American Rebirth

by Norma Jean Lutz

  The next stop was at the very top of the Ferris wheel. “Wow! We’re over 250 feet above the earth!” Richard said.

  Ted’s heart beat faster at the very thought. He almost expected Aunt Marcia to say “Oh, my” again, but she didn’t. Instead, she pointed beyond the White City to a huge expanse of blue that seemed to meet the sky. “There’s our hotel and Lake Michigan.”

  “The lake looks like it goes on forever,” Emily said. “I know there’s a shore on the other side, but it’s hard to believe when you see the lake like this.”

  “Yes, it is,” Ted agreed. “You’d think from this high, a person could almost see the other end of the earth.”

  “Or at least to Minneapolis,” Emily teased.

  As the wheel started down the opposite side, the people in the car turned their swivel seats and looked down the Midway. The shadow of the great wheel filled the street for a long way.

  “There’s the German Village and the Blarney Castle and the animal show,” Ted said.

  “And there’s the elevated railroad we rode on the first day.” Richard pointed out the track that ran a block behind the Midway.

  Ted laughed. “The railroad seemed high when we rode on it. From up here it looks like a toy train.”

  When the car reached the bottom, Aunt Marcia stood up. “Well, I must say, I am almost sorry our ride is over.”

  “It’s not, dear,” Uncle Daniel told her. “We get to go around one more time.”

  When they finally left the car, Emily looked up at her father. “May we go again? Please?”

  “Not today,” he answered. “Perhaps later in the week.”

  Ted would have liked to go again, too. But at fifty cents a person, I wouldn’t dare ask, he thought. If it weren’t for his uncle, he wouldn’t have seen the fair at all or ridden the Ferris wheel. “Thank you, Uncle Daniel. It was great!”

  His uncle winked at him. “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  “I think I could use some refreshment,” Aunt Marcia said, brushing the folds out of the skirt of her navy blue walking suit.

  “Let’s stop for something to drink and maybe a sweet.”

  “I’d rather visit some more exhibits, Mother,” Richard said hesitantly.

  “Me, too!” Emily chimed in.

  “I’m not hungry yet, Mother,” Anna added. “We did eat right before we went on the Ferris wheel.”

  “May we visit some of the exhibits while you and Father relax?” Richard asked.

  Aunt Marcia frowned slightly and glanced at her husband. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Richard assured her.

  “I’m sure they will be fine,” Uncle Daniel told her. “Richard and Anna are responsible.”

  Aunt Marcia’s frown still wrinkled her forehead. “Will you watch out for Ted and Emily?” she asked Richard and Anna.

  They nodded.

  Emily groaned. “We can watch out for ourselves. We are twelve years old.”

  Aunt Marcia looked firmly at Emily. “See that you mind Richard and Anna. And behave like a young lady.” Emily rolled her eyes but agreed.

  “You’ll need some money if you want to go inside some of the exhibits.” Uncle Daniel handed Richard some money.

  “Don’t spend any of it on the inappropriate places,” Aunt Marcia warned.

  “No, Mother, we won’t,” Richard promised.

  “Be back here in an hour,” Aunt Marcia instructed.

  “But that’s hardly any time!” Emily cried.

  “She’s right, Mother,” Richard said. “Can’t we meet you back here at, say, five o’clock?”

  The Allertons looked at each other. Ted held his breath, hoping they’d say yes.

  They did, and the children hurried down the street. “Watch out! Watch o–o–out!”

  Ted leaped back. A boy who looked to be about ten led a swaying smelly camel past him. On top of the camel a young woman clutched a rope with one hand and her hat with the other. She rocked forward then jerked back at the camel’s next step.

  “Camel rides! That looks like fun,” Ted called to Richard.

  “Watch out!”

  Ted looked to his left, expecting to see another camel. This time it was a donkey being led by a boy. The legs of the young man riding the donkey almost hit the ground.

  “They’re from the Street in Cairo exhibit,” Richard said.

  “Let’s each ride one!” Emily suggested.

  “You won’t catch me on one of those smelly beasts,” Anna declared. “I want to go where we can get out of the sun. Let’s visit the Viennese buildings, Richard.”

