A Family Apart (19 page)

As they reached the house, Marshal Dawson was firm with Jake, who had come out on the porch. The marshal explained what had been found in the wagon and what it obviously meant.

“Frankie is innocent of breaking any law,” Jake said. “He’s a child. Any fault that may be found is mine.”

“Frankly,” the marshal said, “my sympathies lie with the abolitionists, but I’m sworn to uphold the law. I’ve got no proof that you had anything to do with this, Jake, so I’m not puttin’ you under arrest, but whether you had
or not, I’ve still got to arrest this boy and take him to town to be charged.”

“That shawl is your only proof!” Margaret objected. “Frankie said he found it! Anyone could have dropped it!”

Petey ran out on the porch calling, “They’re coming! They’re coming! I saw them from the window upstairs!”

Everyone turned to look in the direction Petey was pointing. “See!” Petey yelled. “Mr. MacNair and Mrs. Banks said they’d come and see us, and there they are!”

“Oh, no!” Frances whispered, in agony that they should see her being arrested. “Not now!”

The marshal put a firm hand on Frances’s shoulder. “I have to take the boy with me,” he said.

Margaret pushed his hand away. “No!” she cried. “Frankie is my son, and I won’t let you have him!”

Jake, even more pale than before, stepped between Frances and the marshal. “We need to talk, Marshal Dawson. But let’s wait until Andrew MacNair gets here. Frankie is still under Andrew’s supervision.”

Andrew tied their horses to the rail as Katherine ran up onto the porch. She put her arms on Margaret’s shoulders and studied her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you,” the marshal said, and proceeded to list the facts.

Katherine shook her head and laughed, while Margaret gasped and said, “Katherine! This situation is not humorous!”

“Of course it is,” Katherine said. “It’s nonsense.” She smiled at the marshal. “Do you actually believe that a little thirteen-year-old girl could do all that you say?”

“Girl?”

Everyone turned and stared at Frances, who began to
blush furiously. “I—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “It’s true. I really am a girl. I didn’t know what to do except pose as a boy. I overheard Mr. MacNair say that boys were easier to place together, and I’d promised our ma that I’d take care of Petey. I borrowed Mike’s knife to cut my hair and put on some boys’ clothes.” She looked around the group, from face to face. Jake’s mouth fell open, Margaret’s eyebrows shot up, and Andrew looked completely bewildered. “It did work out,” Frances added, “because Petey and I were able to stay together!”

The marshal cleared his throat a couple of times before he said, “I can’t just take your word for it, young man—uh, well—whoever you are. I suppose I’ll need proof.”

Frances shrank back against Margaret, who shouted at the marshal, “Oh, no you won’t!”

For a moment he looked bewildered, then his face turned a dark red. “Well, I—I didn’t mean—” he stuttered.

Katherine smiled at the marshal. “As I see it, we have only one problem to settle—the ownership of that shawl. You said it was a black shawl, with blue embroidered flowers in the corner?”

He nodded.

“Why, Marshal Dawson,” she said, “I do believe that could be mine. If you’re ever in St. Joe, I’ll see if I can find a bill of sale for it.”

Marshal Dawson pursed his lips together and rubbed hard at his chin. Frances wondered if he were trying to keep from laughing. “It appears there’s been a big mistake here,” he said, and a broad smile succeeded in escaping. “We now have no evidence that a crime has been committed, and, in any case, there’s no way I’m going to arrest a little girl.”

Touching the brim of his hat and nodding to the
women, this time including Frances, he got back on his horse and rode away.

For a moment no one spoke. It was more than Frances could take. “It’s so very tired I am of pretending to be a boy!” she cried. “Even if you send me away, I need to be myself! I need to be a girl again! I didn’t want to lie to you, and I can’t do it anymore!” Her tears burst out in a torrent.

Margaret’s arms were around her, hugging her, holding her, stroking back her cropped hair. And it was Margaret’s voice she heard soothing her, saying, “Oh, Frankie, I love having a daughter!”

Frances held Margaret, tightly, the love she felt melting away all the mixed-up feelings that had been tormenting her. She would always love Ma, whether she could be with her or not, but she had a new home with people who loved her, too, who generously shared their life with Petey and her. What an enormous relief it was, not having to pretend any longer to be someone she wasn’t!

It occurred to her with a jolt that there was something she’d forgotten, and maybe Margaret and Jake had, too. She pulled away from Margaret, turning earnestly to Jake. “Because I’m a girl it doesn’t mean I can’t still help you with the farm work. I’m strong and I work hard. You saw how quickly I learned to milk the cows and handle the horses. I—”

Jake lifted a hand to quiet Frances. For a moment he seemed to think about it. Then he grinned, and Frances knew he’d been pretending. “I’d just as soon work with a daughter as with a son,” he said. His eyes became serious. “No son could make me any more proud than I am right now of you, Frankie.”

“Not
Frankie
! Her name is really Frances Mary!”
Petey shouted in a rush. “It’s not a secret anymore, so I can tell her real name!” He broke off, clapping a hand over his mouth, and whispered cautiously, “Can’t I?”

Laughing, the men led the horses off to the barn to care for them, Petey on their heels.

Frances took the handkerchief Margaret handed her and wiped her eyes, staring with wonder at Katherine. “How did you know I was a girl?”

“Two reasons.” Katherine reached into the cloth purse that hung at her waist and pulled out a letter. “Your mother wrote to ask about the welfare of her children, telling something about each of you and giving your full names.” She handed the envelope to Frances. “I know you’d like to read her letter.”

“Oh, yes!” Frances said, clutching it eagerly.

Katherine continued. “Finding you were a Frances Mary instead of a Frankie didn’t come as that much of a surprise to me.” She lowered her voice and grinned at Frances. “I began to suspect that you were a girl by the way you looked at Andrew MacNair.”

Frances felt her cheeks grow warm, and she ducked her head.

“He’s too old for you,” Katherine teased.

“But not for
you
,” Margaret added with a chuckle. “However, that’s just between us women.”

Frances laughed, hugging Margaret again. “Wait until my brothers and sisters find out what has happened!” she exclaimed.

“Mike will think it’s more exciting than a dime novel,” Katherine said.

“As far as I’m concerned,” Frances said, “the best thing is that now I’m back to being a girl!”

Grandma Briley gently closed the cover of the journal and lightly patted the soft blue binding.

Jennifer leaned forward eagerly. “Don’t stop!”

“Yeah!” Jeff said. “Tell us more!”

Grandma got out of her chair and pinched two shriveled leaves from a hanging basket of pothos ivy. “Not now,” she said. “I’m going to make dinner early, because the City Council is meeting tonight. But if you’d like me to, I’ll tell you Mike’s story tomorrow.”

“What about those people who adopted Mike?” Jeff asked.

“I didn’t like them,” Jennifer said.

“Neither did Mike,” Grandma told her.

“I suspected them right away,” Jeff said.

Grandma looked mysterious. “Then you won’t be surprised to find out that Mike was suspicious of them, too. Why, Mike even began to wonder if Mr. Friedrich had committed a murder!”

“Murder?” Jeff said. “Tell us—did he?”

“For now you can help me set the table,” Grandma teased. “Mike’s story will just have to wait until tomorrow.”

0-385-32280-1

The Civil War has officially ended, and Frances Mary Kelly accepts an offer to go to New York City and return west with a group of orphans seeking new homes. The journey is more challenging than Frances could have anticipated. Will she be able to complete her mission and return home?

Now Available from Delacorte Press