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<blockquote data-quote="orchid blossom" data-source="post: 2852693" data-attributes="member: 12815"><p><span style="font-size: 12px">The Last Day</span></p><p></p><p>Thursday, May 4th, 1882, 8:30 A.M.</p><p></p><p>The Seagram family and guests gather for breakfast.</p><p></p><p>As wonderful of the hotel had been the night before, it was good to sleep in a familiar bed again. Kate ate her breakfast with a good appetite, listening to the light conversation going on around the table.</p><p></p><p>"So we have the tour of the school this morning, and then Ginnie and I have some shopping to do for our school. Is there anything else today?"</p><p></p><p>"The dressmaker will be here for you late this afternoon, so make sure you are here for that," her mother said.</p><p></p><p>"Maman, you didn't have to do that. My dresses will fine for quite a while yet."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, but summer is coming and you will need lighter dresses where it is so hot. Then we will have Henry and Elaine for dinner tonight, since you will be leaving tomorrow."</p><p></p><p>Kate was going to argue again, but her mother had that set look on her face that told her resistance would be fruitless.</p><p></p><p>Her father spoke up and said, "We sent on the clothes you wanted to donate on Tuesday, so you needn't worry about bringing those with you today."</p><p></p><p>"Good," Kate smiled. "Now, who is expected on our tour?"</p><p></p><p>Mr. Seagram replies, "Well obviously the two of us, plus Ginnie and Mr. Gonzales have asked to come along. Mr. Booth is welcome to join us as well."</p><p></p><p>Conrad replies, "I'll pass. I have some business arrangements to take care of today."</p><p></p><p>"Just the four of us then. I'm interested in seeing how this school is run."</p><p></p><p>Kate looked up at the clock on the mantel and said, "It's getting late. We should be going or we'll be too." She excused herself to fetch her hat and shawl, said goodbye to those staying behind, then met the others outside where the carriage was waiting. </p><p>Before they leave Conrad takes Gonzales aside. From a distance it appears that they are arguing about something. Gonzales's body language indicates that he eventually surrenders. Conrad then takes out his money clip and peels off a few bills which he hands to the elf.</p><p></p><p>Gonzales gets ready to go, coming up to Kate and saying, "That gentleman friend of yours is persistent. Looks like we may be doing some book shopping afterwards."</p><p></p><p>"He didn't listen when I protested about how much he was spending on my behalf either. I think he enjoys having someone to spend it on. And I'm sure there are many volumes we can get here that wouldn't be found anywhere else."</p><p></p><p>Shortly thereafter the carriage departs the Seagram home bringing Kate, Gonzales, Ginnie and Mr. Seagram to the southern part of the city where the Perkins School for the Blind is situated.</p><p></p><p>During the carriage ride, Kate described in more detail her conversation with Miss Sullivan and the Director of the school. "I hope at least you might find a better position for Miss Sullivan this summer, Papa. She is too smart a girl to be cleaning for a living."</p><p></p><p>They reached the school and exited the carriage, walking up the main steps and ringing the bell.</p><p></p><p>The school is situated inside of what had been a former hotel. They enter the building and soon find themselves in the office of Director Michael Angagnos. He gives then a short history of the institution, explaining "The school's original 1832 location had been in the home of the school's founder Samuel Gridley Howe. The second location was in the larger home owned by Trustee Thomas Perkins. It outgrew that location within six years, when the school grew to 65 students. That was when Perkins purchased this hotel and converted it into the school."</p><p></p><p>"That had to be an enormous undertaking. Setting up a building for the blind has to require a lot of special touches. Ways to help the students find their way, know which room is theirs and so on?"</p><p></p><p>He replies, "Oh, it's even a bigger operation than that. We also have a separate printing department in the school to produce embossed books for the students here as well as blind children throughout the world."</p><p></p><p>"So you teach the children to read raised letters as well as braille? Do you produce the books as people request titles, or do you have a listing you offer?"</p><p></p><p>"Well, the biggest problem is getting permission from the authors and publishers to reproduce their works. Doing so would normally require paying enormous royalties as most publishing companies would produce tens of thousands of any text, not a mere one or two hundred as we need to do. Thankfully Charles Dickens visited the school in its earlier years and was so impressed that he helped get that started. We now have close to 150 titles that we are allowed to reproduce, enough for a full curriculum."</p><p></p><p>"A stroke of luck for the school. I'd certainly like to see the classrooms if we might."</p><p></p><p>Mr. Seagram speaks up and says, "The tuition you collect from your students can't be enough to keep the school running. Do have grants or endowments of some kind?"</p><p></p><p>"Endowments from a dozen or so patrons, the aforementioned Misters Perkins and Dickens being just two. Actually, most of the students here are from well-to-do families who support the majority of their tuition. We do take on a few charity cases, including the young lady that your daughter met."</p><p></p><p>He takes the four of them on a full tour of the school. Being a weekday most of the students are in class. The Director keeps the narration about the school going while they are in the corridors but requires complete silence within each of the classes that they visit given how critical sound is to the education of the blind.</p><p></p><p>Kate observed the instructors of the classes closely. Soon she would be doing something nearly the same. Although her students would be sighted most of the skills she would need would be the same.</p><p></p><p>In the corridor she asked, "Tell me more about Miss Sullivan. She seemed an extraordinary girl from our short meeting. What kind of work do you think she could do during the summer months?"