The Schooner Bay Home for Invalid and Indigent Seamen

The Circus Comes to Town

Chapter 9:

Alma arrived the next morning on the first train of the day. Having been married several times and in an equal number of common-law arrangements, she now had reverted to her family name of "Monroe" for simplicity's sake. And simplicity was what she found when she took her carpet bag and left the train at Schooner Bay. As she walked towards the center of town, she saw people still yawning as they opened their windows to the breeze, and heard the sounds of horses, machinery and brooms sweeping sidewalks increase as the minutes ticked by.

In his room at the small, but well-established Schooner Bay Inn in the heart of the town, Zebulon Peevy sat at a table eating his breakfast while making a few notes on his small pad. The Callan cousins were firing up the blacksmith's forge and gathering their tools for another day of work while Justice of the Peace and head of the Town Council, Josiah Turner forced himself out of bed.

In Gull Cottage, Martha and Hannibal were each just beginning to dress to begin breakfast. The rest of the men were still asleep, but Mrs. Muir's eyelids were fluttering open to the sight of Captain Gregg, sitting on her bed as he bent over her to give her a delicious, "good morning" kiss. It had become their habit to spend some time while Carolyn was still under the covers, for Daniel to join her and snuggle together. She still found it fascinating how his clothing slowly "evaporated" as he slid in next to her and gathered her in her arms. She soon turned her attention to other matters, like running her hands over the coopery hair on his chest or tracing his lips with her finger. On a good morning, they had plenty of time to enjoy each other before the rest of the household woke up. Other times, however, they were only graced with a few minutes of intimacy. This being a Saturday, they had ample time to themselves for caressing and kissing before Daniel moved over her for more intimate activities.

At the Majestic Sea Side Hotel, Abigail Van Pelt was awakened by the sun shining brightly in her window and the seagulls' noises informing her that after the rain of mid-week, the weekend looked to be fair and warm again. Instead of going back to sleep, she dressed and went downstairs. The kitchen had not yet started to serve breakfast, so she decided to walk into town. If there were no food establishments open there, she could reverse her steps and return to the hotel in time for the first meal of the day to be served. She arrived on First Street to find Mrs. Pierce already exiting the Pierce and Long's Ladies Emporium. She was intent on hurrying to the printer's shop to get the newly printer flyers announcing that evening's charity performance and did not mind where she was going. Miss Van Pelt had stopped to look in the Emporium's windows at the display of hats, gloves and fabrics. It was inevitable that Mrs. Pierce would stumble right into the other woman, causing Miss Van Pelt to call out.

"I'm so sorry, Madame. If there is something you would like to see inside, I will be right back. I just have to pop over to the printers to pick up the announcement of tonight's circus performance. It has been designated in support of the town so that we can prevent Mr. Washington, the hotelier, from obtaining land for a second hotel on the east side of Schooner Bay."

At first Abigail had had no desire to step into the Ladies Emporium but hearing that there was an effort afoot to oppose Mr. Washington and company, she thought she would like to hear what the townswoman had to say. Miss Van Pelt never gossiped herself, but she was not adverse to listening to some. She stepped inside to find a small, but well stocked store. Mrs. Pierce returned in a few moments and laid the good-sized stack of flyers on the counter. She handed one to Miss Van Pelt, who looked it over and then turned to the other woman. "So, the town is opposed to the new hotel?"

"Yes, indeed, ma'am. Unfortunately, where Mr. Washington would like to build is not part of the town, so we have to bid against him and if we are able to obtain the parcel, we can incorporate it into the town and prevent any building on it."

"But why wouldn't the town want an additional hotel, especially if the other two become damaged or destroyed in a storm?"

Bea gathered her thoughts for a moment. "Well, I suppose if the other two buildings were not there, it would be a very different situation. However, the townspeople feel that a third hotel would overwhelm the town and that the extra income in sales and taxes would not be worth the strain, dirt and crowds it would bring. Plus, the effect that it would have on the Schooner Bay Home for Invalid and Indigent Seamen, which is right next to that plot of land. Those old gentlemen deserve a quiet place to live out their final years in peace, not live on a road with constant traffic and the intrusion of strangers."

"But certainly," continued Miss Van Pelt, "the town wouldn't be able to raise enough money quickly enough to have a reasonable bid to put before the county, would it?"

Mrs. Pierce proudly drew herself up. "Actually, we've already collected a significant sum -about half- from the leading people in town. We firmly believe that the rest of the town will contribute to this' pointing at the flyers, "and the other fundraising activities that we've planned. We will have a cake sale tomorrow after church, a women's social and a gentlemen's smoker over the next few days. If we are still short of funds, we will think up something else. You see, Mrs...?"

"Miss Abigail Van Pelt," the other woman informed her.

"Miss Van Pelt, this is our home, which we love very dearly. We will do all we can to protect it."

"I see," Abigail replied. "The town, which I like quite a bit as well, is certainly quite determined to maintain its integrity. You may put me down for $2000. If you would not mind seeing me after church, I will have the check for you. I will also speak with the others who are at the Majestic Sea Side with me at the moment. I am sure that I can convince them to support the town. Of course, none of this will be shared with Mr. Washington or with his manager, Mr. Carlyle. We like them very much and of course, they are only protecting their investment. I am sure that they would not wish to burden the town if they knew the whole situation, but that is something I do not think I should be involved in."

"No, I agree completely, and thank you for your kind and very generous donation. I would be most happy to see you tomorrow."

