A/N – I'm back! Hope you enjoyed the romance of the anniversary picnic - I know that was a long time coming. This chapter returns to Colleen & Michaela's correspondence and what's been going on back home (quite a lot!). But first, Andrew gains a new perspective...
Follow Your Heart – The Cook Chronicles
Chapter 13 – A New Perspective
Andrew was back in the lecture hall. With the prior year of experience behind him, he felt far more assured when looking at all the fresh, eager faces ready to learn. Though it felt a bit odd not to have Colleen in there with him. Hers had been a warm, familiar presence, just like it had been back in Colorado Springs when they'd worked together in Michaela's clinic. Now, unless they crossed paths in the hallway or over at the Women's Hospital, he wouldn't see her until he arrived home after a day's work - just like a regular, traditional couple. Andrew had to chuckle at that.
After his first lesson of the new term, he gathered up his copy of Grey's and his medical bag, then turned around to find that one of his new pupils had lingered in the lecture hall, presumably to ask a question. He hadn't memorized all their names yet, so he prompted, "Yes? Miss…"
"Howard." The young woman's voice held a distinctive Southern accent.
"Miss Howard. What can I do for you?"
She appeared to hesitate before blurting out, "You favor your left hand."
"Uh, yes, I do. Have you never met someone who's left-handed before?" Though lefties were a minority, Andrew couldn't fathom she'd gone her entire life without meeting one. As a Harvard undergraduate, two of his classmates had been fellow southpaws, and he'd met two more in the small town of Colorado Springs: Horace Bing and Dorothy Jennings.
"There- there was a girl in my seminary who favored… that hand." The young woman clutched her books tightly to her chest and took a deep breath, seeming to gather her courage. "I was told that favoring that hand was wicked, a sign of the devil's handiwork. But you're a doctor, you help people, which is surely the Lord's work. I- I don't know what to believe anymore."
Andrew let out a deep breath of his own. For all the scientific breakthroughs in medicine and the physical world, there were still plenty of misconceptions out there, still people who believed all sorts of nonsense. Some of it stemmed from strict interpretations of the bible, and other times from ill-informed superstition or personal bias. Even educated doctors could hold such biases and spread their rubbish to the public at large. Andrew couldn't believe the outlandish theories his old Materia Medica professor Dr. Clarke was spouting about women who pursued higher education – that their reproductive organs would atrophy and become useless if they spent too much time in academic pursuits. Clearly Clarke had never met mothers like Michaela Quinn and Emeline Cleveland!
"Miss Howard, I'm a doctor, not a theologian, but let me reassure you that favored use of the left hand is not a sign of the devil, nor is it an indication of a bad person, even if the Latin word for 'left' is sinister. It's more so a person's actions, and how they treat their fellow man, which reflect their true character. To give you one example, I once met someone who presented himself as a gentleman, yet his behavior proved otherwise. He was most ungentlemanly towards someone very important to me. Regrettably, he forced me into a physical confrontation before he would leave her alone. He was right-handed." Andrew paused, recalling that day as if it were yesterday. He hadn't wanted to get into a fight, but Collins had provoked it by throwing the first punch. The brawl had proven surprisingly cathartic – and had led directly to him confessing his true feelings for Colleen, which he could never, ever regret. "I realize that is anecdotal evidence, but trust me, Miss Howard, which hand someone favors has no bearing on a person's decency or virtue, just as their eye color or skin color has no bearing on it."
The young woman turned her gaze downward, her voice quiet. "I wish… I'd known."
"I take it you and the girl at your seminary weren't exactly friends," Andrew surmised, more statement than question. Miss Howard glanced up at him before returning to her contrite demeanor, eyes fixed on the floor. He shifted the book under his right arm so that he could reach out his dominant hand – his left - to console her, placing it on her shoulder. "We all have moments where we regret our prior actions, Miss Howard. The important thing is to learn from our past mistakes and do better in the future. The next time you meet someone else who is left-handed – especially if they come to you seeking medical aid - you'll know to treat them with the same courtesy and respect as anyone else." Andrew paused again to let the advice sink in. "Come on, I'll walk you out."
Miss Howard remained immobile, however, so Andrew let her be. If his student felt a need to linger and reflect on what he'd said, that was her prerogative; he wasn't about to forcibly remove her. As he turned away Andrew heard her sniffle, halting his stride. He couldn't abandon a woman in distress! "Miss Howard?" he inquired gently. "Are you alright?"