</p><p></p><p>He replies, "Well, last summer I found her a job as a maid. That didn't work out very well, the place was loud and had foul odors, which being blind she was more sensitive to than a normal person would be. It was difficult finding a place that would take a young blind girl where she would also be safe from the patrons. I haven't found her placement yet. One problem is that she is scheduled for another operation, which will take part of the summer and therefore interfere with her potential employment."</p><p></p><p>Mr. Seagram says, "Sir, I assume your students also learn to write in the traditional manner as well as with a stylus in braille. Our butler, Mathias would never admit it, but he is getting older and a bit of help in the hot summer months wouldn't go amiss.</p><p></p><p>Also, I do a great deal of my work from our home these days. If the young lady can transcribe for me and help me for some other secretarial tasks, we'd be grateful for her help when she's available and since her help would be supplemental the time away for her surgery would be no trouble."</p><p></p><p>He replies, "Well sir, that is a very generous offer. We will have to ask Miss. Sullivan to see what she has to say. She is in class now but should be on her lunch break in around a half-hour. We can ask then if that is acceptable to you."</p><p></p><p>"Certainly. In the time between perhaps you can tell me what some of your needs are."</p><p></p><p>Ginnie listens quietly to what is being said looking at the raised wall board that borders the corridors at each turn there is a slight decorative change in the wood that she realizes is actually a tactile map to allow the students to know which corridor they are in at any time.</p><p>Quietly she pulls Kate aside "Ma’am Kate didn't you just return from a visit in New York where there was a club of writers and others that met? Wouldn't that be somewhere that you might be able to convince the artists to allow copies of their work to be translated? And if the students here are from wealthy families wouldn't the fact that the authors had allowed their books to be used make it more likely that the families would purchase regular copies so that they would be able to talk with their children about what they both had read? Perhaps if they offered to start a book club with both types of volumes available for sale that would increase the interest from the authors and interest in new authors.</p><p></p><p>Kate also kept her voice down. "I'm not sure how much pull I can have there yet, but Mr. Booth seems concerned about people sharing the arts with each other. Plus, Mr. Walt Whitman's brother will be visiting with Papa on Friday. I'll mention the idea to the Director and ask Papa to follow up. I can write to Mr. Booth personally."</p><p></p><p>She turned toward the Director. "My ward has just reminded me of something that I think could be helpful to you," Kate said, and explained Ginnie's idea. "If the parents also purchased the same books to discuss with their children when they talk over the wires, it would be beneficial to all involved."</p><p></p><p>They talk for another twenty minutes and then go to the classroom that Annie Sullivan is in as it is being dismissed. The Director asks her to stay as the other students and the teacher depart. He then introduces her to Mr. Seagram, Ginnie, Mr. Gonzales and Kate. "Yes, I met you the other day Mrs. Kale," she replies.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, and I'm very glad to met you again."</p><p></p><p>Mr. Seagram says, "Young lady, my daughter tells me you'll be looking for employment over the summer. I work from my home most days now, and I could certainly use someone who can take dictation and do some other secretarial work for me. </p><p></p><p>When I didn't have any tasks for you, our butler Mathias would be sure to find ample tasks to keep you busy. There are any number of projects he's wanted to get to the last few years he just hasn't had time for. The time you'll need off would be no trouble for us, if such a position would be acceptable to you."</p><p></p><p>Miss Sullivan indicates that the summer job appeals to her. She thanks Mr. Seagram for his generosity.</p><p></p><p>“Miss Sullivan, do think that you might be willing to teach me braile? I think it would be something wonderful to know. I would be willing to practice by translating some texts that have not been done yet, there must be some volumes where the authors are dead or are in the public domain that can be copied. or for that matter even just stories from out west it would be interesting to make a book of tales and have a companion book in braile when it was published and there is nothing if not a wealth of stories that are happening in the western territories.</p><p></p><p>Would that be ok Ma’am Kate?” Quietly she whispers to Kate, "I can think of a lot of um... unorthodox uses for braille that might be helpful in the way our lives seem to go."</p><p></p><p>Kate nodded to Ginnie. "Of course it would be alright," she said in a normal tone of voice. "If Miss Sullivan has some time today to teach you the basics. Perhaps the Director can tell us what we might need as far as equipment goes to write braille. You and Miss Sullivan could write one another if you liked, as well."</p><p></p><p>Mr. Seagram adds, "And Ginnie could also come for a visit this summer when Miss. Sullivan is staying at the house." The adults leave the two young women to spend some time together, first getting lunch and then in study together. The adults return to the office and discuss details of how Seagram can use his connections and influence to better help the school. </p><p></p><p>It is late afternoon by the time they conclude their visit at the school and return to the Seagram home for Kate's final night there.</p><p></p><p>"We'll have to do our shopping tomorrow before we leave," Kate said as they stood in the front hall taking off shawls and jackets. "I didn't expect to spend so much time in the school. Fascinating though."</p><p></p><p>The four retired to the parlor where her mother was sitting with her brother Henry. "How was the day?" she asked, kissing each in turn.</p><p></p><p>They summarize their day. Dinner is soon served. Henry and Phillip are both present for the meal and afterwards retire into the parlor with Conrad to hear his stories about life out west.