  Ted looked longingly over his shoulder at Cairo Street but followed the others toward the entrance toward Old Vienna. “It costs twenty-five cents each to get in here.” Ted pointed to the sign above the arched gateway. He hoped Richard would rather go back to Cairo Street than pay a dollar for all of them to visit Old Vienna. Richard only smiled and bought the tickets.

  The street looked like a place in Old Vienna in 1750. Ted thought it was mildly interesting, but Richard and Anna thought it was wonderful.

  Ted enjoyed the portraits of Egyptian mummy cases better. “Never know what you’re going to see at the fair, do you?” he asked Emily.

  “I wish Richard and Anna didn’t take so long to see everything, though,” she whispered. Ted nodded.

  Emily cleared her throat. “Richard, Ted and I are tired. We want to go out and find something to drink.”

  Anna frowned. “We aren’t done looking here yet.”

  Emily ignored her. “We won’t get into any trouble, Richard.”

  “Well.” Richard hesitated. He glanced at Anna, then at Ted and Emily. “I suppose, if you’re sure to meet us in front of here.”

  “We promise,” Emily said over her shoulder as she and Ted hurried away.

  Emily took a deep breath when they were back on the Midway. “I’m sure glad to be out of there! Let’s try to find where we can ride the camels.”

  They hurried through the crowded street, dodging men’s elbows, women’s parasols, and an occasional tall-backed wheeled chair. “Anna and Mother should rent wheeled chairs,” Emily told Ted. “They’re always complaining their feet are hurting.”

  Ted stopped a boy leading a donkey with a laughing five-year-old girl on top of it. “Where are the camel rides?”

  “On Cairo Street.” The boy pointed toward the Ferris wheel.

  “I wish adults didn’t always walk so slow!” Emily grumbled. She darted around two men and a woman who were walking together.

  Ted heard a crash and yells. A moment later he saw Emily in the middle of a tumble of people and a wheeled chair.

  “Oh, no!”

  The chair lay on its side. One large back wheel spun madly. An elderly lady in an expensive-looking purple dress was caught in the tipped-over chair beneath a sprawled Emily.

  CHAPTER 10

  The Mysterious Boy

  Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” The college-aged chair boy grabbed Emily by one arm and yanked her up. “Ouch!” Emily clutched her shoulder. Running into the chair had knocked the breath out of her, but it hadn’t hurt. The way the boy had pulled her up made her arm feel like it was on fire. Ted rushed up to Emily. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head and made herself quit holding her shoulder. “No.”

  The chair boy was already kneeling beside the woman. Emily knelt beside the chair, too. She put a hand on the woman’s arm. “Are you hurt?”

  “I … I don’t think so,” the woman said. “Do you always dart about in such an unladylike manner?” Emily winced. “I’m afraid I do.”

  Emily tried to ignore the pain in her shoulder as she and the chair boy helped the woman to her feet. While the chair boy righted the large, heavy chair, she turned to look for the woman’s hat and for her own.

  “Oh, no!” she whispered when she saw them.

  Her own little sailor hat with its broad navy blue satin ribbon was sq
uashed flat where some passerby had stepped on it. She watched Ted pick it up and give her a pitying glance.

  Worse was the lady’s hat. A boy about Emily’s age had sat on it! He was busy dusting the dirt from his frayed knickers, not paying any attention to the bonnet he’d ruined. The curly-haired boy looked familiar, but she was sure she didn’t know him.

  Emily picked up the bonnet. It had been a perfectly delightful little hat, she could tell. A deep purple ribbon sat over the point in front. White silk roses peeked from behind it. At the back was another glossy purple bow.

  She turned back to the woman, whom the chair boy was helping back into the chair. Swallowing hard, she handed the hat to the woman. “I’m terribly sorry, ma’am; just terribly.”

  “Well, that doesn’t restore my bonnet, does it?” The woman set her lips in a hard line.

  “N … no, ma’am.” Emily rubbed her suddenly sweaty hands down the sides of her skirt. “I … I guess I should offer to pay for it.”

  “That’s the least you can do!” the chair boy agreed in a nasty tone.

