A Surprise

Beth took her eyes off of Holman Jones’s face and glanced upward.

Beth felt joy bolster her courage. She offered a silent prayer thanking God for Sally’s safety.

“What have you done?” Jones asked. His grip on Beth’s shoulders tightened.

Beth winced but didn’t cower. “Sally is on that train to freedom,” she said. “Let me go.”

“I’ll take you to South Carolina and sell you,” Jones said. “I’m not leaving without a slave to sell.”

Beth reached out and grabbed the star-shaped badge. She pulled and tore it off the coat. Beth took a deep breath and shouted, “Help! Kidnapper!”

Patrick jumped on Jones’s back and tried to cover his eyes. But the man was too strong. He dragged Beth toward the walkway railing. Jones slammed Patrick against it.

Beth heard Patrick’s groan and saw her cousin let go.

“Kidnapper!” Patrick shouted. “He’s trying to kidnap a free girl!”

This time the people on the walkway became bolder. They quickly surrounded Jones and Beth.

One short, stocky man pushed forward and challenged Jones. He clenched a fist and raised it to Jones’s face. He said, “Lincoln gave a speech last night. He told us to stand up for our convictions.”

“Then stand up for me, please!” Beth cried.

Murmurs went through the crowd. Beth heard “Yes” and “He’s right” and “We’ve got to help her.” People pulled out little American flags and began to wave them.

“We want a bright future,” a woman said. “New York doesn’t want slavery or kidnappers.”

“Here, here,” another person cried.

The stocky man wrestled Jones’s left arm. Beth felt Jones’s grip loosen. She pulled away. Then two more men strong-armed Jones. They began leading him off the bridge.

Jones protested with curses. He shouted, “I have a legal right to capture slaves!” But the men didn’t let him go.

Beth watched as they dragged him off the bridge.

Patrick quickly hugged Beth. “You were brave to swap places with Sally,” he said.

“You were brave to try and stop Jones,” she said.

Murray slowly limped toward them. Beth hugged the Underground Railroad conductor. She put the Runaway Slave Patrol star badge in his hand. “Throw it into the river,” Beth said. “Even though it’s legal to capture slaves now, it’s wrong.”

Murray looked at the badge.

Beth thought she saw a tear slide down his cheek.

Murray dropped the badge over the railing. He brushed his hands together as if to show the job was finished.

“Do you two need a ride back to Buffalo?” Murray asked.

Beth saw the glow of the Imagination Station ahead of them. She heard its familiar hum.

“I think we’ll stay here for now,” she said. “Thank you.”

Patrick shook hands with Murray. “Knocking Jones off the horse was awesome,” he said.

“Today our convictions called on us to be courageous,” Murray said. “Jones didn’t have that kind of power. He was only seeking money. Today freedom won.”

Murray said goodbye and limped toward the carriage.

Patrick scratched his head. He seemed to be confused. “Before we get in the Imagination Station,” he said, “tell me how you got a train ticket for Sally.”

Beth smiled. “Mrs. Lincoln is a lot like Mr. Whittaker,” she said. “I put on Sally’s blue cape. By habit I checked the pockets.”

“She left Sally money?” Patrick said.

Beth nodded. “And she also put in a letter of introduction,” Beth said. “Sally will need it to find a job.”

Patrick whistled. “A letter from the First Lady of the United States!” he said.

“Ahem,” a voice said from behind the cousins. “The precise title would be future First Lady. Mr. Lincoln has yet to be inaugurated.”

Beth turned toward the voice. Her mouth fell open in wonder. “Eugene?” she said. “You look like a teenager! You should be at least thirty years old.”

Beth guessed he had arrived in the Imagination Station.

Eugene was an adult friend of the cousins from Odyssey. He had been with them on their last three adventures.

Patrick said, “What happened?”

“The appropriate question is ‘What didn’t happen?’” Eugene said. “I calculated that I would be my proper age in this adventure. But it appears I was mistaken.”

“What are you going to do?” Patrick asked.

“Nothing at the moment,” Eugene said. “There’s something much more important at stake.” He paused and took a long breath. “There’s a plot afoot to murder Mr. Lincoln. And we have to stop it!”

To find out more about the next book, Terror in the Tunnel, visit TheImaginationStation.com.