Around 4 o'clock...
What a day! Where to begin? There is so much to tell! Mother, Anthony, and Samuel are napping, while Edward, Nathan and Papa are sitting outside talking. I will not be bothered.
We did indeed eat at a restaurant, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Once our driver arrived—a tall and skinny driver—we piled into the carriage and began our long drive around the town of Galveston, Texas. Unluckily, I was sandwiched between the boys until Anthony decided he wanted to sit by Samuel and climbed over me to get to him. He left a mark on my dress from his shoe. Boy, was I mad and almost shouted at him until Nathan, now next to me, gently touched my arm and shook his head. "It's good that you're by me, Emelise. Describe the scenery. Are the houses like ours? Big and fancy like?"
And so I told him. Houses as big as ours were lined along the road. Trees were planted into the ground right by the sidewalk. People paraded the streets, occasionally glancing through the shop windows. Numerous horses, tied against telephone poles and hooked to a carriage, shook their heads in protest, wanting to start the day and get moving.
Mother was hysterical when she saw the Tremont Opera House on 23rd Street, Avenue D. Mother loves opera, and can't stay away from shows. I didn't think it looked that grand, actually. The building reached four stories, and people crowded around the door so much they stood on the streets, but I thought it looked like the cotton mills we had seen before (of course I did not tell Mother this or she would have made me come with her to an opera show and I hate opera).
When we came to Avenue D, we saw St. Mary's Infirmary. It was three stories high with a white picket fence around the perimeter and naked trees trying to bear leaves.
26th Street had businesses and utility poles and many more people awaking from their slumber and ready to begin the Saturday morning.
We passed schools that were five times the size of houses. I even saw an African American school! It said on the sign, "African American School." Right there on 26th Street. African Americans seem to live here in Galveston more than in Little Rock—that I noticed.
Our driver remained silent throughout the entire trip, not saying one word. Maybe that is what drivers are supposed to be like, only taking us place to place and pretending to be mute.
Anthony and Samuel were so excited that they practically jumped out of the wagon and ran into the street, but I grabbed their shirts just in time. I could not blame them, really. I wanted to walk around just as much as they did, but we wanted to see all of Galveston did we not? Strolling would take forever.
I could not even believe how tall the buildings were! I tried to describe them to Nathan, but he seemed to understand I could find no words for the giant things—two, three, some even four stories high.
There were so many churches! Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic, Protestant, Methodist Episcopal, and even some African American churches, though the sign didn't exactly say what religion the Africans had. Mother decided on the church we would be attending right when she saw it: St. Patrick's Catholic Church on 34th Street, Avenue J. Mother liked it because it was made out of brick and so huge. She wanted to walk inside (and probably say a rosary or two), but Papa convinced her that we could not stop and she would be in church tomorrow morning anyway. How she grumbled!
I still could not get over the houses, though. I thought ours was nice, being two stories and all, but I saw some that were four stories and had six balconies! One house had statues of lions by the marble staircase that led up to the gigantic door. Another had a pointed roof and it sort of resembled a castle. One house had palm trees planted in the yard! They were bigger than the house!
Throughout the trip my fears had increased. Will people here in Galveston consider me stuck-up and snobbish? Though those houses are grand, I did see some rather shabby looking ones. Will the poorer people gossip about us like they did in Arkansas? I dare hope not!
Getting back to the main event: There is so much to tell that I can hardly write fast enough! But now the most exciting part has come. I must describe every detail so I can remember later.
We went to Ritter's Saloon & Restaurant all the way over on Avenue B. Mother was not that thrilled when she read the Saloon part, but finally the driver piped up for the first time and said, "Ma'am, Ritter's has da best food in all of Galveston. You don't gotta worry 'bout da Saloon part." Then he clammed up again. Anthony and Samuel began to giggle, until Edward slapped them hard, then they cried. I almost laughed as well. That man had to have had the strongest country voice I've ever heard! People here in Galveston talk a little strange, but this man! Ha! He had to have been from some other South place to have inherited such a hilarious tone. Papa smiled and nodded, saying thank you and telling the driver we would expect him back here in an hour.
Dinner was delicious. I had beef, corn, peas, potato slices (I love potatoes!) and chocolate cake for dessert.
Just as we were finishing up, a little girl—no older than six—came over to me. She had blond curls and wore a blue dress. "Hello," she said.
I glanced around, wondering where this little girl had come from. "Hello," I answered. "What is your name?"
"Esther."
"I'm Emelise. Where are your parents?"
She pointed to a table a few yards away from us. The man sitting there had a white beard and wore a white hat. He was dressed in a nice black suit. Noticing his daughter was gone, he spoke to his wife and two other daughters sitting there. They immediately pushed their chairs back and frantically looked around. The oldest daughter then spotted Esther and I saw the family sigh with relief.
