by Linda Ellen
“This one’s dated 1880…this one 1902…” Bertha read as she brushed through the coins.
“This one’s a quarter…dated 1801…” Vic mumbled, jotting down the amount on a scrap of paper.
“Vic! This is a genuine Liberty twenty dollar gold coin – minted 1860…it could have been down there since the Civil War!” Mrs. Alder gushed, amazed at the amount of money that lay on her kitchen table.
“Oh I wish you could have gotten more!” Rose exclaimed, dollar signs in her eyes as if they belonged to her.
Louise immediately rebuffed, “He was lucky to get what he got – there were so many other guys there, all shoving each other, trying to get their share…” Meeting Vic’s eyes, she added, “At one point, I was afraid that fat guy was gonna knock you out of the way.”
Vic laughed. “He almost did.”
“What are you going to do with all of this, Vic?” Mrs. Alder inquired, closely examining the Liberty coin.
Vic looked up from his notations with a thoughtful expression. “There’s lots I wanna do with it… I’m gonna give you some of it for my board…”
“Vic, no, you don’t have to…” Mrs. Alder began, but Vic interrupted, “Yeah I do. I can’t stay here, sleepin’ on your couch, eatin’ your food, and not pay you nothin’. Why don’t you take that piece there and see what Larry down at the pawn shop’ll give ya for it.”
Mrs. Alder smiled fondly at him, deciding not to argue for the sake of being polite, since she did need the money. “Alright, I will. Thank you, Vic.”
Louise met Vic’s eyes and they shared a smile.
*
The next day, Vic spotted Louise’s brother as he made his way through the west gate of Churchill Downs. “Hey Sonny, how ya been?” Vic called, stopping for a moment to chat.
Sonny adjusted the heavy shoulder sack full of papers and grinned at his sister’s crush. “Hey man. Louise told me about your windfall last night. I guess instead of sloggin’ around in the infield you’ll be sippin’ mint juleps on Millionaire’s Row as the band plays ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ huh?” he joked, referring to the traditional start of the Derby.
Vic laughed and shook his head. “Weren’t that big ‘a windfall. Nah, gonna work a window, takin’ bets from all the other stiff’s tryin’ to make a fast buck.”
“I hear ya,” Sonny nodded as he turned aside to hand a patron a paper and receive the payment.
Vic waited until he was through, and then reached out to tap Sonny’s arm. “Hey…lemme ask ya somethin’. Louise…you got any idea of something I could get her? The kind of stuff she likes?”
With half a mind to tease him, Sonny grinned at the older man. It was obvious Vic was smitten with Louise. Thinking for a minute, he answered, “Well…I know she’s always talked about things with her birthstone in ‘em. It’s purple I think.”
Vic nodded, his eyes narrowing as ideas came to mind. “Her birthstone. Yeah, okay. Thanks, man,” he added as he flashed his white smile. “See ya later. Hope you sell out today.”
“I will,” Sonny returned with a confident chuckle as another customer walked up and he reached in his bag to sell him a copy of the morning paper, which of course included the sports page with racing statistics and info about the horses.
*
After Vic checked in with the manager of the betting windows, he was assigned to one of the two-dollar stations.
Sitting down at the barred opening and acquainting himself with the other workers, he settled in for a long and hectic day. He knew that once the races began, men and women would line up at the windows, eager to place their money on the thoroughbred they felt was a ‘sure bet’.
Vic couldn’t quite make up his mind about betting some of the money he had found the evening before. Recalling the total, $67.52, minus the twenty-dollar coin he had given to Mrs. Alder, he wavered once again on what he should do. He wanted to buy Louise something pretty…but there were so many things for which he needed money. He could put some of it away to start building a nest egg for his future…or he could wager it and hope for a big pot – and a bigger start to his savings.
Having followed the scuttlebutt, he knew that War Admiral, whose sire was the famous Man of War, was by far the favorite to win the Derby that year. The problem, he knew, was picking the right combination – ‘Win, Place, or Show’. A fellow could get messed up and lose everything just by picking the wrong position, even if he picked the right horse. It was such a gamble. Vic chuckled to himself as that thought occurred. That’s why they call it gambling. He knew the chances were much better for losing than winning. But…remembering the feeling of walking away with forty dollars in his pocket after last year’s win with Bold Venture, he knew he would end up betting at least some of his stash.
