Chapter 6
1901Adam Evenschmidt strained with the effort of leaning far enough forward without stepping out of the line of boys waiting to meet the new conductor. At fourteen and smaller than all the others, he was already at a disadvantage. No need to make it worse by setting himself up as a troublemaker on day one.
They all waited in the observation car, easily the fanciest part of the train. The floors were carpeted, the seats upholstered with matching burgundy fabric, and the dark wood and brass fixtures gleamed.
Adam hoped he’d be able to work his way up to the cleaning crew someday. That job was hard, sure, but it had to be easier and less filthy than shoveling coal around and feeding that boiler in the locomotive.
“Adam,” a wiry black-haired boy next to him whispered. He was too
