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Authors: Betsy Haynes
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been like to stand on the bow of an immigrant ship, instead of the Circle
Line ferry, carrying everything she owned in the world and praying that she
would be allowed to stay in this great country.
Even Melanie seemed impressed as she squinted into the
sunshine. "Wow. I bet it was really scary," she murmured.
The ride out to Ellis Island took only a few minutes. The
boat pulled up to the dock and let out its gangplank, and hundreds of
passengers poured ashore.
Jana had looked for Randy on the boat, but she hadn't seen
him. Now, on shore, the crowd seemed larger than ever.
"How am I ever going to find him?" she mumbled to
herself.
The girls wandered through the front doors of the main
building and into a vast, high-ceilinged room marked "Baggage Room"
on their maps. Jana steered Katie in the right direction, since she was busy
reading out loud from the brochure.
"'Basking in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the
newly established Ellis Island Immigrant Station answered the lady's plea to "Give
me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,"
when it officially opened its doors to the world on Friday, January 1, 1892,'"
read Katie. "Isn't that a beautiful poem?"
"Yeah," said Jana, "but you'd better watch
where you're going."
"Hey, guys, there's a gift shop," Melanie cried,
pointing down a hallway to the right of the front door. "Let's go there
first."
"I'm broke," said Alexis.
"Me, too," said Jana, "besides, I want to see
this place. It's really pretty interesting."
"Yeah," agreed Funny. "Let's look at some of
the displays. We can always go to the gift shop later."
Katie, who had continued reading her brochure while the
others discussed the gift shop, suddenly stopped, her face radiant with
excitement. "Everybody! Listen to this. 'Perhaps it was fitting that a
fifteen-year-old Irish girl named Annie Moore was the first to be questioned in
the immigrant station's second-floor Registry Room, because America, like young
Annie, was in its adolescence.'"
Melanie made a face. "So?"
" So? What do you mean, so?" Katie demanded.
"Didn't you hear me? It says right here that the first immigrant to come
through Ellis Island was a woman!"
"Oh, Katie," groaned Jana, "you're too much."
The girls wandered through the baggage room on the first
floor, looking at examples of the funny, old-fashioned luggage the immigrants
had brought. They watched a movie and then went upstairs, following the route
the new Americans had followed as they were given medical exams and then told
if they could remain in America or had to go back home.
Finally, after the girls made a quick trip into the gift
shop to please Melanie, it was time to board the ferry again and head for the
Statue of Liberty.
"Isn't it awful that some of the immigrants had to go
back home just because they got sick on the ships on their way to America?"
asked Funny as they walked toward the ferry.
Jana nodded, but she didn't say anything. She had been
keeping an eye out for Randy as they'd toured the displays, but she hadn't seen
him. Now, as they boarded the boat, she thought she caught a glimpse of him
sitting in a chair on the second deck. He had his back to the railing and was
talking to someone, but she couldn't see who it was.
The crowd was moving at a snail's pace as it wound through
the bottom deck and toward the stairway leading to the upper decks. Jana tried
to press through the crowd, but all she got was angry looks from the passengers
ahead of her.
Finally she made her way up the steps and onto the second
deck. It was Randy. Her heart fluttered, and then almost stopped beating
completely.
Randy was there, all right, and he was engaged in earnest
conversation with Laura McCall.
CHAPTER 13
Jana hurried on past Randy and Laura, pretending she didn't
see them and making her way up to the top deck. Her heart was bursting. This
was supposed to be a special day, and Randy was spending all his time with
Laura McCall. She kept her face
Line ferry, carrying everything she owned in the world and praying that she
would be allowed to stay in this great country.
Even Melanie seemed impressed as she squinted into the
sunshine. "Wow. I bet it was really scary," she murmured.
The ride out to Ellis Island took only a few minutes. The
boat pulled up to the dock and let out its gangplank, and hundreds of
passengers poured ashore.
Jana had looked for Randy on the boat, but she hadn't seen
him. Now, on shore, the crowd seemed larger than ever.
"How am I ever going to find him?" she mumbled to
herself.
The girls wandered through the front doors of the main
building and into a vast, high-ceilinged room marked "Baggage Room"
on their maps. Jana steered Katie in the right direction, since she was busy
reading out loud from the brochure.
"'Basking in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the
newly established Ellis Island Immigrant Station answered the lady's plea to "Give
me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,"
when it officially opened its doors to the world on Friday, January 1, 1892,'"
read Katie. "Isn't that a beautiful poem?"
"Yeah," said Jana, "but you'd better watch
where you're going."
"Hey, guys, there's a gift shop," Melanie cried,
pointing down a hallway to the right of the front door. "Let's go there
first."
"I'm broke," said Alexis.
"Me, too," said Jana, "besides, I want to see
this place. It's really pretty interesting."
"Yeah," agreed Funny. "Let's look at some of
the displays. We can always go to the gift shop later."
Katie, who had continued reading her brochure while the
others discussed the gift shop, suddenly stopped, her face radiant with
excitement. "Everybody! Listen to this. 'Perhaps it was fitting that a
fifteen-year-old Irish girl named Annie Moore was the first to be questioned in
the immigrant station's second-floor Registry Room, because America, like young
Annie, was in its adolescence.'"
Melanie made a face. "So?"
" So? What do you mean, so?" Katie demanded.
"Didn't you hear me? It says right here that the first immigrant to come
through Ellis Island was a woman!"
"Oh, Katie," groaned Jana, "you're too much."
The girls wandered through the baggage room on the first
floor, looking at examples of the funny, old-fashioned luggage the immigrants
had brought. They watched a movie and then went upstairs, following the route
the new Americans had followed as they were given medical exams and then told
if they could remain in America or had to go back home.
Finally, after the girls made a quick trip into the gift
shop to please Melanie, it was time to board the ferry again and head for the
Statue of Liberty.
"Isn't it awful that some of the immigrants had to go
back home just because they got sick on the ships on their way to America?"
asked Funny as they walked toward the ferry.
Jana nodded, but she didn't say anything. She had been
keeping an eye out for Randy as they'd toured the displays, but she hadn't seen
him. Now, as they boarded the boat, she thought she caught a glimpse of him
sitting in a chair on the second deck. He had his back to the railing and was
talking to someone, but she couldn't see who it was.
The crowd was moving at a snail's pace as it wound through
the bottom deck and toward the stairway leading to the upper decks. Jana tried
to press through the crowd, but all she got was angry looks from the passengers
ahead of her.
Finally she made her way up the steps and onto the second
deck. It was Randy. Her heart fluttered, and then almost stopped beating
completely.
Randy was there, all right, and he was engaged in earnest
conversation with Laura McCall.
CHAPTER 13
Jana hurried on past Randy and Laura, pretending she didn't
see them and making her way up to the top deck. Her heart was bursting. This
was supposed to be a special day, and Randy was spending all his time with
Laura McCall. She kept her face
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