</p><p></p><p>Kate sat quietly in the parlor listening to Conrad spin stories and watching as her brothers soaked in his words. Even Henry looked like a little boy who'd like to run off on an adventure. Every now and then one of her brothers would sneak a look over at her, seeming to have a hard time reconciling the same girl they had known with the woman who now lived in those stories.</p><p></p><p>Sitting at a table with Katherine were her parents and her teacher, playing a card game and chatting. She listened to the conversation with half an ear, as she was listening to Conrad. Inside herself she was thinking of leaving her home again. She loved these people, her family, and leaving them again held no appeal. But returning to Arizona did. She found herself anxious to be there and busy again.</p><p></p><p>Before Henry left for the night, she made sure he would be there for lunch the next day, so they could spend some time together before she left. They all stayed up later than usual, but one by one the family dropped off to bed. Kate took her time getting ready, then snuggled into the familiar bed for her last night.</p><p></p><p>Friday, May 5th, 8:00 A.M.</p><p></p><p>Kate sits down for breakfast with her parents, Ginnie and Mr. Gonzales. She notes that neither Phillip nor Conrad are present. Mathias comments that, "I imagine that those two are sleeping in. They and Mr. Henry were up past midnight talking."</p><p></p><p>"Well, Mr. Booth will be back on Arizona time before we get there," Kate laughed, glad to hear the three seemed to be getting along with each other.</p><p></p><p>"We'll have to do our shopping this morning, and then we'll be on our way this afternoon. I wish we could stay longer, but we can visit again and perhaps we'll see all of you in Arizona soon. I know we'll see Papa."</p><p></p><p>At one point when her mother was distracted talking with Ginnie, Kate leaned over to her father and said, "How are we going to manage leaving without being sent to the train station in a carriage?"</p><p></p><p>He whispers back, "Mr. Gonzales and I have that all worked out."</p><p></p><p>"A mystery? Well, since I trust the both of you I won't worry about it any more. I wish I could tell everyone but I don't want to ask them to keep that secret. I already put one burden on them, they don't need another."</p><p></p><p>The group finishes their breakfast. Mr. Seagram offers to take Kate, Ginnie and Gonzales shopping, starting with the book merchant who had assisted them during their visit the previous month.</p><p></p><p>The ride to lower Beacon Street is fairly short, and they arrive at Robert Brothers books shortly after it is open for business. The storefront is narrow, but the space inside goes far back. The space in the front is open with several large, comfortable chairs and a counter behind which a few rare volumes are displayed in locked cases. </p><p></p><p>Beyond the front area row of after row of dark, polished wood shelves march down the long room. Step ladders were scattered around the rows for access to the highest shelves. The place almost had the air of a library, especially in these early hours where no one yet sat in the front arguing over the last thing they'd read. </p><p></p><p>Mr. John Roberts hurried forward from the stacks, smiling. "Mr. Seagram, what a pleasure to see you here. I was so sorry to hear of Mr. Emerson's passing. I'm grateful to have had the chance to meet him."</p><p></p><p>"It was my pleasure to make that happen. He enjoyed your conversation, I know. We've come with a purpose today. My daughter is starting a school in Arizona, and we'll need some help finding appropriate texts. I'm not sure what my granddaughter and her friend would like to look at, but I'm sure they won't be shy."</p><p></p><p>They spend the next hour looking for books. Most of what Kate picks out she gets only one or two volumes of but there are a few primers where she will need one for each student in that age group. He doesn't have all of these in stock so makes a list of what will need to be ordered and shipped out to Arizona.</p><p></p><p>Gonzales and Ginnie spend the time finding various texts for themselves, choosing to spend all of the money that Conrad Booth had given to them.</p><p></p><p>Kate directed that most of the volumes should be shipped to her, but chose a few to take back and read over herself so she could be prepared to teach from them. Once they'd chosen the schoolbooks, Kate followed the others examples and searched for books for herself.</p><p></p><p>The pile of volumes at the end of their trip was embarrassingly large. When Kate tried to pay her father interrupted and said, "Just charge it to my account Mr. Roberts."</p><p></p><p>"Papa, I can take care of it."</p><p></p><p>"And so you are, my dear," he agreed. "You haven't asked for it, but you know you have a trust here that will more than amply cover these costs. If you want to work, then work, but don't make things harder than they need to be."</p><p></p><p>Kate bit back her next argument, realizing this wasn't a conversation to be had in front of strangers. And her father was not wrong; she did have all the money she could need. "All right, Papa," she gave in.</p><p></p><p>As they all climbed back in the carriage Kate said, "We need to go to the seamstress and pick up the things Maman had made for us and then I'd like to see a saddle-maker. Then we need some nice things to decorate the house with."</p><p></p><p>The errands are completed in time to make it back home for lunch. By then Phillip and Conrad are both up and dressed, with Conrad's suitcase already packed and waiting near the front door. "Did shopping go well?" he asks.</p><p></p><p>"I think so. I ordered birthday gifts and they should arrive before Ruby's party. We got more books than we could possibly know what to do with, new clothes, and some nice things to make the new house homier. Did you finish all your business yesterday?"</p><p></p><p>He replies, "Yes, I met with the Boston sales representative for the Concord Coach company to make arrangements for purchasing the racing buggies. I won't finalize anything until after we have spoken to Ginnie and to Mrs. O'Hara, but I wanted to see what was available. Since the safety of the girls is my primary concern I wanted to get the best quality available, which by all accounts would be one of Concord's top-of-the-line models, the same type they race at the parks in Rockingham and Saratoga."