In an hour or so, Ada would wake up so that she could start cleaning out her wagon and begin to put some things away. The next morning would be a blaze of activity as the wagons would be loaded onto the circus's special train cars where they would be tied down on the open rail trucks while the baggage and animal cars would be loaded with their burdens. In the meanwhile, Ada's dreams were filled with her mother, Mr. Douglas and the young attorney, and none of them made any sense whatsoever.

Around lunchtime, Alma arrived at the fairgrounds. Russel Cabot, the General Manager remembered her and stopped in his activities to greet her.

"How do you do, Mrs. Monroe? It's very nice to see you again, especially on such a glorious day!" It had turned out to be pleasantly warm with the scent of flowers mingling with the scent of the ocean. Alma was less than thrilled, however, after the walk from the Inn to the fairgrounds, but was civil and then asked to be pointed to Ada's wagon.

"Good morning, Mother. You are looking well today," she said as she ushered Alma inside. "A friend of mine will be joining us in a few minutes. I hope you don't mind, but I thought you should meet him."

"Oh?" Alma perked up. She had always hoped that her daughter would find a stable and financially settled man to marry, someone who would not mind having her live in their home with them as she aged. "A young man, I presume?"

"Not so young, perhaps. He believes that the two of you..."

Just then there was a knock on the wagon's door. Ada opened to reveal Nate and she made to help him up the steep steps to the interior, but he waved her off. When he was seated, he gave Alma a good, thorough looking over. She did not flinch but gave him her own examination. He looked familiar but could not quite place him. On the other hand, Nate found Ada's mother to look remarkably like the young girl she had been. Although her face was lined, her hair half gray and half brown and her lips now thinned into tight lines, he would have recognized her instantly.

"Mother, may I present Mr. Nate Douglas? As I was beginning to say, he believes the two of you met many years ago."

Instantly, Alma remembered the handsome sailor. When she last saw him, he was just inching into middle age, already thickening a bit, but now that she knew who this was, she could see the younger man in the elderly person sitting across from her. And that caused an icicle to immediately grow in her chest. She instinctively knew what was coming because when she compared her daughter to this man, she could see a resemblance below the features inherited from her. Alma quickly calculated the benefit of admitting the truth to feigning innocence. Nate, of course was nearly two decades older than herself. He either had a family of his own now or was a poor seaman living out his last years on the charity of others. In other words, of no particular benefit to her. However, Ada would never stop pestering her until she got to the bottom of the story and the truth. She had been cruel to Nate and the last time she saw him he was white hot with anger, but he seemed quite benign now. After all, what could happen between them at this late date? No, if anything, he was only here to satisfy his curiosity. It was Ada who had more concerns in this situation and the person that Alma needed to keep a relationship with. If her daughter asked her the question, which undoubtedly, she would, she would have to answer truthfully, but try not to dwell on her attempt to trap Nate into marriage. After a long sigh, she replied.

"Yes, dear. I believe it was in Boston, the year before you were born."

"And...?" Ada was determined to get to the heart of the matter, but Alma wasn't going to make it easy for her.

"And what, Ada?"

"Is Mr. Douglas my true father?"

"I believe so. I know that it definitely was not Mr. Seaver."

Ada looked at her mother with alarm. "There could be someone else? Or several?" Nate gently took Ada's hand in his and patted it reassuringly, murmuring, "Now, now..." Still, he looked daggers at Alma. How could she do this to her own daughter? Alma responded to his stare by for once feeling chastened and looked down at her feet before continuing.

"No, what I mean is that it was such a difficult time, and I was trying to run away, and I tried to convince so many people to help me that it's all a whirlwind to me. Once I no longer had any choice but marry Mr. Seaver, I did nothing but cry and didn't stop until weeks after we were wed, and then I started crying all over again when I realized that I was expecting a child."

Finally, Nate joined the conversation. "Alma, this is no longer about your disappointments in life. Ada has done her share of running away and if she is to have a chance at the happy life you have not had, you need to tell her honestly what the truth is. Am I her father and is she my daughter?"

Looking again at her feet, Alma only said one word. "Yes."

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Miss Van Pelt arrived back at the hotel after breakfast had concluded. She found the other guests, who now included another older couple from New York City on the verandah overlooking the ocean. The new people were George and Matilda Parsons, and he was a well-to-do land developer in the outer boroughs of the city. With the hotel staff out of the area, she had the opportunity to explain to the others what she had learned from Mrs. Pierce.

"So, you see," she summed up, "the townspeople fear that they will become strangers in their own homes with so many visitors and effectively lose the ability to control the neighborhood. And while I sympathize with Mr. Washington in regard to the competition and unsuitable siting of the Schooner Bay House, I fear that his plans will only lead to poor feelings between the town and its summer visitors."

The gentlemen looked like cows chewing their cuds. All three were successful businessmen, and they knew that sometimes difficult choices needed to be made in order to keep a company sound and profitable. Mr. Parsons in particular, was most understanding of the issues before the owners of the Majestic Sea Side Hotel. However, the women on the verandah were more in support of the townspeople.

Miss Overmayer, being somewhat impetuous, as young people often are Immediately rose to the defense of Schooner Bay's position. Filled with righteous indignation, she railed at the plan that Washington, Wentworth, and Watt had produced which would cause harm to the town. Her mother was naturally more circumspect but shared her daughter's concern. However, the deciding factor that convinced the Appleton's, Overmayer's and Parson's to attend the fundraiser that evening and donate additional funds was the fact that Abigail Van Pelt was strongly in favor of supporting the town.