No Place Like Home

 By Micaiah C. age 12

#5 Two Lost Sisters

Henriette Harison’s life always seemed normal enough. She and her husband Tom lived on a small farm on the outskirts of Visalia, California, with their only child, Luke. It always seemed normal, that is, until the spring of 1900.

She looked out her kitchen window. Her blue eyes crinkled. She tucked aloose string of brown hair behind her hair as she ran into the yard. Two little girls, about eight-years-old slowly walked into the yard, leading a worn, Gypsy Cob.

Both girls had dirty, dark brown hair and brown eyes. Through the grim and dirt their dresses were made of fine material, Henriette noticed.

Henriette gasped as one of them collapsed. She rushed over to where they were.

The girl who stood shied away from her.

“Are you girl’s alright?” Her forehead crinkled.

The little girl nodded, “Yes ma’am.”

“Come in the house. Your sister doesn’t look very good.”

“We aren’t supposed to talk with strangers.”

Henriette smiled, “Don’t you think you could make an exception just this once?”

The girl shrugged, “Okay. Me and Lottie are tired.”

“Good,” she scooped up the other girl and called for Mark, her twelve-year-old son to take care of their horse.

After he had gone they went into the sitting room, and Henriette set the girl on the couch and got her some broth. As she slowly spooned it into her mouth she asked, “What are your names and what are you doing out here?”

The girl sighed, “My name’s Lillian but you can call me Lily. My sister’s name is Charlotte, but we call her Lottie.

Lottie nodded in confirmation of what Lily had just said.

“Mama and Daddy just got Beauty, our horse. We weren’t supposed to go near her but we did anyway. She got out and they would have been really mad. We ran away. We found her a couple hours later but we didn’t want to go home and  get in trouble. That was about two weeks ago.”

Henriette’s eyes opened wide, “Two weeks! How did you survive that long?”

“We found food. Mama and Daddy showed us all about things like that. Our brother did too. He’s a big boy. Eleven!”

“What is your last name, and where do you live?”

Lily crossed her arms, “We can’t say. I don’t want to go back. We’d be in trouble.”

“Can you at least tell me what state you live in?”

Lily shrugged, “California.”

Henriette shook her head, surprised by the both girls’ sturdiness, “Well, my name is Henriette Harison. My husband Tom and I live here with our son. You met Luke already.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Harison,” Lily said.

Lottie nodded.

They seem very well brought up. Henriette mused, silently.

She smiled and nodded. “Now,” she began, “let’s get you into the bathtub, and into some fresh clothes. I have some here from when I was a girl.”

 ~~~

           

After the girls were washed and cleaned and had eaten a good meal Henriette put them to sleep in the spare room until she and Tom could talk about them.

            “What are we going to do?” she asked him that night.

            Tom shrugged, “Try and find their parents, I suppose.”

            Henriette sighed, “That’s going to be hard to do when they won’t tell us their last name.”

            Tom nodded, “They said they’re from California, so that will help. They couldn’t have made it too far, so they probably live close by. Maybe in the San Francisco area?”

            Henriette shrugged, “It’s worth checking out. Perhaps we could bring their home up subtlety and they would accidentally give us some information.”

Tom grinned, “Works for me!”           

~~~ 

The next morning they were all sitting at the breakfast table.

            “So, tell us about where you live girls,” Tom asked, trying to be subtle.

            “We live on a ranch in F-. Oops,” Lottie began.

            “Grandma lives nearby too,” Lily added. “Grandpa died when Mama was little. Uncle Chad lives on the Circle C with Grandma too.”

            “The Circle C?”

            Lily covered her mouth with her hand, “Oops.”

            Henriette grinned, but tried to change the subject, “How are the pancakes, girls?”

 

A few days later a young man and woman pulled up to the farm in a shiny back buggy, rented for the livery nearby. The woman had dark brown hair and shimmering blue eyes. The man’s hazel eyes sparkled. The woman's split skirt and plaid top was unusual for women their age, along with her high top boots. The man’s silver belt buckle shimmered in the sun and his plaid shirt went well with his wife’s. Differences in their apparel was that he wore trousers and his high top boot sported a different pattern.

            Henriette hurried out of the house to greet them, “You must be Mister and Misses Prescott.”

            The young woman nodded, “Call me Andi,” she motioned to her husband, “This is Riley.”

            Riley tipped his hat.

            Henriette smiled and nodded. “Luke!” She called over her shoulder.

            A sandy haired boy emerged from the barn, “Yeah, Ma?”

            “Could you get Lottie and Lily from the house?”

            “Sure!” He ran off.

            “Thank you so much for contacting my mother!” Andi began. “We have been worried sick.”

            Henriette nodded, “If my Luke had gone off like that I would be too.”

            “Do you know why they left with Beauty?”

            “They said they let her out. They went after her and when they found her it was late, and they thought you would be mad,” she gave the two of them a sympathetic look.

            Andi sighed, “I see.”

            Just then Luke came out of the small house with Lottie and Lily in-tow.

            They ran to their parents, “Mama! Daddy!” they exclaimed as they ran into their open arms.

            Riley picked Lily up and swung her around.

            Andi gathered Lottie up in her arms, “Why did you scare us like that?”

            Lottie looked at the ground, sheepishly, “We let Beauty out by accident, and we thought you would be mad.”

Lily nodded her agreement as Riley set her back down on her feet.

Andi sighed, “Don’t you know that whatever you do,” she looked at Lily, “and you too.”

Lily smiled at the ground.

“We will always love you the same.”

The girls nodded, “We do now. We’re sorry.”

Andi grinned and hugged her girls. She looked up at Henriette as Lottie ran to Riley for a hug, “Thank you for taking such good care of them! We could never repay you.”

Henriette smiled, “It was our pleasure! I have always wished for a little girl,” she smiled fondly at her son, “A sister for Luke.”

Andi smiled, “Our first born is a boy, Jared.”

Lily looked up at Andi and changed the subject, “Are we still going to get punished?”

Andi ;aughed, “You bet you are.”

 ~~~

            A few weeks later Henriette received a letter from Fresno. She tore it open as fast as possible. It read,

Dear Mister and Misses Harison,

We arrived home safely, although we are not allowed to go riding for a month. Even Jared was glad to see us. We want to thank you for your kindness. We miss the three of you. We are glad to be back though! There is no place like home!

~Lottie and Lily Prescott.

 ~~~

            A few days later Henriette ran into the kitchen at full speed. “Tom!” she called.

            Tom ran in, “What’s the matter? Did something happen?”

            Henriette beamed, “Something did happen! Something wonderful!”

            “What!”

            Henriette groped her voice to a whisper, “We’re going to have a baby!” 

~~~

           Eight and a half months later Henriette gave birth to a baby girl. Charlotte Lillian Harison.