</p><p></p><p>"Excellent. I definitely want to make sure the girls are safe above all else. Promise City is going to be getting a great many deliveries in the next few weeks. Our postmaster won't know what to do with himself."</p><p></p><p>The family and their guests retired to the dining room for a light lunch, during which Henry arrives and joins them. After lunch, Kate went for a last walk in the garden with her brother, wishing she had more time to spend with him. </p><p></p><p>Although Kate and her family tended to linger, she could feel the others growing anxious to be on their way and she finally suggested it was time to go.</p><p></p><p>Mr. Seagram says, "Well, I am sorry to see you go, but look forward to seeing you all again in around three weeks. And I'll be busy enough in the short term, General Pleasants will be along at any minute now, and our Union Army friends will be arriving in the middle of the afternoon."</p><p></p><p>"Don't forget to talk to Mr. Whitman about the braille books," Kate said and hugged her father. Her voice suddenly choked up. "I'll miss you, Papa."</p><p></p><p>"We'll miss you," he whispered back. "But I'll see you soon."</p><p></p><p>Kate stayed there for a minute, then finally let go and went to her mother where the two women spoke in rapid French for several minutes. She had already said what needed saying to Henry so she simply embraced and kissed him again, then moved on to Phillip to say goodbye.</p><p></p><p>Finally she looked at the others and said, "Alright, I'm ready."</p><p></p><p>They wave goodbye as they head out to the carriage. Mr. Seagram tell the driver, "Thank you for getting the rig ready. It's a nice day for a drive so I'll take it from here. You can take the rest of the day off." The surprised driver does not argue.</p><p></p><p>Gonzales, Ginnie, Conrad and Kate wave goodbye to the others and get inside the carriage. Gonzales says, "Okay, four invisibility spells coming up. You father will wait until we've all exited from the doors on the opposite side before he rides off to supposedly drive us to the train."</p><p></p><p>"Very clever," Kate smiled. Mr. Gonzales quickly cast the spells and they all got down the other side, being careful not to jostle the carriage too much. They went around the back of the carriage house to the old, unused room where the brazier waited for them.</p><p></p><p>"Why don't we go to the ranch house instead of the townhouse, Grandpere? Then we can walk into town with no one thinking it odd that we just reappeared. We will have to be visible again before we travel, won't we? It's hard to take hands when you can't see them."</p><p></p><p>"That would work. You certainly have enough horses there for us to borrow some to ride into town." </p><p></p><p>As all four are invisible Kate cannot see the perspiration that has broken out on Conrad's forehead although she feels the sweat of his hands. Gonzales begins the incantation and in a matter of minutes they materialize inside of the barn that has been constructed out at the ranch. </p><p></p><p>Despite their being invisible their arrival is still noted by the chickens, geese and ducks who began to react wildly. Sonoma charges into the barn holding a pitchfork, suspecting a wild dog or coyote. Gonzales immediately cancels the spell upon seeing his Great Granddaughter, so that they don't get accidentally skewered. </p><p></p><p>As Gonzales, Ginnie, Conrad and Kate appear most of the birds calm down except for the goose flock's leader that decides to attack Conrad.</p><p></p><p>Kate laughed and dropped her bag. She quickly cast a small incantation, causing a flash of light to appear before the bird and hopefully temporarily confuse it.</p><p></p><p>Conrad backs off as the goose takes a swipe at him. It is then distracted by the spell. He says, "Serves me right for traveling without a sword. Let me know when this goose is boiling in a roasting pot, I'll take the first bite of it instead of the other way around."</p><p></p><p>Kate raised her eyebrow. "Traveling with a sword? You have one? And what in the world would that have to do with a goose?"</p><p></p><p>Conrad says, "Judge Lacey has let me hang onto the one that I used at the festival. And if I'd had it a minute ago I'd have taught that goose how to better behave itself.:</p><p></p><p>"And we'd have all had a good dinner," she laughed. "Let's get out of the barn and get all of you back to town."</p><p></p><p>She walked over and hugged Sonoma. "I'll come back out later today and give you a hand. I'll need to bring the horses we ride into town back anyway. I want to tell you all about the books we got in Boston."</p><p></p><p>Kate led them over to the corral and chose the horses. While the others were distracted, she took Conrad aside, her eyes still laughing about the goose. "We won't be able to say goodbye properly in town," she explained before she quickly kissed him. "And I wouldn't want you to forget me too soon."</p><p></p><p>He kisses her warmly back and hugs her deeply. "Thank you Kate for asking me along on this trip. It was far more than I could have imagined. Your parents, your brothers, they are wonderful people. And meeting my father again....well, the whole trip was the best thing that has ever happened to me."</p><p></p><p>"It only gets better from here," she said softly. "I'm glad you were with me. It made the difficult parts easier, and the easy parts much more enjoyable. And you gave me the chance to go to New York again. Thank you for that."</p><p></p><p>"No need to thank me, as I said, it was the best time of my life. I do suppose we should be getting back to town though, Kate Higgins will be wondering if I'm coming to work tonight."</p><p></p><p>They get the farm's wagon to pile their luggage into, which Ginnie and Conrad decide to steer back together while he speaks to her about the buggy. Gonzales get his own horse to ride back, the one he acquired in New Mexico while with Arcade's Gang, which he normally keeps stabled at the ranch rather than the El Parador so that Kate can help to better train it. Meribel is also currently at the ranch, Dorita having had Grant bring it out there since she was going to be out-of-town with her Grandfather. </p><p>Kate managed to get herself up on Meribel even with her skirts. They were hiked up almost to her knees, but it wasn't the first time she'd ridden such. She kept on eye on Ginnie on Conrad, looking to see how the girl would react to the idea.