"I- I couldn't stop her…" she stammered. "I… I wish you had been there… to tell her… to stop…" A tear escaped down her cheek.
Andrew wasn't at all sure what the young woman was going on about, but intuitively he felt uneasy as he set his book and bag down to fish for his handkerchief. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Miss Howard finally looked up, her face anguished, and held out her trembling left hand. "She hit me. Over and over."
Andrew froze, the cruel realization hitting him like a brick. It didn't matter who she was – the girl's mother, nanny, or a teacher - the end result was the same. "You were forcibly retrained. When you were younger, you were punished for using your left hand instead of your right." Instinctively he again reached out, to clasp her left hand in his own, steadying it, and he quashed down his anger. "I am truly sorry, Miss Howard, that you were treated that way. No one deserves that, least of all a child."
Just then, a student charged in through the doorway, surprising them both. "Georgeanne are you- oh. Excuse me, Dr. Cook… Georgeanne, hurry, you'll be late for Chemistry."
Andrew withdrew his hand and Georgeanne Howard hastily wiped her tears with her sleeve before hurrying off to her class, leaving the young doctor alone to ponder the whims of fate. There but for the grace of God – and enlightened parents – easily could have been himself. He looked at his left hand anew, recalling a distant memory. As a boy he'd questioned his father about his left-handedness, asking why he was different from everyone else. The elder Cook had likened it to someone having curly hair, as a variation from the average person, but nothing to be concerned about health-wise. Leonardo da Vinci was thought to be left-handed, Charles Cook had told his son, and he was accomplished in both science and art. I should be so fortunate as to have a son like him.
:
Later, during his stroll home from work, Andrew found himself returning to his conversation with Georgeanne Howard. Truth be told, it had never been far from his thoughts the rest of the day. He alternated between anger and sadness at how she'd been disciplined as a child, through no fault of her own. It also stirred up so many questions… about belief and superstition, of the foundations for prejudice, about the nature of man…
He decided to talk about it with Colleen that evening as they got ready for bed. While they regularly discussed the day's news with Amanda over dinner, Andrew felt this was a conversation to be held alone with his wife.
"I had an interesting conversation today with a patient," he began, deciding a white lie was acceptable to maintain Miss Howard's privacy, as it appeared her forced retraining wasn't common knowledge. "We talked about the different characteristics in people, and how individuals can form opinions or prejudices based upon those differences."
"Like how some people believe white people are better than black people?"
"Exactly. People with darker skin are seen as inferior by many, yet there's a lack of scientific research supporting that claim. It's all based on prejudice and personal bias. Yet the bible teaches us that we're all created in God's image, which you would think would lead to the conclusion that differing characteristics have no bearing on how we should treat one another."
Colleen glanced at him over her shoulder. "I bet your patient was a child."
"What makes you say that?"
"Children don't see differences the way grownups do. To them, people are just people. Some people may be more special, like family, but it's like you said, we're all God's creatures." Colleen became thoughtful. "It's sad that grownups forget that. Back home it seemed like folks were always getting mad or upset at people who were different, trying to get them to go someplace else. The Indians, the immigrants, the Chinese… they even forced Isabelle to leave."
Andrew frowned at the unfamiliar reference as he set aside the covers and got into bed. Colleen was still changing, having needed to unpin her hair first. Truth be told, he didn't mind having to wait for her to join him, as it was like watching a strip tease every night. When they were first married, he'd been surprised his wife hadn't hidden behind the privacy screen to change, but he wasn't about to complain! "Isabelle?"
"She's a painter. Everybody was nice to her in the beginning. Preston even seemed sweet on her... but then they all treated her different when they found out she was sick." Since so many knew the truth already, Colleen didn't feel guilty telling him Isabelle's secret. "She has leprosy."
"Leprosy? Colleen, that's entirely different. It's a serious, contagious disease."
"But they didn't have to be mean to her once they knew about it. They could have treated her the same way as they did before. Ma was the only one who showed her any kindness and sympathy." Colleen partly turned away for a modicum of modesty while slipping her camisole up over her head, momentarily exposing her upper body before pulling on her nightgown. When they were first married, it had seemed rather silly to resort to using a privacy screen after Andrew had seen her fully naked, even if giving him a quick peep show while changing had made her incredibly self-conscious. Now, however, it was second nature to flash him a bit of skin (and if her husband liked to look while she changed – well, so long as he only had eyes for her, she had no real reason to complain, did she?).
