Parlor Games Read Online Free PDF Page B

sympathy and scorn welled up in me—such coarse, bedraggled creatures lodged in this neighborhood, the likes of which never frequented the Boston Store. It seemed Chicago had many sides: the prosperous business-and-shopping district populated by the wealthy and successful; the outlying areas with their factories and poor foreign workers; and the sinful Levee District.
    To which did I belong, with my undersized bustle and shoes as wrinkled as an old fisherman’s face? A most unsettling notion swept over me: Was it possible the cultured gentlemen I’d been trying to attract took me for a fraud?
    I hurried back to my room, brushed off my clothes, and cleansed my face and hands of any coal dust or dirt that might have settled on me. Standing before the flaking mirror over my washing bowl,I studied myself. Mine was not an unpleasant face, a near-perfect oval, with a dainty set of lips and soft-sloped nose. Perhaps my clothes were not up-to-the-minute, but I had other gifts. I would not succumb to the self-abasement of a haggard factory worker or low-class prostitute. Even if I did not yet measure up to the city’s modern styles, I could comport myself with the pride of a patrician, as if I’d chosen to conceal my wealth for reasons of safety and discretion.
    Still, I worried I had miscalculated: All the care I took combing and fashioning my thick chestnut hair and the forethought I put into selecting just the right restaurants could not overcome the dated design of my dresses or my lack of acquaintance with Chicago’s high society. My future depended on the success of my plan, and it appeared to be failing. Furthermore, I couldn’t manage indefinitely on Robby’s allowance, especially in view of his first correspondence to me.
July 8, 1887
My dearest May ,
I was so relieved to receive your letter. I’ve been anxious about your condition, and I’m miserable without you. You mustn’t ever let so much time pass without writing. You know I worry about you down there in Chicago. And I don’t want to hear any of your “I can take care of myself” nonsense. It’s a big city, and you’ve never been to such a place before. You must be careful about who you trust .
I’m sending your allowance and a little extra money for a class. I consider it an investment in our future .
You won’t like this, but I’ve decided we must keep this baby. Look at how my poor Uncle James lost his wife and child to the influenza. A baby is a precious thing, and I simply won’t allow you to hand ours over like a sack of potatoes .
I propose that I settle my affairs here, persuade Father to loan me the money to start my furniture business, and then come and fetch you in Chicago. We’ll get married right away. We can move to Green Bay. Or Milwaukee if you prefer. I’ve thought it all through. The baby will be born in our new home. Nobody there or in Menominee will ever know how much time has lapsed between our wedding date and baby’s arrival. And we won’t be far from Menominee, so you’ll be able to visit your mother whenever you wish .
I anxiously await your response ,
Your loving husband to be ,
Robby
    Clearly, if I didn’t break the engagement off soon, I risked Robby’s telling all of Menominee of our betrothal, and I didn’t want Paul—or Maman, for that matter—to hear of it. They would only expect me to return to wed one of Menominee’s most eligible and wealthy bachelors. Robby’s earnestness convinced me all the more of the necessity of forging ahead with the plan I’d already invested many months in.
July 15, 1887
My darling Robby ,
You are the most loving man a girl could want. I’m not surprised to hear that you want to keep this baby. But I really must put my foot down when it comes to your plan. I refuse to start our marriage under a cloud of shame. Perhaps you believe the circumstances of our baby’s birth can be kept secret, but I must ask you to think about me. The mother always bears the burden of such scandals.