Chapter 3 #2
“It just goes to show how trustworthy Miss Evans believes you to be that she would let you in on our secret.” Noreen nudged Luella with her shoulder, then retrieved the soaking flatware from the bottom of the sink and dropped it into the basin of rinse water.
The girl beamed at the compliment. “I wish I could be a spinster, too. I asked Miss Evans if I could join the society, but she said I was too young.” Luella’s face fell.
“Miss Lockwood’s rules state a woman has to be twenty-four before she can be considered for membership.
That’s so old! I’ll have to wait nearly a decade! ”
Noreen stifled a wince at the old comment and chose not to take offense.
To a fifteen-year-old girl, nine years surely felt like an eternity.
It was more than half her life, after all.
Noreen dried her hands on her apron and reached for a second dish towel.
“I guess we’ll just have to dub you a spinster-in-training. ”
Luella’s smile returned in full force. “Do you mean it?”
Noreen chuckled. “Of course. Though we can’t let the other spinsters know. Wouldn’t want them to think we were breaking the rules.”
“I won’t say a word. I swear!”
“I suppose we can let Miss Evans in on the secret since she already told you about the society. And possibly our friend Miss Cowan.” Jane might balk at the rule bending, but she had such a heart for children that Noreen couldn’t imagine her protesting Luella’s inclusion once she understood what a difference their mentorship could make in the young girl’s life.
Luella launched a hug attack, grabbing Noreen around the waist and squeezing tightly. “You’re the best!”
Not quite sure how to handle this unexpected burst of affection, Noreen held her arms wide for a moment before allowing them to curl slightly around Lu’s back. It had been a long time since someone had hugged her, and it caused a strange burning at the backs of her eyes.
Then, in a blink, it was over. Luella pulled away and started bouncing again, as if her joy didn’t know how to sit still.
In contrast, Noreen could barely move, too unaccustomed to affectionate displays to navigate the treacherous territory with any kind of confidence.
She cleared her throat and busied herself with drying flatware.
“Which famous spinster did you get?” Luella asked as she shifted her towel around to find a dry spot.
Noreen managed a smile. “Frances Willard. She’s the president of the WCTU.”
“I don’t remember that one.” Luella’s eyebrows arched as she reached for a group of spoons. “What’s WCTU?”
“The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union.
” Noreen scrunched the bib of her apron to one side so that Luella could see the small white bow she wore pinned to her bodice.
“Members wear a white bow of purity, like this one, and dedicate themselves to promoting the prohibition of intoxicating liquors. Miss Willard founded a state organization in Texas as well and even helped us bring a prohibition referendum to the polls in 1887. Unfortunately, it failed to pass.” A scowl tugged Noreen’s mouth flat.
“If women had been allowed to vote, I suspect the outcome would have been much different.”
Not wanting to dwell on unpleasant thoughts when they had such little time to talk openly, Noreen forced a brightness into her tone and turned the conversation around to Luella.
“If you were able to pick one of the reports you helped research as your spinster inspiration, who would you have chosen?”
“That’s easy. Clara Barton.” Luella’s hands stilled, and her voice grew wistful.
“The Angel of the Battlefield. Her whole life is about helping people, especially those who are unable to help themselves.” Luella shook off the dreaminess and shot a grin toward Noreen.
“Did you know that she was named head nurse for General Butler’s unit in the War Between the States even though she had no formal medical training?
That’s how big of an impact she made by taking care of wounded soldiers.
Then she convinced President Hayes to create the American Association of the Red Cross and has been the president of the organization ever since.
I want to be a nurse like Miss Barton. Helping folks heal, making their lives better. ”
Giving others what she needed so badly for herself.
Noreen placed a hand on the young girl’s shoulder.
“I have no doubt you’ll be the finest nurse in Texas one day.
” If she ever escaped her father’s confining hold.
Noreen would need to talk to Martha about putting together some kind of scholarship fund to help Luella continue her studies beyond the secondary classroom.
Luella smiled, but shadows lingered in her eyes, the curse of a child who understood that reality rarely lived up to one’s dreams. “Did you know that Clara Barton actually came to our town once? After those three years of drought in the ’80s.
Mama said Miss Barton set up her headquarters in Albany as she toured the surrounding counties and brought clothing, household goods, and tools to the farmers’ families who’d been devastated by lost crops.
Mama said only a woman would think to bring things for the families.
All the men thought about was the seed they needed to replant.
I was only eight and don’t remember much about it, but I still have the shoes I got from the Red Cross that year.
They’re plumb wore out, but Mama told me to keep them so I could remember the woman who brought hope to a land that had none. ”
A woman who brought hope. That’s who Noreen wanted to be as well.
A woman who made the world a better place.
But even Frances Willard had failed to get her prohibition referendum passed in Texas because men alone held the right to vote.
Yes, rallying the spinsters would make it more difficult for the town council to ignore the plight of those negatively impacted by drunkenness.
But that might not be enough. She might need another ally.
One well-liked and respected around town.
One who appreciated the value of sobriety. One capable of growing facial hair.
Jane’s father occasionally assisted the cause by preaching a sermon on the dangers of overindulgence, but his concern centered on the spiritual needs of his flock, not on promoting a political agenda many considered divisive.
And Noreen didn’t want to risk a rift developing between herself and Jane by pestering the parson too often.
That left only one trouser-wearing candidate on Noreen’s list of possible advocates—Deputy James Paxton.