Nan's Journey Read Online Free Page A

when he slept. His soft little cheeks and rosebud lips parted as he breathed. Mama had called him her “ l ittle golden boy” . Pa must have looked just like him at this age.
    The chickens clucked and flapped in their crates. Nan grimaced at the thought of more raw eggs, but she retrieved them and drank them down. Apples helped get the taste out of her mouth. She prepared some for Elmer. He sat up and looked into the tin cup. “Raw eggs, Nan?”
    “Yep, go ahead, you had some last night.’
    “Oh .” H e drank it down quickly and gnawed hungrily on the apple she handed him. “Where do you think we are, sister?”
    Nan looked through the cracks of the boxcar and noticed dark- blue mountains in the far distance. In the west there was desert-like land next to the train track up to the mountains and closer snow - capped mountains to the North. “I don’t really know, but there will be a town soon.”
    “What town are we going to?” Elmer asked.
    “I don’t know, but Ma ma used to say to ask God for help and I think we should try to ask.”
    “Nan, I think God helped us already.”
    “Yes . I s your head better today?” Nan asked.
    “Yes, I prayed and asked God to help it , and I asked Him for food and sleep , and to get away quick.” Elmer smiled at the thought of his own prayers being answered so quickly.
    “Just when did you do all this praying, Elmer?”
    “I prayed last night . Jesus is my friend. Mama said He walks with me, so I just tell Him what I’m thinking and He knows what I need. I prayed for you when you were getting whipped too.”
    “Do you think He cares about that?” Nan frowned.
    “I know He does, and look! We got away fast and had eggs and everything. … Right?”
    “Mama told me about Jesus too. I guess I’ve been too sad about her dying and stuff to think He cares much about me.” Nan quickly brushed a tear away.
    “Nan, He does care…doesn’t He? I need Him to care.”
    “Mama said He does, but I don’t really know if He does. Why would he give us such bad trouble as we have had if He really cares?"
    Elmer looked at her with a determined look in his five-year-old eyes, “I think He does care. ” His eyes were filled with tears. He looked pi tiful and sweet, but Nan wasn’t v ery sure about whether God wanted to help them with everything that Elmer was asking for. Maybe He would help a little. That was all they needed now, just a little help.
    “I guess it won’t hurt us to ask for a little help , ” s he grunted.
     
    *****
     
    The train lurched to a stop. Nan saw hundreds of sheep next to the train. She heard shouts from the engineer and sheepherders. The engineer was angry about the sheep crossing the track. Elmer’s eyes widened as he saw the sheepherder’s dog running this way and that, moving the sheep across the tracks quickly. He sprang back and routed out stray sheep that were going the wrong way. He worked quickly and efficiently.
    “Look Nan, that dog is moving as if he is having fun!”
    Nan was amazed at the grace and agility of the humble little creature. She thought again, “ humble ” wasn’t quite the word. She had never seen a dog trained for such a task. It was like watching a dance.
    The train slowly began to roll. Nan and Elmer edged to the opposite side of the boxcar to watch the little dog as long as they could. There were two sheepherders, all those sheep, and one little black and white dog. W hen he disappeared from sight , they both were in their own thoughts. “That surely was a smart dog, Elmer”
    “Do ya think we could ever get one, Nan, for our very own?”
    “Well, we don’t have any sheep… I don’t know.”
    “Maybe we will get some sheep so we can have a little dog like that one.”
    Nan had no idea about sheep. How to get them, raise them, shear them, or anything. Did you have to have a lot of land? She just smiled and thought about th at intelligent little dog. Nan began to plan . Soon the train will stop, the door will