A Lady's Choice (18 page)

Sarah straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “You were probably about my age when you first began your protests in England. But you believed in your cause and were strong enough to withstand three arrests. I doubt if I would be called on to face anything like that.”

“You certainly have the commitment that's required of someone to experience such treatment, but I only want to spare you the possibility of a confrontation.”

Sarah leaned forward. “I've been committed to suffrage for as long as I can remember. My father and mother admired you so much. They're both dead now, and I have to make my own decisions about where I should be in the suffrage movement. I admire Mrs. Catt and her belief that our best hope lies in our elected officials, but I feel like my heart is with the National Woman's Party. The only way we're ever going to get the vote is through an amendment to the constitution. I'm willing to take my place on the forefront of the fight as a picket.”

Alice chewed on her lip and nodded. “You're right that Mrs. Catt isn't as militant as I am. For instance, take our suffrage parade in March of 1913, the day before President Wilson was inaugurated. Five thousand women marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to let the new president know how we felt about the vote. An angry mob attacked the marchers, and many of them had to be taken to hospitals. The police stood by and watched without doing anything.”

A chill ran down Sarah's spine. “I know. I was still in high school at the time, but I read about it in the paper. I don't think Mrs. Catt would have approved of that.”

Alice laughed. “No, she wouldn't. It seems you've researched your argument well, Sarah.”

“It's not research, Miss Paul. It comes from discussing the issues with my parents from the time I was a child. It's made me who I am today. And I want to join the pickets.”

Alice leaned back in her chair and placed her fingertips together in front of her. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before she looked back at Sarah. “Two weeks after that march, I took a group of women with me to call on the president. We asked for his support of suffrage, but he would do nothing. That happened four years ago, and he still does nothing and refuses to even receive any suffrage delegations. That's why we began to picket outside the White House in January of this year. But the situation is tense and becomes more so every day. I don't want to involve you in it yet. In time if you still feel this way, I will.”

Sarah felt her heart stir at Miss Paul's promise. “Thank you. Until that time I will do anything I can to help. I want to be a part of this great campaign you've started here.”

Alice rose from behind her desk. “Good. Then let's see what we can find for you to do today.”

Alex stood up from behind his desk, walked to the window, and stared out at the sky. A flicker of light in the clouds and a far-off rumble signaled a storm to the west. He wondered if the storm would move across the Mississippi River or would skirt Memphis. As he stared at the black clouds rolling in the distance, he thought of another storm, on the day of the funeral for Sarah's mother, and their conversation afterward.

He wished many times he could go back to the days before that when their relationship had been sweeter and they were at ease with each other. If he had understood her then like he did now, he would have approached her differently. He sighed at the impossibility.

She was probably married to Roger Thorne by now. The thought made him sick to his stomach. He shouldn't be thinking about her. Not when he and Larraine were getting along so well. If things continued this well, he'd probably ask her to marry him at Christmas.

Maybe then he would quit thinking about Sarah. He raked his hand through his hair and groaned. Why were some days more difficult than others? Today, everywhere he turned something reminded him of her. But the most troubling of all was the thought that niggled at his mind constantly that he needed to pray for her.

A knock on his office door caught his attention, and he turned. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Lydia walked in. “Mr. Taylor, I'm about to go to lunch and wanted to ask if there is anything you need before I go.”

He opened his mouth to say no. Instead words he hardly recognized came out. “Yes, Lydia, I'd like for you to put through a long distance call for me.”

“Certainly, sir. Who are you calling?”

“I want to speak with Ben Cooper in Washington, D.C. He's a law school friend, and he's practicing in a firm with Dudley Malone and Matthew O'Brien.”

Her eyebrows arched, and her back stiffened. “Yes, sir.”

She turned to leave, but Alex held out his hand. “Wait a minute. Do I detect some misgivings in your attitude?”

Lydia turned and faced him. “No, sir, it's just that I've heard of these lawyers. They are very active in the suffrage movement. I'm not sure Mr. Buckley would like you associating with anyone in that firm.”

Alex narrowed his eyes and glared at her. “Let me remind you, Lydia, that you work for me. It's not the other way around. Until Mr. Buckley removes you or me, it is not your place to comment on who I do or don't speak with. Now please get my friend on the phone without any more delay.”

Lydia's face flamed bright red, and Alex swallowed back his regret at how he'd spoken to her. She lifted her chin and nodded. “Yes, sir. I'll get him right away.”

