Philadelphia, June, 1930.
"I guess she's going to just be an old maid." Melanie said. "Twenty-two and not married."
"It's a shame. She is a nice enough girl. I think her mother would realise that there is no chance of her getting married if she's stuck at home looking after her." Melanie's friend agreed.
'Great!' thought Eliza, as she poured both women's tea. 'I'm twenty-four, so what does that make me?'
"Thank you Eliza." Melanie said, giving her a quick smile. "Do you think you could get started on that cleaning?"
"Okay." Eliza replied, and she left the room.
"I guess you're lucky that Cal took her in all those years ago so you get help around the house now, with nobody really able to afford help anymore." Melanie's friend said.
"Yes, I don't know what I'd do without her. Sometimes Cal gets annoyed at me for having her do things, telling me she's not a servant here, but I don't think I've really any choice about it." Melanie agreed.
Eliza sighed and went to begin the cleaning, wondering when money was going to become less scarce. They were down to a cook, a maid, and a butler. And for the large house with a nine year old boy, a eight year old girl, and a two year old girl, as well as two adults, it wasn't much! But from what she had overheard between Cal and his business partners and other men things weren't going to pick up soon. The crash of the Wall Street market the year before had been catastrophic! Only the other night Cal and his friend, Mr. Morgan had been discussing it in the study, and as Eliza took their drinks in she had heard Cal say, "The only thing I can think of J.P is the damn Federal Reserve not being so stubborn! If they would pursue a monetary expansion on policy we can stimulate the economy through lower interest rates, and hopefully increase the stock of money in circulation!" His friend had agreed with him. "I agree Caledon, but I think the reason they're holding off is simply because the market interest rates are already so low that they think there is no real need to pursue an expansionary monetary policy!" "Damn fools! The banking sector is going to be in big trouble!" Cal had replied.
As Eliza scrubbed the floors she contemplated this. She didn't understand the business talk of the men, but she knew enough to know that even Cal was in real trouble. Like many all over the country, both rich and poor, Cal had purchased stocks because he was certain of the money, however he'd lost pretty much all of them, and from the talk around the house she'd heard, she also knew that he had been hit hard by the depression when it came to his business. And the fact that Melanie was making do without many servants told her that things were very serious indeed!
*****
"Eliza?" Evelyn asked later that night. Eliza was in her room reading and the younger girl was at her door.
"Yes Evelyn?" Eliza asked.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" '
"Of course. Come in." Eliza said, noticing that the young girl seemed very serious and grown up. Evelyn entered the room, and sat down on the bed next to Eliza, who absently played with the young girls long black hair.
"I've been hearing things about Daddy having no money anymore. Are we poor?" Evelyn asked.
Eliza sighed, wondering whether she was really the right person to answer this! "We're not as poor as many." She said diplomatically. "You see sweetie, the country is all in the beginning of an economic recession. We don't know how long it will last or how bad it will get. But we do know that we're not the only ones. Because your Daddy had a lot of money before it happened it means he is better off than lots of people though."
"Nathan told me that we'll have to live in a tent!" Evelyn said.
"Nathan is lying." Eliza promised the young girl. "Your parents would never live in a tent believe me."
"Daddy isn't very happy anymore is he?" Evelyn asked.
Eliza frowned. She'd noticed that whenever she spoke to Cal he seemed distracted and short with her, but he'd always managed to smile at her. "Why do you say that sweetie?" She asked.
"I saw him in his study the other day and he was crying!" Evelyn said, her eyes wide. "Daddy never cries."
"Everyone cries sometimes." Eliza disagreed, but privately she was shocked at the young girl's words. If Cal had been crying things were a lot worse than she had ever realised!
"So we're not going to have to live in a tent?" Evelyn asked.
"No sweetie." Eliza assured her. "We're not going to have to live in a tent. It just means things are going to be a little different around here. You've noticed we don't have many servants anymore right? Well that's because we can't afford as many, although the ones we do have at the moment are working for less money than they used to. And instead of getting toys all the time, you might not get them as often."
"But I like getting toys!" Evelyn protested.
"I know." Eliza said. "And your parents like giving you them. The simple fact is that not many young children will be getting lots of toys anymore. Remember this Evelyn-it's not just us. It's everyone."
Evelyn sighed, and got up from where she'd been sitting. "Thank you Eliza." She said gravely.
"You're welcome." Eliza replied, and Evelyn left the room, leaving Eliza to her own thoughts. 'Cal was crying!' She thought. 'Good god, things are not very bad around here!' And unfortunately, unlike Evelyn, the thought that the rest of the country was in the same boat didn't comfort Eliza!
