by Marja McGraw
“Oh, shut up, you little twerp.”
“Ah. Old Carrie is back.”
“I kind of wish she was. It’s really hard trying to be her. At least when we go to the movies I can be myself.”
Three short rings came from the old crank phone, there was a pause, and then three most short bursts of sound.
“That’s us,” Elsbeth said. “Why don’t you answer it?”
I picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Who is this?” a male voice asked.
“This is Carrie. Who are you?”
He hung up, but just before he did, I heard a noise on the line.
“Who was it?” Elsbeth asked.
“I don’t know. He hung up. Maybe it was someone checking to see if we were home. Maybe someone wants to come in when we’re gone.”
“Don’t let your imagination run away with you.” My aunt winked at me. “Then, again, maybe it was a new suitor who lost his nerve.”
“And maybe it was one of the local guys who was hoping you’d answer,” I said. “It appears that Original Elsbeth was popular with the local men.”
“Someone called for us?” Mama asked from the doorway. “Did they want to talk to me?”
“No, Mama. Whoever it was hung up.” Elsbeth rearranged herself on her chair.
“Well, isn’t that strange? Huh. That’s never happened before.” She left the room again.
“There was a noise just before he hung up,” I said. “It seemed like I could hear something like background noise, but I couldn’t be sure.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’ve never had to put up with a party line.” My aunt grinned at me. “It can be kind of interesting sometimes.”
“What’s a party line?”
“In your day, you have a private line. In the old days people had party lines. There was more than one person per phone line. There aren’t that many people in this town who have phones, but most of those who do are on the same line. They can pick up their receiver and listen in.”
“No! I can hardly believe that. I wouldn’t like to have a party line. I’m all about privacy in my time. Can you imagine the rumors that could fly if someone listened in on some of my conversations?”
“Really? Tell me more.” My aunt was needling me. “What kinds of things do you talk about on the phone that you wouldn’t want someone to hear?”
“You know,” I said, thoughtfully, “in some ways you’re just like the great-aunt I grew up around, and in others you’re very different as a young woman.”
“It’ll keep you on your toes. Now, tell me what the voice on the phone sounded like. Did you recognize it?”
Chapter Twenty
“This is only my third day here. I haven’t met many people. How would I recognize his voice?”
“True. We need to introduce you to more folks.” My aunt rubbed her hands together.
“You know, he only said three words and yet there was something very formal about the way he spoke.”
My aunt snapped her fingers. “I’ll bet you anything it was that actor, Eugene. No one else around here speaks with any formality.”
“It could have been. We’ll probably never know. You’re right about one thing, though. You need to start introducing me to some people. I need to get a feel for their personalities. How can I figure out who the suspects are if I haven’t had any contact with them?”
“Let’s get the movie out of the way and we’ll get right on that.”
“What time are the guys picking us up?” I asked.
“Before lunch. They’re going to take us to eat in Vancouver, and the drive will probably take an hour. Then the movies and we’ll be headed home.”
“An hour? It only takes me twenty minutes to drive into Vancouver.” I couldn’t imagine the drive being that time-consuming.
She glanced toward the doorway before speaking. “You’re forgetting, little sister, the Tin Lizzy doesn’t move as fast as the cars in your day. Imagine if we were taking the horse and buggy.”
I got it. She was being more careful about what she said in case someone overheard us. Although, even if she called me her little sister, that wouldn’t make up for talking about fast cars in my day.
What a tangled web…
Mama returned to the kitchen, smiling. “I fixed the tub up so you can take baths and prettify yourselves before your beaux get here. I even put some of my nice smellin’ salts in the tub.”
A woman after my own heart, she knew we’d want to prettify ourselves before we had male company. I decided that was a word I wanted to add to my vocabulary.
It suddenly struck me that Mama wanted us to be at our best because she wanted to get us married off and out of the house. I laughed while I climbed the stairs.
Elsbeth and I hurried because we knew we didn’t have a lot of time. I wished I could have washed my hair, but there wasn’t time. Thankfully, without hair spray and some of the other hair products women used in my day, my hair was soft and relatively clean. Old Carrie must have washed her hair not long before we switched places. I remembered thinking she’d had a bath recently.
Earlier, Tess had gobbled up her breakfast and made a break for her bedroom. While I bathed, she stuck her head in the bathroom and said, “I’m going to school. You and Elsbeth will have to tell me all about the moving pictures. You will, won’t you?”
I splashed water toward her. “Of course we will. And one day you’ll get to go see a moving picture for yourself.”
“I can’t wait!” She grinned and closed the door. I could hear her running down the stairs.
After drying off I put on my robe and slowly walked to my bedroom, dreading having to choose from the few wrinkled dresses old Carrie had in the wardrobe. Women didn’t have a closet full of dresses to pick from in 1909.
Before I could peruse my, or Carrie’s, wrinkled wardrobe, Mama strolled into my room with a cat-that-ate-the-canary expression on her face and gently laid a dress on my bed.
“This was going to be for your birthday, but I think you need something new for your trip to the moving pictures. I think you’ll like it.”
One look at the dress and I threw my arms around Jane. “It’s beautiful, Mama! I’ve never seen anything so pretty before.”