</p><p></p><p>Because of the time difference between Arizona and Massachusetts it is still mid-morning when they reach Promise City. Conrad indicates that Ginnie is receptive to the idea of the racing carriage.</p><p></p><p>"Perhaps we should talk to Mrs. O'Hara today then and get it all taken care of." She smiled past Conrad at Ginnie. "We wouldn't want you to have to wait too long."</p><p></p><p>It wasn't long before they arrived at the El Parador. Kate sighed, realizing that she felt she was home now more than she had in Boston. It was a bittersweet feeling, but a happy one as well. This was her place now.</p><p></p><p>"Thank you for taking us, Grandpere," Kate said to her teacher, kissing his cheek. "You don't know how important it was to me."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="orchid blossom, post: 2852693, member: 12815"] [SIZE=3]The Last Day[/SIZE] Thursday, May 4th, 1882, 8:30 A.M. The Seagram family and guests gather for breakfast. As wonderful of the hotel had been the night before, it was good to sleep in a familiar bed again. Kate ate her breakfast with a good appetite, listening to the light conversation going on around the table. "So we have the tour of the school this morning, and then Ginnie and I have some shopping to do for our school. Is there anything else today?" "The dressmaker will be here for you late this afternoon, so make sure you are here for that," her mother said. "Maman, you didn't have to do that. My dresses will fine for quite a while yet." "Yes, but summer is coming and you will need lighter dresses where it is so hot. Then we will have Henry and Elaine for dinner tonight, since you will be leaving tomorrow." Kate was going to argue again, but her mother had that set look on her face that told her resistance would be fruitless. Her father spoke up and said, "We sent on the clothes you wanted to donate on Tuesday, so you needn't worry about bringing those with you today." "Good," Kate smiled. "Now, who is expected on our tour?" Mr. Seagram replies, "Well obviously the two of us, plus Ginnie and Mr. Gonzales have asked to come along. Mr. Booth is welcome to join us as well." Conrad replies, "I'll pass. I have some business arrangements to take care of today." "Just the four of us then. I'm interested in seeing how this school is run." Kate looked up at the clock on the mantel and said, "It's getting late. We should be going or we'll be too." She excused herself to fetch her hat and shawl, said goodbye to those staying behind, then met the others outside where the carriage was waiting. Before they leave Conrad takes Gonzales aside. From a distance it appears that they are arguing about something. Gonzales's body language indicates that he eventually surrenders. Conrad then takes out his money clip and peels off a few bills which he hands to the elf. Gonzales gets ready to go, coming up to Kate and saying, "That gentleman friend of yours is persistent. Looks like we may be doing some book shopping afterwards." "He didn't listen when I protested about how much he was spending on my behalf either. I think he enjoys having someone to spend it on. And I'm sure there are many volumes we can get here that wouldn't be found anywhere else." Shortly thereafter the carriage departs the Seagram home bringing Kate, Gonzales, Ginnie and Mr. Seagram to the southern part of the city where the Perkins School for the Blind is situated. During the carriage ride, Kate described in more detail her conversation with Miss Sullivan and the Director of the school. "I hope at least you might find a better position for Miss Sullivan this summer, Papa. She is too smart a girl to be cleaning for a living." They reached the school and exited the carriage, walking up the main steps and ringing the bell. The school is situated inside of what had been a former hotel. They enter the building and soon find themselves in the office of Director Michael Angagnos. He gives then a short history of the institution, explaining "The school's original 1832 location had been in the home of the school's founder Samuel Gridley Howe. The second location was in the larger home owned by Trustee Thomas Perkins. It outgrew that location within six years, when the school grew to 65 students. That was when Perkins purchased this hotel and converted it into the school." "That had to be an enormous undertaking. Setting up a building for the blind has to require a lot of special touches. Ways to help the students find their way, know which room is theirs and so on?" He replies, "Oh, it's even a bigger operation than that. We also have a separate printing department in the school to produce embossed books for the students here as well as blind children throughout the world." "So you teach the children to read raised letters as well as braille? Do you produce the books as people request titles, or do you have a listing you offer?" "Well, the biggest problem is getting permission from the authors and publishers to reproduce their works. Doing so would normally require paying enormous royalties as most publishing companies would produce tens of thousands of any text, not a mere one or two hundred as we need to do. Thankfully Charles Dickens visited the school in its earlier years and was so impressed that he helped get that started. We now have close to 150 titles that we are allowed to reproduce, enough for a full curriculum." "A stroke of luck for the school. I'd certainly like to see the classrooms if we might." Mr. Seagram speaks up and says, "The tuition you collect from your students can't be enough to keep the school running. Do have grants or endowments of some kind?" "Endowments from a dozen or so patrons, the aforementioned Misters Perkins and Dickens being just two. Actually, most of the students here are from well-to-do families who support the majority of their tuition. We do take on a few charity cases, including the young lady that your daughter met." He takes the four of them on a full tour of the school. Being a weekday most of the students are in class. The Director keeps the narration about the school going while they are in the corridors but requires complete silence within each of the classes that they visit given how critical sound is to the education of the blind. Kate observed the instructors of the classes closely. Soon she would be doing something nearly the same. Although her students would be sighted most of the skills she would need would be the same. In the corridor she asked, "Tell me