Chapter 16
May Bailey to Jessie Buchanan May 26, 1937
… I had an interesting encounter with Mrs. Cramp today. She was coming into Mr. Greeley's grocery just as Juanita and I were going out. She was happy that Grace had accepted a compromise over her work at CRNB. She will cut back her time there but will continue to host New Bedford Chat and 1-2 episodes of New Bedford Notes a week. Mrs. Cramp will get her usual advertising revenue for those shows and Jim Flett will be able to work nearly full time.
She was kind enough to inquire as to how Grace's work as my executive secretary is going. I was pleased to report that she is doing a creditable job. Her typing is faster, and I had no idea what a steel trap memory she has. She regularly makes appointments for me without referring to her appointment book. She has insisted on memorizing the thing ever since she lost track of it one day and turned the mine office inside out looking for it. Of course, it turned out to be in her coat pocket.
… Bob visited Mackie Cohen's parents last week. I am glad that he and Mackie's father were able to find some common ground in their Great War experiences. My heart goes out to the Cohens.
You work and hope and pray for your children. You give them all your love. There is no worse pain you can suffer than to know that you will never see or touch or speak to one of them again in this world. I am glad that the Cohens found the strength to say goodbye to Mackie before he left for Spain and to write to him while he was there. However appalled they may have been that he became a Communist, he was still their son and the heart does not stop loving. …
… Juanita is starting to warm to Ida Schmitz a little. She is beginning to see that Ida is not a flesh and blood version of the kind of minstrel show caricature she has spent her entire life trying to rise above. Behind her rough-hewn speech and ways there is a fair amount of native shrewdness.
Ida has a very sensible outlook where family are concerned. Children should heed their parents' advice no matter how old they are because sometimes we actually do know best. Of course, they will not always do that. When they are grown, we can only let them make their mistakes and pray that the consequences won't be too drastic. Their childhoods may come to an end, but our worry over them never does.
I can only sympathize with her fears for her son Harry's safety. It was by the grace of God alone that my two sons came home safe from the last war. Still, at least they had their faith to comfort and guide them. Poor Ida has to worry not just about Harry's physical safety, but about the state of his atheist soul.
I don't know how Grace manages to preserve such serenity about her husband's agnosticism. She says that he admits that if a good and just god exists, he is willing to commend his spirit should he have one into His hands. There are even moments when he finds himself praying in spite of not being sure that anyone is listening.
I do not know what worth prayers to a god in whom one neither believes nor disbelieves for the salvation of a soul one isn't sure exists may have in the eyes of Our Lord. However, the last time I was absolutely sure of God's will, I tore my family apart in order to indulge my ugliest prejudices. Perhaps Grace is right to take comfort in the thought that God walks with us all, whether or not we can see Him beside us. Perhaps, when Van feels the urge to pray, he is simply hearing His footsteps.
From the Memoirs of Grace Bailey -
If the previous summer was a honeymoon, this one, the second summer of the Spanish Civil War, was a vigil. It seemed that I was always waiting for news of Van or of la causa as supporters of the Spanish Republic had come to call the struggle for its existence and its ideals. There was much talk of a better world in those days and it was right that there should have been. It is not enough to prevent people like Hitler and Franco from making a worse world. If you struggle only for existence, then existence will be nothing but struggle.
Sometimes the wait was broken by the next newspaper, the next word from the Schmitzes and the Lanes of their sons, and, above all, by the next letter from Van. I often tore open and read Van's letters right there at the mailbox, especially if there had been a long wait since the last one. Every time I opened the mailbox, I prayed that I wouldn't find the letter I dreaded, the one that would tell me that my husband was wounded or worse.
When there was no news, there was always work, the more the better. When I worked, I could keep at bay the fears that were always as present as the air I breathed, no matter how hard I tried to push them away or to forget them.
Vanaver Mainwaring to Grace Mainwaring June 1, 1937
… My comrades receiving letters from New Bedford are grateful to their Canadian pen pals for inviting them into their lives. It is a good feeling to know that there is someone back home who cares what happens to you.
