Chapter 21: (June 15 1918)
It is evening in Bedford Falls. All the stores along Genesee Street are dark, except for the B&L. Bill, Peter, and Thomas are huddled at the customer counter. As they talk, they wear looks of concern on their faces. At the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, all three men walk towards the front door in a state of anticipation. Kraft enters, removing his coat.
Thomas asks, "Well Hab, what's the verdict?"
August shakes his head, "It's out of our hands."
Bill walks away, and throws his hands down with disgust. Peter asks, "What happened? "
August replies, "I spoke with Colonel Bartus. He's the head of recruiting. He said it would take days to dig up Steven's paperwork!"
Bill fumes, "A lot of good that would do us! Steven leaves for recruit training at Fort Mills tomorrow morning! What was he thinking? He knows his mother is depending on his help!"
Peter provides his perspective, "To be fair, there is a war on. The patriotic call to duty might be a reason for his decision."
Bill rejects the assumption, "He's a hot-headed kid who made a rash decision to spite his mom! August, couldn't you have talked him out of it?"
"By the time I arrived, he had already departed to muster with the rest of his unit."
Thomas adds, "But, legally, he is underage."
August confirms, "True. There were hundreds of brave men eager to sign up and ship out at the recruiting station. Many seemed very young. When I returned to Charlotte, I told her it's likely someone had to sign his authorization papers, certifying his age.
"Who signed?" Bill demanded as he takes a seat near August.
"Not Charlotte," August responded. "Once she confirmed, I was prepared to go back to the recruiting station. I told Charlotte I would use my clout to get his recruitment rescinded."
Bill jumps up, "Now you're talking common sense!"
"She forbid me to do it."
Thomas echoes, "She forbid...?"
Peter asks, "Why would she...?"
The mayor motions for quiet so that he can explain, "She's devastated, of course. She told me that she sat down with him. Reasoned with him. Offered him compromises that provided him greater personal liberties if he would change his mind. As Charlotte listened to his response, she said, she wasn't sure if this was a different person in front of her, or maybe she was relly listening to him for the first time. In either case, she was surprised by Steven's response. It was measured and logical... almost mature.
Bill demands to know, "What could he say that would make any difference?"
August paused and tilted his head, "He promised her that he was not running away from her and Bedford Falls. Instead, he said he was running towards an opportunity to make the town and her proud of him."
The room goes silent for a moment.
"Also, Charlotte asked me to convey her gratitude for all of the concern. She asks us to pray and send good wishes for Steven's safe and speedy return."
In the aftershock of yet another seismic shift in Charlotte's life, she refused to let her fears own her. In fact, she almost immediately put them to work for her.
On the day the mayor pays a visit to The Welcome Hearth, he finds it bustling with activity. Mr. Gower is delivering another large container of dry goods, Sabastian is directing traffic and supply delivery, May and Emily are packaging, wrapping and addressing parcels. And Mrs. Granville is speaking with the printer, "These are perfect Mr. Weiss. Please post them where ever you can throughout town."
"Good morning Charlotte. It looks like the 'Care Package Brigade' is a success! The overseas troops will really appreciate these!"
"It is uplifting to see so many citizens supporting the war effort. And, thank you for covering the cost of the promotional leaflets and postage!"
"Don't mention it. Have you heard from Steven?"
"Yes, they are shipping out to France tomorrow."
"We all pray for the safe return of him and his comrades in the nation's service."
"Thank you. What brings you here today?"
"Official business. Do you have a moment?"
"Just a moment. Let's talk in the study."
Charlotte sighs, "Official business? This sounds important!
It is a very unfortunate situation. And, I'm ashamed to say yet another situation that requires a Granville Good Deed. It appears that groundwater has been seeping under the cemetery grounds for some time.
Oh dear!
We've had professional surveyors and engineers inspect. They all agree that nothing could be done without unearthing the caskets and remains of the dead.
How ghastly!
