Escape Into the Night (22 page)

“Anybody home?” Libby called again as she walked to a window of the barn. Again Samson followed. Standing on tiptoes, Libby peered in.

As though still searching, she walked to the largest door of the barn. When she tried the door, she found it unlocked. Opening it wide enough for Samson to follow, Libby walked through.

Caleb stood waiting in the shadows. With one quick movement he lifted the clothes from the basket. Gently Emma placed her baby inside. Loosely she drew the cloth together.

“Is Riggs still there?” Libby whispered.

“Still there,” Caleb said softly. “We’ll sneak out as soon as we can.”

“Come on, Samson,” Libby called as she walked back outside. With her hand still on the leash, Libby started toward the street. Then she had another idea.

“Let’s try the house again,” she said to Samson in a voice she hoped the slave catcher could hear. She hoped, too, that Caleb still watched from inside the barn.

This time Libby rapped softly, using the pattern she had heard from Caleb. Almost at once Mrs. Salter answered.

“I have a laundry basket here,” Libby said. Quickly she picked it up.

Surprise flashed through Mrs. Salter’s eyes, but her voice was warm with welcome. “Come in, come in!”

The moment Libby stepped into the kitchen she spoke quietly. “Two slave catchers and a slave trader are watching your barn. Caleb and the others can’t walk out in front of them.”

“I see.” Mrs. Salter smiled. “I wonder if the three gentlemen would like to have supper. Especially if I serve it out of sight from the barn? On the front porch, for instance?”

Libby grinned. “I’m very sure they must be hungry.”

From inside the basket little Henry cooed. Reaching down,
Mrs. Salter pulled aside the cloth, then the blankets. “What a precious bundle you’re carrying!”

Gently she replaced the blankets and tablecloth. As Libby left the house, she felt warmed by Mrs. Salter’s smile.

Setting the laundry basket into the wagon, Libby spoke to Samson. “C’mon, boy. C’mon.” With a slight tug on his collar she led him away.

But Libby was nervous again. She had only one thought: “If I can just get Henry to the
Christina
before he starts crying!”

CHAPTER 20

D
own the long streets to the river Libby walked with Samson padding faithfully beside her. By the time they reached the
Christina
, night had fallen around them. The lantern near the gangplank welcomed Libby home.

Quickly she took the harness off Samson. When Libby picked up the laundry basket, the dog followed her to the texas. Inside her room Libby pulled the blankets to one side. Henry lay fast asleep!

For the first time in years Libby breathed a prayer of thanks. But then she wondered,
What will I do if Emma doesn’t come soon?
She had no idea how she would feed a baby.

From the window of her room, Libby watched for shadows on the landing. Finally she saw them. Three shadows crept along the warehouse where the men had hid that first night.

This time Libby knew who belonged to the shadows. Hurrying out of her room, she shut the door behind her. All the way down the flights of stairs, she watched for Bates. Outside the large main cabin she nearly ran into him.

Libby caught her breath. “Good evening, Mr. Bates,” she said.

“Good evening, miss,” he answered.

Suddenly Libby had an idea. “Mr. Bates, did you know that Caleb’s grandmother made your favorite mince pie this afternoon?”

To Libby’s surprise his thin lips parted in a smile. “Why no, I didn’t. Thank you for telling me.” Turning, he started toward the pastry galley.

Libby grinned to herself.
If there isn’t anyone to see him, he’ll eat a whole pie! How much time will that give us?

The moment the first mate was out of sight, Libby raced down to the forward deck. Lifting the glass of the lantern, she blew out the flame.

Near the gangplank, she waited. On his haunches beside her, Samson waited too.

Moments later, Libby heard soft steps running up the gangplank. As Emma reached the railing, she glanced back, as if to see whether she were followed.

Then Libby stepped out to welcome her three new friends. Up the stairs to the texas she and Emma flew. They found little Henry opening his eyes.

Sweeping the blankets aside, Emma picked him up. Holding him close to her face, she spoke. “Little Henry, you is goin’ to see your daddy! And when you gits to Canada, you is
free
!”

Looking up at his mother, the baby waved his arms.

Emma laughed. “See what a smart boy I gots? He knows what his momma tells him, all right!”

Once again, Emma wrapped the blankets around the baby. This time she held him out to Libby. Taking little Henry, Libby cradled him in her arms.

“How did you get away from the barn?” she asked.

Emma’s grin reached even her eyes. “That lady—that missus
in the house—you know what she done? She ask them three men watchin’ us if they want supper. ‘Yes, ma’am!’ they say.

