Chapter Fourteen

Grace Mainwaring to Sally Henry April 27, 1937

Today, Johann and Ida Schmitz arrived in New Bedford. It's a shame that Johann lost his job as a miner to a joy loader. At least Mother and I were able to offer him employment at our Bas Lake Mine. I was aware that the Schmitzes were an interracial couple. However, I am ashamed to admit that actually seeing a white man and a Negro woman holding hands right there on the train station platform unnerved me for a moment. I gave myself a sharp mental kick and greeted them as warmly as I could. I was quickly charmed by their easy familiarity with each other and the comfortable but deep affection in every smile they exchanged. They were just an old married couple after all.

From the Journal of Honey Sutton April 27, 1937

I have to hand it to Grace. She continues to find creative ways of turning this town on its ear. Henry is still sulking because Max and I refused him permission to become part of her new scheme to recruit the town's teen-age children as pen pals for Van's comrades in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion. Well, he can just keep on sulking. We could possibly tolerate his corresponding with one of the many atheists in the battalion as long as the atheist respected his right to hold different views, but he isn't going to start something that could end in tragedy and that's that.

At least Grace is refusing to allow anyone to participate without permission from their parents and fair warning of the possibility that their correspondent might not survive the war. She also got the benefit of Max's experience as a veteran of the Great War. He provided her with sound advice as to what a pen pal should and shouldn't say in a letter to a soldier. This sort of thing is nothing new. There were efforts to encourage children to write to soldiers during the Great War. However, bringing an interracial couple to New Bedford is completely original.

The Schmitzes turned out to be nice enough when Grace, May and Juanita introduced them to me at my beauty shop on their way to lunch at the tearoom. I was still anxious as I watched them walk away. Callie Cramp had allowed Juanita to be served when she came to the tearoom with May, but I had no idea how she and the rest of New Bedford would react to the Schmitzes. It was a relief not to see even one outraged tearoom customer storming back through the lobby. It was even more of a relief to see Grace, May, Juanita, and the Schmitzes come back through the lobby about forty minutes later looking happy and relaxed. I have to give Callie Cramp credit. She must have known that she was inviting controversy by serving them, but she did it anyway. I made a point of going to the desk and thanking her after closing shop. She was surprisingly subdued.

"I hope I don't regret it," she confided. "You should have seen the dirty looks Mrs. Hartsfield and Mrs. Grady gave me."

My curiosity got the better of me. "If you're so worried about their good opinion, why did you serve the Schmitzes?"

"I'm not sure whether or not their marriage is a good idea," she admitted, "but that has nothing to do with the tearoom. If I can't serve polite, well-behaved customers, whatever their skin color, then what's the point of running a business?"

I had to agree with her about business. As for the rest, having married outside my faith twice, I'm in no position to look down on someone else's unusual marriage. Even with her reservations about the Schmitzes, Mrs. Cramp has still come a long way from the woman who pulled Max's mystery serial, The Adventures of Sam Chang, from the air because she was intimidated by a few bigoted words and slogans left by vandals. Hopefully, no one will try that on the Schmitzes' new house after the way Sgt. Stoneman made Tony Piretti and his friends clean off every letter they painted on the front of CRNB.

Vanaver Mainwaring to Grace Mainwaring May 7, 1937

… All this fighting between Communists and Trotskyites and Anarchists in Barcelona is sheer stupidity. All three should bury their political rivalries before the fascists bury them.

…Oscar Saarinen has returned to the battalion. His leg is completely healed. He has nothing but praise for the Republic's medical services. Tell Henry, Hub, and Maisie that the work they and their friends have done for the Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy is much appreciated here. A mobile blood transfusion unit like the one they helped purchase saved Oscar's life and he is far from the only one of my comrades who can say that. Oscar sends his thanks for your visit to his parents. It was very generous of you to give them the money left over from the mobile blood transfusion unit drive to distribute to the families of the Finnish-Canadian volunteers. Some of them are very poor and in great need.

