Love Calling

by Janet Lee Barton

  Grace sat with the younger ones at a table adjacent to theirs—all except for the newest orphan—a baby of about a year old or so who’d been dropped off the week before. She was happily ensconced in Emma’s lap now. Emma looked quite natural holding and feeding the baby while they had dinner.

  Even Andrew seemed quite comfortable in these surroundings. But then, he had been here before. Emma had told him that Andrew visited with them from time to time and had even been called on to treat some of the children when they were sick. It seemed part of his time in practice was spent helping those less fortunate. Sam was glad he and Esther had found each other.

  Once dinner was over, the younger children were sent off to the back parlor or up to their rooms, whichever they preferred, while the older ones joined Sam’s group and Mrs. Robertson in the front parlor. Emma released the baby to the care of one of the older girls to put to bed, but Emma seemed quite reluctant to do so.

  At dinner, Mrs. Robertson had introduced them to all the young adults who were getting ready to be out on their own soon, and now Sam concentrated on putting the names with the faces. Walter was no problem of course; he’d met him earlier when he’d come to the orphanage. And he remembered Carl and Jacob, too. The girls were a little harder to recognize because they’d changed so much, from young girls to young women, it seemed.

  There was Caroline with curly brown hair, and Betsy with blond hair. Margaret had dark brown hair and Sally’s was brownish red. They were all around the same age as Emma, but somehow she seemed more mature.

  Everyone seemed quite pleased that those whom they’d looked up to were willing to help them now, just as they’d all hoped they would be. Sam was reassured to hear that several of them had already started looking for jobs.

  Caroline had been hired as a nanny for the sister of one of her teachers.

  “She’s expecting her first child this summer, and I’ll be moving in with them right after. They are very nice,” Caroline said.

  “That’s wonderful, Caroline,” Emma said. “I’m sure Mrs. Robertson gave you an excellent recommendation.”

  “I did,” Mrs. Robertson said. “She’s been a blessing helping with the younger children. She’ll make an excellent nanny.”

  “So the rest of you know, we’re asking around to find job openings you might want to apply for,” Emma said.

  “Yes. And my employer, Mr. Collins, said that he could use someone to work in the stockroom and deliver medicines at the pharmacy, if any of you are interested in that,” Esther said.

  “I might be interested in that,” Carl said. “When can I apply?”

  “I’ll find out,” Esther said.

  “And Esther and I could use a receptionist at the office. It’s taking too much time from my nurse.”

  “Oh, I’d love to be a nurse,” Margaret said.

  “They do have schools for that. Would you be interested in that, Margaret?”

  “Of course I would, but I can’t afford it.”

  Sam watched as Andrew and Esther exchanged a look, and when Esther gave her future husband a slight nod, he said, “Let me look into that.”

  “I might be interested in the receptionist position. I can type,” Betsy said.

  “That would be very helpful. We can talk more about that next week,” Andrew said. “Esther and I will talk over hours and know more what it is we’re needing by then.”

  The girl’s smile was huge as she nodded. “I’m looking forward to next week even more now.”

  “What about you, Sally?”

  “I don’t really know what I want to do. Only that I need to work and find a place to live. I’m thinking about applying at Macy’s and several of the department stores on Ladies’ Mile. I like being around people, and”—she smiled and shrugged—“I think I’d like working as a sales clerk.”

  “If I hadn’t gotten hired as a telephone operator, I would have done the same thing,” Emma said.

  They all chatted a bit more, with everyone getting to know each other better. All in all Sam was pleased with how well everyone had taken to the plan.

  Maybe it was being able to talk to others not all that much older than them, knowing they were making it after they’d left the orphanage, but they all seemed quite comfortable talking to each other. By the time they left the orphanage, Sam felt they all had formed a bond he hoped would last.

  “I think that went over well,” Andrew said. “They all seem willing to talk to us.”

  “And to listen to what we have to say. I think they know we truly want to help them,” Emma said. “And that you’ve already given them some job opportunities doesn’t hurt.”

