The Subway Scare
By Althea Creek
As the family sat down for breakfast on that crisp Thursday morning, October 27, 1904, Samantha Parkington wondered why Uncle Gard wore such an impish smile. Aunt Cornelia's face didn't give anything away, so Samantha, Nellie, Jenny, and Bridget looked to each other for answers. They could hardly stand the anticipation.
"What is it, Uncle Gard?" Samantha finally asked.
The handsome man told them he had a surprise for all of them. The girls sat up straighter and exchanged expectant glances.
Looking around the table he said, "Everyone close your eyes and hold out your hand." Then he pressed something into each girl's palm. "All right, you can open now."
All four of them drew in the same breath of wonderment at the shiny nickels they beheld.
"Today is the opening of New York's subway line, and we are going to take a ride on it." Uncle Gard was clearly pleased with himself. "Keep those nickels safe, girls; that's your fare."
The girls had not been this excited since the announcement that Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia had decided to adopt Nellie and her sisters. Breakfast was filled with Happy Chatter and the Quick-Chewing and Forgetting-Not-To-Talk-With-Your-Mouth-Full that comes when something delightful is about to happen. The subway train ride was the only topic of conversation possible.
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When breakfast was over, the girls retired to the parlor for reading. Samantha opened her book but laid it across her chest.
"It's going to be forever until 7 o'clock," she lamented.
"Didn't Uncle Gard say the first run would be at 2?" asked Nellie.
"That's the inaugural run. I just read in the newspaper that some lucky people got free tickets to ride on the early trip. It's not open to the public until 7." Samantha had read all she could about the new subway train and had memorized its route and knew all the stops. She looked up at the grandfather's clock in the corner of the parlor. So many hours to wait.
Jenny raised her eyebrow. "What's an 'aug-ree-al'?"
"It means the first one," Samantha told her. "There will be all sorts of dignitaries there, and Mayor McClellan's going to start the train with a silver controller after all the speeches…. It's going to be so exciting. I'd sure like to be there to see it."
"And so you shall!" said Uncle Gard as he marched in from the hall. "I thought we'd make a day of it: a little shopping in Manhattan, lunch at a fine restaurant, a stroll in the park, and then take part in the sendoff of the first subway train…. unless you'd rather not."
The girls squealed. There would be no reading today.
"Wash your faces and put on your coats," said Aunt Cornelia. "I'll get the dusters and goggles and meet you at the garage."
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Getting there was half the fun. The four giggling girls bumped along in the back seat of the Ford Model A as its tires skidded through the muddy ruts from the recent rain. They bounced forward and back whenever Uncle Gard suddenly sped up or slowed down to avoid the other automobiles, pedestrians, horse-drawn hansoms, and bicycles and the trolley.
The city was alive with sounds and smells. Vendors of all sorts called out to attract new customers.
"Fresh fruit, here!" shouted a tall man in a clean apron.
"Get your fish, here! Caught this morning!" sang a fat man in a dirty one.
Ladies and gentlemen strolling in their finery, women bargaining in kerchiefs and mismatched layers of clothes, old men hobbling in worn out shoes with the toes turned up, running boys, crying babies, whistling police officers – New York City breathed chaos.
"Let's head to Bloomingdale's," suggested Uncle Gard. "I was thinking we could pick up a Scott Joplin vinyl record for the Victor phonograph."
"The Entertainer!" cooed Aunt Cornelia. "I've heard it's grand! But will your mother approve?"
"That's right," added Samantha, "She only likes music to be played by a person who's actually in the house. She's not going to be happy when she hears we have another vinyl record."
"Then someone will just have to show off her piano skills when Grandmary visits." Uncle Gard winked conspiratorially at Samantha.
The family spent the morning shopping and joking and laughing. It was a wonderful day, and Samantha didn't think anyone could ever be this happy again.
After a scrumptious lunch, Samantha didn't think anyone could ever be this full again. She felt as if she wouldn't be able to move, but they somehow slowly made their way toward City Hall where the train would originate.
An enormous crowd of people had had the same idea and already were gathered around a roped-off area where the dignitaries would soon be passing through on their way to the subway's entrance kiosk. It was impossible for the girls to see over the sea of hats, so Uncle Gard kept them shifting for a better view.
Factory whistles blew continuously, and a deafening cheer arose when the Mayor at last emerged from City Hall. The throng swayed like a field of blowing wheat that inched ever closer until the rope disappeared beneath them. The extra police on duty tried to control the crowd, but some of the people were too excited about the historic ride to listen.
Samantha held onto Nellie, and Uncle Gard picked up Bridget. Aunt Cornelia reached for Jenny's hand, but she couldn't see her. The little girl had become squeezed among several tall men in the crowd. Someone stepped on her toes, so she lifted both of her feet off the ground and now was moving swiftly away in midair!
"Aunt Cornelia! Uncle Gard!" Jenny desperately called. But it was so noisy that no one could hear her.
Underground, the eight-car subway train sat waiting in the station. Its first and second cars were only for the Mayor and others from City Hall. But so many people were moving toward the train that it was impossible for the police to keep order, and many people just slipped inside.
The next thing she knew, poor Jenny was caught in the middle of a crushing crowd inside the second car! Everyone was so excited and babbled so loudly that no one even noticed her. Suddenly, the train began to move!
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"Jenny! Jenny!" shouted Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. Nellie and Bridget sobbed uncontrollably.