To keep from losing it all, Vic had purposely left the older coins in his duffle bag at the Alder’s apartment. Patting the pocket containing his money, he hoped like everyone else, that when the time came, he would make the right choice.
Foregoing small talk with the other tellers, he gazed out over the vast infield, which was quickly filling up with revelers, as he mused over the history of the famous track. There was just something exciting about being out there, in the thick of things, experiencing the thrill of the chance to win big. The jostling about with all the other people…the aromas of the different food vendors…the sounds of the announcer on the overhead speakers.
The track, which he knew had been founded by Col. M. Lewis Clark, grandson of William Clark of the famous ‘Lewis and Clark Expedition’, was the place to be on the first Saturday in May each year if you happened to be in Louisville. Celebrities, the rich, and those with connections to the rich, congregated there to experience the thrill of the wager, everyone with their eyes glued to a 1 ¼ mile dirt track as 15-20 thoroughbred horses battled for supremacy – the prize, a large amount of money, fame, and a garland of 554 red roses to be draped on the winner.
One thing Vic reminded himself, however, was that gambling fever could control a person, causing them to make foolish choices. As a twelve year old, he had seen it first-hand, when his own father had wagered his entire paycheck on a ‘sure thing’ – and lost. That one poor choice had resulted in the family losing their home. In shame and defeat, Daniel Matthews had taken the younger two of his three sons – Vic and his brother Alvin – and moved back to his boyhood home in Evansville, Indiana, where he had died less than six months later. He’d never gotten back on his feet. The day his father died had been the worst day of Vic’s young life…
Just then, Eugene tapped him on the arm in greeting as he hurriedly passed by on his way to a teller station several places down. Jolted out of his musings, Vic realized that the first of the day’s ten races was about to get underway, so he reached up and clamped his white ‘teller’ cap on his head and focused on his job.
As the day progressed, Vic saw men, and an occasional well-dressed woman wearing an outlandish Derby hat, come to his window and hand him money through the safety bars as they legally wagered on the ‘ponies’. More than once, the man or woman received the betting slip from him and brought it to their lips for a kiss of good luck. Some of those came back to collect, some didn’t. Some bet with confidence and lost, some bet with fear and trembling and came back a winner. Truly, there is no ‘sure’ method.
When finally the big race of the day was next, Vic knew it was now or never. He’d hoped for a ‘feeling’, but between two Derby horses – War Admiral and Reaping Reward – he had the same sense of excitement and fear. Voices in his mind battled for his attention – Louise had cautioned against betting on the horses, and his friend Irene had also mentioned the vice in a negative way. However, knowing he would kick himself if he didn’t at least try, he decided to only bet a portion, keeping back enough to buy his girl a nice gift. Making his decision, he went with the name he liked best, as he had the year before, rather than the ‘favorite’.
With one minute left to place a bet, he reached in his pocket
and withdrew two five-dollar coins and tossed them to Eugene several stations down.
“Put me down for Reaping Reward, to win,” he called in between customers.
Eugene called back, “You sure?”
Vic released an amused snort. “Sure as I can be.”
His friend quickly completed the transaction and passed him his slip. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Vic answered as the announcement was made to shut their windows.
Tension immediately ensued across the thousands of Derby goers as War Admiral decided for some reason that he was frightened of the starting gate. This caused his handlers – and everyone else at the Downs – eight long minutes of frustration as they coaxed and wrestled the thoroughbred into the slot. Finally, they were off, and three breathless minutes later, Vic was shaking his head and lamenting his choice, yet so very glad he had erred on the side of caution. War Admiral had won. Reaping Reward had not reaped a reward for Vic, the horse had come in third.
As he left the grounds that evening, one hand against the pocket that still held the bulk of his ‘windfall’ and his wages from that day’s work, the other waving at Louise’s brother, he was very glad he’d had sense enough to listen to the voices of reason.
