They looked around the entire shopping center.  It had
about fifty to seventy-five stores including several big
ones such as Belks, JC Penny, and a Sears, Roebuck
and Company.  They had a lot of Christmas decorations
up, too.  Some Salvation Army kettles were in the front
of the big store where Santa’s helpers would come
later to solicit donations for the needy at Christmas.  
For the children, the idea was to find a couple who was
out shopping and who appeared to not have children.  
They needed someone about forty or older.  They
figured between forty and sixty would be the best
candidates.  The younger couples most likely already
had children.  Also people with children seem to look
haggard and in a big hurry.  People who don’t have
children would be more relaxed.  This was good as it
would be easier to approach them.  The children knew
that the Raleigh Police would be looking for them and
maybe some social workers as well.  They had to keep
moving around.  If they stayed in front of the same
store too long, someone might complain to the store
manager who would most likely call the police.  
Cameron Village was an uncovered mall.  It looked
more like a miniature city, as compared to modern day
malls, which tend to be fully covered.

The children asked each other: “What should we say to
these people?”  They finally decided they would take
turns asking.  Mikie warned them not to be too pushy,
as that would make people think they were up to
something no good.  And they decided not to ask more
than two couples near the same store at near to the
same time.  Mikie told his sisters that he would pick
out the couples to ask.  Mikie said they needed to pick
couples that were not in or near a crowd of people.  So
the first couple came along on the parking lot side of
the Sears’ store.  Mikie was first: “Hello madam and
sir, would you like to be our new mama and daddy?”  
The couple just ignored them and went on to their car.  
Mikie learned from the first try that it would be best to
ask couples on their way back to their cars.  That way,
they were less likely to complain to the store manager.  
Then they tried a second couple.  Lizzie said: “Would
ya’ll like to be our new mother and father?”  The man
in the second couple replied: “Don’t you children have
anything better to do than to stand out here bothering
people.  Why don’t you go home?”  This went on for the
next four hours or so and in front of just about every
store there.  By mid-afternoon they saw a lot of Santa
Clauses headed to the toy sections in the various
stores.  Several store managers come out and ran them
off.  One woman even threatened to call the police.  
They were starting to get discouraged.  They decided to
eat the last of their food.  Mikie then used their entire
money supply when he bought a Nehi grape drink for
each of them.  They decided they would just keep on
trying until the police found them or whenever it got
dark, whichever came first.  

Some of the ladies showed some interest in them, but
their husbands would get them to move on.  Perhaps
they should only talk to women by themselves.  They
would have the motherly instinct they were looking
for.  A private mall-policeman was patrolling in his
police car.  He had stared at them several times, but
the kids just kept moving around, and he would do
something else.  It surely would be nice if there were a
second mall they could go to and start over fresh.  They
knew of nothing else except to maybe go downtown,
but all the offices would be closed on Saturday
afternoon.  So they decided to try a few more couples
there in Cameron Village.  They were getting tired and
hungry.  Mikie noticed that the sun was getting low in
the western sky.  He said they had better start walking
back toward town.  They could ask people they met on
the way for the whereabouts of the Salvation Army.  It
was starting to get somewhat windy and colder.  The
children bundled themselves as much they could and
started the forty-five minute walk back toward
downtown.  They were talking to themselves about
how good an idea this had been.  Lizzie said: “We
really pulled it off.  Didn’t do us no good, but we did
it.”  Then little Jody chimed in: “Wonder what they will
do to us as our punishment?”

When the kids got about halfway, they stopped to rest
in front of a high school building.  It had some nice
concrete pillars out near the sidewalk, which were
ideal for sitting on.  They were sitting there
congratulating and at the same time consoling each
other, when a car pulled up and parked on the opposite
side of the street.  It was one of the couples they had
talked with back at the mall.  She and her husband
came over and started talking to the kids.  She asked:
“Who are you kids?  Where did you come from? And
how did you get here?  Where are you heading now?”   
Mikie replied: “Madam and Mister, we are the O’
Rourke children.  Our parents were killed in an
automobile accident up in New York about three years
ago, and we were sent to an orphanage down near
Fayetteville.  They are kind to us at the orphanage, but
we are used to having both parents with us and
concerned about us.  They treat all the kids the same in
the orphanage, which of course is what they are
supposed to do.  We want to have our own mother and
father again.  You saw us at the mall.  We probably
talked to a hundred people.  But now we are headed to
the Salvation Army to asked them for help.  We didn’t
think it would be much fun spending the night out
here in the cold again. ”

The lady said: “I’m Rosa Treadway, and this is my
husband Bob.  We were never able to have children of
our own.  We had always thought about adopting
children, but we never seemed to get around to it.  
Seemed like something always got in the way.  We had
given up on the idea thinking we were too old now.”  
Mr. Treadway then added: “Let’s go get you kids
something to eat.  You must be staving by now.  You
need to tell us the name of the orphanage and how to
reach them.  You’ll have to trust us.  They will probably
want us to bring you back down there tonight.  We live
about seven or eight miles west of Raleigh in a town
named Cary.  When we get all the details straightened
out, you children can come visit with us for a few days
if the orphanage will allow it.”  Rosa then added: “It’s
not much fun spending Christmas all alone.  We
usually go to Wilmington to be with my mother, my
two sisters, and their children during Christmas.  But
this year, we’ll have Christmas at home.”



To be continued....