By S L Hoffman

   Bryon Barrington like to fly planes like all Barringtons but, His lifes love was inventing useful things. Sometmes his sister Beth helped. He'd invented something secret for the military and she'd met her husband when he'd come to pic it up. Life was good and then their mother and aunts had been killed while off together shopping. A gunman had killed them and then slowly there after their spouses had followed. The marriages were so close that their kids were surprised not at all.

   When the wills wee read he, and his siblings and cousins had learned many things they hadn't known. Such s youn Ben was a Barrington and Bryon was not. Both mothers ha been prison inmates and the two boys, born at nearly the same time, had been adopted. They'd always been treated as REAL Barringtons and he'd recieved ten million dollars from the estate to help children of prisioners. Since the parents had started adopting kids the next generation decided to adopt to their families first.

"Mrs. Larson, How many kids are thee reay for adoption?"

"Too many!" she sighed. "Eighty-two as of now."

"Where do they stay?"

"Only place is an orphanage nearby. They are teaased and tormented by the others there."

Bryon heard the tears in her voice.

"How many there in all?" he asked quietly.

"Two-forty!" she sniffed. "Way too many for it's size."

"I have an idea but we need to find a large house. One that can hold two-fifty maybe."

"That'll be very expensive!"

Bryon smiled. "Dad wanted me to help others like me.  will. Hopefully with your help."

"Gladly! It tears me up to put my kids there!"

"Bryon. It will ned a lot. Linens, staff, clothes, school supplies. It isn't something that will be a one time cost."

Bryon smiled at her. "I've ten mil to start with and i plan to earn more to see it never has a problem. Beth is on supplies already. You are to find qualified help. They should want to parent not just oversee them. I have to look for the place. Any contacts to help would be appreciated."

After he left she began to make calls and he met with Beth and Torrance for lunch.

Over meals at a cafe they all liked he asked Beth what she'd found.

"We've found six. Two we aren't sure of. They could hold two hundred with reworking them."

He shook his head. "Too small!"

Torrance marked them out and ate a bite of his snapper. "The top two are plenty big enough but also pricey. Might get them down a bit as they've been empty awhile but the middle two are the best."

"Talk to me!"

Toraance ate as Beth told of the first oine and thn she ate as he told of the second one.

"Let's see the top two and the if needed we will see those two."

"Ready?" Torrance rose. Beth and Bryon rose too. All of the families meals were billed to their account so they were soon on the way to the first place. Bryon toured the grounds. He loved them. The inside, not so much.Tho empty it was dark and smelled of mildew. The kitchen needed totally redone.

The second was seedylooking outside and all white inside. The kitchen should've been in a much smaller house. The third was better but just not right and the last one, the best one!, couldn't quite hold two hundred. The rooms were smaller than any others they'd seen.

Bryon caled the agent on the first house and asked for an inspection.

"Sorry. The owner refuses any mmonetary out lay."

"Hmmm. Tell him that either he does it or i call the health and code inspectors!"

He'd heard nothing for two days so he called the inspectors. "If it's okay for kids to live there i will buy it and pay your fees. If it isn't you go after the owner."

"Since i've never had such a request before i am looking forward to seeing whatgot your back up!" the inspector chuckled.

"Might take a face mask! I think there's a bad mold problem but i'm not sure."

The inspectors went out after lunch and called the owner. He was not pleased when they told him he could'nt sell it till the conditions wee fixed. "I doubt you can get that mold problem fixed and you'll have to tear it down at your expense!"

Bryon decided that maybe there should be two homes. One for the younger ones and one for older kids. The two middle houses, with remodeling, would do fine. He talked to the others and bought both.

When he told Mrs. Larson she smiled. "But you all have taken the littles!"

"So?" "One is to age thirteen and one is thirteen and up!"

She laughed and shook his hand. "Eve when I placed you with the Barringtons I knew you would e a great guy."

Bryon was shocked when she hugged him!