Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
CHRISTMAS DAY, DECEMBER 25
Howard awoke to the sound of church bells ringing in the distance, all over the city, announcing Christmas Day. He sat up and looked at the time, surprised to see that it was nearly eight o’clock.
“What’s wrong?” Addy asked when he tossed back the covers and climbed out of bed.
“I overslept. We’ll have to hurry if we want to have time to eat breakfast, open presents, get dressed, and get to my parents’ house for the Christmas Day church service, then dinner. I’m surprised the children aren’t up, clamoring to open their presents. My brothers and I could hardly wait for sunrise to wake Mom and Dad.”
“Polly and Jack probably never had any Christmas presents to open, before.”
“Maybe not,” he said as he put on his robe. “I’m guessing that if they’re awake, they’re already looking out the front window and watching for their father, not looking at their presents.”
Addy rose as well and put on her dressing gown. Howard loved the way she looked in the morning with her hair in a long braid, messy from the night’s sleep. He forgot about everything else and took her in his arms, holding her close, kissing her. “I love waking up to you every morning, beautiful lady.”
“Merry Christmas, darling. Our first one together.”
“Yes. Merry Christmas.” He wanted to linger and hold her longer, but the clamoring church bells prodded him forward. “Well, if the children aren’t awake by now, those bells will do the trick. I’ll go down and stoke the fires.”
He descended the stairs and peered into the parlor. The chair Howard had placed beside the window was vacant, the packages beneath the tree unopened. He went down to the kitchen and took a moment to stoke the kitchen stove so they could make tea, then peeked into the children’s bedroom.
They were gone!
Howard’s heart thumped against his ribs. The bed had been neatly made. The hooks where they hung their coats were empty. He checked the back door and found it unlocked. He yanked open the door and looked all around the backyard, but there was no sign of the children. He raced up to the front hallway again, startling Addy who was just coming down the stairs. “What’s wrong?”
He pulled open the front door, hoping to see them huddled on the steps, watching and waiting, but they weren’t there. He closed the door again and leaned against it. “They’re gone, Addy. Polly and Jack are gone!”
“Gone? Where? They don’t have any place to go!”
“I know.” Howard ran his fingers through his hair, wishing he had done more to reassure them that they would be taken care of if their father didn’t return. He should have let them know that they wouldn’t be separated or sent back to the orphanage. Now it was too late.
“It’s freezing outside, Howard. And they’re so little! Should we notify the police?”
“I doubt they’ll be concerned about two penniless orphans since there are hundreds more of them in orphanages and living in the streets. Especially if they learn that Jack has run away before.”
“Let’s get dressed. We have to search for them, Howard. I don’t care how cold it is or how long it takes.”
“I agree. They’re walking, so they couldn’t have gone far. Surely someone will have noticed two small children all by themselves. Come on.” He headed for the stairs, wanting to take them two at a time, then halted midway. “Addy, the tenement! I’ll bet they’re heading back to the tenement!”
“How would they get all the way there? It’s much too far to walk.”
“I should have known,” he said, slapping his forehead. “Jack was paying very close attention when we went there last Saturday. He asked all kinds of questions about riding the trolley. I should have guessed!”
“The missing money was probably for trolley fare!”
“Yes, and the missing food. He must have been planning this for some time.”
“Let’s hurry,” she said, prodding him the rest of the way upstairs. She was already loosening her braid to brush out her hair. “I can’t bear thinking of them all on their own in this huge city. And in such cold temperatures.”
“I’ll head straight to the tenement to look for them. You wait here in case—”
“I’m not waiting here. We’ll search for them together.”
“Listen, Addy...” He wanted to wrap her in blankets, and make her stay home where she’d be safe and warm. It was hard for him not to insist. But Addy was her own person, a woman he loved and respected. She had a right to make up her own mind. “All right. I’ll run out and hire a carriage, then come back for you.”
The drive to the tenement seemed endless, even though there was very little traffic on Christmas morning. It was cold enough inside the carriage to see their breath, and Howard was glad Addy had thought to bring a blanket. When he had told the driver where he wanted to go, the man had looked surprised. “Are you sure you want to go there? On Christmas Day?”
“Yes, and if you could wait a moment while we run inside, you can bring us back here again, afterward.”
What would he do if the children weren’t there?
Howard would think about that later.
