wanted to shock you. I could never,well, I guess I could to keep my babies from starving and it is about tocome down to that. We have enough food in the house for one moreweek and the rent is due at the end of that same week."
"Well, think about Randolph Brewster, but I wouldn't wait toolong. Kathy Wise has been making eyes at the man in question. Takingfood over to the old lady and making little dresses for the child! Youcan check him out at church Sunday. You do know how to find thechurch, don't you?" Molly said, throwing it at her friend as she hadfor a while been trying to convince the lady that she had needed to getback to church.
Martha had refused to attend church since John was killed. She hadgone to church her entire life and she had prayed for John every day asshe had watched her love leave for work and; then she felt God had lethim die. So she had blamed God and refused to darken His door. Shethought it might be worth it to check out Randolph Brewster, and thisshe did when a few days after the conversation with Molly, the old ladyhad died and she had gone to her funeral and had shook his hand andgiven him her condolences. That had been the only time she had everspoken to him. Of course she had seen him around town; after all, it wasa small place, but he had not been one of her customers. He must havetaken his families clothes to the other lady in town who did laundry.She didn't think he would wash the family's clothes after working allday and then come home to tend the child and cook supper for themand clean up afterward. Molly had been pretty positive he would be atchurch with his little daughter.
Sure enough, they were there. The old lady had not been able toattend church with them in a couple of months. Molly steered Marthaand her two girls into the pew just in front of where she knew Randolphwould sit. After singing a couple of songs the...
