The Train Trip
by Betty Bruechert them all lay the white, blue-eyed real live cat which was Lollie’s pride and joy. “You aren’t planning to take Snow White, are you?” asked her mother. “ She would have to ride in the bag gage car and she wouldn’t like that one bit.” “ Of course not, Mamma! But she seems to realize I am leaving and she just clings to me! I do hate to part with her, the dear old pussycat!” And she picked up the animal who, snuggling in her arms, immediately began to purr. “Now don’t you start crying as Kippy has over Prince.” Mrs. Rogers said, “ I’ll take good care of your pets. After all, I feed them most of the time,” she reminded her daughter. This was a rather sore point, for the Rogers children, like boys and girls the world over, adored pets, but did not enjoy the responsi bility they entailed. Mrs. Rogers turned her attention to Lollie’s collection: “You will not need half of those things — none o f the heavy clothes, only sweaters. You are going to the land of sunshine, my dear. Take your bathing suit and remind Kippy to take his. You can strap your tennis racket to your suit case. You can take one large suitcase apiece and I’ll let you use my train case . . .” This pleased Lollie who admired her mother’s nice luggage. By week end everything was packed and the children were more than ready for their trip. Report cards had been satisfactory to their mother. Good-byes to their special friends had been long and filled with promises to bring back California souvenirs. “ Boy, I envy you,” said Joe Elliott, “ riding all those horses on the ranch!” But Kippy who had never been on a horse in his life, just opened wide his brown eyes and said noth ing. Joe’s twin sister Janet said to Lol lie: “ I suppose you’ll see lots of movie stars.” “Well, I won’t know who they TH E K IN G 'S BU SIN ESS
their rooms were all ready for her inspection—as well as the collections they wished to take to California with them. Mrs. Rogers first went into her son’s room, and immediately burst out laughing. “ This cannot be Kip- py’s room — it’s spotless!” And so it was. “You should go to California every day,” she remarked, “ But are those all the things you are taking with you?” To her surprise there were only a few T shirts, some shorts, jeans, a sweater and his baseball bat and glove — and his Bible. Kippy was sitting on the floor, with his arms around the beloved collie Prince, and when he looked up, his eyes were full of tears. Mamma understood. She pulled up a chair, roughed up her son’s crewcut, and said, “You wouldn’t want Prince to leave too, would you? Who would look after me with the man of the house gone?” “ Sure, Mamma,” said Kip, “ I’ve been telling him to take care of you.” Prince cried a little in his own dog gy way, and seemed to understand. “ I think you should take along your good blue suit and two white shirts. You may live on a ranch and wear blue jeans most of the time, but on the Lord’s Day I want you to dress up just as you do at home when you go to Sunday School and church. You remember that Uncle Jack — although he is not a Christian him self — assured me that he would see you children got to the services you are used to at home. O. K.? Take a few books and checkers to play on the train.” Mrs. Rogers’ next stop was Lollie’s room, and there too she was pleasant ly surprised to note the fine job. of cleaning and polishing which her little daughter had done. Again she enjoyed a hearty laugh — this time at the huge pile of possessions on the bed which Lollie intended to take to California. There were books, and dolls, and clothes — and on top of
Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Lollie and nine-year-old Kippy Rogers, whose mother was a widow, and worked in an office to support them, had a won derful surprise in the gift from an- uncle who lived in California. He sent the round-trip fare for the chil dren to travel to his California ranch- home for a month to which their mother happily agreed. She suggested they learn the traveller’s Psalm — the 121st — on the train; and that they witness faithfully by word and deed to these generous relatives who were not Christians. So the children had a mission to perform as well as fun and adventure to look forward to. L o l l i e a n d Kippy opened their eyes to the bright sunny day with the feeling that something special had happened. ■Then they remembered! They were going to California in a week! They raced to the breakfast table and there Mamma had the steaming oatmeal in their bowls and the cocoa steaming on the stove. After the meal, and their morning worship time together, she had orders: “ As I told you, I have a lot of sewing to do for you children, so I want you to forget baseball and tennis after school, and come right home and clean your rooms from top to bottom. While you are doing that, I want you to put out on the beds the things that you want to take to California. You will be gone just a month, you know.” Lollie and Kippy were so happy about the proposed trip to California that they forgot to grum ble about cleaning up their rooms, and Lollie even asked if she should wash the curtains. “Oh-, no,” answered Mrs. Rogers, “You just straighten up the drawers and the closets and wash and wax the floors. That will be a great help to me.” The children were good as gold and two nights later announced that
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