I held the dress in front of myself. It had an empire waist, or did they call it an A-line? It was a light blue dress with a few contrasting darker blue lace inserts in the skirt and on the bodice. There was a blue ribbon at the high waistline that tied in the back. It was simple and yet it wasn’t. It was somewhat form-fitting, and the sleeves were elbow length. The neckline wasn’t high and prim as so many of the dresses were. It had no collar and swept just below my neck.
“Wherever did you find this pattern?” I asked.
“Oh, Carrie, you know I never use patterns. I saw something similar in a magazine and decided it looked just right for you.” She was blushing. “You need to add something new to your wardrobe, and this is it. Now you get dressed before your beau gets here.”
She left the room and I struggled to put the dress on. I don’t know how women ever got used to so many buttons on dresses. They ran all the way down the side of the dress.
Elsbeth had heard the ruckus and came in to help me. With the last button done, she stepped back and whistled. “Aren’t you the one? Nathaniel will fall all over himself when he sees you.”
She wore a beautiful ecru dress, with subdued lace over the skirt and bodice. We made quite a pair, I had to admit.
“We’ll be the belles of the ball at the movies,” Elsbeth said. “We’ll make the boys proud to be seen with us.”
I laughed. “We could probably go in our bathrobes and they’d still be proud of us.”
“Let’s go sit out on the porch.” My aunt turned and left the room.
I followed her down the stairs, watching her take careful and painful steps.
Mama came out carrying a tray with tea cups and saucers, along with a tea pot. “I thought the three of us mi
ght have some refreshments and talk for a while.”
“Suits me, Mama.” Elsbeth patted the seat of the chair next to her and Mama sat down.
“You pour.” She glanced at her elder daughter. “We’ll relax and act like we’re part of the upper crust of society.” She laughed at herself.
We sat and drank our tea, but we didn’t talk. It was a peaceful quiet, until Elsbeth waved at a young woman who was walking toward us.
Mama stood and waved before quietly saying, “I’ve got some things to do in the house. We’ll talk later.”
Elsbeth also spoke softly. “That’s Miss Marie Schotz, the biggest gossip in town. She’s kind of a friend of Original Elsbeth’s, and I can’t stand her.”
Marie climbed the stairs, fanning herself with her hat. “Warm today.”
“Mornin’, Marie.” Elsbeth waved her hand at the recently vacated chair. “Sit down and have some tea. I’ll go get a clean cup.”
“Why, thank you. Don’t mind if I do.” She took a long look at Elsbeth and me. “You two are mighty dressed up today. What for?”
“We’re going to the moving pictures with Daniel and Nathaniel,” I replied. “We decided to dress up for the occasion.”
“Well, la de da. Aren’t you two something?” Marie sat back and looked like she was in for the duration. “They must be taking you to the new Palace Theater in Vancouver.”
I nodded.
Elsbeth rolled her eyes when she passed me and hobbled into the house. I wondered if she’d take her time or hurry back. I hoped it was the latter.
“Say, Carrie, Elsbeth told me someone was following her, or watching her, or something like that. Is she still having problems?”
I didn’t trust this woman. “I don’t know anything about that. You say Elsbeth told you the story?”
“Uh, she didn’t really tell me. I overheard her talking to Mavis Harper and it concerned me.”
Something about the way she emphasized the word “concerned” made me feel she was simply looking for more of the story and some good gossip.
“Like I said, I don’t know anything about that. You’ll have to ask my sister if you want more details.”
“Why is Elsbeth limping this morning?” Marie had a way of sounding nosey with the simplest of statements or questions. I was able to pick up on that right away.
“Oh, she tripped and bruised her ankle. She’s fine.”
Elsbeth returned bearing a cup and saucer, and Marie stopped talking. She looked embarrassed. I thought maybe she realized she was crossing a line with her questions.
My aunt poured her a cup of tea, which she drank quickly. “Gosh, I’d better be going. I have to help my mother with some…” Her voice trailed off as she stood to leave. “Have fun at the moving pictures. Tell me all about it later.”
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but she practically ran out to the street, never looking back.
“What was that all about?” my aunt asked.
“You tell me. She said she overheard you telling someone named Mavis Harper that you thought someone was following you.”
“Mavis? She’s Elsbeth’s closest friend. I never told her that, and this tells me that Original Elsbeth knew something was going on.”
“Interesting.” I sipped my tea. “I think I’d better have a chat with Mavis.”
“Good idea. Maybe Original Elsbeth told her more and it wasn’t just a feeling she had.”
I smiled at my aunt. “We’ll look her up tomorrow.”
Papa walked around the side of the house. “Mama said I needed to see how pretty our girls are.”
We stood and did a curtsy.
He smiled. “Your mama is right. My daughters are the prettiest girls in town.”
“Oh, Papa.” It was Elsbeth’s turn to look embarrassed.
He smiled and walked away whistling.
“Papa never gives compliments lightly.” My aunt smiled from ear to ear. There was a small dimple on the left side of her mouth that I’d never noticed before. Or maybe I’d just grown used to it.