He couldn’t wait to tell Louise about the day, when he gave her the gift he planned to purchase. He knew she’d be proud.
‡
CHAPTER 17
Fontaine Ferry Park
On a beautiful Saturday morning a week later, Louise dried her hands and quickly removed her apron, having hastily finished the family’s breakfast dishes. Quickly, she checked the barrettes in her hair in the mirror by the door, and smoothed the skirt of her lavender flowered, v-neck short-sleeved dress.
“Bye Mama, I’m goin’ now. I’ll be home before dark,” she called to her mother in the bedroom. She wanted to hurry and leave the apartment before the inevitable could happen. That wish didn’t come true, however.
“Where ya goin’?” Billy asked as he came in the door from taking the trash out to the can.
Louise set about gathering her things, striving to answer her brother with care. She glanced at him with a small smile. “Me and Fleet are goin’ downtown…”
“But where?” her brother insisted. A typical boy with an appetite to match, he leaned to grab an apple from the bowl on the table.
Lilly came into the room then, carrying the rag she had used to dust the bedroom furniture. “Now, make sure you girls conduct yourselves like ladies, and don’t be riding that awful roller coaster,” she instructed as she grabbed the broom from the corner.
Before Louise could answer, Billy squawked, “Roller Coaster! You’re goin’ to Fount’n Ferry?”
Louise caught her lip between her teeth, wishing she had made it out the door before Billy found out. Now, she looked at him, scrambling for a reason why he couldn’t go with her. He had always gone with her before. Fontaine Ferry Park, commonly referred to as ‘Fountain Ferry’, was one of the few places during the Depression that kids in Louisville could go to have fun. She, Billy, Sonny, and Edna, as well as their cousins, had been to it dozens of times. Louise’s conscience smarted as she was faced with the realization that so much had changed since she had taken up with Vic. She and Billy had been inseparable before that. Now… Her heart clenched as he stared at her with his big blue eyes, the hurt evident. “I wanna go, too,” he begged.
“The Velvet Racer got ruined in the flood, Billy,” Louise reminded her brother, but he would not be detoured. “A house smashed into it and tore it up. Remember seein’ the pictures in the paper?”
“I don’t care! There’s lots ‘a fun stuff to do, you know that!”
Just then, a knock sounded at the door and Lilly moved over to answer it, revealing a smiling, smartly dressed Fleet. Lilly noticed the girl was wearing what looked like a new outfit – a red polka dot, flared skirt paired with a white short sleeve blouse with red dots, trimmed with a red bow and sporting a sash belt of the same color that accentuated Fleet’s narrow waist. For a moment, the older woman wondered why the girl would be dressed so nicely to go to an amusement park and ride the rides.
“Hello Mrs. Hoskins. Louise ready?” Fleet asked cheerily as the girl stepped into the room.
Lilly had not been aware that Louise had planned to slip out without taking Billy. Now, she turned to her daughter, concern and a tiny bit of suspicion furrowing her eyebrows as she realized Louise had put on a nice dress as well. “You’re not taking your brother with you?”
Oh no…what should I do…? Louise agonized for a moment as she quickly weighed her options. Intending on the outing being a double date, the guys were going to meet them at the entrance, and she knew the first thing Vic would do when he saw her would be to take her in his arms for a kiss! Fleet’s eyes widened at this unexpected turn of events and the girls locked gazes for a moment. Louise turned toward her brother, a gentle excuse on the tip of her tongue, but tears began to well in Billy’s eyes as he stared at his sister, terribly upset.
It was more than Louise could bear. Billy didn’t deserve to be hurt. With a small smile, she reluctantly acquiesced. Holding out one hand to him, she murmured, “Yeah, come on. You can go.”
Relieved, Lilly nodded in satisfaction and reached into her apron pocket. “Here’s fifty cents. It’s all I have, but it’ll pay his way in and on the streetcar, with a bit left over for a snack.”
Louise nodded and dropped the coins in her purse with the nickels and dimes she had made washing dishes for grumpy old Mrs. Higgins.