I'm certain the city would pay for the exhumation and the transportation of the departed. Unfortunately, there are few remaining sizeable plots of land within the city limits that met the requirements for interment. As it happens, one of those options is a property in the Granville Trust. If I can impose upon you to allow the city to purchase this land from you, I will present the idea to the city council.
"Of course. You are executor, and I am certain you will arrange a fair deal on my behalf."
To residents of Bedford Falls, the name Charlotte Granville is synonymous with 'good deeds' and 'giving'. Then came the day that something of hers was taken that could never be replaced.
Summer was coming to a close and the Care Package Brigade was hard at work at the Welcome Hearth. Charlotte responded to a knock on the door. She expected to see her neighbor. As she answered the door, she chided, "Mrs. Cagle! You know you don't have to knock..."
Charlotte first noticed the bicycle that leaned against her fence. It was a familiar bike, painted a bright red. Owned by Jules Ahern, the town postmaster, the bike was often piloted by uniformed young men of the town who Jules employed to deliver telegrams. Many of those young men now wore a different uniform and were far from home. These days Jules delivered the telegrams, and it was Jules who stood before Charlotte. His face was careworn and his eyes were down cast. Jules had no heart to look a spouse or a parent in the eye as he spoke the dreaded words, words that he had already spoken too many times before, "Telegram from the War Department."
From that moment forward Charlotte and reality parted company.
August cancels a budget meeting and rushes to 320 Sycamore. Inside, he finds Emily, Celia and May. All of them displaying wide-eyed confusion. Margaret Bailey arrives just after August. They both enter the study and find Charlotte sitting by the fireplace in a chair next to a tall stack of books. Gone is the composed and logical Mrs. Granville. In her place is the physical embodiment of rage and fury. She leafs through each book in turn, tearing out pages, seemingly at random and tosses them into the fire.
The unhinged editor acknowledges her new visitor by rending another leaf and chuckling derisively, "Have no fear, Mrs. Bailey, I am diligent as ever! I've found over eighty defective verses so far. Insensitive application of the third-person voice and worse - overuse of conjunctions!"
Charlotte tears another page. "And, and, and, and, and, and, and! As if everything goes on forever. Say your peace, crown it with a proper period and be done with it."
Charlotte pauses and squints at one of the pages of a book. "And it matters not how cleverly you try to conceal them, Mr. Masters, "nevertheless" is, nevertheless, a conjunction."
Charlotte pauses momentarily, looks straight at August and violently dislodges another page. She then announces, "I will not rest until I've purged the lot of them!"
May furrows her brow and exits the room. August, Emily and Margaret follow.
Mrs. Campbell informs the group, "Tom is trying to find someone qualified to help her. In the meantime, I'm willing to stay here and keep a watchful eye on her."
"Me too," Margaret offers.
Emily agrees, "We can work in shifts."
The ladies begin organizing for their stayover.
Kraft visits the Genesee County Sanatorium. May Campbell is there, keeping an eye on her.
August inquires, "Any improvement?"
"She won't eat. Won't recognize that anyone else is in the room with her. Thomas is consulting with the best doctors in the county. They all agree, her health deteriorates daily. Yet that photo-the one taken at Peter's wedding. She clings to it like a life preserver."
Into the gloom walks a nurse. May grabs the young lady's arm and gently pulls her near, "And this young lady has been a blessing!"
The nurse smiles in response.
"She has been doing everything possible for Charlotte's comfort."
August gives the nurse a respectful nod as she exits the room. The he turns toward the bed-ridden Granville, "Our heroic Charlotte! Your patronage is important, but you cannot know how much the town is diminished by the absence of your spirit!"
May's voice wavers, "So true. Three of us have tried to keep up her routine of activities at The Welcome Hearth with little success."
August continues the litany of unhappy events resulting from Charlotte's absence, "Disarray is overtaking the factory. Other Granville businesses are losing their focus, and I do not want to contemplate the loss of her support and the negative impact that will have on the Building and Loan!"
May tears up as she stares at Charlotte's gaunt face, "And I do not want to lose my friend."
August frowns and nods. He rises and puts a hand on May's shoulder, "Emily will be along shortly." August shuffles slowly out of the room.