“He reminds me a little of my real father. He doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean.” My father has always been a man of few words, but when he spoke, we all listened.
“Uh huh. So back to what we were talking about, Elsbeth’s best friend knows something. I guess I should call her my best friend. I haven’t seen much of her since I traveled back again. I hope she’s not upset with me.”
“She surely knows you’re engaged to Daniel and that you spend most of your time with him. Does she have a boyfriend?”
“Not that I know of. She takes care of a sickly mother and doesn’t have much time to herself anymore. I think she might be a little jealous of Original Elsbeth, or me, depending on your point of view.”
Chapter Twenty-one
We heard the Tin Lizzy before we saw it. The rutted road made the car sound like it was ready to fall apart. It looked to be a very noisy ride into Vancouver.
The boys showed up and they were dressed to the nines. I wondered if that was an expression from 1909 or a later era, not that it mattered.
They both wore brown suits – Daniel’s was a shade lighter than Nathaniel’s – and vests. The jackets were longer than the ones from my day. Obviously, the cut of the suit was old-fashioned, at least to me.
Daniel wore a bowler hat. Nathaniel looked like he’d slicked his hair back, but on the ride to our house it had been blown out of place. He pulled a comb out of his pocket and took care of the issue. Their mustaches looked like they’d used just a touch of mustache wax. All in all, they looked decidedly dapper.
Elsbeth and I stood up to show off our dresses, and I saw two sets of male eyes light up. Apparently we were a hit.
Mama and Papa walked out onto the porch to see us off.
Mama handed Elsbeth and me parasols. “I meant to give these to you earlier, but I had other things on my mind. I figured these would be better than hats that might get blown off in that contraption you’ll be traveling in.”
Both of them were lacey and neutral colors that would go well with our dresses.
Elsbeth gave Mama a hug. I followed suit and gave her a hug, too.
Papa’s eyebrows shot up when he saw me hugging his wife. One more thing that old Carrie apparently didn’t do often.
Mama walked forward to greet the McGee men. “You’ll keep my girls safe today.” It was said with conviction and sounded like an order.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Daniel tipped his hat to her.
“They’re in safe hands with us,” Nathaniel said.
I was pretty sure he was right.
“Ladies?” Nathaniel took hold of my hand and helped me into the back seat.
Daniel did the same for Elsbeth, helping her into the front.
All eyes were on us as we drove through town. We were dressed up, in a Model T Ford, and headed out of town. It seemed to be a big deal. It was a big deal to me, and certainly unlike any date I’d ever been on before, in my own time.
It was a long trip to Vancouver and the car was loud as we traveled over rutted roads. The street finally smoothed out and we were able to talk to each other.
“Has anything else happened?” Daniel asked.
Elsbeth glanced at me before speaking. “A man telephoned the house. When he realized he was talking to Carrie instead of Mama, he hung up. From the way Carrie described his voice, I have a feeling it was Eugene Hoover.”
Nathaniel took hold of my hand and gently squeezed it. “Anything else?”
“Yes,” I replied. “Marie Schotz dropped in for a visit. She said she overheard Elsbeth talking about feeling like she was being followed. The thing is, we believe it was Original Elsbeth she overheard.”
“That means something was up before your aunt traded places with her. Well, that’s obvious since she was shoved down the stairs.” Nathaniel looked off, across the fields we were passing. “Do you know who she overheard Elsbeth talking to?”
“Mavis Harper.” My
aunt had turned around in her seat. She didn’t seem to want to miss anything we said. “Frankly, I’m surprised Marie hasn’t started rumors all over town.”
Daniel gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Maybe she has. Maybe that’s why some of the town’s hooligans have been passing by your house so often. According to Mother Possum, she sees them walking by almost every day.”
“Why don’t we take a break from what’s been happening? Let’s go to the movies and forget about problems for the day.” I was really looking forward to our outing.
Nathaniel nodded, but I could see by his face that he wasn’t going to let it go, even for a second. He might not say anything, but he’d be thinking about all of the possibilities.
We were about halfway to Vancouver when he casually reached behind me and put his arm around my shoulders. I grinned at him and the look on his face made me feel like we’d known each other for a very long time, not just a few days.
We hit potholes a few times and I thought we were goners, but Daniel managed to keep a tight grip on the wheel and kept us on the road and away from the forest along the road. Elsbeth hung on for dear life with one hand and lovingly gave Daniel a touch on the cheek with her other hand.
After what felt like the longest trip of my life, we stopped at a hotel for lunch. There was no comparison between the fast food of my time and the home-cooked type meal in the restaurant. Unfortunately, I knocked over my coffee and made a mess. For just a moment, Nathaniel turned in his chair and acted like he didn’t know me.
I lightly punched his arm and he turned back, laughing.
After taking in the town on our drive, I commented on how different Vancouver was in 1909 compared to my time.
On to the movies and it cost us ten cents each to see six silent films, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream which was the main feature, lasting a little over ten minutes. The other films were shorter. A drama, The Golden Louis, was quite interesting for its time and involved a little girl who had to beg for money on the snowy streets.
We left the theater and I turned to Nathaniel. “Well? What did you think? Are moving pictures up to your expectations?”