lived John and Emma Sue Grady. This couple had been a godsend to many children over the years. When the Rockport Orphanage grew too full, this couple would take that next child, that poor little boy or girl who needed a home. This time, Mattie Blackson was that next child.
John and Emma Sue welcomed their new guest with open arms. Dismissing the fact they could barely feed the seven children they were keeping now, they agreed to take in just one more. In the beginning, it took some persuasion from the government woman who brought Mattie there. But when they realized the alternative for the young girl, something that Mattie never allowed herself to hear, the couple took the girlâs tattered suitcase and introduced her into the fold.
At first, Mattie was shy. After all, she had been an only child. She wasnât accustomed to the noise and commotion that came with a house full of children. With time, though, she learned to love and care about every one of her new brothers and sisters. The young ones were easy to love from the start. Gretal, the baby of the group, was a mere two-and-a-half, âthe perfect age for huggin,ââ Emma Sue would say. Jessie Lyn, newly turned three, was round and chubby and the apple of John Gradyâs eye. As much mischief as she got into, she never got scolded. The five-year-old twins were next in line. Ethan and Thomas had been there the longest. Abandoned by their mother at six weeks, the two had been officially adopted by the Gradys. Few knew this, though, since the couple treated all the children the same.
Annie Lane made number five in the family. Mattie found her the most intriguing of all. She insisted on being called by her first and last name, even though her parents had given her up long ago. She was feisty and mischievous and the most likely child to be in trouble. And yet, Mattie found her to be quite likeable. The age difference of four years kept them from being best friends, but she held a special bond with Annie Lane that even she herself didnât quite understand.
Mary Margaret, aged ten, was the shyest of the bunch. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty was secretive about her background, so Mattie wasnât sure of the reason why this young girl rarely spoke and kept mainly to herself. She preferred to sit in the house when the others were playing outside and never joined in on the normal teasing and joking that comes with being a sibling. There was a sadness about her that Mattie accepted as part of her personality. Maybe someday, Mary Margaret would open up and become happy, or at least as happy as an orphaned girl could.
The oldest of the youngsters was James. At thirteen, he was at that stage between boyhood and manhood. Mattie loved him right from the start â not a romantic kind of love, but the kind of love that a little sister feels for a brother. Mattie had always longed for an older brother, someone to stand up for her and calm her fears when she felt afraid. James was all that and more. He was a big help to John around the house, and the younger children just loved the rough and tumble play that he introduced right before bedtime. Occasionally he even made Mary Margaret smile.
The Gradysâ home wasnât meant for such a big family, but somehow they all made do. Mattie had the good fortune, or misfortune, depending on the season, of sharing a room in the barn with Mary Margaret and James. Mattie helped Emma Sue make the stable corner as attractive as possible. The girls shaped a comfortable mattress of hay and blankets, while James preferred a hammock in the loft. It wasnât much, but the extra space it created in the household was well worth the effort.
Mattie found most nights with her two siblings to be enjoyable. She and James would stay up late talking, while Mary Margaret would occasionally listen in or read. The two talked about their past lives sometimes, but mainly it was about their dreams and hopes for the future.
John and Emma Sue welcomed their new guest with open arms. Dismissing the fact they could barely feed the seven children they were keeping now, they agreed to take in just one more. In the beginning, it took some persuasion from the government woman who brought Mattie there. But when they realized the alternative for the young girl, something that Mattie never allowed herself to hear, the couple took the girlâs tattered suitcase and introduced her into the fold.
At first, Mattie was shy. After all, she had been an only child. She wasnât accustomed to the noise and commotion that came with a house full of children. With time, though, she learned to love and care about every one of her new brothers and sisters. The young ones were easy to love from the start. Gretal, the baby of the group, was a mere two-and-a-half, âthe perfect age for huggin,ââ Emma Sue would say. Jessie Lyn, newly turned three, was round and chubby and the apple of John Gradyâs eye. As much mischief as she got into, she never got scolded. The five-year-old twins were next in line. Ethan and Thomas had been there the longest. Abandoned by their mother at six weeks, the two had been officially adopted by the Gradys. Few knew this, though, since the couple treated all the children the same.
Annie Lane made number five in the family. Mattie found her the most intriguing of all. She insisted on being called by her first and last name, even though her parents had given her up long ago. She was feisty and mischievous and the most likely child to be in trouble. And yet, Mattie found her to be quite likeable. The age difference of four years kept them from being best friends, but she held a special bond with Annie Lane that even she herself didnât quite understand.
Mary Margaret, aged ten, was the shyest of the bunch. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty was secretive about her background, so Mattie wasnât sure of the reason why this young girl rarely spoke and kept mainly to herself. She preferred to sit in the house when the others were playing outside and never joined in on the normal teasing and joking that comes with being a sibling. There was a sadness about her that Mattie accepted as part of her personality. Maybe someday, Mary Margaret would open up and become happy, or at least as happy as an orphaned girl could.
The oldest of the youngsters was James. At thirteen, he was at that stage between boyhood and manhood. Mattie loved him right from the start â not a romantic kind of love, but the kind of love that a little sister feels for a brother. Mattie had always longed for an older brother, someone to stand up for her and calm her fears when she felt afraid. James was all that and more. He was a big help to John around the house, and the younger children just loved the rough and tumble play that he introduced right before bedtime. Occasionally he even made Mary Margaret smile.
The Gradysâ home wasnât meant for such a big family, but somehow they all made do. Mattie had the good fortune, or misfortune, depending on the season, of sharing a room in the barn with Mary Margaret and James. Mattie helped Emma Sue make the stable corner as attractive as possible. The girls shaped a comfortable mattress of hay and blankets, while James preferred a hammock in the loft. It wasnât much, but the extra space it created in the household was well worth the effort.
Mattie found most nights with her two siblings to be enjoyable. She and James would stay up late talking, while Mary Margaret would occasionally listen in or read. The two talked about their past lives sometimes, but mainly it was about their dreams and hopes for the future.
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