… The formation of the Friends of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion is heartening. [censored. Van probably added something that would have revealed that although two battalions of the XV International Brigade were in the process of being organized from North American volunteers, no official name had been given to either as yet. Ed.]
… Max and Honey are lucky to have each other and their children. Like you, I often yearn for the same luck for the two of us. When I hold each new letter of yours in my hands, such beautiful dreams of a future seem almost real to me. Then there are times when the dirt, the lice, and the boredom make them seem as unreachable as that moon and stars I wrote you about in the days after Christmas. …
From the Journal of Honey Sutton June 2, 1937
… Max received a delegation from the New Bedford Merchants Association today. It was headed by Archie who was accompanied by Mrs. Cramp and Mr. Greeley. They explained that the Silverdome Fishing Tournament and Picnic is supposed to be held again at Bas Lake this August. However, it's cancellation last summer as a precaution against the spread of a polio epidemic has given Bas Lake a reputation as a plague spot even though the epidemic never spread to New Bedford.
Max promised the delegation that he would do everything in his power to fix the problem. He knows how important the sales revenue the Tournament and Picnic normally generates is to their businesses. Unfortunately, he is at a loss as to what to do about it.
I am at a loss as to what to do about Henry's continued resentment at not being allowed to take part in Grace's pen pal scheme. Even his new summer job as stock boy at Mr. Greeley's grocery store hasn't diverted his attention in the slightest. His habit of very pointedly bringing up what his friends have told him about their letters from their pen pals is starting to be very irritating.
So, what did I do? I complained to Grace about it for the third or fourth time in the past two weeks. I probably deserved her good-natured sarcasm. "I could suggest to him that he ask you and Max to let him write his own letters to Van instead of just having me convey his good wishes. You could hardly refuse him permission to write to his own uncle. That way you'd never again have to listen to him complain about not having a pen pal."
"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I don't mean to be a scold. It's just that nothing gets under a mother's skin like a child who won't let go of a bad idea. Still, I can't blame him for wanting to be kind to someone far from home and make a new friend in the process."
Grace smiled ruefully. "If it weren't for Rebecca always talking about Pritchard's letters from Spain, he probably wouldn't be so irked. I wish she would make up her mind which one she prefers. You should talk to her mother the next time you go out to the Graham place to do her hair . . . If she's well enough."
"She's doing better. She walked around the house last week, although she's still scared of looking out the windows."
Grace mused. "It breaks my heart to think that poor woman hasn't been out of doors for over a year."
"It is sad," I agreed. "She still has a long way to go to conquer her fear of open spaces. She's so timid. Maybe I should talk to Mr. Graham about Rebecca."
A light came into Grace's eyes. "Better yet, have Toppy talk to him. He knows she's like a second mother to that child and he trusts her more than he does either of us, especially me."
I agreed that was a good idea and am grateful to Grace for it. Even so, I am just as glad that Hub is now working at the logging camp at Alawanda and unable to take part in whatever else she comes up with to support the Republic. It was mean of Mr. Bridgeman not to let Laura even come to the door and say goodbye when he visited the Bridgeman house last Friday. I know he will miss her, but it will be good for him to have some distance from all the things that preoccupy him here and some time to think seriously about his future.
Grace Mainwaring to Vanaver Mainwaring June 12, 1937
… Don't despair of our future. The news is everywhere here of the work being done in Spain to expand and train the International Brigades and the regular army. God willing the war will be over and the fascists beaten by this time next year and we will be free to see what kind of life we can build together. I splashed a little of that scent you like so much on this letter. I will wear it again on the day you return to me once more.
Vanaver Mainwaring to Grace Mainwaring June 22, 1937
The battalion has finally been relieved from the line. We are in a small village called Albares, at the top of one hundred stone steps leading up from the highway. The people are pleasant and welcoming.
… Before we left the trenches, the Canadians in the battalion were visited by a civilian named Albert A. MacLeod who is apparently a big wheel in the Canadian Communist Party. He asked if any of them would be willing to serve in a Canadian battalion. The consensus was that many of them would if it came to that. Then, he began to write down names.