There is also general enthusiasm about your pen pal idea. Our Commissar, Steve Nelson, approved the list I compiled of several potential correspondents who can be written to care of the battalion. Any one of them would be grateful for the relief from trench routine. My comrades all think that I am a lucky man to have a wife as kind and good as you. I agree with them that you are as lovely inside as out. If a god exists, I pray to him that someday I will be able to tell you so in person.

Grace Mainwaring to Vanaver Mainwaring May 12, 1937

… I knew that the Star was sending Hugh Frampton to Spain, but I never dreamed that you and he would actually meet. … You are right about my reason for not telling you about the mine cave in. Having to carry on as a reporter while Henry was trapped or possibly even already dead was torture. Thank God, the rescuers reached him and Pritchard in time. … Toppy was touched by Mr. Frampton's greetings to her. I think she remains fond of him, but not as fond as he is of her. Her heart clearly belongs to Archie. The honeymoon hasn't entirely ended for them. When they are in a room together, they still have a hard time noticing that other people are there too. So do I when I think of you and some of the things we did last summer.

… Tell Harry that his parents are doing well in New Bedford. There has been some muttering and grumbling about the fact that they are an interracial couple. However, it is hard for anyone to argue that a marriage that has lasted for well over thirty years can't possibly work out. That the Schmitzes' son is risking his life in Spain alongside Hal Lane's boy has earned them some respect among the miners. So has the fact that Mr. Schmitz has turned out to be hardworking and reliable. Mr. Murphy is also impressed with Mr. Schmitz' work at the mine. West Virginia's loss is definitely Canada's gain.

I wish I knew why Ida insists on collecting glass bottles of as many kinds and colors as possible and placing them on the ends of the trimmed and shortened branches of a young white cedar tree. Speaking of trees, Will writes that the Spanish replacements call you El Roble and Harry El Roble Negro because you are both so tall and strapping. His parents and the Schmitzes are getting along well. Molly Lane has taken an interest in Ida's vegetable garden. Her rheumatism makes it difficult for her to work in her own, but she has been very helpful in providing Ida with information about the differences in the Canadian and West Virginian growing seasons. Ida was glad to find that it isn't too late to grow tomatoes.

… Most people in New Bedford, especially the miners, seem happy with my pen pal idea. However, there is a modest minority that are appalled. Among them is Mr. Graham. He came to tell me personally that Rebecca won't be corresponding with any of your comrades. He was polite about it, though. He even thanked me for being respectful of the rights and authority of New Bedford's parents.

Unfortunately, from what Rebecca told Toppy at the dress shop, he was somewhat more heated at his own dinner table. Apparently, I'm the terrible consequence that usually happens when women meddle in business and politics instead of leaving such things to men. I like men. If I didn't, I would never have fallen in love with you. However, I have yet to hear of a fascist who doesn't agree with Mr. Graham that women have no place outside the home. When I think of what fascist countries are like I can't honestly believe that women could do any worse at running them than the men who are doing so now.

Even Callie Cramp at CRNB looks pretty good compared to Hitler, Franco and Mussolini. Which isn't to say that she's likely to be named employer of the year anytime soon. I could stand the occasional skeptical comment about my work for the Spanish Republic. She seems genuinely concerned for me. However, her continued efforts to persuade me to stay on part time for the summer instead of letting Jim Flett work as announcer full time are irritating. Her suggestion that I owe her a favor for letting the Schmitzes dine at the New Bedford Inn Tearoom was too much. Not that I'm not grateful and haven't told her so, but I'm not about to stab one friend in the back just because she was decent to others.

When that tactic failed, she actually had the nerve to say that I should at least think of poor Jim, tired and run down after months of teaching school full time and working at CRNB part time. Surely, I wouldn't deprive him of a chance of a much-needed rest? She knows very well that Jim Flett is as healthy as a horse. I asked her if she had spoken to Jim about me staying on during the summer. She had. I couldn't believe my ears when she told me that he agrees that I should.

Next post: in two weeks Brother against brother. Summer at CRNB. The country mouse and the city mouse.