Colleen joined her husband in bed, nestling into his side to cuddle for a bit as had become their routine. She loved this time alone with him, when they could discuss medicine to their hearts' content - though there were times, like tonight, when the conversation veered in other directions. It really didn't matter to her what they talked about, or if they talked at all. It was being together that mattered most.
Andrew waited for Colleen to settle in before resuming their discussion. All day something had been tugging on his conscience, and her story about Isabelle had helped pull it into focus. "You might think less of me for admitting this, but while you were in Denver, there's someone I could have had greater sympathy and kindness for."
"You mean Walt Whitman?"
"You know about that?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Andrew realized that of course she would know of the famed poet's visit to Colorado Springs, even if she'd been away at college at the time. Michaela would have kept her informed either by letter or in person during a visit home.
"Ma said that you didn't want to treat him because he was different. A deviant." It wasn't said as an accusation, just a statement of fact.
"Everything I was taught… everything I believed… told me such behavior was wrong, Colleen." The excuse now sounded hollow to his ears. Was Whitman's preference for male companionship really so different from having a preference for using the left hand? If both were a quirk of genetics, how could one be labeled a defect while the other was considered a mere variation? For the first time in his life, Andrew was starting to wonder.
"I know, Andrew," Colleen said gently. "Ma said she struggled with it too, once she found out what all the fuss was. But when she got to know him better, she realized he was still the same person she admired, and nothing to be afraid of."
There was an extended silence before Andrew responded. "I wonder… if there will ever come a time… when our differences won't matter as much as they do now."
Colleen stifled a yawn. Concentrating on her studies all day was tiring and lying in the warm cocoon of her husband's arms had made her drowsy. "I hope so. It would be nice if being a girl didn't mean being treated so different from the way boys are."
Andrew flinched. "I… I didn't even think of that."
"Because you're a boy. You don't have to think about being treated different." Colleen pulled away to turn down the lamp on her side of the bed, ready to go to sleep. "Good night, Andrew."
"Good night." Andrew extinguished his own lamp, darkening the room, but it was a long time before he fell asleep.
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May 31, 1874
Dear Colleen,
It doesn't seem possible that it has been a year since you and Andrew left home. I can only hope that the next year flies by just as quickly.
It's a shame that your friend had to leave school. Hopefully it will not be too long before she is able to resume her studies. And I know it may seem unfair, but I believe Dr. Cleveland did the right thing by reducing her responsibilities. We women may want to show that we can do as much as the men can, but I've learned from experience it might not always be the wise thing to do. Trying to do too many things at once results in my time and attention being stretched too thin to the detriment of all. I know it can be difficult to say 'no', but for the best balance in life, sometimes it's the best response to give.
Our newest citizen is Thomas Morrison, Emma's brother. After E. returned to us, she wrote to let him know she was settled again, and that he could resume writing to her. T. didn't respond. She wrote again in case the first letter had been lost in the mail, and there was still no reply. That prompted Matthew to contact the local sheriff, who said that their mother had died from the cholera, and T. had been sent to an orphanage. The orphanage, in turn, said he had run off and that it was too bothersome to try to locate him! M. then sent word to area law enforcement to post notices about a missing person, and one of them finally located T. working in a livery. We've discovered he's a bright boy but behind on his schooling. He made a deal with Robert E. that he could work at the livery after school so long as he keeps his grades up.
Missy and the Reverand had a lovely wedding. Her father had doubts at the idea of her marrying someone who was also sightless. I assured the Churches that raising children would be a challenge but not impossible, and that everyone in town supported the couple and would be around to assist, as they had for me with Katie. I heard no further concerns, and the wedding went as planned. M. and T. decided to have a brief honeymoon at the Chateau hotel, joking that because they couldn't see it, getting around would be an adventure just as much as it would be if they were to travel somewhere else. They also asked Cloud Dancing if he would be their guide on a wilderness walk. When he heard about the arrangement, Preston thought it an excellent idea, and asked C.D. if he would be willing to give similar guided walks to other hotel guests. P. felt it would improve the hotel's appeal while providing C.D. an additional source of income besides the jewelry sold at the store. Dorothy and the rest of us agreed it sounded like it would benefit all concerned, and so C.D. agreed to do it.