more about Miss Sullivan. She seemed an extraordinary girl from our short meeting. What kind of work do you think she could do during the summer months?" He replies, "Well, last summer I found her a job as a maid. That didn't work out very well, the place was loud and had foul odors, which being blind she was more sensitive to than a normal person would be. It was difficult finding a place that would take a young blind girl where she would also be safe from the patrons. I haven't found her placement yet. One problem is that she is scheduled for another operation, which will take part of the summer and therefore interfere with her potential employment." Mr. Seagram says, "Sir, I assume your students also learn to write in the traditional manner as well as with a stylus in braille. Our butler, Mathias would never admit it, but he is getting older and a bit of help in the hot summer months wouldn't go amiss. Also, I do a great deal of my work from our home these days. If the young lady can transcribe for me and help me for some other secretarial tasks, we'd be grateful for her help when she's available and since her help would be supplemental the time away for her surgery would be no trouble." He replies, "Well sir, that is a very generous offer. We will have to ask Miss. Sullivan to see what she has to say. She is in class now but should be on her lunch break in around a half-hour. We can ask then if that is acceptable to you." "Certainly. In the time between perhaps you can tell me what some of your needs are." Ginnie listens quietly to what is being said looking at the raised wall board that borders the corridors at each turn there is a slight decorative change in the wood that she realizes is actually a tactile map to allow the students to know which corridor they are in at any time. Quietly she pulls Kate aside "Ma’am Kate didn't you just return from a visit in New York where there was a club of writers and others that met? Wouldn't that be somewhere that you might be able to convince the artists to allow copies of their work to be translated? And if the students here are from wealthy families wouldn't the fact that the authors had allowed their books to be used make it more likely that the families would purchase regular copies so that they would be able to talk with their children about what they both had read? Perhaps if they offered to start a book club with both types of volumes available for sale that would increase the interest from the authors and interest in new authors. Kate also kept her voice down. "I'm not sure how much pull I can have there yet, but Mr. Booth seems concerned about people sharing the arts with each other. Plus, Mr. Walt Whitman's brother will be visiting with Papa on Friday. I'll mention the idea to the Director and ask Papa to follow up. I can write to Mr. Booth personally." She turned toward the Director. "My ward has just reminded me of something that I think could be helpful to you," Kate said, and explained Ginnie's idea. "If the parents also purchased the same books to discuss with their children when they talk over the wires, it would be beneficial to all involved." They talk for another twenty minutes and then go to the classroom that Annie Sullivan is in as it is being dismissed. The Director asks her to stay as the other students and the teacher depart. He then introduces her to Mr. Seagram, Ginnie, Mr. Gonzales and Kate. "Yes, I met you the other day Mrs. Kale," she replies. "Yes, and I'm very glad to met you again." Mr. Seagram says, "Young lady, my daughter tells me you'll be looking for employment over the summer. I work from my home most days now, and I could certainly use someone who can take dictation and do some other secretarial work for me. When I didn't have any tasks for you, our butler Mathias would be sure to find ample tasks to keep you busy. There are any number of projects he's wanted to get to the last few years he just hasn't had time for. The time you'll need off would be no trouble for us, if such a position would be acceptable to you." Miss Sullivan indicates that the summer job appeals to her. She thanks Mr. Seagram for his generosity. “Miss Sullivan, do think that you might be willing to teach me braile? I think it would be something wonderful to know. I would be willing to practice by translating some texts that have not been done yet, there must be some volumes where the authors are dead or are in the public domain that can be copied. or for that matter even just stories from out west it would be interesting to make a book of tales and have a companion book in braile when it was published and there is nothing if not a wealth of stories that are happening in the western territories. Would that be ok Ma’am Kate?” Quietly she whispers to Kate, "I can think of a lot of um... unorthodox uses for braille that might be helpful in the way our lives seem to go." Kate nodded to Ginnie. "Of course it would be alright," she said in a normal tone of voice. "If Miss Sullivan has some time today to teach you the basics. Perhaps the Director can tell us what we might need as far as equipment goes to write braille. You and Miss Sullivan could write one another if you liked, as well." Mr. Seagram adds, "And Ginnie could also come for a visit this summer when Miss. Sullivan is staying at the house." The adults leave the two young women to spend some time together, first getting lunch and then in study together. The adults return to the office and discuss details of how Seagram can use his connections and influence to better help the school. It is late afternoon by the time they conclude their visit at the school and return to the Seagram home for Kate's final night there. "We'll have to do our shopping tomorrow before we leave," Kate said as they stood in the front hall taking off shawls and jackets. "I didn't expect to spend so much time in the school. Fascinating though." The four retired to the parlor where her mother was sitting with her brother Henry. "How was the day?" she asked, kissing each in turn. They summarize their day. Dinner is soon served. Henry and Phillip are both present for the meal and afterwards retire into the parlor with Conrad to hear his stories about life out west. Kate sat quietly in the parlor listening to Conrad spin stories and watching as her brothers soaked in his words. Even Henry looked like a little boy who'd like to run off on an adventure. Every now and then one of her