Page 14 of Hank and Elsie
Dr. Angus looked at Pa. “Ye might want to consider whether ye want to be indebted to the mercantile or not.”
Pa broke into an unexpected grin, showing his missing tooth.
That smile made Elsie relax.
“Would rather not be indebted to anyone,” Pa told the doctor. “But I can’t be putting my problems on your shoulders.” He turned back to Mrs. Cobb, the hard expression once again on his face. “We’ll take the credit. We’ll bring eggs whenever we come to town. After the harvest, I’ll make good on what’s still owed.”
The shopkeeper harrumphed. “Very well.” Ignoring the Baileys and Miss Taylor, she glanced at Dr. Angus and bestowed an ingratiating smile upon him. “Dr. Cameron, I’d heard you’d arrived in town. Please allow me to bid you welcome. Can I help you find something?”
He didn’t return the smile. “Nae, Mrs. Cobb, ye canna. I came in to see the store—’tis a fine establishment—and now that I’ve done so, I’ll be about my business.” He gave them all a little bow, turned, and left.
Miss Taylor smiled at the Baileys. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Mr. Bailey nodded.
With an unhurried pace, Miss Taylor sedately crossed to the door.
Elsie couldn’t help but admire her graceful walk and imagined following in her ladylike footsteps.I must practice.
She exhaled a long breath.I have so much to learn.
Suddenly anxious, Elsie glanced at her parents, knowing she didn’t want to return home because of her own ineptness.Please, may Miss Taylor have patience with me.
After a quick stopfor the Baileys to check out the shop, which awed Elsie’s family to silence, they trooped upstairs to view the living quarters. On the third floor, several narrow windows let light into the hallway, showing high carved doors. Miss Taylor pulled out a key and indicated the door on the left.
After inserting her key into the lock, Miss Taylor turned around and made a helpless gesture toward the interior. “You’ll have to excuse the condition of my suite. I wasn’t expecting visitors, and I’ve been working flat out to prepare for the store’s opening. Then this first week, I sold so much of my readymade garments, I’ve been sewing nonstop to fashion more inventory.”
Ma gave Miss Taylor an understanding smile. “You must be exhausted. I can see why you need our Elsie.”
Miss Taylor let out a slow breath. “As soon as I rented these rooms, I sent for my furniture and other possessions from back home. But I haven’t even had time to uncrate most of them. Although, Pepe Sanchez from the livery stable did help uncrate and put together the beds. His wife, Lucia, was kind enough to iron the sheets.” She gave Elsie a wry smile. “So, at least, you have a bed, even if right now it’s covered with fabric and partial gowns.” She pushed open the door and gestured for them all to go inside.
Elsie let Ma and Pa go first, of course. But she followed so closely, she almost trod on the hem of her mother’s dress. Ricky and Mary trailed after.
The large crates in the living room couldn’t hide the elegance of the space—the paneled half-walls with narrow-striped wallpaper, the kitchen with a small stove, counters, and best of all—an indoor sink.Elsie couldn’t help letting out an “oh” of happiness.No more hauling buckets of water from the well.
The windows were three times as big as the small ones her father had installed with such pride at their house. The shiny white radiator meant no carrying in wood or buckets of coal for heat—not that her family could afford coal very often. Elsie wanted to clasp her hands together and twirl with joy. But she restrained herself to twisting her hands in her skirt to hide them and making little dancing motions with her fingers.
“My room is there.” Miss Taylor waved toward a closed door but didn’t invite them to look inside. She walked to an open door on the other side near them. “This is currently a workroom but now will be Elsie’s.”
Ma, Elsie, and Mary followed Miss Taylor into the workspace. This room, too, held crates, stacked haphazardly around. Several half-made garments and a few bolts of fabric lay on the narrow Jenny Lind style bed. A rectangular, flower-embroidered pillow must be stuffed with lavender, for the scent wafted through the air. A small table and chair was tucked underneath the partially-opened window, with a decorative box and a stack of fabric on top.
Mary, who’d been looking around with wide-eyed silence, pointed at the bed. “Elsie and I share a pallet on the floor of the main room of our house, with Ricky sleeping on his next to us. In the morning, we roll them up to push the furniture back in place. I’ll bet Elsie will be happy to sleep in arealbed byherself.”
Ma sent Mary a reproving look, which her sister pretended not to see.
Elsie suppressed a smile. She was the one who usually drew Ma’s ire from her constant daydreaming. She couldn’t help butwonder how her sister would fare being the only daughter under Ma’s strict eyes. She glanced at the bed, imagining herself curled up to sleep. Truth was, her sister had stated exactly the same thing she was thinking about the luxury of having a real bed—one she didn’t have to share.
She walked toward the sewing machine, dodging around several crates, to touch the wheel.Maybe Miss Taylor would let me use this sometimes.She started imagining the dresses she’d fashion.
Pa, lingering in the doorway with Ricky, cleared his throat. “I ‘spose we could spare a little time before we leave town. Miss Taylor, Ricky and I can uncrate the boxes for you? Put the furniture together?” He glanced around. “That is, if you have tools?”
“A hammer and a screwdriver. Mr. Gordon lent me his crowbar.” Miss Taylor waved toward the corner where the tools were propped against the wall.
Pa brushed his hands together and glanced at Ma. “Why don’t you and the girls help with putting everything in order?”
Miss Taylor clasped her hands together. “That would be tremendously kind of you and take a load off my mind.”
Elsie’s chest swelled with pride. She wouldn’t have thought her poor family had anything to offer someone as well-off as Miss Taylor.