"I guess she's going to just be an old maid." Melanie said. "Twenty-two and not married."
"It's a shame. She is a nice enough girl. I think her mother would realise that there is no chance of her getting married if she's stuck at home looking after her." Melanie's friend agreed.
'Great!' thought Eliza, as she poured both women's tea. 'I'm twenty-four, so what does that make me?'
"Thank you Eliza." Melanie said, giving her a quick smile. "Do you think you could get started on that cleaning?"
"Okay." Eliza replied, and she left the room.
"I guess you're lucky that Cal took her in all those years ago so you get help around the house now, with nobody really able to afford help anymore." Melanie's friend said.
"Yes, I don't know what I'd do without her. Sometimes Cal gets annoyed at me for having her do things, telling me she's not a servant here, but I don't think I've really any choice about it." Melanie agreed.
Eliza sighed and went to begin the cleaning, wondering when money was going to become less scarce. They were down to a cook, a maid, and a butler. And for the large house with a nine year old boy, a eight year old girl, and a two year old girl, as well as two adults, it wasn't much! But from what she had overheard between Cal and his business partners and other men things weren't going to pick up soon. The crash of the Wall Street market the year before had been catastrophic! Only the other night Cal and his friend, Mr. Morgan had been discussing it in the study, and as Eliza took their drinks in she had heard Cal say, "The only thing I can think of J.P is the damn Federal Reserve not being so stubborn! If they would pursue a monetary expansion on policy we can stimulate the economy through lower interest rates, and hopefully increase the stock of money in circulation!" His friend had agreed with him. "I agree Caledon, but I think the reason they're holding off is simply because the market interest rates are already so low that they think there is no real need to pursue an expansionary monetary policy!" "Damn fools! The banking sector is going to be in big trouble!" Cal had replied.
As Eliza scrubbed the floors she contemplated this. She didn't understand the business talk of the men, but she knew enough to know that even Cal was in real trouble. Like many all over the country, both rich and poor, Cal had purchased stocks because he was certain of the money, however he'd lost pretty much all of them, and from the talk around the house she'd heard, she also knew that he had been hit hard by the depression when it came to his business. And the fact that Melanie was making do without many servants told her that things were very serious indeed!
*****
"Eliza?" Evelyn asked later that night. Eliza was in her room reading and the younger girl was at her door.
"Yes Evelyn?" Eliza asked.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" '
"Of course. Come in." Eliza said, noticing that the young girl seemed very serious and grown up. Evelyn entered the room, and sat down on the bed next to Eliza, who absently played with the young girls long black hair.
"I've been hearing things about Daddy having no money anymore. Are we poor?" Evelyn asked.
Eliza sighed, wondering whether she was really the right person to answer this! "We're not as poor as many." She said diplomatically. "You see sweetie, the country is all in the beginning of an economic recession. We don't know how long it will last or how bad it will get. But we do know that we're not the only ones. Because your Daddy had a lot of money before it happened it means he is better off than lots of people though."
"Nathan told me that we'll have to live in a tent!" Evelyn said.
"Nathan is lying." Eliza promised the young girl. "Your parents would never live in a tent believe me."
"Daddy isn't very happy anymore is he?" Evelyn asked.
Eliza frowned. She'd noticed that whenever she spoke to Cal he seemed distracted and short with her, but he'd always managed to smile at her. "Why do you say that sweetie?" She asked.
"I saw him in his study the other day and he was crying!" Evelyn said, her eyes wide. "Daddy never cries."
"Everyone cries sometimes." Eliza disagreed, but privately she was shocked at the young girl's words. If Cal had been crying things were a lot worse than she had ever realised!
"So we're not going to have to live in a tent?" Evelyn asked.
"No sweetie." Eliza assured her. "We're not going to have to live in a tent. It just means things are going to be a little different around here. You've noticed we don't have many servants anymore right? Well that's because we can't afford as many, although the ones we do have at the moment are working for less money than they used to. And instead of getting toys all the time, you might not get them as often."
"But I like getting toys!" Evelyn protested.
"I know." Eliza said. "And your parents like giving you them. The simple fact is that not many young children will be getting lots of toys anymore. Remember this Evelyn-it's not just us. It's everyone."
Evelyn sighed, and got up from where she'd been sitting. "Thank you Eliza." She said gravely.
"You're welcome." Eliza replied, and Evelyn left the room, leaving Eliza to her own thoughts. 'Cal was crying!' She thought. 'Good god, things are not very bad around here!' And unfortunately, unlike Evelyn, the thought that the rest of the country was in the same boat didn't comfort Eliza!