brothers would sneak a look over at her, seeming to have a hard time reconciling the same girl they had known with the woman who now lived in those stories. Sitting at a table with Katherine were her parents and her teacher, playing a card game and chatting. She listened to the conversation with half an ear, as she was listening to Conrad. Inside herself she was thinking of leaving her home again. She loved these people, her family, and leaving them again held no appeal. But returning to Arizona did. She found herself anxious to be there and busy again. Before Henry left for the night, she made sure he would be there for lunch the next day, so they could spend some time together before she left. They all stayed up later than usual, but one by one the family dropped off to bed. Kate took her time getting ready, then snuggled into the familiar bed for her last night. Friday, May 5th, 8:00 A.M. Kate sits down for breakfast with her parents, Ginnie and Mr. Gonzales. She notes that neither Phillip nor Conrad are present. Mathias comments that, "I imagine that those two are sleeping in. They and Mr. Henry were up past midnight talking." "Well, Mr. Booth will be back on Arizona time before we get there," Kate laughed, glad to hear the three seemed to be getting along with each other. "We'll have to do our shopping this morning, and then we'll be on our way this afternoon. I wish we could stay longer, but we can visit again and perhaps we'll see all of you in Arizona soon. I know we'll see Papa." At one point when her mother was distracted talking with Ginnie, Kate leaned over to her father and said, "How are we going to manage leaving without being sent to the train station in a carriage?" He whispers back, "Mr. Gonzales and I have that all worked out." "A mystery? Well, since I trust the both of you I won't worry about it any more. I wish I could tell everyone but I don't want to ask them to keep that secret. I already put one burden on them, they don't need another." The group finishes their breakfast. Mr. Seagram offers to take Kate, Ginnie and Gonzales shopping, starting with the book merchant who had assisted them during their visit the previous month. The ride to lower Beacon Street is fairly short, and they arrive at Robert Brothers books shortly after it is open for business. The storefront is narrow, but the space inside goes far back. The space in the front is open with several large, comfortable chairs and a counter behind which a few rare volumes are displayed in locked cases. Beyond the front area row of after row of dark, polished wood shelves march down the long room. Step ladders were scattered around the rows for access to the highest shelves. The place almost had the air of a library, especially in these early hours where no one yet sat in the front arguing over the last thing they'd read. Mr. John Roberts hurried forward from the stacks, smiling. "Mr. Seagram, what a pleasure to see you here. I was so sorry to hear of Mr. Emerson's passing. I'm grateful to have had the chance to meet him." "It was my pleasure to make that happen. He enjoyed your conversation, I know. We've come with a purpose today. My daughter is starting a school in Arizona, and we'll need some help finding appropriate texts. I'm not sure what my granddaughter and her friend would like to look at, but I'm sure they won't be shy." They spend the next hour looking for books. Most of what Kate picks out she gets only one or two volumes of but there are a few primers where she will need one for each student in that age group. He doesn't have all of these in stock so makes a list of what will need to be ordered and shipped out to Arizona. Gonzales and Ginnie spend the time finding various texts for themselves, choosing to spend all of the money that Conrad Booth had given to them. Kate directed that most of the volumes should be shipped to her, but chose a few to take back and read over herself so she could be prepared to teach from them. Once they'd chosen the schoolbooks, Kate followed the others examples and searched for books for herself. The pile of volumes at the end of their trip was embarrassingly large. When Kate tried to pay her father interrupted and said, "Just charge it to my account Mr. Roberts." "Papa, I can take care of it." "And so you are, my dear," he agreed. "You haven't asked for it, but you know you have a trust here that will more than amply cover these costs. If you want to work, then work, but don't make things harder than they need to be." Kate bit back her next argument, realizing this wasn't a conversation to be had in front of strangers. And her father was not wrong; she did have all the money she could need. "All right, Papa," she gave in. As they all climbed back in the carriage Kate said, "We need to go to the seamstress and pick up the things Maman had made for us and then I'd like to see a saddle-maker. Then we need some nice things to decorate the house with." The errands are completed in time to make it back home for lunch. By then Phillip and Conrad are both up and dressed, with Conrad's suitcase already packed and waiting near the front door. "Did shopping go well?" he asks. "I think so. I ordered birthday gifts and they should arrive before Ruby's party. We got more books than we could possibly know what to do with, new clothes, and some nice things to make the new house homier. Did you finish all your business yesterday?" He replies, "Yes, I met with the Boston sales representative for the Concord Coach company to make arrangements for purchasing the racing buggies. I won't finalize anything until after we have spoken to Ginnie and to Mrs. O'Hara, but I wanted to see what was available. Since the safety of the girls is my primary concern I wanted to get the best quality available, which by all accounts would be one of Concord's top-of-the-line models, the same type they race at the parks in Rockingham and Saratoga." "Excellent. I definitely want to make sure the girls are safe above all else. Promise City is going to be getting a great many deliveries in the next few weeks. Our postmaster won't know what to do with himself." The family and their guests retired to the dining room for a light lunch, during which Henry arrives and joins them. After lunch, Kate went for a last walk in the garden with her brother, wishing she had more time to spend with him. Although Kate and her family tended to linger, she could feel the others growing anxious