A Time to Dance-My America 3
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I clipped the advertisement from the newspaper and left it on Jed's dresser.
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I have been reading the plays of Shakespeare, thinking of roles I might perform. I believe I should most enjoy playing Juliet.
This morning, I stood in front of the mirror and practiced saying Juliet's lines: "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"
March 2, 1866
It is very late. I cannot sleep. That is because I cannot stop crying.
As I was laying out costumes tonight, I overheard a conversation. The actor who played Frank Wellborn was talking to Mr. Ponisi about my performance as Waiting Woman.
This is what I heard him say:
"Our young Miss Dickens was quite good, didn't you think?"
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And this is what I heard Mr. Ponisi reply: "Yes. It's a shame she's so plain."
March 3, 1866
I did not go to my job at the theatre today. I pretended to be sick.
Until yesterday, I had never even thought about whether I was plain or pretty. Now I know the answer without ever asking the question.
March 4, 1866
"It's a shame she's so plain."
I keep hearing those words over and over. Was my mother plain? I pulled out my locket today and looked at her picture.
She was indeed not plain, with her soft curls and sweet smile. What happened to me?
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I have written another letter to Edwin Booth. This is what I said:
Dear Mr. Booth,
I know you have not responded to my previous letters because of your busy schedule. But now I have a question of utmost importance.
Here it is: Must a girl be pretty to be an actress?
The girl who played Ophelia in your production of
Hamlet
was quite pretty indeed. It is difficult to tell if Mrs. Wood was pretty when she was younger, but I suspect she might have been.
I am not pretty. I am plain. Do you believe I can still have a career in the theatre?
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I eagerly await your reply. Virginia Dickens
March 5, 1866
I returned to my job as a dresser tonight. I did not speak to Mr. Ponisi. When he said, "Sorry you were sick yesterday," I just nodded and quickly moved away from him.
March 6, 1866
I do not know what to do. Mr. Ponisi's hateful words will not leave my mind. I wish Mr. Booth would reply to my letter.
March 7, 1866
Tonight, Jane Ellen knocked on my door. She asked why I have been so moody.
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I had not intended to share my shame with anyone. But I could not stop my sorrow over Mr. Ponisi's words from bubbling forth. I even told Jane Ellen about my most recent letter to Edwin Booth.
Jane Ellen was furious! She said Mr. Ponisi must think a girl is pretty only if she curls her hair and paints her face and wears a tight corset! She said that my beauty was simple and natural, the sort that old fools like Mr. Ponisi are too blind and stupid to see!
I imagine Jane Ellen was only saying all this to make me feel better. Still, I am grateful for her outrage.
March 10, 1866
My work at the theatre has not felt the same since I overheard Mr. Ponisi talking about me. I wonder if perhaps I should quit soon.
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Today I received this letter:
Dear Virginia,
First, let me apologize for not answering your letters sooner. As you can imagine, my schedule is quite exhausting.
Now let me address your pressing question. You must not be concerned with your physical beauty. There is beauty in speech, in movement, and in language that far transcends mere "prettiness." That is the beauty you must always look for in your art.
You seem to have talents well beyond your skills as an actress. Indeed, it seems from your letters that you are already an excellent writer.
Remember that we still speak of William Shakespeare with reverence and
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respect, while the actors of his day are all forgotten.
You say that my performance speaks from the heart to the heart. That is a wonderful compliment. It is also the advice I would give to you. Always strive to speak from your heart directly to the hearts of others, and you will succeed -- in whatever career you choose.
The letter was signed "Yours Sincerely, Mr. Edwin Booth."
I will treasure this letter always -- but not because it came from Mr. Edwin Booth. In fact, Mr. Booth did not write this letter.
How do I know? Because in my letters to Mr. Booth, I never mentioned that I thought he spoke from the heart to the heart.
I told that to only Jed.
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I have decided never to tell Jed that I know he wrote the letter. But his words have stayed with me, especially these: "You are already an excellent writer."
Jed's opinion of my writing means everything to me. But in the days before I received the letter, I am afraid I would have quickly traded being a good writer for being a pretty actress.
That would have been a terrible mistake. I love finding ways to say what I truly think and feel. And what I truly think and feel right now is that I would rather be a good writer than anything else on earth.
[Image: Two American flags.]
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Tonight, during the play, when everything was busy and hectic, I decided to quit my job as a dresser. I want to read, and study harder with Jane Ellen, and go to a real school next fall.
I was suddenly so clear about this that as soon as the show was over, I told Mrs. Wood I would be leaving after this week. I told her I needed more time to spend on my schoolwork.
