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With a Trusting Heart

By Dawn Kinzer

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Chapter One


Seattle, Washington
August 1909

Taking a firm stance, she raised her hands and aimed at the mess created that morning. If only the clutter would disappear with the move of her trigger finger.

Lizzie Clark dropped the imaginary pistols into the in-visible holster hung around her hips and chuckled to herself. Perhaps she’d gotten too caught up in the excitement of several boys anticipating the Wild West Show later that day at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.

She assessed the stacked breakfast dishes on the kitchen counter, ready to be washed and dried. If she worked fast and hard enough, she might have five minutes to enjoy a cup of tea before tackling the next job on her list.

Helen Caswell, the head cook, nodded toward the pile of dirty plates, bowls, pots, and pans. “Taking on that job alone today was a kind thing to do.”

“It didn’t feel right to ask Emma to stay behind.” Lizzie picked up a dishrag and leaned against the sink. “The girl is only seventeen, and someone who works as hard as she does deserves a little fun. Besides, we won’t have as many to feed for lunch with the majority of Brown Hall’s residents attending the fair.”

Lizzie had already grown fond of the quiet young woman with blond hair, striking amber eyes, and a nose too large for her face. Emma Johnson worked in the kitchen as part of her training to leave the orphanage, and she hoped to find employment at a restaurant or with a wealthy family.

A meek soul, she rarely talked, but Lizzie and Helen were trying to instill confidence in her. Emma’s mother had died, and her father had lost his job. He’d promised to come for her once he got back on his feet, but in the five years Emma had lived at the orphanage, he’d never re-turned even once to check on her. No wonder she thought little of herself.

During Children’s Day at the expo, the twenty-five-cent admission for youth was waived, so today was a perfect opportunity for the orphans from Brown Hall to visit. This world’s fair, held on the University of Washington’s grounds, had opened up new experiences to the people of Seattle and those traveling great distances to attend.

Having only moved from Portland and begun her new job three weeks ago, Lizzie hadn’t ventured to the fair yet. Of course she was anxious to see the sights, but the exposition would remain open for another two months, so there was plenty of time to enjoy the attractions.

Volunteers from a nearby church would help chaperone the seventy-four children on the walk to the fair and stay with them throughout the day. The entrance to the expo took only five minutes via trolley, but it was important to save the five-cent fare. Donations had given the youngsters, ages five through sixteen, enough money to purchase lemonade and a frankfurter. Lizzie and Helen would make lunch for the fifteen children aged four and under who remained behind, but the nursery matron would make sure the five babies were provided nourishment. They’d have supper ready for all when the fairgoers returned.

As a teacher at Brown Hall, her brother fed minds, but Lizzie was currently helping to nourish the bodies of the orphans and the adults who cared for them, and that brought her great satisfaction.

“My goodness, the children are in for an adventure.” Helen kneaded the third batch of bread dough with a steady rhythm, the heels of her hands pushing the dough down and then outward. “The excitement generated the last twenty-four hours could have supplied enough energy to clean the entire building from top to bottom if we’d had a hankering to put the youngsters to work. I don’t think
Rachel slept but a few minutes all night.”

Lizzie smiled at the mention of the mischievous seven-year-old with long dark braids and a missing front tooth. “Their enthusiasm is understandable. My brother has been sharing some interesting facts about the expo during their classes—all educational, of course.” Lizzie winked. “At breakfast, the boys were challenging each other to ride the Ferris wheel.”

“One of the older boys was taunting Rachel about some ride called the Haunted Swing.” Helen shook her head. “Oh, my . . . what are we going to be dealing with tonight? Nightmares?”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Lizzie said, brushing back loose curls of hair from where they’d fallen over her eyes. “The chaperones will keep a close watch on each child, and my brother has an itinerary that he expects everyone to follow. For Timothy to get approval for this outing, he had to assure the state superintendent for Washington Children’s Home Society that he’d use the opportunity as part of his teaching curriculum.”

Helen folded the dough in half, then pressed down on the mixture again. “Ah, leave it to Mr. L. J. Covington to require that any activity be associated with learning.”

“They’ll have a great time playing on the Pay Streak, and their other encounters will be exciting and enlightening. Exposure to other countries like Japan, Turkey, Greece, Germany, Great Britain, France, Sweden, China . . . the superintendent won’t have anything to complain about.”

The Pay Streak was the exposition’s midway area. For a price, it offered a dizzying array of carnival rides, quasi-educational exhibits, souvenirs, and refreshments. Lizzie was prepared for the attendees to be either worn out by the time they returned, or so exhilarated, they’d chatter for hours about everything they’d seen and done.

The outside screen door to the kitchen slammed, drawing the women’s attention.
Helen grabbed a towel and wiped the excess flour from her hands. “Emma, aren’t you supposed to be on your way to the fair with the children?”

“I’ll catch up to them.” The girl’s mesmerizing eyes were filled with questions. “I—I didn’t know what to do. We’d barely left when a young woman I’ve never seen before approached me.” Emma held up a wicker basket covered with a blue blanket. “She handed me this and a note and said to give them to you, Lizzie.”

“Me? Why?” And why wouldn’t a gift be brought directly to her?

“The only explanation she gave was that she’d been asked by her neighbor Nellie to make the delivery. And when I peeked inside . . . I called for her to come back. I did.” Emma’s eyes pooled. “But she was gone so fast.”

“You did nothing wrong.” Helen put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Now, let’s take a look.”

Lizzie removed the basket from Emma’s arms and lifted the thin, clean white blanket to see a sleeping newborn.

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