The Schooner Bay Home for Indigent and Invalid Seamen
The Circus Comes to Town
Chapter 10:
The circus was once again filled to capacity as the townspeople did their best to support the town's fundraising efforts. As expected, the Town Council and Fortuna's committee were all in attendance, as was Mrs. Muir, Captain Gregg, Martha, Hannibal, Sock, and Nate. Alma, who normally received a complementary ticket when she came to watch her daughter's performance was told that since this was a charity event, she was expected to purchase a ticket, which did not improve her mood. When Miss Van Pelt and her company took their seats, there was a wave of murmuring throughout the rest of the audience. The townspeople were quite surprised that guests of the Majestic Sea Side Hotel would support the town's attempt to prevent its owner from acquiring the land on the opposite side of town. And sitting inconspicuously was the young lawyer, Zebulon Peevy, who was looking forward to Ada Seaver's performance as the exotic Egyptian fire breather, and perhaps a moment to speak with her afterwards.
Although Miss Van Pelt enjoyed the circus, and especially Mr. Chamberlain again, she was surprised that Overmayer's and the Parson's were delighted by it. Proper breeding meant that one should express a general pleasant appreciation of such low-class entertainments, but not respond with great and vocal enthusiasm. However, Miss Overmayer had been telling her just this afternoon about the latest fashion among her peers; something called "slumming". Apparently upper-class youth would go, en masse to the most horrendous parts of a city, often occupied by thieves, ladies of the night and opium dens to laugh and point at the unfortunates who inhabited them. Miss Van Pelt thought this activity was quite out of bounds for someone of good breeding, but it did explain why the others in her party were so obvious in their enjoyment of the circus entertainment. She sighed inwardly. She had to remind herself that, after all, they were nouveau riche.
Zebulon waited through all the acts with a bit of exasperation. When finally, Ada took her place in the center of the ring he was mesmerized. There was no doubt that she was skilled and exotic, even pretty. However, the notion that a serious young lawyer would be attracted to such a woman (and one he suspected of being a few years older than himself), was irregular at the least. And yet, his heart took him in this altogether strange direction. His family would likely be scandalized and the colleagues that he counted as friends would come to all sorts of unfounded assumptions. People were likely to say vile things behind his back. And yet, he realized, he did not care. At that moment, sitting in the audience, he made up his mind that he would court Ada Seaver and win her heart and her hand.
At the end of the performance, Nate went to Ada's wagon while Captain Gregg and Mrs. Muir mingled with the others from the Home, Fortuna and her committee, and the members of the Town Council. Fortuna was in an ebullient mood and became even more excited when the Appleton's, the Overmayer family and the Parson's came to her and pledged a combined amount equal to what had already been raised. The night had been so successful that the committee didn't really need to hold the bake sale the next morning, but since it was already planned and the cakes, pies and cookies would be ready, she decided to let it go ahead. Besides, who would turn down a little more money? She returned to the group, triumphant and in her glory, for once deserving of all the credit.
As Nate reached the steps to the wagon, Ada and Alma arrived from the other direction. It was clear that they were not happy with one another; the older woman's face was set in stone and the younger's flush of angry red could be seen even through the stage makeup.
"Mother, I am not criticizing you for what you believed you had to do, and I am not taking anyone's side; not yours or Mr. Douglas's. I'm certainly not abandoning you for him!" she said through clenched cheeks.
"Oh, now ladies, let's not take our leaves of each other in such a manner. Afterall, the situation is hardly a negative one, is it? The truth is now on the table, and we can go ahead with our lives. And if the truth came this late, who's not to say it's not for the best? If you had contacted me at or before Ada's birth, no doubt I would have thought you were trying another trick on me, Alma. I would have never believed that she was my daughter and never wanted to meet her. But now that the years have worn on, I am indeed most pleased to meet her." He smiled at his daughter. "And I hope that she will take me to her heart as I have taken her to mine."
Ada returned his smile and gripped his hand tightly.
"There, you see!" cried Alma. "You are never that friendly with me."
"Perhaps, Mother, if you would be as generous with your praise as you are with your criticism and as giving as you are grasping, you would find me to be warmer toward you. All my life I've been aware that people are only as valuable to you as what they can do for you. And when I can't provide you with money or goods, I'm of very little value to you."
"Well, in that case," Alma pronounced with all her dignity wrapped around her, "I will take my leave of you both!" She bowed imperiously and turned her back and strode away without waiting for their responses.
Ada looked at Nate and shrugged her shoulders. "That's mother, wrapped up in a nutshell. I'm sorry that you had to meet her again, but at least she admitted to the truth."
Nate put his arm around the younger woman's shoulder and hugged her. "It doesn't matter, dear. I knew you for my daughter almost from the first. I'm just sad that you're leaving before we really get to know one another. When do you think you could come back to Schooner Bay?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. My contract with this circus is through November and then I usually sign up with a troupe going south for the winter. I don't have a home of my own because I travel and perform all year long."
Nate made "tsk, tsk" sounds. "That's not good. Even seamen got time between tickets to settle and rest for a bit. Can you see if you can come back for a few days, at least? Maybe at the end of this contract, before you join another circus?" Ada opened her mouth to tell Nate that affording the travel and a room would be too costly for her, but he anticipated her reaction. "I've got a little put away, so I can help you with the arrangements. In the meantime, you'll write to me, won't you? And tell me how I can send letters to you?"
"Yes, I promise," Ada replied.
"Well, I best go now. There are others from the Home waiting on me. Fair winds, my girl." He leant down and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she threw her arms around him in a hug and then they parted.
Fortuna had left the group waiting by the Home's wagon and returned with the visitors from the Majestic Sea Side Hotel, to introduce them to the Town Council and her Fundraising Committee. Fortuna felt that she was at last in her element, speaking with people of excellent class and breeding. She and Thaddeus were leading citizens of Schooner Bay, and if they weren't quite in the class (or the wealth) of their visitors, it didn't mean that she couldn't aspire to it. However, she wondered if Daniel could read minds, because he gave her a cautionary look. She'd made good progress becoming a less self-absorbed person in the past year and everyone was grateful for the work she had thrown herself into to raise money for Schooner Bay. He hoped she wouldn't throw it all away by trying to impress Miss Van Pelt and her group. He needn't have worried, however. Abigail Van Pelt was polite and correct, but she clearly expressed by her looks and stance that Mrs. Grover was not at all of her class. The groups began to part when Nate returned from his errand and the circus ground was quickly emptied.
In fact, the last stranger was Zebulon Peevy and he approached Ada as she was about to climb into her wagon.
"P-P-Please excuse me, Miss Ada" he stuttered. "I just saw that other woman leave. Was that your mother?"
"Yes, it was," she replied.
"I'm sorry, she didn't look very happy," Zebulon noted.
"No. But then, she's usually not very happy."
"Again, I'm sorry to hear that. It's too late to ask you if you would like to join me in a small supper," Ada nodded her head in a serious manner that indicated that it would also be a little too forward at this stage of their acquaintanceship. "I hope, however, you would allow me to take you for a walk in Bangor. I will be there this coming Tuesday and Wednesday. I can arrange my schedule so that we could see the park. I hope that this is acceptable to you and that you don't have another commitment to attend to something... or someone...and meet me?"
It was hard not to giggle. Zebulon was so earnest and trying very hard to be proper.
"I think that would be quite nice. I look forward to our walk together, Mr. Peevy."