"Have you seen a little girl?" Samantha breathlessly asked repeatedly as they pushed their way through the mass of people still milling around the station.
"Jenny! Jenny!" they kept calling. Samantha looked for any clues that would tell them where Jenny might have gone.
Suddenly, something shiny caught her eye. It was a brand new nickel lying beside the tracks. Jenny had been there!
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The subway train slowed and leaned around a turn, then lurched and sped up again. Jenny held onto a woman's skirt and cried.
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"Uncle Gard!" Samantha called to him. "I know Jenny is on that train! We've got to get to the end of the line to be there when it stops!"
"All of you wait here, and I'll get the car," Uncle Gard said as he ran.
As soon as he was back, Aunt Cornelia, Samantha, Nellie, and Bridget nearly flew up into the seats. Uncle Gard had never driven so fast. This time the ride wasn't fun at all. Bridget clung to Aunt Cornelia, and Nellie buried her head in Samantha's lap.
Samantha stroked Nellie's hair and fought to keep away the tears. "Everything will be ok," she tried to reassure her, though she wasn't at all sure it would be.
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Suddenly the train jerked and slowed to a creep. The windows became flooded with light.
"We're on the viaduct!" the passengers exclaimed. They pushed toward the windows in the already-crowded car.
"Look at all the people down there!" shouted a man who Jenny couldn't see. "There must be a thousand of them, on the street, on the vacant lots, on the rooftops…"
The train sounded its whistle, and Jenny could hear factory whistles answering back. The continuous cheering from the crowd outside somehow gave her hope. She tugged on the woman's skirt, but there was too much commotion for her to notice.
Then all at once the train picked up speed, and the windows again went dark.
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The automobile's tires barely touched the earth. But all at once, they came to a halt.
"The road's blocked!" Uncle Gard shouted. "Everyone must be here to watch the subway cross the viaduct!"
Aunt Cornelia gasped. "What'll we do?"
Uncle Gard got out of the car. The others followed. A few minutes later, the subway train appeared up on the viaduct. Whistles blew, and the crowds erupted with joyful cheering.
Uncle Gard had to shout into Aunt Cornelia's ear for her to hear him.
"I'll head back toward the last station that we passed. I think they plan to make stops on the way back. Hopefully, I can get aboard and look for Jenny."
Aunt Cornelia nodded, and Uncle Gard hopped back into the car and raced away.
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After an eternity, the train came to 145th Street; the end of the line. Jenny thought that everyone would exit the train, but no one moved. She was unbelievably hot, squashed in the mass of tall people. Finally she caught the woman's attention.
"Please help me. I'm lost," she whimpered.
The woman looked down to the little girl.
"What's your name, honey?" she asked.
"It's Jen…" she started to answer, but just then the mayor burst through the door from the first car and began to shake everyone's hand. The woman forgot all about Jenny because she wanted the mayor to notice her.
"Mayor! Mayor McClellan!" The woman leaned as far forward as she could with her hand outstretched.
The mayor worked his way through the crowd, greeting everyone he passed.
"Hi, how are you?" "Glad you could be here!" "Great ride, wasn't it?"
The woman was giddy with excitement. She waved at the mayor.
"How do you do?" the mayor said, shaking her hand. Then he noticed Jenny.
"Hello, little lady," the mayor said before Jenny had a chance to speak. He quickly hoisted her up. "You need to be able to see out when we pass over the viaduct on the way back." People moved out of his way so the mayor could whisk Jenny to a window. Then he continued on.
"Hi, how are you?" His voice trailed off down through the people.
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Samantha, Nellie, Bridget, and Aunt Cornelia watched as the train picked up speed and went back underground. The noise died down when the train was out of sight.
Nellie and Bridget tried to hold back their sniffles. Suddenly, Samantha had an idea.
"Nellie! Help me," she said.
"What are you doing?" Nellie asked as Samantha began to remove her petticoat. Normally, Aunt Cornelia would have scolded her. But today she could only think of Jenny.
"I'm going to send a message," said Samantha. "Help me rip the back seam so we can stretch out the fabric."
The girls pulled in each direction. At last the stitches began to separate. With a R-R-I-I-I-P! the petticoat opened up wide.
Samantha ran to a vacant lot by the side of the road. She stretched out the petticoat on the ground and scooped up a handful of mud. Nellie watched in amazement, and Aunt Cornelia and Bridget rushed over to them. Samantha began to make large mud letters on the petticoat.
JEN – OFF AT NEXT STOP
"Ok," she instructed Nellie. "Let's hold this up by the viaduct in case Jenny can see it."
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Jenny DID see it! From the window of the slowly-moving car she could also see the girls and Aunt Cornelia. And they saw her!
Although the car was still full of people, Jenny didn't just stay squeezed in one spot.
"EXCUSE ME!" she bravely shouted to the adults in her path, and they actually listened and let her through. Jenny worked her way to toward the exit and waited for the train to stop at the station.
"JENNY! JENNY!" Uncle Gard shouted as he swept his little girl up into his arms.
When the family was at last reunited, there were hugs and tears all around.
"I found your nickel," said Samantha when she was finally able to smile.
Uncle Gard looked at his watch.
"The wait for the subway ride is about two hours long," he said half-heartedly. "Should we get in line?"
"NO!" they said in unison.
"Besides," said Jenny, "I don't want to ride another subway for 110 years!"
THE END