  “You know most of them,” Sam said. “Do you think they’ll be reliable workers?”

  “Oh yes, I do. They all know they must work, and they’ve known that for a long time. I think they are just very excited about it—all except for actually moving out. It has to be intimidating to think of living alone.”

  “I know. I’m so glad we didn’t have to do that,” Grace said. “I’m going to give Mrs. Holloway a huge hug when we get home.”

  “We are blessed,” Emma said. “But we do need to talk about that next time. Of course, I’m sure they know about the YWCA and the YMCA. Mrs. Robertson has given them that information, I know.”

  The night had turned chilly, and they were happy to find that Mrs. Holloway had cocoa waiting for them when they got back to her house.

  True to her words, Grace gave her benefactor a huge hug.

  Sam looked on as Mrs. Holloway hugged her back. “Is something wrong, dear?”

  “Oh no. I’m just so thankful that we haven’t had to worry about being out on our own. I think I take you for granted sometimes, and I don’t ever want to do that. Thank you for taking us all in so we could stay together and not have to worry so much about the future.”

  There were tears in Mrs. Holloway’s eyes when she looked at each girl. “You are more than welcome. But it is I who need to thank you all for enriching my life so much by letting me be a part of yours.”

  “I think we’re all blessed in all kinds of ways,” Esther said. “If not for you taking me in, I wouldn’t be engaged to Andrew—wouldn’t even know him.”

  Andrew shuddered, moved closer to his intended, and put an arm around her. “I don’t want to even think about not knowing you.”

  The look the two exchanged had Sam missing what he’d lost and longing for someone to love now.

  ❧

  Emma was a little sad Sam hadn’t been able to make it to Sunday night dinner the next evening. When he’d left the night before there was a look in his eyes that had her wanting to reach out and comfort him.

  He’d seemed so. . .lonely when he left. She’d watched him as he looked at Andrew and Esther. His expression had changed then, and she was sure it was because he missed his wife so much. Even if she did find herself attracted to him she didn’t want to come in second place to the woman he’d first loved. And it was obvious he had loved her.

  Still, this was Sam, and she wanted to be a friend to him, wanted to make sure he didn’t get caught up in the corruption of the police department, wanted to make sure he stayed safe and had things to do and people to spend time with so that he didn’t get too lonely or depressed.

  She’d been so impressed with him the night before when they were at the orphanage. She had no doubt that he was serious about helping those young people have an easier time adjusting to the changes coming their way, and she was glad to be helping. It made her feel a little less guilty for having such an easy time adjusting to life outside of the orphanage.

  He was still on her mind on Monday, and she was thankful for work. She stayed busy enough that she had little time to think about Sam. He was taking up way too many of her thoughts lately and was sometimes becoming a distraction from her work.

  Just as he was now. Several lights lit up on Esther’s board, and in her hurry to get to them, she accidentally pulled the plug to a call in progress
, hearing one side of the conversation.

  “Joe, you go on and tell the others. We’ll be at that meeting this week and we’ll put a stop to it. Joe—Joe!” Esther held her breath. What was this man talking about?

  There was a click-click on the line, and then the man was yelling, “Operator! Operator, are you there?”

  “I’m so sorry, sir. You seem to have been disconnected. Would you like to be reconnected? Now?”

  “Yes! At once.”

  “And who was it you’d been connected to?”

  “Don’t you know?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I just got back from lunch and—”

  The man heaved a loud sigh over the line. “Connect me to 2338.”

  “Yes sir, immediately.” Emma quickly reconnected the pin in the jack and breathed a sigh of relief when the lamp went out and the connection held. But it didn’t stop her from thinking of what she’d just overheard. What meeting had he been talking about? And what was it the men were going to put a stop to?

  ❧

  When Emma got home that evening, it was to find Mrs. Coble, the seamstress Mrs. Holloway had hired to make Esther’s wedding trousseau, ensconced in one of the extra bedrooms. She would be staying until she’d made all of Esther’s clothing and the dresses Emma, Grace, and Mrs. Holloway would be wearing to the wedding.

