were born Miriam said a silent prayer to keep Papa and Mama and Uncle Avram and the twins safe and get them back to America as soon as possible It was her fifth such prayer of the morning If only Lindbergh’s flying machine was big enough for an entire family Miriam said with a sigh Bubby reached across the table and patted Miriam’s hand A ship is much safer than a flying machine Miri she said But a ship is so much slower Miriam said She remembered when Papa had shown her the newspaper story about Charles Lindbergh flying across the ocean from Long Island to Paris in only thirty-three hours It was her eighth birthday and Papa had brought home the newspaper as a keepsake keepsake She still had that newspaper in a trunk at the foot of her bed with her other treasures I thought you were excited about coming to stay with us on the farm Bubby said You can have all kinds of adventures here Mama had whispered almost the same thing into Miriam’s ear the previous day The farm is full 6 Debby Waldman
of surprises You’ll be so busy the time will fly Papa and I will be home with Uncle Avram and your cousins before you know it Bubby was still talking so much you can do here that you can’t in a city full of cars and sidewalks sidewalks and buildings and noise How can you sleep with such noise Here it’s so peaceful and quiet Miriam shook her head No it’s not she said I heard a train last night Ach the train Bubby said leaning back in her chair You’ll get used to it By next week you’ll sleep right through it Does it come every night Miriam asked Trains go up and down that track every night and every day Bubby replied They travel from Canada to Florida and everywhere in between Like Utica And New York City Miriam asked Bubby nodded Miriam was confused After breakfast the day before she and Bubby had climbed aboard a train at Grand Central Station in Manhattan When they stepped off in Utica it was time for dinner 7 Miriam’s Secret
Zayde had met them at the station Then he’d driven them to the farm in his pickup truck The ride was so long that Miriam had been fast asleep when they arrived Why didn’t we take that train yesterday Miriam asked Why did we have to get off in Utica Only freight trains travel on that track Bubby said with a smile Freight trains carry things not people What kinds of things Miriam asked All kinds of things clothes food pots and pans even stoves and iceboxes Why not people Miriam asked The cars don’t have seats Bubby said Just big empty spaces to hold the freight Imagine sitting on a hard floor all the way from New York I don’t think I would like that Miriam said Bubby nodded I don’t think so either 8 Debby Waldman
Two Come along Bubby said after Miriam finished her breakfast You and I have a job to do Miriam hoped it was something you could do inside like making a cake But Mama had warned her that most of the work at the farm was outside picking vegetables pulling weeds letting cows in and out of the barn It was so cold right now that Miriam couldn’t imagine a vegetable growing or even a weed And she hadn’t seen any cows She could barely see beyond the snow outside the windows Until the day before Miriam hadn’t been to the farm since she was a baby She’d lived all 9
