“I have no idea. I can only say that I received an invitation to tea and to discuss things dear to my heart.” Judith headed for the door, where Mrs. Deeters stood at the ready. “I will see you at dinner this evening, sir.”
With that, she left before her grandfather could say another word. There were times when Judith really questioned her choice in staying. She wanted to know the man better, buthe rarely spent time with her. She ate breakfast alone in her room. Sometimes they dined together for lunch, where he would speak about various business transactions that were going well or causing issues for him. Supper was always at seven in formal dress, and very little conversation took place. Afterward they often spent a bit of time together in the sitting room, but otherwise, Judith saw very little of him.
“Mrs. Stanford, how nice to see you.”
She looked up to find Bert Black coming up the front steps. She smiled. “You’ve been away again, Mr. Black.”
“Yes, your grandfather had me finalizing some paperwork and closing out some arrangements in Chicago.”
“I hope all went well for you.” She waited for him to pass her on the steps, but instead he stopped.
“I wonder if I might ask you something?” He smiled.
Judith had an idea that he probably wanted her to go out with him somewhere. She’d been glad for his absence, but now that he was back, she supposed his attention would start up again.
“It might be best to wait until later. I have an appointment, and I’ll be late if I don’t hurry. Grandfather is waiting for you, I’m sure. He mentioned going out today, and I presume you’ll be accompanying him. I’ll leave you to that.” She headed down the steps before he could recover his surprise.
“Mrs. Van Cleve, it’s so nice to meet you,” Judith said as Mrs. Knickerbacker introduced her to the hostess. “I’ve heard great things about you.”
The white-haired woman smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Stanford. Sarah has told me of your work in Philadelphia. You should fit into our group without any trouble.”
“Judith has great interest in helping with our work here in Minneapolis since she’ll be with us through the summer,”Sarah Knickerbacker explained. “I know she’ll be of great value to us.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Sarah.” The older woman ushered them into the sitting room, where other women were already gathered. She approached the closest two. “This is Mrs. Martha Turner and her daughter, Claudette. Ladies, this is Mrs. Stanford of Philadelphia. She will be staying with her grandfather this summer and has asked to be involved in our work with the poor.”
“Wonderful.” Mrs. Turner and her daughter got to their feet. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. We saw you at church Sunday but were unable to reach you before you left.”
“My grandfather was concerned about the weather and hurried us home. But it is my pleasure to meet you both. Turner is a name familiar to me.” She thought of the handsome doctor she’d met, and it dawned on her that the man she’d seen sitting near these women at church might well be related to him. There were similarities in their looks, but the man in church was without beard and much dourer. Perhaps a brother? She started to ask, but Sarah whisked her away for introductions.
“Ladies, please take your seats.” Mrs. Van Cleve began the meeting. “As you know, these monthly teas are often fraught with bad news and fearful situations for our community. However, I am happy to report that an anonymous donor has made a generous contribution to our charity, and we will be able to purchase blankets and other supplies for many of our destitute families.” She continued with information related to several personal projects she had taken on before concluding and asking if anyone else had news.
Mrs. Turner stood. “Most of you know my son, Dr. Turner.” The women nodded, and Judith perked up at this. “He asked me to mention to our group that there has been a growing number of children spending time down by the river. He fears many are living there or nearby without the supervision ofadults. The police are aware of them. The children seem to be between the ages of twelve and sixteen or so and scatter rapidly when approached. He thought perhaps we could coordinate to meet nearby and offer refreshment, then encourage them to come for meals at the friendless refuge. We can make ourselves a sort of mothering brigade.”
The women chuckled at this, and Mrs. Turner continued, “We could arrange for police to keep watch in case of problems, but since we have done this kind of thing before, I think we’ll be all right. The children apparently have no fear of begging. We might be able to set up a station with food and other necessities.”
“Are these children orphans?” one of the ladies asked.
“He isn’t certain,” Mrs. Turner replied. “He’s tried several times to approach them, but they run away. Roman did think, however, that he’d seen one of them before. He thought the young man might be a member of one of the families he’d been treating.”
Roman Turner, the same doctor she’d met in Philadelphia! And this was his mother and sister. How wonderful! She could easily explain her interest in him to them and perhaps have a chance to meet.
Mrs. Van Cleve again took charge and seemed so at ease. There was nothing shy or withdrawn about this woman. “With those matters settled, we’ll have our tea and conversation.”
“She grew up in the army,” Mrs. Knickerbacker said, as if reading Judith’s thoughts.
“Excuse me?” Judith asked.
The reverend’s wife laughed. She nodded her head toward Charlotte Van Cleve, who was instructing a young maid with the service of tea and refreshments.
“She grew up as the daughter of a soldier. In fact she was the first white child born in the area that is now Wisconsin. Her middle name is Ouisconsin, the French spelling of the state.”
“How fascinating.” Judith continued to watch the woman with great interest.
“She met her husband in the army and married at sixteen. They moved around a great deal and had a dozen children.”
“A dozen! Oh my.”
“Well, with those they adopted along the way, there are even more. The Van Cleves have always followed their words with actions. And you see her white hair?”