They walked over to our table and the man introduced himself as Isaac Cline. "This is my wife, Cora." Cora had brown hair and was a few months pregnant. "You already met Esther, and my other two daughters are Allie May, age twelve, and Rosemary, eleven." Both the older girls had inherited their mother's fine, curly brown hair.
Papa introduced us, and Mr. Cline and he began chatting away. I heard enough to know that Mr. Cline is a meteorologist for the U.S Weather Bureau right here in Galveston, teaches Sunday school, was a professor at a local medical college, and earned his doctor of philosophy degree from AddRan Male & Female College! Meteorologist Isaac Cline right before my very eyes! I had heard stories about him in the newspaper and how he is so famous here in Galveston, but to meet him was just unreal! (You are probably wondering, dear diary, how I can remember such complicated things, like where he got his doctor of philosophy degree, but, as I said before, I can remember certain things and forget the rest. Now that I think of it, I wonder if Mother gave me a chore to do before she went to take a nap. Oh, well. I will find out when she wakes up.)
The twelve year old, Allie May, stared at me as I stared at her father. She obviously wanted to talk with me, but I was so interested in the adult conversation I did not want to break away from the table and sit somewhere else with her. Of course, Mother saw me and spoke up. "Allie May, why don't you take Emelise with you to a different table and go chat? Emelise? Go along now."
"Do I have to?" I asked before I could stop myself. I knew it was the wrong thing to say the moment that question passed from my lips; it was just so rude.
"Emelise!" Mother snapped. "Go with Allie May while I talk with Cora."
"Yes, ma'am."
So I went with Allie May to a different table. It was very awkward, us just sitting there and wondering who would make the first move. But then she began chatting. I listened at first, until I realized she was one of those boring children who want to just sit and be sweet all day!
"Mama is expecting another baby," she said. "Everyone hopes it's a boy, that is, except Esther. She wants a sister. I'm not so sure I want another sister. I have two already. I want a brother this time."
"Why would you want a brother?" I asked, again, before I could stop myself. Where had my trademark shyness gone? There I was, blabbing away without even thinking of it.
Allie May cocked her head. "Why wouldn't you want a brother?"
"I have four, and three of them I wish were not my brothers."
The other girl went completely white. Her jaw dropped. Finally she managed, "Why would you say that?"
Luckily Papa and Mr. Cline the meteorologist called us over before I needed to answer. "Allie May, I hope you got to know this fine young lady Emelise a bit?"
Allie May glanced my way uncertainly, but nodded. "Yes, Papa."
"Good," the man said, satisfied. "Emelise's father and I had been talking, and we thought it is such a nice summer day that why don't we go to the beach for an hour or two?"
All the children—Esther, Rosemary, Samuel, and Anthony—
squealed with delight. Anthony began chatting with Rosemary about the time he went swimming at a freshwater pond and stepped on a sea urchin (this time I let him carry on with his folly instead of lecturing about where sea urchins really live). Samuel and Esther were giggling in a corner. I had never seen the boys apart before, so I was shocked when both of them were talking to girls.
Once outside the restaurant, we took separate carriages and drove through town, admiring the craftsmanship once more.
Soon we arrived at the beach. Papa said it was the Gulf of Mexico. I had always admired the large gulf in my history book, but I had never I thought I would actually play in its waters!
Everyone climbed out and took their shoes off. I offered to help Nathan to the water, but he smiled and said he could manage. Rosemary and Anthony, Esther and Samuel, were the first ones to get into the water. Anthony had been sticking by Rosemary for a time, and I couldn't help but think...no, Anthony is only eight, and Rosemary eleven. Not to mention Esther and Samuel being only six! I laughed to myself.
The water rushed over my feet as the sand squished through my toes. It felt so good. Mother called to me, cautioning that I better not get my dress wet, but I didn't listen and ran into the water until it reached my knees.
After a while of playing, the adults decided the hottest part of the day was over and it was time to go home. I couldn't help but think of my sister right then and there. We had seen almost the whole town, but not the St. Mary's Orphan Asylum. Maybe Mother would not mind...
"Mother!" I called as she helped Cora into the wagon. "Can we go see Alice? I'm sure she can't be but half an hour away."
I saw Mother hesitate, and I knew she wanted to see her oldest child, but when she shook her head I knew my battle had been lost.
"Tomorrow afternoon will come soon enough, Emelise."
Nothing much happened after that. We drove home and the family went about their business (I love saying that).
Wait, I hear Anthony. He is waking up from his nap—the nap he refused to take and claimed he "wouldn't fall asleep no matter how much I try, so there's no point."
Now Mother calls. Papa, Edward, and Nathan are coming in the house from their talk on the porch. Edward didn't say one word the entire time we viewed Galveston. The only time he uncrossed his arms was when he hit the boys for laughing at our driver's voice. I wonder what is going on in that mind of his. Ruth Henry probably.