Only a handful of kids were playing in the street in front of the tenement. None of them was Polly or Jack. Smoke curled from every chimney on the dingy block of tenements, settling low in the frigid air. Soot turned the white snow gray. Howard hurried inside the building with Addy right behind him. “Jack?” he shouted. “Jack, are you here?” An apartment door on the ground floor opened and a man peered out. Howard sprinted up the stairs, mindful of the broken step, holding his breath.
And there they were.
Polly and Jack sat huddled on the floor in the drafty hallway outside their old apartment. Howard couldn’t speak, relieved and angry at the same time. Addy brushed past him and knelt to encircle Polly with her arms.
“We were so worried about you!” She cupped Polly’s hands in her own to warm them. Her little fingers were curled around the figure of baby Jesus. “You’re so cold!” Addy said.
Howard fought to control his temper, which had been stoked hotter from worry. “Jack! What were you thinking? You brought your sister all this way by yourself? What if you’d gotten lost? Anything could have happened—including freezing to death!”
Jack crossed his arms and lifted his chin. “We’re waiting for Papa.”
A few more doors opened. Howard held up his hands to reassure the curious neighbors that all was well before turning back to Jack. “Look, everyone promised to tell your papa where you were. They have copies of my address. So does the building superintendent.” The boy didn’t reply. Howard noticed his bulging pockets and guessed they were stuffed with the missing food. Jack had planned thoroughly.
“Please, come home with us, Jack,” Addy said. “It’s Christmas. You haven’t opened your presents.”
He shook his head. “Papa is coming home today. He promised! Polly and I need to wait here for him.”
Howard offered Jack his hand. “Come on. It’s cold in this hallway. We have a carriage waiting. Your father will find us at the town house.”
Jack’s arms stayed tightly folded across his chest. “Polly and me ain’t leaving.”
Addy stood and tried to lift Polly in her arms, but she hunched down and snuggled closer to her brother, clinging to him. “Now what?” Addy asked.
“I don’t know. We can’t force them to come with us but we can’t leave them here all alone, either. I suppose we could wait with them, but my parents are expecting us for Christmas dinner.”
“I agree we should wait with them. Can we get a message to your parents, somehow?”
“We would have to go there and tell them what happened. Let them know we aren’t coming.”
“I’ll stay here while you go.”
“I don’t want to leave you here all alone, Addy.” And yet he didn’t want her to travel to the parsonage by herself, either.
“I’ll be fine.”
It would be no use arguing with her. Of the two choices, she would be safer—and slightly warmer—staying here. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.” He brought her the blanket from the carriage before leaving.
The traffic was heavier now, with people coming and going to church on Christmas Day. Howard made it to the parsonage just as the morning service was letting out. His mother looked relieved to see him. “What happened?” she asked, raising her voice to be heard above the clanging church bells. “We were worried when we didn’t see you in church.”
Howard quickly explained the situation. “I came to tell you we won’t be here for dinner. I need to get back. I left Addy and the children all alone. I have a carriage waiting.”
“Well, ask the driver to wait ten more minutes. You aren’t leaving here empty-handed. I made enough food for an army.”
Howard smiled. “You always do.”
“Take the ham and the rolls and the pies. And the parishioners have given us all sorts of gifts, too—cakes and cookies and fruit baskets. You can share them with the other families in the tenement.” She was grabbing boxes and baskets and tins as she spoke, pointing for Howard to help her pack what looked like a great quantity of food. He began feeling anxious as he thought about leaving Addy all alone, but he could see that his mother was right. If he and Addy were going to wait at the tenement with the children all day, they may as well share the bounty of food with whoever was hungry. He made several trips, carrying everything to the waiting carriage.
“I wonder if they could use some clothing, too?” she asked after Howard had carried the final load. “The charity bin is full. Take it. There are some winter coats in there, too, I think.”
He would pass near his town house on the way back, so Howard asked the driver to stop there. He quickly packed up all the food, cookies, and pies Mrs. Gleason had prepared for them for the next few days. He grabbed plates and utensils so Addy and the children could have a picnic, then headed to the tenement. The aroma of glazed ham and apple pie filled the carriage as the horses clopped through the streets.
“How much do I owe you for going to all this extra trouble for me?” he asked the driver when they arrived. “And on Christmas Day, no less.”
“Just give me what we agreed on.”
“But—”
“I see what you’re doing, helping these poor people, and I think it’s a fine idea. Merry Christmas.” He even helped Howard carry everything inside.