"I understand perfectly," she said. "But should you ever wish to return to the theatre, you will always be welcome here."
I
will
return to the theatre someday, but not as a dresser. I will be like Mrs. Wood. She became a theatre manager so she could hire herself. I will write a play so I can hire myself! And I will give myself the best part. The part
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will be a girl who some people think is plain. But, in fact, she is not. She is simple and natural, and she is an excellent writer.
March 15, 1866
This morning at breakfast, I announced that I was leaving my job at the theatre. I said I wanted to work harder on my lessons, and asked if we could discuss my schooling for next year. Everyone seemed pleased with my decision. And Pa assured me that next year we would find the best school in New York for me.
March 16, 1866
At supper tonight, Jed talked about a speech President Johnson gave that has angered many people. In the speech, President
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Johnson called the congressmen who do not agree with him "traitors." Jed said he thought that such behavior was shameful. Then he turned to me and asked what I thought.
I said I had to wonder what President Lincoln would think of President Johnson's speech. I reminded him how President Lincoln had called upon the "better angels of our nature." I said I did not think President Johnson was calling upon the better angels of
his
nature when he called the senators names.
Later, when I got home from the theatre, Jed asked my permission to use my thoughts about Lincoln and Johnson in an article he is writing for the newspaper. I told him I would be pleased for him to use my ideas.
In fact, I am more than pleased. I am bursting with pride.
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Today was my last day at the Olympic Theatre. Between the matinee and the evening shows, I took a walk with Charles Edmonds.
On our walk, we passed an organ grinder. He had a little monkey and, after every song, the monkey would take off his hat and scamper amongst the crowd, collecting pennies.
Charles laughed so hard that I thought he would fall over. Charles has a soft heart for animals. He told me he likes all kinds -- "monkeys, bears, giraffes, penguins, pelicans, and ostriches, just to name a few" -- he said.
[Image: Two American flags.]
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"Lately in my prayers, I have been talking with Elizabeth. I truly believe she will not mind if I marry again."
Those were Pa's opening words when he called us into the front room tonight.
Pa went on to say that he believes my mother requires only that he marry a good woman who will be kind to him and me and Jed. He then told us that he has found such a person. "She is Mrs. Charles Edmonds," he said. "And today I asked her to be my wife."
Jane Ellen wiped tears of joy from her eyes. She said that Mrs. Edmonds was a fine woman. Jed hugged Pa and congratulated him. Baby Abe giggled as if he were happy, too.
I couldn't stop smiling. It's strange, but I believe I was happiest for Charles Edmonds. I think that little boy deserves a father like Pa.
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Tonight we are going to celebrate Pa and Mrs. Edmonds's engagement. I am preparing a funny joke to play on everyone.
Later
We had a wonderful party. Everyone seemed a bit awkward at first -- until I played my joke.
While Jane Ellen and Mrs. Edmonds were setting the table and Pa and Jed and Charles were staring at the walls, I snuck into Baby Abe's room. I quickly drew a beard and mustache on his little face. Then I called frantically for everyone to come see "the miracle!"
Everyone ran into the room. For a minute, they all just stared at Baby Abe. "He must have ordered Dr. Briggs's Grecian Compound!" I said. Then Baby Abe grinned, and we all burst
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out laughing. I have never seen Pa laugh so hard. Jed and Jane Ellen laughed hard, too. Mrs. Edmonds and Charles looked puzzled at first, but then they joined in.
Later, after supper, Pa brought out his fiddle. Jane Ellen played the piano. Jed danced with Mrs. Edmonds, and I danced with Charles. Even Baby Abe danced -- he held on to a chair and pumped his little legs to the beat of the music.
As I looked around the room crowded with people, I had an amazing thought. Less than three years ago, when Pa and Jed were missing outside Gettysburg, our family seemed to be made up of just one person -- me. Then Pa and Jed came back, and we were three again. Then Jed married Jane Ellen, and we were four. Then Baby Abe was born, and we were five. Now Mrs. Edmonds and Charles will join us, and we will be seven.
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The Bible says for everything there is a season:
A
time to kill, and a time to heal.
A time to break down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh.
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
Tonight was our time to dance.
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Life in America in 1865
100
101
Historical Note
When the Civil War ended on April 8, 1865, many people hoped that President Abraham Lincoln could lead the nation through the difficult period of healing with the same wisdom and compassion he had shown throughout the war. Those hopes were shattered when Lincoln was assassinated by the actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre on April 14.
[Image: President Lincoln's bedside.]
