I am looking for the title and author of a book. 

The book is one I read as a child. Because this is so long ago my
details are fuzzy and some may be outright wrong.

I think the story opened with a mother and a girl child traveling on a
train.  On the train they meet a young man, who may be traveling back
to school after a vacation, and in a basket he has a bird, possibly a
Blue Heron, which might or might not have been part of the title of
the book.

Later on the girl and mother arrive in new orleans, the mother is ill,
someone takes them in, the mother dies. Other characters include the
not so nice woman the girl is left living with, and a neighbor, an
older girl, handicapped (confined to a chair) but quick of mind.

The book belonged to my mother and I think it had been a gift to her
when she was high school age, maybe younger. My mother was born in
1935 so this book should predate '55.

The book may have been the basis for a movie, or there may have just
been a movie that was confusingly similar that I saw as a teen-ager on
late night tv some years after the book itself had been lost.

Hi.
The book you're looking for is probably "Lady Jane" by Cecilia Viets
(CV) Jamison. It was originally published in 1891 by The Century Co.
(New York).
The Library of Congress [ http://www.loc.gov ] call number is PZ7.J157
Lad2, although they have several editions.

The plot, as detailed on 1999/07/25 by Brenda
(brenda@rydelib.demon.co.uk) on the Usenet group
rec.arts.books.childrens, is pretty much as you described:
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22blue+heron%22+girl+%22new+orleans%22&hl=en&lr=&client=googlet&selm=HvA%2BLBAv21m3EwGC%40rydelib.demon.co.uk&rnum=1

Order a new copy from Pelican Publishing at:
http://www.pelicanpub.com/inspirational/lady-jane.htm
Google groups: "blue heron" girl "new orleans"
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&client=googlet&q=%22blue+heron%22+girl+%22new+orleans%22&btnG=Google+Search
 
Google: "lady jane" jamison
://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=%22lady%20jane%22%20jamison

I hope this helps. Good luck on locating a copy.

---

Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 21 May 2002 02:25 PDT

If you want a more "vintage" copy, a good source for out-of-print
editions is Alibris:
http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=2946851&ptit=Lady%20Jane&pauth=Jamison%2C%20C%2E%20V%2E%20%28Cecilia%20Viets%29&pisbn=&matches=34&qsort=r

I'm very pleased :)