The man nodded. “Come, children, we’re going to have our picture taken.”
Addie helped them get in position and took the photograph without any difficulty. Even the baby seemed content to pose.
“Stop by the shop later today—no later than five—and it’ll be ready. The photographs will be destroyed after one week. And here’s a card to remind you.” She handed him the business card Otis had created for the fair. “You’ll see my name at the top, and the time I took the photo. It’s also nice enough to be a souvenir.”
She turned the card over to reveal the circled logo wherethree women were positioned as representatives of the expo. Dressed in red, white, and blue, they each stood for something related to the fair. The woman in red was the essence of the Pacific. Her right hand was extended in welcome, and in her left hand she held a train representing commerce by land. The woman in blue stood for the Orient, and she extended a ship to represent commerce by the sea. The woman standing in the middle wore white and represented Alaska. In her hands were gold nuggets to remind people of the vast mineral wealth the north had to offer.
“That’s very lovely,” the woman said. “I shall put it in our scrapbook of adventures.” The two older children clapped their hands and danced around.
Addie smiled and continued on her way. The expo was an entirely different place with thousands of people strolling the streets. It took her no time at all to take another nine pictures and complete her roll. She hurried back to Otis’s shop just as Mary was doing the same.
Pearl was running the counter while Otis was already at work in the darkroom. “We’ve brought more film to be developed.” They left the cameras and picked up others that were loaded and ready to go.
Addie gave Pearl a smile but didn’t stop to talk. She wanted to do her part to make the Fishers successful. It was times like this that Addie wished she had a whole lot of friends and family that she could gift with one of the new cameras. She had plenty of resources in the bank, but no one to bless with them. She’d tried on numerous occasions to help Otis and Pearl with their dream of a bigger shop and home, but they’d hear nothing of it. The best Addie could do was to show up with the occasional roast or steaks, maybe a giftfor one or the other. But they were proud people, and in the seven years she’d been with them, Addie had been quite limited on what they would allow her to do.
The day passed quickly with Addie taking pictures and exchanging cameras. At three o’clock, over three thousand people gathered to witness the dirigible launch. Unfortunately, the pilot couldn’t get the engine to fire, but he promised in the days to come he would, and the dirigible would fly. Addie had hoped to take a picture of the thing moving through the air. It maneuvered so slowly that she figured she could get a decent shot without too much of a blur. But it would have to wait.
After returning her eighth camera, Addie decided to seek out something to eat. She hit the Pay Streak and enjoyed a German sausage on a skewer before continuing to walk around. It wasn’t long before she came up to an exhibit on Eskimos. The designer had fashioned plaster icebergs and snow mounds, and outside there were a dozen native people dressed in fur parkas and sealskin pants. Today wasn’t all that warm, but Addie couldn’t help but wonder how they would bear up come summer. Thankfully, Seattle weather was usually cooler than other places Addie had read about in the paper.
As she stood there a moment, the past came washing over her. There were men dressed in similar fashion when her family had climbed the Chilkoot Trail. The Ice Staircase some had called it. Others named it the Golden Stairs. But the name didn’t matter. By either choice, the people had to take pack after pack up the mountain in order to transport a ton of goods per person.
She shivered even though it wasn’t cold. The reminders of her family left her momentarily fearful. She glanced around,looking as always for her brothers. The entire matter upset her so much she decided to go for a walk by the lake.
It wasn’t all that more peaceful down by the shore. The noise from the expo was quite prevalent. There were rides, music playing to attract crowds to various exhibits, and the constant hum of voices. Addie continued to walk along the lake, where cottages dotted the waterfront. Since she’d first come to this area during the building of the expo, Addie had fallen in love with the lake cottages. She vowed to Pearl that one day she would buy one of these places, but it seemed none were ever for sale.
“Not there, Caledonia,” Addie heard a woman state. She glanced up a slight rise in the landscape and spied two older ladies struggling with a sign at the end of their walkway.
“Can I help you, ladies?” she asked.
“That would be so kind,” one of the women announced.
“We’d like to get this sign in the ground,” the other woman added.
Addie looked at the sign. They had hand painted in black the words,FOR SALE. She looked at the cottage and then to the women. “Are you really selling this lovely home?”
“We are. We thought to sell it before the expo began, and now that it’s started, we are even more determined to move.”
The shorter of the two drew out a handkerchief and put it to her forehead. “We cannot take the noise. First, there was all the ballyhoo about creating the exposition.”
“Sister, there is no need to speak so crudely,” the other woman chided.
“Well, I simply cannot take any more. After that came the construction and all the noise of supplies being moved in and out and buildings being erected and more peoplecoming to promote what was happening. We haven’t had a peaceful moment since.”
“But the expo only lasts until October,” Addie reminded her.
“It doesn’t matter. The university has promised to push for more enrollment. Not to mention the plans for boat races and other challenges on the lake. There will simply be people tramping all about.”
“Perhaps I could buy your cottage.” Addie smiled. “I have quite a savings and have been wanting to buy a little place near the water.”
The smaller woman perked up. “Could you buy it right away?”
“I could. If it suits me.”
The woman dropped her hold on the sign. “Let’s not worry about this right now. Come in and see the place.” She motioned to the walkway. “I’m Patagonia Montgomery, and this is my sister, Caledonia. Now come on.”
“Sister, you shouldn’t be so bossy,” Caledonia remarked. Nevertheless, she gave Addie a nudge from behind.
“It’s all right,” Addie said, allowing the small woman to pull her toward the house. “I would love to see it.”
