wrong, and we still don’t.” She turned to the lady who had an arm around her. “We were just begging like thousands of other children do here so we can stay alive. Then all of a sudden these boys and girls came at us, screaming at us, saying we were in their territory.”
“Yeah,” spoke up Donna, “they threatened to beat us up if we didn’t give them the money we got this morning and leave the corner.”
“Beat you up?” Letitia said, acting as if the threat surprised her.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Donna.
Letitia set her jaw and looked at the group. “Well, that’s not going to happen.”
The attention of Charles Brace and the angry group went to Letitia and the twins.
Looking from one twin to the other as she kept her arms around them, Letitia asked, “What are your names?”
“Our last name is Mitchell,” said the girl in Letitia’s right arm.
“My name is Donna and my sister’s name is Deena.”
“Are you orphans?”
“No, ma’am. Our parents sent us away from home because they can no longer afford to keep us.”
Letitia’s features pinched. “Oh.”
“We’ve tried to find jobs,” said Deena, “but so far we haven’t been able to find any. So we turned to begging. We’ve been sleeping in an alley near here. We didn’t know somebody owned this corner.”
Darold scowled at her. “Well, we do! You go find another corner to do your beggin’! This one belongs to me and my friends. And before you go, we want the money that belongs to us. You got it on this corner, and that makes it ours!”
Charles Brace shook his head. “No, Darold, it doesn’t make the money yours. I’m sorry you have to live on the streets, but you do not own this corner. Nor do you have any right to take the money from Deena and Donna that they begged for and received.”
Darold glowered crossly at Brace. His dark curly hair dangledon his forehead. “I know who you are! You’re that Charles Brace guy who heads up the Children’s Aid Society. I’ve seen your picture in the newspapers. I’m right, ain’t I? You’re Charles Loring Brace, ain’tcha?”
“Yes, I am.”
Darold sneered. “Well, since you’re sendin’ so many street kids out West on your orphan trains, how come you don’t offer to send any of us?”
“Let me explain something, son. The Society is only allowed to send two coaches of orphans on each train. This limits us on how many children we can send.”
Darold pulled his lips tight and made a grunting sound.
Brace fixed him with steady eyes. “When I find street children with a bad attitude like yours and that of your friends, I’m slow to take them in because they usually turn out to be troublemakers while staying at the Society’s headquarters or when they’re on a train heading west.”
Brace felt the heat from all eyes in the group. “Change your attitude, young people. I’ll come back by and check on you in a few weeks. If I find you acting civil like you ought to, I’ll consider you for a trip west.”
With that, Brace turned and set his gaze on his wife and the twins.
Letitia sent a signal to her husband by looking first at him, then turning to look at each girl standing within the circle of her arms.
Having been married to this woman for over twenty years, Charles stepped to Letitia and smiled. “We’ll do it, honey. Let’s take the girls over to the buggy.” Then he turned to the twins. “Would you come with us?”
Darold and his group glared at the Braces as they walked to the buggy. Charles looked over his shoulder at the group. Daroldsaid something to his friends that Charles could not distinguish, but stood with his feet spread apart with a look of defiance. Charles shook his head, then turned back to the twins.
Donna and Deena stood with identical quizzical looks on their faces, casting sidelong glances at the group, who were now grumbling loudly that they wanted their money.
Ignoring them, Charles smiled at Deena and Donna. “Have you girls
“Yeah,” spoke up Donna, “they threatened to beat us up if we didn’t give them the money we got this morning and leave the corner.”
“Beat you up?” Letitia said, acting as if the threat surprised her.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Donna.
Letitia set her jaw and looked at the group. “Well, that’s not going to happen.”
The attention of Charles Brace and the angry group went to Letitia and the twins.
Looking from one twin to the other as she kept her arms around them, Letitia asked, “What are your names?”
“Our last name is Mitchell,” said the girl in Letitia’s right arm.
“My name is Donna and my sister’s name is Deena.”
“Are you orphans?”
“No, ma’am. Our parents sent us away from home because they can no longer afford to keep us.”
Letitia’s features pinched. “Oh.”
“We’ve tried to find jobs,” said Deena, “but so far we haven’t been able to find any. So we turned to begging. We’ve been sleeping in an alley near here. We didn’t know somebody owned this corner.”
Darold scowled at her. “Well, we do! You go find another corner to do your beggin’! This one belongs to me and my friends. And before you go, we want the money that belongs to us. You got it on this corner, and that makes it ours!”
Charles Brace shook his head. “No, Darold, it doesn’t make the money yours. I’m sorry you have to live on the streets, but you do not own this corner. Nor do you have any right to take the money from Deena and Donna that they begged for and received.”
Darold glowered crossly at Brace. His dark curly hair dangledon his forehead. “I know who you are! You’re that Charles Brace guy who heads up the Children’s Aid Society. I’ve seen your picture in the newspapers. I’m right, ain’t I? You’re Charles Loring Brace, ain’tcha?”
“Yes, I am.”
Darold sneered. “Well, since you’re sendin’ so many street kids out West on your orphan trains, how come you don’t offer to send any of us?”
“Let me explain something, son. The Society is only allowed to send two coaches of orphans on each train. This limits us on how many children we can send.”
Darold pulled his lips tight and made a grunting sound.
Brace fixed him with steady eyes. “When I find street children with a bad attitude like yours and that of your friends, I’m slow to take them in because they usually turn out to be troublemakers while staying at the Society’s headquarters or when they’re on a train heading west.”
Brace felt the heat from all eyes in the group. “Change your attitude, young people. I’ll come back by and check on you in a few weeks. If I find you acting civil like you ought to, I’ll consider you for a trip west.”
With that, Brace turned and set his gaze on his wife and the twins.
Letitia sent a signal to her husband by looking first at him, then turning to look at each girl standing within the circle of her arms.
Having been married to this woman for over twenty years, Charles stepped to Letitia and smiled. “We’ll do it, honey. Let’s take the girls over to the buggy.” Then he turned to the twins. “Would you come with us?”
Darold and his group glared at the Braces as they walked to the buggy. Charles looked over his shoulder at the group. Daroldsaid something to his friends that Charles could not distinguish, but stood with his feet spread apart with a look of defiance. Charles shook his head, then turned back to the twins.
Donna and Deena stood with identical quizzical looks on their faces, casting sidelong glances at the group, who were now grumbling loudly that they wanted their money.
Ignoring them, Charles smiled at Deena and Donna. “Have you girls
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