Addy decided she may as well sit down while she waited for Howard to return. The splintery floor was filthy, and she saw spiderwebs and dead insects in the corners, but she steeled herself and sat down anyway, leaning her back against the wall like Jack was doing. She pulled Polly onto her lap. Addy wished she knew what to say to Jack. There was no point in chastising him for running away. He’d shown no remorse when Howard had scolded him. She didn’t want to offer false hope that his father would be arriving any minute, but it didn’t seem right to try to prepare him for disappointment, either. So, Addy simply sat in the dim hallway with the children and said nothing.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when the door across the hall opened and a curious neighbor peered out—amiddle-aged woman with tired eyes and a faded kerchief on her head. She looked at Addy, then went back inside to drag out a chair for her. Two girls in their teens followed shyly.
“You like to sit?” the mother asked in accented English.
Addy accepted her kind offer. “Yes, thank you.” The woman didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, so Addy asked, “Did you know the family who used to live here?”
She nodded. “Krystyna. She Polski, like me.”
“It was sad when she died,” the older girl added in a soft voice.
“Did you know the children’s father? He’s supposed to be returning.” The three shook their heads.
The two daughters spoke better English than their mother did, and Addy learned that all three of them worked in a garment factory and hadn’t been home the day the authorities took Jack away. They had known Krystyna Thomas, who had emigrated from Poland like them, but knew nothing about Mr. Thomas except that he worked on a steamship. The two young sisters, Marta and Monika, were lovely girls, and Addy wished she could help them find better jobs, as she had helped Susannah. They deserved a better future than working long hours for low wages. But Addy’s dream of starting a school for young women seemed a long way off.
More and more people began to gather in the hallway, talking with Addy and with each other, often in broken English, as they enjoyed Christmas Day off from work. Addy met a few more women who had known Jack’s mother, and a man who had known his father.
At last, Howard strode through the tenement door with the carriage driver, their arms loaded down with baskets and boxes. Howard wore a broad grin on his face.
“What’s all this?” Addy asked as he climbed the stairs.
“It’s a Christmas feast! Is there someplace we can set it down?” Marta dashed inside her apartment and returned with a small table. “Thanks. But we’re going to need a few more tables like that one!” He gestured to some of the children. “Can you give me a hand? Believe me, it will be worth your while.”
“Howard, what is all this?” Addy asked again as he hauled another load up the stairs.
“Christmas dinner, darling. Between my mother and Mrs. Gleason, there’s enough to feed an army. Knock on all the doors and invite everyone in the building to come and eat.”
The aroma of ham and fresh rolls began to fill the hallway. More tables appeared, along with a few chairs for some of the elderly tenants. Mr. Pawloski came up from the basement, and even the elderly Russian woman who lived in Jack’s old apartment joined them with her family. Addy couldn’t believe the amount of food Howard had brought, including a ham dinner from his mother and a roasted turkey from Mrs. Gleason. There was a variety of bread and buns, potato dishes and vegetables, cakes, pies, cookies, and three fruit baskets. People brought out their own plates andutensils and dug into the feast. It reminded Addy of Christ’s miracle of the loaves and fishes with enough food for all the neighbors to eat their fill.
“I helped make these cookies,” Jack bragged to some of the other boys. He was no longer on the floor, and seemed to be enjoying himself, laughing and racing around the hallways and stairs with the other boys. Polly played on the floor with two toddlers, showing them the wooden baby Jesus.
When the food was nearly gone, Howard opened several boxes of used clothing and shoes. “Merry Christmas, everyone! Take whatever you need.” Marta found a pretty shirtwaist, and Monika a skirt. Judging by everyone’s delight, Howard might have brought them the latest fashions from Paris. As the afternoon wore on, someone started singing Christmas carols, and everyone who knew the words joined in. Addy had attended many sumptuous Christmas balls, and feasted on elaborate Christmas dinners, but she couldn’t recall a Christmas celebration more satisfying than this one.
By nightfall, no food remained. “Please, take everything but the pots and bowls,” Howard urged, and they did, until not a crumb or a ham bone or a turkey bone remained. The unlit hallway grew dark after the sun set, and the warmth faded once all the people went back inside. Only Howard, Addy, and the children remained. Howard looked at his pocket watch, then gently took Jack by the shoulders and made him face him. “Listen, the carriage driver has been very generous to us today. He agreed to come back and bring us home to the town house, and he’ll be here any minute. We need to go, now. All of us. These neighbors are our friends. They’ll help your father find us.”
Addy held her breath, wondering what Jack would do. She was relieved when he left without an argument, but his head hung very low.