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He could never do that It was one thing to take as going to be tossed out, quite another to brazenly steal so from

Sto a wooden crate near the door He froze, grateful when no one ca into the kitchen When he turned to leave, he saas in the crate Nearly a dozen rolls, the tops a bit too brown, the bottoms black as coal

Unable to believe his luck, he stuffed several rolls into his pockets, resisting the temptation to take every last one of them

Slipping out the door, he raced down the alley, pausing to grab his brother’s arm The two boys darted around the puddles, then out to the street, where massive brick warehouses lined the railroad tracks Toby and Chip lived in the orphanage on the other side After a quick look behind theuided his brother that direction When they reached the corner, he saw aat the bit The horse to keep his mount under control, looked their direction

Toby grasped Chip’s hand, holding tight Instinct told hih that had been their intention the entire time

As soon as they were out of sight, they broke into a run Up ahead, Toby saw an alcove and pulled Chip into it, hiding his brother behind him

A few seconds later, he heard the staccato clip of the horse’s hooves on the cobblestones Toby peered out, caught a gli the shadoould hide them

“Who’s that?” Chip asked

“Quiet”

“I’ry,” Chip whispered “And cold”

There was a familiarity about the man when he’d looked over at Toby

As though he’d seen him before

And this hat bothered Toby So told him that if he didn’t find out who the man was, his brother and sisters wouldn’t be safe

After their father, a coaldisease, theirin one of the textile er care for them They’d lived the last year at the Payton Home for Orphans Had it not been for Toby’s trips to the bakery, he and his siblings would have starved

He had to get back to his sisters, but the only way to the orphanage was across the railroad tracks Seconds ticked by, and the low rurew louder Suddenly the horsealloped back toward the tracks