Chapter 16
“I KNOW WE SHOULD probably go to bed after such an eventful day,” Addy said, “but I’m not even sleepy. I’m just... overwhelmed! I feel like I’m in a dream!”
“It has been quite a day.”
“You hauled all that food across town,” she said, laughing, “but the neighbors in the tenement were so grateful, weren’t they?”
“Maybe we should make it a yearly event.”
“I like that idea. Your mother and Mrs. Gleason are amazing. Wait until we tell them about all the people they fed today!”
Howard gestured to the paper-strewn floor and smiled. “Hey, you didn’t finish opening your present from me.”
Addy knelt and unwound the string clasp. Inside the file were what looked like legal documents. “What is all this?”
Howard reached to help her to her feet. “We’ll have to take a little walk for me to show you. Would you mind a short walk? Or would you rather wait until morning?”
She saw his expression of joy and anticipation, and laughed. “There is no chance at all that I’m waiting!” He helped her with her coat and they stepped out into the dark night. A light snow was falling, but they wrapped the new scarves from Mrs. Gleason around their necks to keep warm. They walked for about two blocks, holding onto each other to keep from slipping in the fresh snow, then turned down a pleasant street lined with stores—a grocery, a fruit market, a cobbler’s shop. They were closed for the night, but lights glowed in the apartments above the store fronts. A large stone house sat alone at the end of the block, the windows dark. A For Sale sign hung in the front window. Howard stopped in front of it.
“The file I gave you contains all the paperwork necessary to purchase this house for your girls’ school.”
“W-what?” She stared at him in disbelief, then up at the darkened building. It seemed out of place among the newer storefronts on the street, as if dropped out of heaven, just for her. It didn’t seem to be in disrepair, and was a good size—asolid, two-story stone house that could accommodate classrooms and maybe even a dormitory. It was exactly the way she had pictured her dream school, and her mind raced with all the possibilities it offered.
“Oh, Howard! It’s beautiful!”
“I’m glad you like it. I was able to negotiate a good price from the sellers, especially after they learned why you wanted it. All you need to do is tour the house, and if you think it will suit, you can sign the papers. It will be yours.”
Addy turned to look up at him. “But... but how? Does this mean you agree to spend our inheritance to buy it?”
Howard nodded. “I learned a little bit about faith and hope these past few weeks. You were right, Addy, about trusting God for our future. We should do all the good we can right now instead of hoarding our money.”
She closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. “Now I’m certain I’m dreaming!”
“I should also add that you won’t have to spend all your inheritance on the school,” he said when they parted again. “The wives of three of the partners in my firm—who happen to support women’s suffrage—also love your idea and want to help create an endowment to fund it. Some of the paperwork I gave you will register it as a nonprofit organization. I think you can probably persuade the Stanhope Foundation to contribute, as well.”
“You did all this for me?”
“Your school is a wonderful idea, Addy. I want to support you any way I can. And since arranging legal paperwork is what I do...”
“It’s a wonderful gift, Howard. It’s perfect!” She couldn’t stop staring at the darkened building, imagining it full of light and bursting with young women who longed to improve their lives.
“I didn’t think you’d want a sapphire necklace or a diamond ring.”
Addy smiled. “You know me very well.”
“I’d hoped we could tour the house today—I have a key—but it will have to wait until daylight.”
“All right. We’d better go home now, before my tears freeze to my face,” she said, wiping them.
Howard held her close to his side again as they started walking. The gentle snow continued to fall, turning the dark streets white. “This has been the most unusual Christmas Day I’ve ever had,” he said.
“For me, too. Yet this is what Christmas is truly about, isn’t it? Loving our neighbor. Spreading God’s love to others. And bringing the lost ones home.”
“Well said, darling Addy. Merry Christmas.”
“It’s the merriest Christmas ever!”