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The task of rebuilding the nation fell to Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson. During the war, when he was vice president, Johnson had often called for harsh treatment of the South and its leaders. But as President, Johnson favored much more lenient treatment of the formerly Confederate states.
Many Northerners believed Johnson's Reconstruction plan was too generous to the South. The differences of opinion led to bitter battles in Congress. The disagreements eventually led Congress to call for Johnson's impeachment in 1868. He retained his presidency by only one vote.
At the end of the Civil War, New York City was a crowded, colorful world. The richest city in the country, it was home to many wealthy
[Image: President Andrew Johnson.]
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[Image: New A view of New York City in 1865]
merchants, bankers, and politicians. But its poor neighborhoods were crowded with immigrant families living and working in terrible conditions. For rich and poor alike, attending the theater was a popular source of entertainment -- and escape.
Edwin Booth is considered one of America's greatest Shakespearean actors. At the time his brother, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, Edwin Booth's fame was well established. The fallout from this terrible act forced Edwin to temporarily retire. Less
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than a year later, he returned to the stage in the role of Hamlet. Many people feared that the public would reject him and he would be booed off the stage.
This was not the case. Here's how one newspaper described the audience's reaction to Edwin Booth's first appearance in the play: "The men stamped, clapped their hands, and hurrahed, continuously; the ladies rose in their seats and waved a thousand handkerchiefs; and for full five minutes a scene of wild excitement forbade the progress of the play." Clearly, the New York audience did not hold Edwin Booth responsible for his brother's crime.
[Image: Actor Edwin Booth]
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About the Authors
Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne say, "Because of Will's career, we've been involved in the theater together for many years. It was wonderful to collaborate on A
Time to Dance
and explore the world of New York theater in the 1860s. We loved putting Ginny into that world and imagining her thrill at going onstage for the first time."
Mary Pope Osborne is the award-winning author of many books for children, including the best-selling Magic Tree House series;
Adaline Falling Star;
the My America books,
My Brother's Keeper
and
After the Rain;
and two
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Dear America books,
Standing in the Light
and
My Secret War.
Will Osborne has worked in the professional theater for many years as an actor, director, and playwright. He and Mary have collaborated on eleven books for young readers, including
Jason and the Argonauts, The Deadly Power of Medusa,
and the Magic Tree House Research Guides series.
Mary and Will divide their time between New York City and Goshen, Connecticut, with their Norfolk terrier, Bailey.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank their editor, Amy Griffin, for her wonderful support and guidance, and Lisa Sandell for her assistance. They would also like to thank Dr. jack Hrkach of Ithaca College for his excellent research and advice, and the New York Historical Society for providing access to the Spirit
of the Times, Harper's Weekly,
and other periodicals from the time.
Grateful acknowledgement is made for permission to reprint the following:
Cover Portrait by Glenn Harrington
Page 101: President Lincoln's bedside, Culver Pictures, New York.
Page 102: President Andrew Johnson, Library of Congress, via Scholastic's Online Digital Archive.
Page 103: View of New York City, Culver Pictures, New York.
Page 104: Edwin Booth, Culver Pictures, New York.
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Other books in the My America series
[Image: Two American flags.]
Corey's Underground Railroad Diaries
by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Elizabeth's Jamestown Colony Diaries
by Patricia Hermes
Hope's Revolutionary War Diaries
by Kristiana Gregory
Joshua's Oregon Trail Diaries
by Patricia Hermes
Meg's Prairie Diaries
by Kate McMullan
Virginia's Civil War Diaries
by Mary Pope Osborne
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> For Cecilia deWolf
***
While the events described and some of the characters in this book may be based on actual historical events and real people, Virginia Dickens is a fictional character, created by the author, and her diary is a work of fiction
.
Copyright © 2003 by Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.
SCHOLASTIC, MY AMERICA, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osborne, Mary Pope. Osborne, Will.
A time to dance / by Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne.
p. cm. -- (Virginia's Civil War diary ; bk. 3)
Summary: Virginia records the events of her life as her family moves to New York City in the aftermath of the Civil War, and she begins to dream of a life in the theater.
ISBN 0-439-44341-5; 0-439-44343-1 (pbk.)
[1. Theater -- Fiction. 2. Diaries -- Fiction. 3. New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 1865-1898 --Fiction. 4. Reconstruction -- Fiction.] I. Titles. II. Series.
PZ7.O81167Tk2003
[Fic] 21 2002044581
CIP AC
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.03 04 05 06 07
The display type was set in Colwell Roman.
The text type was set in Goudy.
Photo research by Amla Sanghvi
Book design by Elizabeth B. Parisi
Printed in the U.S.A.23
First edition, August 2003
***