In the wake of this news D. announced that her book about C.D. will be published! I didn't even know she had rewritten it. She said C.D. encouraged her to rewrite it and asked that she teach him how to write as well. Sully and I were surprised by that since he had resisted the white man's ways for so long. C.D. said that the Spirits told him there is no longer cause to resist. Reading is part of D.'s world, and he wishes to be part of her world. I'm so happy that they have found love again with each other. It's a shame that the law will not let them marry. D. said that she's made peace with it, that they know what is in each other's hearts, and that's really all that matters.
Love,
Ma
P.S. Not that you need any help in the kitchen, but I thought you'd want a copy of Grace's cookbook. I had her sign it for you. I think you'll find a familiar recipe in the dessert section.
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July 7, 1874
Dear Ma,
Grandma came for the Fourth of July holiday again, and this time Aunt Rebecca came with her! She had heard about the opening of the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens and said she couldn't resist the chance to see it and visit with Andrew and me. I'm glad that Uncle Richard doesn't mind her traveling so much without him. I guess it gives them a lot to talk about when she comes back from all her trips.
The Zoo had its grand opening on July 1. Since that was a school day, most of us girls decided to go on the Fourth when so many others would be at the parade. But first we had to wait for Mayor Stokley to declare open the new Girard Avenue Bridge over the Schuylkill. They say it's twice as big as the last bridge and made of iron this time so it should last a lot longer than the wooden bridge that had been there before. The new bridge makes it really easy to walk to the Zoo and to the area set aside for the Centennial Celebration. The main exhibition hall will be enormous – they say it will be bigger than the U.S. Capitol! I hope Andrew and I can come back for the Centennial and see everything when it's finished.
Getting back to the Zoo, it was incredible seeing all those different animals in one place. Instead of going off to see the world, it was like the world had come to Philadelphia. There were elephants, zebras, seals, buffalo, antelopes, monkeys, and even a polar bear! The camels were the most fascinating. I wonder how they will like living through a Philadelphia winter. I don't see how the lions and tigers can like living in a Zoo at all. The other large mammals all have outside areas, but the lions and tigers are kept indoors in cages, as if they were criminals in a jail cell. The keepers said it's necessary, so that they won't escape and hurt anyone. I suppose they're right, but it was still sad to see them locked up like that. Everyone else was excited to see them, though, and I understand why. There's something about being able to see the real thing in front of you, its real size and colors, instead of looking at it in a small picture with no color in it. Learning medicine is like that, too. It's one thing to read about something in a book and see the illustration of what it's supposed to be like, but then to see the actual color and size of the rash on a person, or be able to feel their swollen glands, or hear an irregular heartbeat for yourself, it's completely different and makes it more real. I'm glad we have the Women's Hospital to get that real experience.
Speaking of hospitals, I'll get to visit the Willis Eye Hospital soon. I remember you telling me about the Willis when Reverand Johnson lost his sight. Sometimes I wish that all hospitals were run by Quakers, making it easier for girls to study medicine. Other than learning about the eye, my regular classes this year are Obstetrics, Diseases of Women and Children, Therapeutics and Materia Medica, and Surgery. I'll also need to write my thesis. Since I've already written about Chinese medicine, I think I'll write this one about Cheyene medicine. I can include my own experience with willow bark tea, and about your use of dandelion root to treat hepatitis, and so on. And if Dorothy's book about Cloud Dancing is published in time, maybe I can use that as a written source, since there's so little written about their healing methods.
That's wonderful news about Emma's brother! I'm glad they found him and that he has a home again. And thank you so much for sending the cookbook! That was so nice of Grace to include "Colleen Cooper Cook's Award-Winning Strawberry Pie." I'll treasure this always (and tell all my friends to buy a copy, of course!).
All my love,
Colleen
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August 8, 1874
Dear Colleen,
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed your time at the Zoo, though Sully and I share your dismay on the need to cage the lions and tigers. That can't be healthy for them to be confined like that when they are accustomed to roaming around and hunting for prey. Though I sympathize with your sentiment of seeing the animals in person making it "more real," perhaps one day the Zoo administrators will realize that certain animals are best left in their natural habitat.