  Emma had never had anything made specifically for her, and she had tried to convince Mrs. Holloway that there was no need to go to that kind of expense for her—as had Esther of course. But Mrs. Holloway was determined, and there was no arguing with her over it. “Mrs. Coble has agreed to do all of it at a very reasonable price, and frankly, she needs the money. Her husband passed away not long ago, and this is the way she makes a living.”

  “Oh, I’m glad you’ve chosen her,” Esther said.

  “Good. She’ll be staying with us—it will make the fittings easier on everyone with you and Emma working,” Mrs. Holloway explained.

  They were all introduced to Mrs. Coble at afternoon tea, and Emma was glad Mrs. Holloway had picked her. She was very sweet and had wonderful ideas, bringing along the latest fashion magazines and fabric swatches for them to pore over.

  And pore over they planned to, right after dinner. Andrew didn’t seem disappointed that he couldn’t be in on this part of the wedding planning. Esther wanted her trousseau to be a surprise of course.

  “I’ll just go see how work is going on our apartment,” Andrew said as they finished up the meal. “I didn’t go by there after I went to the hospital, and I want to see how much they got done today.”

  Work on the apartment had begun only the week before, and he and Esther had looked in every day to see how things were progressing.

  “It seems to be moving a little slow. I can’t wait to see it finished just as we envisioned it,” Esther said, taking a bite of the coconut cake Mrs. Holloway had made herself. “I’d like to go with you, but—”

  “You know you aren’t missing much just yet. A wall coming down here or there and others being put up.”

  “That’s true. And I’m so excited to get my wedding dress started—”

  Andrew grinned. “Is that a hint that I need to leave so you can get started?”

  Esther laughed. “You know it isn’t. But—”

  “I’m on my way now,” Andrew said as they all prepared to leave the table.

  Mrs. Holloway led the rest of them to the parlor to give Esther and Andrew a few moments alone, and there was no way to ignore the slight flush on Esther’s cheeks when she entered the parlor.

  Grace giggled. “You look as if you’ve just been kissed, Esther. Were you?”

  “It’s none of your business, Grace,” Esther replied.

  “They are engaged, after all,” Mrs. Holloway said. “Do you not intend to kiss your fiancé one day?”

  “Why of course I do,” Grace answered.

  “If she’s not too impertinent to be asked,” Emma said.

  Grace made a face at her. “And what if I should marry before you do, Emma? It could happen, you know.”

  Emma supposed it could. But she wasn’t going to worry about it just yet. She shrugged her shoulders. “If you do, you do.”

  For once, her little sister seemed at a loss for words, and when everyone began to chuckle, even Grace joined in.

  “Let’s go over these patterns, girls, and see what we can come up with.” Mrs. Holloway got everyone back on track as she began handing out magazines and the drawings Mrs. Coble had sketched out of her own designs.

  “Oh, this is lovely,” Esther said.

  Emma looked over her shoulder to see a truly beautiful gown. It had simple lines and would look wonderful on Esther.

  “Oh, it is,” Emma agreed.

  “It’s of silk and lace. I can make it with long sleeves, or short and you could wear long gloves; the choice would be yours of course, as would be the fabrics we use,” Mrs. Coble said, seeming pleased that they liked her design so much.

  “I like this one, too,” Grace said, holding up another of Mrs. Coble’s designs.

  Before long they’d all chosen their favorites, and all of them were all creations of Mrs. Coble’s.

  Then they all helped Esther choose the designs for the rest of her trousseau.

  “This was easier than I thought it would be,” Esther said. “I thought we’d be going back and forth with the choosing like we did the wall coverings and draperies for the bedrooms, Mrs. Holloway.”

  “Choosing one’s own clothing is a bit easier, I think. We all have different styles we like and feel good in. And we all like different fabrics,” Mrs. Holloway pointed out.