“Now Billy, you behave yourself and mind your sister,” Lilly instructed as she shooed the young people out the door. In truth, with Willis unable to make it home for the weekend, Sonny out selling papers and Edna at her job at the deli, Lilly was glad she would have a few hours of quiet.
Once out front, the girls exchanged glances, wondering how they would maneuver around this setback. With a shrug, Louise murmured, “C’mon, let’s go.”
*
The Market Street Trolley shimmied and shook as its metal wheels rolled over the tracks in the intersection. Three blocks from the park, Louise brushed back a windblown lock of hair from her face and turned to her brother on their shared seat. He’d been happily chattering on since they had boarded the old streetcar.
Over the sounds of other passengers carrying on conversations, and the noise of the rattletrap vehicle, she leaned toward him and murmured, “Billy…can you keep a secret?”
His eyes lit up with intrigue. “A secret? You got a secret, Louise?” He couldn’t imagine what it could be.
Fleet turned in her seat just ahead to watch how her friend was going to handle the current subterfuge. Louise glanced at her and then back at her brother. Choosing her words carefully, she began, “Billy…you remember Mr. Vic, the man who rescued us the night of the flood?”
Billy nodded vigorously. “Sure I do.”
“Well…now you can’t tell a soul, you gotta promise me,” she reasserted, her hand on his shoulder as he kept nodding. “Well…me and Vic…he’s my boyfriend now.”
Billy’s blue eyes grew impossibly larger. “He is? Gee wiz! But why’s that a secret?”
“Never you mind why. But you gotta promise me that you won’t go tellin’ Mama or Daddy – and especially don’t say nothin’ to Edna,” Louise stressed, the hand on his shoulder tightening.
“Okaaay okaaay,” he assured. Then waiting until she visibly relaxed, he added impishly, “But it’ll cost ya. I get ta ride all the rides today…plus I get a corn dog and cotton candy,” he bargained cleverly.
Fleet snorted and turned around in her seat, calling back over her shoulder, “End of line comin’ up.”
Louise chuckled and shook her head, thinking her ‘little’ brother wasn’t so little anymore. He was taking after his older brother and becoming a shrewd wheeler-dealer. She stretched up to see the wide area in the street where the trolley made its turn around, one block from the entrance to the park.
Billy giggled and bobbed up and down on his seat. “But, I still don’t understand…Mama and Daddy like Mr. Vic…and why don’t you want Edna to know? Oh!” he added, bursting with a sudden thought which he couldn’t resist using to press her buttons. “You think Mr. Vic might like Edna more than you?”
Louise rolled her eyes as Fleet giggled at the little boy’s boldness.
“C’mon,” Louise addressed her brother. Rising to her feet and gathering her purse, she tugged on his arm as the trolley stopped.
*
Vic paced back and forth below one of the massive towers at the park’s front entrance, striving to tamp down his impatience. For the third time, he patted his shirt pocket, to make sure a certain item remained hidden there. He just hoped he wouldn’t botch the moment when he could present his carefully chosen gift to his girl.
Alec strolled up to him and turned his head to the left, his eyes trained on the bustling intersection of Northwestern Parkway and Market Street. “Any sign of ‘em yet?”
“Nope. Wonder if somethin’ held ‘em up…” Vic began, slightly irritated that Louise had insisted she and Fleet would make their own way there. Why don’t she ever let me pick her up at her house? He wondered yet again. Pausing, he squinted as his eyes caught sight of a familiar dress and a head with dark, shiny hair darting around a slow walking couple.
As the three young people came within viewing distance of the entrance to the park, they saw the guys simultaneously. Fleet raised an arm and waved at their waiting beaus.
“There they are,” Vic mumbled gratefully. The street outside the entrance busy with cars, he looked both ways threading cautiously through the traffic to rush up to Louise as she dropped Billy’s hand. Taking her in his embrace, Vic wrapped one arm around her waist, the other hand gently grasping the back of her head as he greeted her with a murmured, “Hey babe,” and a solid kiss just as Alec reached Fleet and proceeded to follow suit.