The Schooner Bay Home for Invalid and Indigent Seamen

The Circus Comes to Town

Chapter 7:

Dawn broke gray and cloudy as Captain Gregg stood in his usual position on the widow's walk watching his beloved Schooner Bay wake up. The weather had cooled a bit and as he looked past the town's harbor, he could see the white caps on the water as the wind picked up. Clouds out to the southwest were scudding in their direction, threatening rain. He hoped his guests didn't find it too great an inconvenience to come up to Gull Cottage that afternoon if the weather was foul. He had received the Grover's reply late yesterday afternoon, Fortuna's precise handwriting politely expressing acceptance of the invitation, and her elegant card still lay in his pocket.

Later in the morning after a leisurely breakfast at the Majestic Seaside Hotel, the Appleton's and Miss Van Pelt sat down in the parlor facing the seascape to attend to their correspondence. A fire had been laid in the large fireplace to ward off the unexpected chill of the day, but both women had wrapped themselves in shawls. For some time all that could be heard was the scratching of steel penpoints on fine paper as the trio wrote their typically Victorian long letters. Mrs. Appleton noticed the raindrops pinging on the windows first and put down her pen, sighing.

"I find rainy days on the coast most depressing, don't you, Miss Van Pelt?" she said.

"Certainly, especially if it rains all day. After all, one doesn't spend time at a coastal resort to be indoors. And it seems as if the rain is getting heavier," the older woman replied.

Mr. Appleton looked up from his letter with some concern on his face. "Mr. Carlyle told me after breakfast that new guests would be arriving later; a family of three, he said. I hope they won't be discommoded by the weather."

They arrived less than an hour later, rather worse for wear and with a fearsome amount of luggage, with more to come on a later train. Mr. Washington greeted them himself and after retiring to their rooms to clean up and put on dry clothes, he escorted the three newcomers to the dining room to meet the earlier guests for luncheon.

"I'd like to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Overmayer of the Chicago Overmayer's and their daughter, Minette."

Horace Overmayer was the owner of Overmayer Meat Packing, where a great portion of the country's meats were slaughtered and shipped to points over the entire eastern half of the country. His wife Maude was an elegant woman who was much used to her station in life and position in the social hierarchy of Chicago. Both the Overmayer's were in their mid-forties, but looked a good deal younger. Accompanying them was their daughter who had recently "come out" as a debutante at a lavish ball. She was just sixteen but already a full-fledged beauty. She had lustrous chestnut-brown hair braided and looped around her head in the latest style which complemented her dark hazel eyes. Her figure was well-formed and her carriage perfectly erect. Minette's mouth was a soft pink bow, and her skin was like porcelain.

As they sat down at the well-laid table, Horace explained that they would stop in Schooner Bay for the next four weeks and then proceed to London for the first leg of a continental tour. Miss Van Pelt and Mr. and Mrs. Appleton understood this to mean that the Overmayer's would be looking for a suitable husband for their daughter, hopefully one with a better societal standing than those young men available in the Midwest. If a title came with it, so much the better.

"Minette's coming out was breath-taking! I've never seen our ballroom look better. Maude had it filled with white roses and white orchids and white...what was that other flower, darling?" Horace asked his wife.

"Gladiolas," she replied laughing. "You just can't seem to remember that name! In any event," she said, picking up the narrative, "it was just wonderful, and so many of our friends attended. Minette danced until three in the morning, and of course, she was beautiful, and all of the young men were quite impressed."

The young woman in question blushed prettily and kept her eyes firmly on the table. Her father picked up the narrative again. "We've arranged for her to be presented at court in London this season, but after all the excitement and fuss of the last six months Mrs. Overmayer and I thought it best if we all took this interlude to rest before we tackle Europe."

Miss Van Pelt was quite suitably impressed, having herself been through the rigors of a societal coming out (in New York, of course, which was so much more demanding than in Chicago) and a presentation at court in London very early in Queen Victoria's reign. "Indeed, I think that's very wise," she stated. "A presentation requires a great deal of work and planning, but it is quite worth it. One gets introduced properly to the best people in the process. " She turned to Mrs. Overmayer. "Have you studied your Burke's Peerage quite well? You must know who everyone is before you make their acquaintance, or they will think you quite gauche."

"Yes. I thought the same thing and we study it regularly," replied Maude. "Our time here will give us more opportunity to review it, but Minette really needs to rest and restore herself properly while we are here. Parties and late nights are all so much fun, after all, but not very healthful. I hope that you will be able to share your knowledge of continental society with us, Miss Van Pelt."

The older woman inclined her head with a regal air of compliance and the company finished their meal.

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At the circus grounds the general manager looked at the steady rain with displeasure. Everything was muddy and the wetness made the animal smells worse. Attendance typically suffered on a day like this, even if it dried up by show time. And Ada had been preoccupied since yesterday. Her performance last night lacked her usual energy, and she hadn't left her wagon at all since she had turned in last night. He hoped she wasn't ill, or worse, that she had lost the desire to be part of the circus. He'd give her another chance tonight, but if her routine wasn't as thrilling as it usually was, he'd have to put the Contini Family in the final position starting tomorrow.

Ada was still in bed, but awake, as she had been all night. Alma wasn't a bad mother; it was more a case of her being unhappy in her life and not making the soundest choices at times. She was naturally upset when her daughter had run away, as much with herself as with young Ada. She had been blind to what her second husband had been up to but felt that life without a man's support would have been impossible. That was the reason that she stayed with the man, and would probably still be with him, if he hadn't left her. The years after had been a struggle. Sometimes there would be a man to take care of her but more and more often now she was on her own. She took jobs as a seamstress to support herself and she wrote to her daughter weekly. Every so often, when the circus was nearby, she would take a little bit of her savings to go visit, although it was typically a strained meeting.