  Emily’s gaze darted to his angry blue eyes and back to the woman. “I truly am sorry. I only have about twenty-five cents with me today. If you will tell me how much the bonnet cost and give me your address, I’ll send you the money.”

  The hard lips relaxed a little. The woman waved a black-gloved hand. “Oh, never mind. I’m sure you didn’t intend to run me down.”

  “I … thank you, ma’am,” Emily whispered. “Are you sure you weren’t hurt?”

  “Only a couple bumps and bruises.” She actually smiled. “This old body has known worse. I do remember being young and how it felt to run about on a summer’s day. But you must be more careful.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The chair boy scowled at Emily as he leaned into the back of the chair and started it again. The woman waved good-bye, and Emily lifted a hand in farewell. She wanted to stick her tongue out at the chair boy, but even she was too ladylike to do that!

  “Is Mother ever going to be mad when she sees my hat,” she said, turning back to Ted. “It seems I’m never able to hide my accidents from her.”

  “Ya mean yer like this all the time?” The boy who had sat on the lady’s hat scowled from beneath curly blond hair. “Why don’t ya watch where yer goin’? Think yer the only person in the street?”

  Emily’s cheeks grew hot at his angry words. “I didn’t tip over the chair on purpose. And you’re the one who sat on the lady’s hat.”

  “Emily.” Ted’s voice held a warning tone. She looked at him. “When you knocked over the chair, you knocked him over, too. He was walking on the other side of it.”

  Emily stared at the boy’s scowling face. “Oh.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, I’m sorry.”

  “Ya should be sorry. Why don’t ya act like a lady?” He hit his flat-topped hat against the side of his knickers before stuffing it over his curls.

  Emily’s green eyes blazed. “Why, you … you … How dare you say that to me?”

  He held out a hand, palm up. “Ya can give me that twenty-five cents yer carryin’, too.”

  “I’m not going to give—” “Ya wrecked my doughnuts.” “Your doughnuts?” “His doughnuts,” Ted repeated.

  She glanced at him. His arms were full of golden doughnuts. “I think he was selling them,” Ted said.

  “That’s right.” The boy crossed his arms over his chest. A cloth bag hung from one shoulder. Emily could see it looked lumpy and decided that must be where he was carrying the rest of the doughnuts.

  “I’m sorry I ruined your doughnuts,” she said, “but surely they aren’t worth twenty-five whole cents.”

  “A chap’s gotta make a livin’.” He held out his hand again.

  Emily reached for her pocketbook and drew out her precious quarter. She’d been hoping to buy a camel ride with it. Reluctantly she placed it in his hand.

  He dropped it into his knickers’ pocket without a word.

  “You haven’t very good manners,” she scolded. “You might at least have said thank you.”

  A sneer curled his lip. “Thank ya fer ruinin’ my doughnuts, miss.”

  “Oh!” She curled her hands into fists at her side and stamped her foot. She knew she should be sorry for knocking him down and ruining his doughnuts, but he was such a nasty boy that she didn’t feel sorry at all.

  Something about him looked familiar. “Don’t I know you?” She frowned. “Why, you’re the boy who was arrested for taking pictures of the flour mill!”

  “That’s where I’ve seen you!” Ted cried out.

  The boy’s round chin jerked up. His blue eyes flashed. “What’s it to ya?”

  Emily could hardly believe she had felt sorry for this boy yesterday.

  Ted must not have felt any of her frustration, for he said, “We thought it was terrible that you were arrested like that for taking pictures. Hadn’t you heard that people aren’t allowed to take pictures at the fair?”

  “Yeah, I heard.” Anger filled the boy’s voice. “But a feller has ta make a livin’.”

  Emily remembered how this boy had reminded her of the newsboy, Erik, yesterday. Her anger began to go away. “Is … is your father dead?”

  The round chin lifted even higher. Emily thought if he were any taller, he’d be looking down his wide nose at her. “No, Pa’s not dead. He’s just out of a job, like most of Chicago.”

  That’s why he’d reminded her of Erik. Both their fathers were out of work, and both of them were filled with anger and sadness.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  The boy’s eyes flashed. “I don’t need yer pity.”

