The Swindler's Treasure (27 page)

Before long the whisper grew, with people praying aloud all at once. “Good Lord! Precious Savior! Alleluia, Jesus!” Like a choir of voices that spoke instead of sang, the sound grew bold and strong, pleading before the throne of God. Then, as gradually as the prayers built up, the voices grew quiet.

“Thank you, Lord,” Jordan whispered. “Thank you, Jesus.” Softly, in no more than a whisper, others echoed his prayer.

Deep and low, someone began to sing:

As though filled with peace, Jordan drew a deep breath. Yet still he knelt there, as if waiting.

From the back of the room, Libby heard a creak in the floor. A moment later she heard the shuffle of a bare foot passing near her chair. Looking up, Libby saw a tall man kneel down on the floor next to Jordan. Reaching out, the man laid his arm on top of Caleb's where it stretched around Jordan's shoulders.

“I is here, Jordan,” his daddy said quietly.

Jordan's head shot up. “Daddy!” As though unable to believe what he saw, Jordan stared at him. “Just when I found you, I lost you again. I didn't know where you were!”

“I hid in the cistern next to the tracks.”

“In the water?”

“It weren't enough to drown a man like me. When it was safe to climb out, I used the bucket and rope. The man who handled the baggage hid me till I walked here to find you.”

Suddenly Jordan began to weep all over again. The harder he sobbed, the more his father's arm tightened around him. Around them the singing grew stronger.

Now a shout of joy filled the words.
Glory, Hallelujah!

At last Jordan looked up into his daddy's eyes. “You are really free!”

Micah Parker's voice was husky, as if he, too, had been weeping. “I is free to be with you. To be with your momma and Serena and Zack and little Rose.”

Only then did Libby remember.
It's Jordan's birthday! The day when he knows his daddy is free!

As people started to leave for home, Libby, Caleb, and Peter went outside. In the morning sunlight, they sat down on the grass to talk about what had happened.

Using the slate, Libby explained to Peter, “When Micah Parker walks in the door, Jordan's mother isn't going to believe what she's seeing!”

Since the spring day when Jordan first came on the boat, there had been something Libby knew. Though separated by slavery, Jordan belonged to a never-give-up family—a family that cared for each other no matter how difficult things were.

Just imagining their reunion, Libby felt as though she wanted to shout with gladness.

Caleb's grin told her he felt the same way. Yet he had a warning. “Somehow all of Jordan's family still has to get together.”

Not wanting to think about the danger that might lie ahead, Libby pushed Caleb's words aside. Instead she glanced toward Peter. The look in his eyes told Libby that he understood exactly what had happened. Perhaps he understood even better than the rest of them.

Now Peter spoke softly. “I have a family too.”

Taking the slate, Libby began writing again. As tears welled up in her eyes, the words blurred. She didn't want to erase them, but to keep them on the slate forever.

When she finished, she held out the words to Peter. “I'm glad I have a new brother.”

When they learn that they are being watched, Jordan and his daddy need to leave Springfield, Illinois, at once. With the dishonest Dexter behind bars, Libby, Caleb, Peter, and Jordan plan to take the stolen money to its rightful owners. Then Dexter escapes! If he recognizes them, Libby, Jordan, and Peter will be in danger. A disguise is the only answer, but that requires a sacrifice Libby isn't sure she's willing to make.

Arriving in a strange city, Libby and her friends look for a safe house—a station in the Underground Railroad where fugitive slaves can hide. But Caleb and the others don't know the area, and finding help might be a matter of life or death. Can they spot a mysterious signal in time?

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S
ometimes there's a cost to doing the right thing,” says Captain Norstad after standing up to a swindler. A theft threatens Jordan's reputation. As the
Christina
family faces desperate times, a deaf child named Peter joins them.

Hi Friends
—Can the Freedom Seekers win against the evil coming against them?

Let's Talk About … Words you might need

Find a dictionary and fill in the definitions:

Learn a new language!
Turn to the end of this section to find the sign language chart:
How to Finger Spell the Alphabet
. If you'd like to learn more, look for books that will help you grow in your sign language skills.

Let's Talk About … The story

Use the blank space between questions to write your answer or create sections in your loose-leaf notebook when you want to write more. To find something in the story, check the number (ch. 1) at the end of the first question. That means
chapter 1
. Look there until you see another note (ch. 2, or 3, or 4) directing you to a different chapter.

    • What is a wildcat bank? (ch. 1)

    • What is a swindler?

    • Why were some banks both risky and dishonest?

    • Think about this saying: “In America the streets are paved with gold!” Why was that thought a possible trap for immigrants in their new land of freedom?

    • What Dexter was trying to do was legal, but why was it wrong?

    • How did Captain Norstad protect Mr. Iverson and convince him of the swindler's dishonesty?

    • When Captain Norstad said, “Sometimes there's a cost to doing the right thing.” Libby asked, “And a reward?” What does Pa tell her?

    • Have you ever needed to pay a cost for doing the right thing? Explain.

    • What did Hattie say that convinced Captain Norstad about what meant the most to her?