The notable news this month concerns your brothers. Matthew and Emma are engaged! I had come to accept that it might not ever happen, and M. would continue to pine for E. the way Loren long did for Dorothy, but E. surprised us all. Yes, Emma. It happened one evening at supper. First, Matthew announced that his apprenticeship with Judge Barton had come to an end (I'm enclosing one of the business cards the judge printed up for him as a parting gift). While we were congratulating him, Brian asked him where his office would be. M. said he'd like to be in the building next to E's dress shop. That's when she said that perhaps they could be more than neighbors, that maybe they could be husband and wife, too! And thus, just like that, they were engaged. E. also said that she wants to wait until you and Andrew are here to have the ceremony, that it wouldn't feel right to exclude you. M. agrees with her, though I know it will be difficult for him to wait, knowing what happened the last time with Ingrid.
As for Brian, Ida says that with hard work he could graduate early, in December. He is her most advanced student and she feels that he would benefit most from going off to college rather than remaining here. We asked him if that's what he wants to do and he said yes. He even argued that since we don't have to pay for your tuition for medical school, we can afford to send him to college in Denver. Though I'm immensely pleased to hear that B. is eager to continue his studies, I admit that there is some relief that he is choosing to do so in Colorado. I don't quite feel ready to have two children so far from home.
Love,
Ma
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September 12, 1874,
Dear Ma,
I'm so happy for Matthew and Emma! I'm sorry for having to make them wait. I hope nothing happens before Andrew and I come home.
Did you hear about the kidnapping of Charley Ross? It's almost all anyone's been talking about here. If you don't know, he and his brother Walter were taken by two men on July 1. The men gave them candy and promised them fireworks. They let W. go after he got the fireworks but disappeared with C. There was a $300 reward for anyone who finds him, but the kidnappers actually wrote the family to demand $20,000! Mr. Ross says he doesn't have that much and has been trying to negotiate a smaller amount. I feel just awful that at the same time we were all having fun at the Zoo his parents were worried sick. The police have been searching everywhere trying to find C. and the men. They even searched the hospital and college! The officers said they had orders to search every building in the city, no exceptions. I suppose if I were Mr. and Mrs. R., I'd want them to look everywhere, too. It makes me afraid for Katie, that someone might get it in their mind to take her, knowing Grandma has that kind of money. Please tell her not to take candy from a stranger or go off with someone without telling you first. Tell that to all the children.
All my love,
Colleen
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October 7, 1874
Dear Colleen,
Yes, the news about the kidnapping was in the Denver Post. How positively awful for his family! Even before your letter arrived, we told all the local children that they should never go off with someone they didn't know without getting their parents' permission first. Though I'm afraid that won't cover every possibility – remember Caleb Leonard, the Senator's boy who was taken when he simply wandered off on his own? When I think of all the times you or Brian went off alone when you were younger, it gives me gooseflesh. Yet I also know we can't constantly live in fear of what might happen; otherwise, we'd never leave home at all. It's another one of those "life in balance" challenges we must continually straddle.
Just as Preston predicted, Cloud Dancing's nature walks have proven popular with the hotel guests. One gentleman was disappointed not to get a photograph with C.D., as proof that he had met a "real Indian," prompting P. to solicit for a hotel photographer. Frank Rodgers is the newest member of our town. As the nature walks are only two days a week, F. has been out taking nature photographs as well as offering his services for personal portraits. He has established a storefront and residence in one of the new buildings on Second Street.
Yes, our streets have names now. When you and Andrew return, you will stroll down Main Street from the train station, then turn onto Cheyenne Street, the address of my clinic. As you might imagine, Hank wasn't enthusiastic about naming a street for the Indians until I pointed out that it was C.D.'s Cheyenne medicine which cleared up his hay fever. Jake then voiced his support, saying if it's a good enough name for Wyoming's regional government, then it's good enough for one of our streets. Personally, I believe it was also his way of making amends for his past conduct. It's heartwarming to see how much Jake has changed and grown from the person I first met.
In case it isn't obvious, the enclosed drawing is of Katie visiting you, Andrew, and Amanda. Your sister wanted to get you something for your birthday, and I suggested she draw you a picture, since you've not had a chance to see any of her creations. K. keeps asking if it's next year, as we told her that you will be able to come home once you graduate next year. It's become something of a game. We tell her that it won't be next year until after Christmas, so she asks when it will be Christmas. We say not until after Thanksgiving, and so on. She's also become quite the little explorer (we make sure to take her into the woods plenty of times, so she won't feel compelled to run off by herself). Each day she seems to find something new to show us or learns a new word she wants to practice over and over. I've asked the men in town to start watching their language, lest she pick up a word she shouldn't.
It appears increasingly likely that Katie will remain the baby of the family. Though it is disappointing, Sully and I have made peace with it, as the four children we already have enrich our lives so much. We have been blessed.