to be on their way and she finally suggested it was time to go. Mr. Seagram says, "Well, I am sorry to see you go, but look forward to seeing you all again in around three weeks. And I'll be busy enough in the short term, General Pleasants will be along at any minute now, and our Union Army friends will be arriving in the middle of the afternoon." "Don't forget to talk to Mr. Whitman about the braille books," Kate said and hugged her father. Her voice suddenly choked up. "I'll miss you, Papa." "We'll miss you," he whispered back. "But I'll see you soon." Kate stayed there for a minute, then finally let go and went to her mother where the two women spoke in rapid French for several minutes. She had already said what needed saying to Henry so she simply embraced and kissed him again, then moved on to Phillip to say goodbye. Finally she looked at the others and said, "Alright, I'm ready." They wave goodbye as they head out to the carriage. Mr. Seagram tell the driver, "Thank you for getting the rig ready. It's a nice day for a drive so I'll take it from here. You can take the rest of the day off." The surprised driver does not argue. Gonzales, Ginnie, Conrad and Kate wave goodbye to the others and get inside the carriage. Gonzales says, "Okay, four invisibility spells coming up. You father will wait until we've all exited from the doors on the opposite side before he rides off to supposedly drive us to the train." "Very clever," Kate smiled. Mr. Gonzales quickly cast the spells and they all got down the other side, being careful not to jostle the carriage too much. They went around the back of the carriage house to the old, unused room where the brazier waited for them. "Why don't we go to the ranch house instead of the townhouse, Grandpere? Then we can walk into town with no one thinking it odd that we just reappeared. We will have to be visible again before we travel, won't we? It's hard to take hands when you can't see them." "That would work. You certainly have enough horses there for us to borrow some to ride into town." As all four are invisible Kate cannot see the perspiration that has broken out on Conrad's forehead although she feels the sweat of his hands. Gonzales begins the incantation and in a matter of minutes they materialize inside of the barn that has been constructed out at the ranch. Despite their being invisible their arrival is still noted by the chickens, geese and ducks who began to react wildly. Sonoma charges into the barn holding a pitchfork, suspecting a wild dog or coyote. Gonzales immediately cancels the spell upon seeing his Great Granddaughter, so that they don't get accidentally skewered. As Gonzales, Ginnie, Conrad and Kate appear most of the birds calm down except for the goose flock's leader that decides to attack Conrad. Kate laughed and dropped her bag. She quickly cast a small incantation, causing a flash of light to appear before the bird and hopefully temporarily confuse it. Conrad backs off as the goose takes a swipe at him. It is then distracted by the spell. He says, "Serves me right for traveling without a sword. Let me know when this goose is boiling in a roasting pot, I'll take the first bite of it instead of the other way around." Kate raised her eyebrow. "Traveling with a sword? You have one? And what in the world would that have to do with a goose?" Conrad says, "Judge Lacey has let me hang onto the one that I used at the festival. And if I'd had it a minute ago I'd have taught that goose how to better behave itself.: "And we'd have all had a good dinner," she laughed. "Let's get out of the barn and get all of you back to town." She walked over and hugged Sonoma. "I'll come back out later today and give you a hand. I'll need to bring the horses we ride into town back anyway. I want to tell you all about the books we got in Boston." Kate led them over to the corral and chose the horses. While the others were distracted, she took Conrad aside, her eyes still laughing about the goose. "We won't be able to say goodbye properly in town," she explained before she quickly kissed him. "And I wouldn't want you to forget me too soon." He kisses her warmly back and hugs her deeply. "Thank you Kate for asking me along on this trip. It was far more than I could have imagined. Your parents, your brothers, they are wonderful people. And meeting my father again....well, the whole trip was the best thing that has ever happened to me." "It only gets better from here," she said softly. "I'm glad you were with me. It made the difficult parts easier, and the easy parts much more enjoyable. And you gave me the chance to go to New York again. Thank you for that." "No need to thank me, as I said, it was the best time of my life. I do suppose we should be getting back to town though, Kate Higgins will be wondering if I'm coming to work tonight." They get the farm's wagon to pile their luggage into, which Ginnie and Conrad decide to steer back together while he speaks to her about the buggy. Gonzales get his own horse to ride back, the one he acquired in New Mexico while with Arcade's Gang, which he normally keeps stabled at the ranch rather than the El Parador so that Kate can help to better train it. Meribel is also currently at the ranch, Dorita having had Grant bring it out there since she was going to be out-of-town with her Grandfather. Kate managed to get herself up on Meribel even with her skirts. They were hiked up almost to her knees, but it wasn't the first time she'd ridden such. She kept on eye on Ginnie on Conrad, looking to see how the girl would react to the idea. Because of the time difference between Arizona and Massachusetts it is still mid-morning when they reach Promise City. Conrad indicates that Ginnie is receptive to the idea of the racing carriage. "Perhaps we should talk to Mrs. O'Hara today then and get it all taken care of." She smiled past Conrad at Ginnie. "We wouldn't want you to have to wait too long." It wasn't long before they arrived at the El Parador. Kate sighed, realizing that she felt she was home now more than she had in Boston. It was a bittersweet feeling, but a happy one as well. This was her place now. "Thank you for taking us, Grandpere," Kate said to her teacher, kissing his cheek. "You don't know how important it was to me." [/QUOTE]
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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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