“‘Well, then,’ the missus say. ‘You come round to the front porch.’ When they was sittin’ there gobblin’ up their food, why, we snuck out!”

Libby giggled. “It worked!”

“Caleb he say we have to leave right now,” Emma went on. “I change clothes as fast as I kin.”

“Change?” Libby asked. “Oh no! I want you to wear that dress. You still have a long way to go before you reach Canada.”

Emma stared at her. “You wants me to wear this?”

“I hope it’s your disguise,” Libby answered. “Did you see how nice you look?”

When Emma’s black eyes met the eyes of the girl in the mirror, surprise passed over her face. As if unable to believe the dress was really hers, Emma’s hand slipped down between the folds of the skirt. Slowly she stroked the beautiful cloth.

When she looked up, her gaze met Libby’s. “I ain’t got nothin’ for you.”

Then suddenly Emma reached for Libby’s scissors. With great care she cut a lock of curly hair from baby Henry’s head.

When she laid the scissors down, Emma turned to Libby. Carefully she placed the black curl in the palm of Libby’s hand.

“I thanks you,” Emma said simply.

Libby knew that she meant much more than the dress.

As the oil lamps on the
Christina
flickered out, deckhands lowered the yawl hanging over the stern into the water. As though nothing important were happening, one of them rowed the small boat to the river side of the
Christina
.

While Libby, Captain Norstad, and Samson watched from the hurricane deck, Caleb stepped into the yawl. Moving as nimbly as a cat, Emma followed him. When she sat down, Jordan passed her what looked like a laundry basket filled with blankets. Emma set the basket next to her feet.

As Libby leaned over the rail, Jordan stepped back, then disappeared.
Where did he go?
she wondered.
I still want to find out how he escaped from Saint Louis
. Then Libby remembered her father warning Jordan to stay out of sight when in port.

When Caleb dipped the oars into the water, Libby’s hands tightened with nervousness. Out in the open river someone could easily spot them. Not even Bates could eat pie forever! What if Riggs or the slave catchers appeared at just the wrong time?

As Caleb’s strong arms pulled the oars, the yawl skimmed away from the
Christina
. Just before Emma disappeared in the darkness, she looked up. Searching out Libby with her eyes, she waved, then Emma and little Henry escaped into the night.

“Will they be all right?” Libby asked her father.

“I believe so,” he answered. “It’s too dangerous to send the baby on a train.”

“Caleb will take her to the closest station?” Libby’s voice was little more than a whisper, and she didn’t mean an actual train station.

When her father didn’t answer, Libby remembered.
I shouldn’t have asked
. In spite of all the things that they could talk about, there were things she must learn not to say.

But then Pa looked down and smiled. “It’s good to have you back, Libby. I’m very glad that you’re safe.”

“So am I!” It still seemed unbelievable that everything had worked out.

“I guess that’s part of being a never-give-up family,” Pa said. “We like being together.” Stretching out one of his long arms, he gave her a hug.

A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Libby, I strongly suspect that you have become a railroad conductor.”

Looking up, Libby felt overwhelmed by the way Pa loved and accepted her. She wanted to tell him how much that meant to her. Instead, she could only say, “I strongly suspect you are right.”

Just then she heard footsteps behind them. “You wanted me, sir?” asked Mr. Bates.

“I have some things we need to talk about,” Captain Norstad answered. “Let’s go to my cabin.”

As Mr. Bates passed through the doorway, Libby’s pa turned back. One eyelid dropped in a long, slow wink.

Libby almost laughed out loud. Just in time she clapped a hand over her mouth.

Soon Libby’s laughter died. With growing nervousness she waited for Caleb to return. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she heard the quiet dip of oars.

Libby raced down the stairways. By the time she reached the main deck, Caleb had come alongside.

His grin warmed her, and so did his words. “Let’s tell Jordan what happened,” was all that he said.

As Libby followed Caleb to the engine room, her thoughts leaped ahead. In just a few short days, her life had changed forever. Libby knew she would never again be the same.
What will happen next? Where will we go? What will we do?

She felt sure that wherever the
Christina
took them, it would be exciting.

A shadowy figure lurks on the dark riverfront near the
Christina
. Libby Norstad is sure that it must be the cruel slave trader Riggs, who has vowed that no slave of his will ever escape alive. Does Riggs suspect that the runaway Jordan Parker is hiding on her pa’s steamboat?

Fearful that Riggs may try to board the
Christina
in disguise, Libby and her friend Caleb scan the crowds of passengers bound for Minnesota Territory. Has Riggs slipped by unnoticed? Because of fugitive slave laws, he can bring Jordan back into slavery even from a free northern state. Can Jordan manage to escape discovery?