Happy birthday, Sweetheart.
Love,
Ma
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November 8, 1874
Dear Ma,
Thank you for Katie's drawing. It helps to know she hasn't forgotten me. I wonder if Charley Ross will forget his family if he isn't returned. At first, we were all praying for him to be returned to his family, but now we pray that God keeps him safe wherever he is now and will find a way to let him see his family again one day when he's older.
There were two deaths at the hospital. The first one was while Dr. Cleveland was performing another ovariotomy. There was too much hemorrhaging. The patient died right there in the operating room, in front of all of us. Nobody felt like doing much after that, but we had to. Dr. C. said we can't let it discourage us; we must carry on and help those that still need our help. I remember when you said the same thing after Franklin died.
A few days after that a woman came into the hospital to give birth. She wasn't due yet; she had seven more weeks to go. I thought it was false labor, so I told her to wait in the waiting area, to see if it would pass. But it didn't pass; it was actual labor. The baby was small, but alive. I got the mother and baby cleaned up and Dr. Reed said they should stay in the hospital several weeks until the baby was strong enough to go home. Dr. R. said I could go home and could monitor them during the day when I didn't have class. So, I went home thinking everything was fine. But when I went in the next morning the baby was dead. He must not have been developed enough to survive. Why would a woman go into labor if the baby is not ready? I know there isn't an answer for that. I hope someday we'll know the answer and will discover a way to stop labor and let the baby develop more so it won't die.
I'm sorry, I know this letter hasn't been very cheerful. Things haven't been all gloomy here. Andrew and I have been attending concerts regularly. At the most recent concert they played The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. A. said it's one of his favorite pieces. I liked it, too. I like going to places with him and being in a crowd. Other people don't see me as a freak medical student. They only see me as a wife with her husband. It's nice, though a bit sad. I hope one day people will see me for everything that I am, and it won't make any difference in how they look at me.
All my love,
Colleen
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December 1, 1874
Dear Colleen,
You are right, Sweetheart – the world would be so much nicer if we were all looked at as simply people, not as odd or different because of what we like to do. Though it was not so long ago that women were not allowed to further their education at all, and yet now there are women's schools all over the country (even if women's medical schools remain sparse). It will take time, but I must remain optimistic that one day the differences you speak of won't make a difference. Just look at what happened here in Colorado Springs and the struggles I had to gain the town's acceptance. It is just one small town, but if it can happen here, then certainly it should be possible elsewhere.
I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. Ours was festive with Emma, Thomas, Dorothy, Cloud Dancing, and Daniel. I haven't written much about Daniel simply because there hasn't been much to say. Except for occasional complaints of rowdiness at the saloon, things have been mostly peaceful here since the army left and the Indian raids ended. There was a pickpocket which caused alarm for a time, but D. eventually figured out who it was and arrested him.
Senator Leonard returned to town with the statehood committee. They decided Colorado Springs would be an excellent location for the county seat, rather than Colorado City, seeing as how we have a new town hall and courtroom. For now, it means that rather than a circuit judge traveling to all of the small towns (Manitou, Monument, etc.) separately to hear court cases, a judge will be assigned here permanently to preside over all trials and disputes that occur in the county. D. will serve as bailiff. All that was required to make it happen was a vote by the town council to agree to share the building. And so, we agreed that Tuesday through Friday during the day the building will serve as a county courthouse for El Paso County. Evenings, and all-day Saturday through Monday, will be for exclusive use of the town.
In exchange, C.S. gained two representatives on the statehood committee, Preston and Matthew. The Senator recommended Preston and Jake, but J. declined, citing his family. M. was chosen instead because of his familiarity with the law. Of course, he was modest and said it should be someone with more experience, but one of the members said that was nonsense, for most of them lacked experience in forming a state, too! And so, M. and P. will be traveling to Denver each month for statehood meetings.
Though it saddens me to think that another Christmas will pass without you here, I realize how idealistic and selfish I was in making you promise we'd always be together for the holiday. Just because we can't spend every Christmas together doesn't mean we can't keep each other in our thoughts, our prayers, and in our hearts. And we'll be together soon, next spring, for your graduation. That will be the best possible gift of all, seeing you reach your dream.
Merry Christmas to you, Andrew and Amanda.