  “And that might be a little more difficult,” Mrs. Coble said. “Now that we have the patterns chosen, we can start thinking of different fabrics and colors. If I don’t have enough swatches with me, I’ll go out and bring in more tomorrow and we’ll be on our way to having it all settled.”

  “Wonderful!” Mrs. Holloway said. “I’ll have Jones bring us in some refreshment and we’ll get started on those swatches.”

  By the time Andrew got back, they were in the middle of comparing silks and laces. Only his chuckle made them aware of his presence.

  The women hurried to hide the designs and swatches they were looking at.

  “Don’t worry,” Andrew said, “I won’t come in. There’s no need to put all your work up.”

  “No, it’s all right. We’ve been at it quite awhile. We can move all of this up to Mrs. Coble’s room now,” Esther said. “We’ve picked the designs. Now all we have to do is choose more fabrics, but I certainly don’t want you to see any of it.”

  “Not even a glimpse?” Andrew acted disappointed. “I’ve been in on all the rest.”

  “As you should be,” Esther said, hurrying over to him. “But not this. This is all a surprise.”

  “All right, if you say so.”

  Emma watched Andrew brush an errant strand of hair behind Esther’s ear, and she had no doubt at all that he would have kissed her cousin, if not in the presence of others.

  Feeling as if she were intruding on a tender moment, she slid the pocket doors shut on the couple. “We’ll just tidy up in here and then Andrew can join us.”

  There. That should give them a moment—if Jones didn’t happen upon them. And Emma had no doubt that the butler was discreet enough that neither they nor anyone else would know. Something good to be assured of should she ever become engaged.

  Suddenly Sam came to mind, and she tried to force the thought away, hurrying to help the others gather up the fashion plates, magazines, and swatches.

  eleven

  Sam had tried several times to catch Emma at her trolley stop before he got off work in the mornings, but their hours were just too different or he was too far away to get to the stop on time.

  After working a double shift earlier in the week, he was glad to have Friday off and was determined to see Emma. He wanted to talk over their plans for the next day with her and see if any of
the young people had applied for the positions the others had mentioned.

  So he made a point to meet her trolley Friday afternoon so he could walk her home and hope Mrs. Holloway would ask him to stay for dinner.

  Emma’s smile made the effort worthwhile, whether he would get an invitation to dinner or not. He smiled back as she stepped off the trolley.

  “I was hoping to run into you today,” he said.

  “I’m glad you did. I’ve been wondering where you were, but I suppose the night shift isn’t an easy one and you must sleep at some point.”

  “I didn’t used to mind it, but now I’d rather be working all days,” Sam said, falling into step beside her. And he hadn’t. Nights had always been the hardest for him after Ann died—the apartment seemed too empty and dark to him, and he’d hated spending time there other than to sleep.

  But lately, it’d become easier to go home after spending time at Mrs. Holloway’s or at the orphanage, and the apartment didn’t seem quite so lonely now.

  “I don’t know how you do it—stay up all night. My stomach gets queasy if I stay up past around two in the morning or have to get up before five.”

  “It’s not much fun, that’s for sure. I don’t usually get sick at my stomach though. I just find it hard to get to sleep when I work nights,” Sam said. “But I usually don’t go to sleep easily anyway.”

  “Do you read your Bible first? That always seems to help me.”

  “I did at one time. I’ll try that again.” He used to read his Bible every night, but he’d gotten lax in doing so and needed to get back into the Word. “Thank you for reminding me. I guess after Ann died the way she did, I had a hard time with that. Why the Lord would let it happen and all, and while I didn’t turn away, my faith did get shaky for a while.”

  “How is it now?” Emma asked, the serious look in her eyes telling him she truly was concerned.

  “It’s much better. I still go to church with Ann’s parents, and together we’ve worked through a lot with the Lord’s help.”

  “I’m glad. I don’t know how people get through the loss of loved ones or the disappointments in life without the Lord to turn to.”