Heloise stared out the window of the train in reverie. As the hours rolled on like the rails beneath their feet her hurt turned into anger. She had loved Cora as a dear friend and thought things would always continue that way but she was wrong. She had been so terribly wrong. Alifair had been right all along but when Heloise told her so the sister tried to soften her previous statement but it was too late. Heloise already knew that her assumptions had been true.

"Are you still awake, Heloise?"

Heloise was pulled out of her troubled thoughts by her sister's gentle voice. She lifted her head off the glass and faced her. "Yes," she yawned. Alifair and Hannah were sound asleep. Alifair next to her and Hannah next to Astrid in the seat in front of them holding her doll.

"I heard someone say we should be in Maine by morning," Astrid said. She smiled sympathetically trying to lift her sister's spirits but it wasn't working. "Do you want to draw or write something to pass the time? You can use some of the paper I got from the terminal."

Heloise tilted her head back toward the window. "I'm not in the mood to write."

Not to be deterred Astrid smiled. "Oh come, now you know that ain't true. You're always inspired. Remember? The poet of the family." She dug into her sack and pulled out a pencil and a wrinkled paper that already had writing on it. "Come on, take it. See what you can do."

Heloise reluctantly took the paper and pencil. With a sigh she let it rest beneath her hands in her lap. "My heart hurts too much to write. I fell like there's this burning fire inside feeling my chest with smoke."

"I know," Astrid said. "I know what happened today hurt you." She looked into her sister's eyes with empathy. "Do you remember what you told us, about grandma's poem? About being sawn down?"

Heloise remembered. "In the beset hour of my days is when I raised my head up. When the rain breaks the sheets of clouds that retrain it then is when I raise my hands up. I am stronger when I am sawn down and I am courageous when I'm wounded. Make be brave always oh Lord, whatever evils may come."

Astrid smiled at her. "I knew you would remember. You have a head for that. Me, I'm not that bright. I know people say so. I'm not as brave as Taitiann or as clever as you."

"But you can sing, and you are very pretty. Not like me."

Astrid giggled. "I'd rather be clever. You are an amazing person, Heloise. I'm sorry none of us have ever told you that.

Heloise smiled and took the pencil in her hands. Looking out the window she thought about the day. In Maine she planned to start over even if she didn't like living there. "After howling and howling against the little ship at sea the wind said unto him, 'thou art indestructible'."

Don't let anger make you unholy, don't let their insults leave you lowly...

/

Dear Selene and Taitiann

We have arrived safely in Newport Maine and now await transit. We all miss you terribly already. Please let Miriam know not to worry as I know she does often when it comes to all of us. Is Mr. St. Cloud willing to help Mama and Papa? I am so desperate to know. I shall write you again later when I have more time and paper.

Be well, Astrid

"You didn't write them about my headache," Hannah protested. She held onto her doll in one arm and put her free hand to her head. "It's been hurting ever since we got on the train."

Astrid sealed the envelope with the letter inside then put a stamp on it. "When we get to where we're going I'll write them again," she assured Hannah. "For now we have to focus on what is really important. Can you do that for me Hannah?"

Hannah pursed her lips and tapped her foot. "I'll think about it," she said making Astrid smile. "But may I please take my boots off? My feet must have grown two sizes since I put them on."

Astrid patted the space on the bench next to her and Hannah sat down so she could untie her shoes. She passed the letter to Heloise who made her way over to the post office so it could be mailed.

Heloise took in the town as she made the short journey to the post office. The street was wide but humble, none of that fancy paved stuff. The buildings looked a lot like the ones back home, wood framed with hitching posts for horses out front along the sidewalks. Thick trees grew just beyond buildings allowed to be proud in their beauty unlike in Manhattan where even nature seemed taught by man.

She hopped the single step of the post office and proceeded inside. She expected to see Mr. and Mrs. Siegfried. Mrs. Siegfried would have been talking to one of the ladies that lived down the lane while she picked up a package and Mr. Siegfried would have been reaching into the different postal boxes retrieving letters from the relatives of residents that lived afar, pipe in mouth.

"May I help you?"

Heloise shook her head, sending memories of the past scattering back to the recesses of her mind.

"May I help you, girl?" The plump woman repeated. Her blonde hair had been brushed back into a tight bun and was darker around the roots. She wore a white apron over a dress that matched the green color of the world outside.

"Yes ma'am," Heloise said, walking up to the counter. "I have a letter I would like to send." She held the envelope over the counter and the woman took it.

"From south of here are you? Well we've had stranger visitors here in Newport." She turned around and put the letter in a tray that said out. "Where are you planning on staying, here in Newport?"

"No, ma'am," Heloise said.

The woman leaned on the counter and studied her. "Well you be sure to take care of yourself here. It gets terribly cold in the wintah months."

The door opened and a man came in with a package under his arm. Heloise decided this was her chance to take leave before the post mistress could ask any more questions.

"Yes, ma'am," she said and ducked around the man.

When she returned to her sisters a woman and a man seated in a large wagon had pulled up beside them. She quickened her pace and joined them before the strangers.

"Here is Heloise now," Astrid said as she approached.

"Oh good," the woman sighed. 'Your sister put you all in my charge and I shudder to think anything should go wrong while you are in my care. Now, tell me your names again." She pointed to Astrid first.

"I'm Astrid and these are my sisters, Heloise Alifair and..." She looked around for the youngest sister who had made her way around the wagon to the horse.

"I have never seen a horse this size before!" She gasped. "You must feed him trees."

"Or small children," Alifair teased and Hannah took a step away from the animal.

"What do you call him?" she asked Mrs. Murphy.

"This is Thor," Mrs. Murphy said. "He's what you call a draft horse. You'll need such a strong animals if you intend to get around Maine during the wintah."

Hannah frowned at the way she spoke but Mrs. Murphy hurried them into the wagon before she could comment to her sisters.

"We had better get moving if we don't want to be caught on the road after dusk," she said. "Many ladies have lost their valuables to highwaymen being out at ungodly hours."

The man dismounted and helped each girl into the wagon before adding their things. Once they were all loaded he took the reins and drove the wagon out of town. The ride was silent as the sisters starred at each other as they were rocked back and forth in the wagon bed.

"You four sure are quiet," Mrs. Murphy said after they had been on the road for a number of minutes. "Tell me, how is Miriam doing?"

"She's well," Astrid answered for the group.

"I'm glad to hear that," Mrs. Murphy said. She turned around in her seat and the girls got a good look at her face. She must have been in her mid thirties but had never lost her childish freckles. Her pointed nose turned upward sharply and her eyes though rather narrow were a light blue. All this framed by dark blonde hair. "You'll like the house I hope. Josie and I try to keep it up to parity with other boarding schools. Josie is my niece by the way, you'll like her too."

Hannah frowned. This woman seemed to already have made her mind up about what they would like. "How old is your niece?"

"Josie just turned eleven," Mrs. Murphy said. "So she's just around the ages of you girls."

"Astrid will be fifteen next week," Hannah said though she knew Astrid didn't like people knowing her age though she never understood why.

"Is that so?" Mrs. Murphy smiled. "Well, you're on your way to becoming a young lady."

Astrid smiled shyly the way she always did and turned away to avoid unnecessary conversation.

"I'm nine," Hannah said proudly. "I turned nine in February." She got onto her knees so she could better talk to Mrs. Murphy.

"Well, Hannah was it, I'm glad you like to talk. Your sisters are rather silent. I hope you all like it here. Welcome to Maine."