Love,
Ma
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December 20, 1874
Dear Ma,
I haven't received your latest letter yet (there's been a lot of snow delaying the mail), but I wanted to write anyway before Christmas so I could wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
Things have been very busy at the hospital. Many families have been coming in with catarrhs. Lucy Walker and her family came in with bronchitis. That is, she and her siblings and mother came here. We couldn't see Mr. W. because we don't treat grown men. Andrew said he should go to Philadelphia Hospital for treatment. But he didn't go! He went back to work, saying he couldn't afford to stay home. Andrew went to their home one night to check on him and said it's not good, that he's working himself to a premature death. A. even offered to loan him some money, just enough for two weeks of work so he could rest and recover, but Mr. W. said if he left his job for that long, he'd be fired. At least he'll get an extra day off on Christmas. That's the only day the factories and mills shut down, besides Sundays. It's awful how hard people like Mr. W. have to work to take care of their family.
With so many people sick, it wasn't long before Andrew and I got sick, too. Amanda was our nurse, taking care of us at home. We are so much like family now that she didn't blink an eye at seeing the two of us in bed together in our nightclothes! Of course, all we were doing was coughing, sneezing, and feeling miserable as she brought us soup and read the paper to us. As soon as we started feeling better, she got sick, so now we're taking care of her.
Hope all is well there.
All my love and Merry Christmas,
Colleen
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Author's Notes:
-Throughout history, left-handed people have endured various degrees of stigma and discrimination. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, "retraining" of left-handed schoolchildren was particularly rampant, both as a nod to conformity and a belief among some – including some physicians - that left-handedness signified cognitive disfunction.
-Dr. Edward H. Clarke wrote a book, Sex in Education; or, A Fair Chance for the Girls, published in 1873 (free online from Tufts University). It was a treatise against coeducation, listing all sorts of pseudo-scientific reasons why women shouldn't pursue higher learning – among them, that sustained vigorous mental activity would lead to atrophy of the uterus and ovaries, causing sterility! It was pure bunk, but as a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania medical school and former professor of Materia Medica at Harvard (he was there at the same time Andrew would have matriculated), his theories held weight and were relied on for decades to suppress the efforts of women to expand their place in society.
-Emma tells us about her little brother Thomas and his love for horses in season 4's "Change of Heart."
-"It's a shame that the law will not let them marry." - Interracial marriage was illegal in Colorado until 1957.
-The Philadelphia Zoological Gardens opened on Wednesday, July 1, 1874. It was the very first public zoo in the United States, with over 800 animals on display (I've listed the major species in Colleen's letter). Admission was 25 cents for adults, ten cents for children (which equates to $8 and $3 today). Would it surprise you to learn that the original grounds included 3 separate "retiring rooms" (restrooms) for men but only 2 for women? The Zoo remains open on its original site, with living conditions for the animals much improved from what they were in the 19th century. Camels are no longer part of the menagerie.
-The Girard Avenue Bridge which opened on Saturday, July 4, 1874, was the second such bridge of that name. The original wooden bridge was declared structurally unsound and forced to close in 1872. Its replacement was made of iron and lasted nearly a century until a third, modern bridge was completed in 1972.
-The Willis Eye Hospital opened its doors in 1834, funded by Quaker merchant James Willis. The 1872 WMCP annual brochure noted that "it still receives our ladies kindly" for instruction. Though no longer situated at its original location, the Willis Eye remains a Philadelphia institution to this day.
-The admonition "don't take candy from strangers" originates with the kidnapping of 4-year-old Charley Ross. Two men supplied Charley and his older brother Walter with candy to gain their trust, eventually luring them away from their Philadelphia home on July 1, 1874, with the promise of fireworks. Though 6-year-old Walter was released later that day, Charley was held hostage. The men demanded a ransom of $20,000 (about $500,000 today). It's the first known instance of a kidnapping for ransom in the United States – prior to this, kidnappers would steal children to collect the reward offered for their return (an instance where the crime DID pay). Long story short: the ransom was never paid; the kidnappers were killed a few months later during a botched burglary in Brooklyn, NY; and the Ross family would spend $60,000 over the ensuing decades in a futile search for the missing Charley. If you want to learn more, Wikipedia and various videos on YouTube go into more detail.
-Colorado Springs became the county seat (headquarters for county government) for El Paso County in 1873. I wasn't aware of that when I wrote the first draft, so that transition is occurring on a time-delay in this story (it makes me wonder if they would have incorporated that fact had there been a 7th season).