Ada had met a handful of men as the circus went from town to town who apparently had known Alma at one time or another. Most of them knew her from the period between her marriages and one of them had known her more recently, but Nate Douglas was the only one she had met who had known her mother prior to her first marriage and Ada's birth.

To a certain extent Nate reminded her of Jerome Seaver; they seemed to have the same gentleness and soft-spoken manner. But there was something that Nate had that Jerome didn't; the same dark brown eyes that she saw whenever she looked in her mirror. Jerome's eyes were blue and her mother's were a lighter brown. Nate's eyes were as dark as her own. Of course, that could be a coincidence, but she kept coming back to them.

Her thoughts tumbled about her head. Long ago she had decided not to think too much about whether Jerome Seaver was her father or not and just remember the good man he had been. Her mother was her mother and there was nothing more to say about it. Ada had her own life and gave little thought to family beyond her circus family. But since yesterday all her old questions had come back and she didn't know what to do about them. Deciding that it was best to put those questions aside for the moment, she pulled her blanket over her head and closed her eyes while she listened to the rain pattering on the roof of her own cozy wagon waiting for sleep to claim her.

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The rain had slowly stopped, leaving a mist in the air as the last of the water on the new leaves of the trees dripped onto unsuspecting people. There were enough mud puddles for children coming home from school to jump through, exasperating their mothers with the dirt they brought home. In Gull Cottage a cozy fire warmed the parlor as Martha and Carolyn laid out the preparations for the tea. Martha and Hannibal had outdone themselves with a selection of little sandwiches, raisin scones, hand-churned butter and clotted cream. Carolyn didn't like to take access to the parlor from the men of the Home, but the dining room was much too big for only the four of them, and Captain Gregg had assured her that it was for a good purpose. Besides, it would only be for an hour or so.

Once the room was set, Carolyn changed into one of her nicer dresses, re-did her hair and pinned a simple gold bar pin at the dress's collar. Returning to the parlor, she saw that Daniel had brought in a bouquet of jonquils, daffodils, and hyacinths, which he placed in the middle of the tea table. Straightening, he smiled at her, and caught her hand to place a kiss on it.

"My dear, you are a spring beauty yourself! The flowers are ashamed in your presence!"

She laughed. "You are quite the flatterer, Captain Gregg! Have no fear. I will be the perfect hostess for you. And I am just as curious as the Grover's must be to find out what scheme you've come up with that requires their assistance."

"Well, you won't have long to wait. Their carriage has just arrived."

The Grover's coachman handed them both down to the ground and then opened the gate to Gull Cottage for them. By the time they had walked to the front door, Mrs. Muir and Captain Gregg had opened it and beckoned them inside. Fortuna's smile was genuine, unlike the times she had previously been inside the house. She seemed much more at ease as well, and her husband Thaddeus looked like a new man.

Once they were seated in the parlor, they passed a few minutes in small talk, chatting about the men of the home, the changeable weather and the circus, which even Fortuna had enjoyed.

"And your grandson, is he growing well?" asked the Captain.

"Oh, yes," replied Fortuna, happy to talk about her grandchild, as any grandmother would be. "He's started to crawl and is into everything and he's 'talking' in his own little language. He is quite adorable."

"And quite healthy as well," added Thaddeus.

Carolyn was pleased to hear this, since she had attended the child's birth. She started to pour the tea while Daniel held the tray of tea sandwiches for first Fortuna and then Thaddeus. After putting a few of the finger sandwiches on Carolyn's plate, he turned to his guests.

"I'm sure you would care to know why I invited you to visit today. Regrettably, it is not entirely a social event. I am sure that you have heard the reports that the owners of the Majestic Sea Side Hotel are negotiating to purchase the plot of land directly to the northeast of us."

Thaddeus Grover had previously been a member of the town council and town treasurer. He was aware of the news and had heard that the council had met to discuss the matter. Fortuna was, naturally, not as well informed as her husband, but she had heard that the rising new hotel threatened not only the Majestic's business, but the stability of the dunes as well.

Grover responded. "Yes, I'd heard. The word is that it is practically a done deal between Washington, Watt, Wentworth and the county."

"Well, yes. It would seem that it is, but legally the county must put the parcel up for competitive bidding before the final sale, or also entertain a request for approval of eminent domain," the Captain replied. "The town has no clear cause to request transfer of the property in an eminent domain case however, we can attempt to compete in the bidding process. That is if we can raise sufficient funds. We clearly don't have them in the coffers of the town..."

"Oh, I know that better than anyone," Thaddeus interrupted. "In fact, if it weren't due to the taxes that the Majestic provides to the town, Schooner Bay would be all but bankrupt. How do you propose to obtain the large sum that would be required to compete effectively with the 'three W's'?"

Daniel crossed his long legs, leaned back in his chair, and folded his hands in his lap. "The town may be rather poor, but the inhabitants of Schooner Bay are not. Granted, we are not the elite of New York City or Boston, but I do believe that with the right leadership, we could be successful in raising donations for the express purpose of outbidding Mr. Washington and associates. Of course, it needs to be organized quickly and in an effective manner. The person who heads a committee to raise these funds must be familiar with this sort of activity, be well-known in town and able to plan the sort of activities that would bring in the greatest amount of funds. It would also be helpful if this person knew of individuals not of the neighborhood who, none the less, would be willing to donate to our cause. Lastly, this person must be able to dedicate their full time and attention to quickly raising the funds. In my opinion, there is only one person in our town who has all the needed qualifications for the role. And that, my friends, is Fortuna."