    • When Captain Norstad stopped Dexter from cheating an immigrant, the swindler got even. What will happen if Pa can't meet the double payment? (ch. 3)

Let's Talk About … Freedom … What is it?

    • What has happened to Serena since Libby and Caleb last saw her? (ch. 4)

    • What does the woman of the house say about Hattie's work? Serena's work?

    • What does the man of the house say about Jordan's work?

    • How would John Jones, the businessman, use the money Jordan brought him?

    • What has happened to Jordan since Caleb and Libby last saw him?

    • What does it mean to try to do big things for God without God's help? (ch. 5)

    • When the people in Jordan's church started muttering about the lost money, what did Rev. Freeman tell them? (ch. 6)

    • How did the people respond?

    • How did Jordan change during the church service? What does he want now?

    • Study the Upper Mississippi River map from Galena down to St. Louis. Why were many of these cities important in the Underground Railroad?

    • Serena found an Alton, Illinois, address. Why is Alton an especially dangerous place for Jordan?

Let's Talk About … A never-give-up family

    • How did Samson rescue the unknown boy on the street? (ch. 4)

    • Why is Peter able to speak but not hear? (ch. 5)

    • What does Captain Norstad want for Peter? In what ways can Pa, Libby, and Caleb be a never-give-up family for Peter? (ch. 5 & 6)

    • Describe Caleb's birthday gift to Libby. What made that gift so meaningful to Libby?

    • Write the words of Psalm 27:1 here. Why is it such a good verse to memorize? Consider copying verses that are especially meaningful to you on a 3 × 5 card. Write the place in the Bible where you found that verse on the back side of the card. Keep all those cards together in an index box so that you can return to the verses and review them. Soon you'll have a great number of verses that you have memorized and can recall any time of the day or night.

    • Libby is upset when she finds Peter with a lighted candle. What makes fire especially dangerous on a steamboat? (ch. 8)

    • Peter often teaches sign language to Libby and Caleb. (ch. 9) How does that help all of them communicate quickly and well?

    • Look up Samuel Morse and his invention. Why is Mr. Morse a special person to Peter?

Let's Talk About … Helping others

    • Why does Caleb risk his life to help Jordan? (chs. 7 & 8) Why is it so dangerous to ask about Jordan's father?

    • When Captain Norstad asked Caleb if he had prayed about going, Caleb said, “Yes, sir. I found a Bible verse that was so real it seemed to jump off the page.” What does it mean when a verse seems to jump off the page?

    • What did Caleb learn about Micah Parker? (ch. 9)

    • As the
Christina
steams toward Alton, Captain Norstad asks Libby, Caleb, Jordan, and Peter to make a promise that if they find the swindler they should get help from a grown-up—a policeman or sheriff. Why is that an important promise?

Let's Talk About … Making choices

    • Libby prays, “I want something worth living for, Lord. Something real—something worthwhile. But that seems so big, God—so hard—even impossible. Can You help me choose what counts most?” (ch. 14) How will that prayer help Libby make life-time choices?

    • Detective Allan Pinkerton warned, “A foolhardy man rushes in where even angels fear to tread. But a brave man is wise about handling danger. Sure and I'm wishing that the ten toes of your feet steer you clear of trouble.” (ch. 17) Why is it easier to be foolhardy than to be wisely brave? Think of examples.

    • In
Midnight Rescue
Jordan used a certain walk for a disguise. Micah also uses a different-than-usual walk the same way (ch. 18). What did both of them know about the strong way they usually appeared?

    • Libby, Jordan, and Peter must decide whether to leave the small chest in the ground. (ch. 19) As Libby thinks about what to do, she remembers people who made life-changing decisions. Why was her decision so important?

    • What is Peter's big surprise? (ch. 20)

    • In Hannibal Jordan told Libby when he wanted his birthday to be. What spiritual was the church singing when Jordan knew it was his birthday? (ch. 20).
Let's send up a shout with them!

Let's Write About … Wise words from Freedom Seekers

Jordan and his father Micah are fictional, but had great value because they knew how to take good care of horses. Their story is set within a microcosm of historic people who lived in the Alton and Brighton area of Illinois. In the midst of their daily work these people took an active part in the Underground Railroad. (ch. 10, 11, and 12)

    • What is a microcosm? Why can a miscrocosm of wise people influence what happens in an entire area?

In your notebook write down what these people did and said. How did they make valuable contributions to what was happening in their time? What did they believe? Why are their words important both then and now?

    •
Priscilla Baltimore
, (ch. 10) the Harriet Tubman of the Alton, Illinois, area, who found and rowed runaway slaves across the wide Mississippi River. What practical help did she give in showing people where to go?

    • In telling Caleb how to protect Jordan? (ch. 12)

    •
Major Hunter
(military)
and his wife Rebecca
offered hospitality and encouragement. (ch. 10) Write down what Rebecca said about what Mr. Lovejoy believed. Include the words, “He respected a higher law—God's law.”

    • What is Caleb's summary of Mr. Lovejoy's words?