  “We have a friend whose father is out of work,” Ted said. “Our friend had to go to work, too.” He held out his hand. “My name is Ted, and this is my cousin Emily. We’re from Minneapolis.”

  The boy’s blue eyes gazed at Ted warily for a few seconds. Finally, he shook Ted’s hand. “I’m Frank Wells.”

  “Can I buy a good doughnut from you?” Ted asked. “I’m pretty hungry.”

  Frank dug into his bag and pulled out a golden brown doughnut. Emily’s mouth watered. She wished she had some money left to buy one.

  “They’re a penny each,” Frank said.

  Ted dug a small leather pouch from his knickers’ pocket and pulled out a penny. Breaking the doughnut in half, he handed part to Emily.

  “These are really good,” she told Frank after the first bite. “My ma made them.”

  “How did you get back into the fair after being arrested yesterday?” Ted asked.

  Frank shrugged, but he looked proud of himself. “It wasn’t hard. There’s lots of entrances to the fair. There’s 2,500 fair police. Only a couple of them know I was caught with the camera.”

  “Did they put you in jail?” Emily asked. She’d never known anyone who had been arrested before.

  “Naw. The judge said since I was a kid, he wouldn’t make me pay the forty-dollar fine for bringing a camera into the fair, either.”

  “Did you get your camera back?” Ted asked.

  “Yeah, but it belongs to a friend’s pa, so I didn’t think I better try smugglin’ it in again.” Frank shook his head. “Too bad, too. Make a lot more money sellin’ pictures than sellin’ doughnuts, even though the doughnuts sell pretty good. ‘Course, doughnuts can get me thrown out of the fair, too.”

  Emily tilted her head to one side. “Why would anyone care if you sell doughnuts?”

  “Ya can’t sell anything at the fair unless ya buy a license. The license costs more money than I’ve got.”

  “Is it true most of the people in Chicago are unemployed like you said?” Emily asked Frank.

  “Well, maybe it just seems like it,” Frank admitted. “But the newspaper says about three hundred thousand men in Chicago don’t have jobs.”

  Ted let out a low whistle.

  Emily wished there were something she could do to help Frank and Erik and their fathers. She hated
the helpless feeling that filled her when she thought of their troubles.

  “We were going to ride the camels,” Ted told Frank, “but we don’t have enough money left. Since you know the fair so well, what do you think we should see?”

  A mischievous gleam shone from Frank’s eyes. “Follow me.”

  The look on Frank’s face made Emily wonder if they should go with him. But he had already started down the hot, busy Midway with Ted on his worn heels. If she didn’t start right away, she might lose them in the crowd.

  Carrying her broken hat, she hurried after them.

  CHAPTER 11

  Caught!

  From each side of the street, men and women called to people, inviting them to visit the exhibits. The invitations came in many languages, many accents, and sometimes in broken English. Ted and Emily had to watch out for camels and donkeys and wheeled chairs. Vendors offered all kinds of things for sale: jewelry, food, drinks, and official photographs.

  Frank hurried past the places as though they were as familiar to him as Emily’s home street was to her. She would have liked to linger at some of the shops and more unusual exhibits but didn’t dare let the boys get too far ahead.

  “Magic! Come see the Houdini Brothers escape from handcuffs!” A big man in a brown-checked suit called to the passersby.

  Emily started to cross the street when she noticed Ted and Frank stopping at the door beside the large man with the booming voice.

  She hurried over to them and jerked Ted’s sleeve. “We can’t go in there.”

  Frank gave her a smug look. “Scared?”

  She was a little scared of anything with the word magic beside it, but she didn’t want this tough boy to know it. She brushed her curls back from her shoulders and jerked her chin up in the air. “Of course not. It’s just not appropriate entertainment for a young lady.”

  Ted bit his bottom lip. Then he said to Frank, “She’s right. Her mother would never let us see a magic show.”

  Frank looked up at the sky. He took a deep breath that lifted his chest beneath his thin, mended cotton shirt. “It’s not real magic. It’s all about trickin’ people. Don’cha know anything? That’s the fun of it, tryin’ ta figure out how the guys do it.” He leaned closer to them.