He asked for Harry's name. Harry had to explain that he was an American and so was I. I added that we would hate to have to say goodbye to our Canadian comrades, since we had been with some of them since joining up in Canada.
MacLeod must have seen my remark as a hint. He allowed that there were plenty of Americans in the two new battalions being trained for service in the brigade. There shouldn't be any objection to a pair of transfers on that account, so he took down my name and Harry's just in case. Probably MacLeod was only gauging support for a Canadian battalion, and nothing will come of the transfer idea.
… I am sorry to hear that Juanita will be leaving soon to nurse another patient even if it is because your mother is making such tremendous progress. Please, do let Dr. Barlow arrange for your mother's chair to be donated to a stroke or polio patient who can't afford one. I gave it to her so that she could get around when she began her recovery from her stroke. Now that she isn't using it anymore, there is no reason that someone worse off shouldn't get the benefit.
You'll make a terrific president of the Friends of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, New Bedford Chapter. Max knew what he was doing when he recommended you over himself for the job. You have a talent for managing and organizing, as I saw firsthand when we were preparing to run that sawmill we almost bought. … The scent on your letter is sweet but having you in my arms would be sweeter.
Grace Mainwaring to Sally Henry June 22, 1937
What a hectic week! Both Mr. and Mrs. Cramp grumbled about my reading selections from Will Lane's latest letter home on New Bedford Notes. However, his yearning for his family, his friends, and his hometown seem to have struck a chord with the people of New Bedford. I've never had so many people compliment me on a broadcast before. I think that Will's letter brought home to many of my neighbors just what he and Van and their comrades are giving up to fight in Spain.
Hopefully, that understanding will translate into generous donations to the two new homes for orphan children the Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy intends to build in Spain. Both are desperately needed. Franco's policy of butchering civilian populations as at Guernica and on the Malaga to Almeria Road has created a flood of refugees and orphans.
We all miss Juanita. Even Mrs. Schmitz was there at the station to see her off. I think that the admiration Juanita has expressed for Mrs. Schmitz' children and their achievements broke the ice between them.
Maisie tried to act nonchalant, but to anyone who knows her, it was obvious that she was pretty broken up. Juanita has been not just a friend, but a mentor and an inspiration to her. The light in her eyes when she talks about doing for others as a doctor what Juanita did for Mother as a nurse is a beautiful thing.
I tried to comfort her by reminding her that she could write to Juanita when she found a new assignment, but I don't think I was very successful. I just wish she hadn't tried to comfort herself by experimenting with last night's desert. Still, even with the half-cooked crust, her apple pie might have been salvageable if she hadn't substituted pepper and oregano for cinnamon. At least, the pot roast was only slightly singed, the peas were passable, and her night to cook dinner doesn't come again for another week. Thank heaven.
When I visited the dress shop this morning, Rebecca told Toppy and me that she had come to a decision about Henry and Pritchard. It wasn't quite the decision we had in mind when her father suggested to her that she should choose between them and stop dangling them on a string. I can just see the dirty look I'm going to get from him at the next Silverdome Mining Company board meeting.
Rebecca told us that she would go to the End of Summer Dance with whoever came up with the best fundraising idea for the Friends of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, New Bedford Chapter. They could have until the day after Dr. Norman Bethune's speaking engagement here to come up with something.
Rebecca even had the nerve to ask me to hear their ideas and decide which I wanted to use. I told her that I doubted that the Friends of the Mac-Paps would only be fund raising once. Henry and Pritchard are both bright boys. I expected to use both ideas. Rebecca's stunned silence was very satisfying. It was probably mean of me to add that I supposed that she would have to take both boys to the End of Summer Dance. Rebecca's jaw dropped. Toppy actually stifled a laugh.
I tried to be as kind as I could when I suggested to Rebecca that she could simply pick the one she liked best. Given my less-than-perfect love life, I'm probably the last person who should try to manage anyone else's. However, I hate to see Rebecca being so unfair to her lovestruck admirers and to herself. It might be a thrill to play the bewitching siren, but if she could settle for either of those boys, she might find something true and precious.
Next Post: A hero comes to New Bedford. A battle begins.