It was only a few minutes before Lydia let him know the call had been completed. He smiled when Ben's voice echoed on the line. “Hello.”

“Ben, this is Alex Taylor down in Memphis. How're things going in Washington?”

“Alex.” Ben's greeting reminded Alex of how his good-natured friend had seen him through a lot of long-night study sessions. “I've been wondering how you were doing. Is there any special reason you're calling?”

“Will and I are attending the same church in Memphis, and we talk about you a lot. He told me where you were working. I understand your firm has an interest in the suffrage movement.”

“Yeah. The two senior partners are supporters of Alice Paul, and they're monitoring the situation with her supporters.”

Alex sat up straight in his chair and frowned. “Do you think there may be some problems?”

“We're not really sure. Her silent sentinels are demonstrating outside the White House every day, and they're attracting big crowds. Some of those folks are quite vocal to the women. We hope it doesn't turn into something bad.”

Alex swallowed his fear. “Look, Ben. I want to ask a favor of you.”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“There's a young woman in Washington working with Alice Paul. Her name is Sarah Whittaker. Or if she's gotten married, it could be Thorne. No matter what her name is, would you mind keeping an eye on her for me? She doesn't have any immediate family, and I want to know if she gets sick or hurt.”

Ben chuckled. “Is this girl close to you?”

Alex exhaled. “Yeah, but it's complicated. I just want to make sure she's all right.”

“I'll do what I can, Alex. I'm going to be out of town for a while later this summer. I'm getting married, and my wife and I are taking an extended honeymoon in Europe.”

Alex laughed. “It sounds like you must be making a lot of money.”

“I'm doing all right, but my future father-in-law is the one with the money. He's paying for the honeymoon. I'll think about you when I'm in Paris.”

“Yeah, you do that. It's good to talk to you, and I wish you well in your marriage.”

“Thanks, Alex. I'll keep an ear open for anything you need to know about your girl.”

“Thank you. Good-bye, Ben.”

Alex hung up and sat there thinking about Sarah. Why did he have this feeling that something wasn't right in Washington? He pushed up from his desk and walked back to the window.

The storm had passed, and the dark clouds now traveled to the east. The sun now shone in the sky, but it didn't relieve the dark fog that had hung in his mind for days. Then a new fear entered his mind. The murky shadows that seeped from the recesses of his mind might just be a premonition of bad things yet to come.

Sarah pecked at the keys on the typewriter with her index fingers and muttered under her breath at her lack of skills as she tried to type the handwritten list of today's demonstrators.

“Your willingness to try anything impresses me.”

Sarah turned in her chair and smiled at Marian Douglas who stood there. “I never did learn how to type, so I have to use the hunt-and-peck method.”

Marian sat down opposite her and crossed her legs. “You're doing an excellent job, and everyone appreciates the effort you're making to fit in here.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Sarah noted a small frown wrinkle Marian's forehead. “Sarah, Alice asked me to talk to you about Roger. He comes here every day to drop you off and pick you up. I'm afraid he's becoming something of a nuisance. It's as if he's trying to impress all of us with his commitment.”

Sarah quaked at Marian's words. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize he was in the way. Maybe I could ask him not to come inside.”

Marian shook her head. “It's not that he's in the way. It's his manner with everyone. He brags about all the money he's spent to get you in the movement and tells everyone how he rescued you from obscurity and made you an activist in Memphis.”

“Well, he and his aunt have done a lot for me. I owe them more than I can ever repay.”

Marian leaned forward and took Sarah's hand. “He's beginning to pester Alice to let you picket at the White House. He's offered her a lot of money for the campaign if she will let you go with the others. It appears he thinks his money can buy him anything he wants.”

Sarah's mouth dropped open, and she frowned. “Oh Marian, I'm so sorry. I don't want Miss Paul to be angry with me. I knew nothing about this. Roger knew I asked Miss Paul about joining the pickets. I'm sure he only wants to give me what he thinks I want.”

Marian looked into her eyes. “Does he want it for you, or does he have some selfish reason for himself? Why did he really bring you to Washington?”

The question surprised Sarah, and she searched for an answer. “W–well, he says he's in love with me and wants to marry me, but I've told him repeatedly that I won't marry him.”

“Did he think by bringing you to Washington you might be so grateful that you would marry him?”

Sarah shook her head. “But he didn't bring me here. Our group in Memphis sent Mrs. Simpson and me. Roger only came along to make sure we were safe.”

“You think your suffrage group sent you here?”

“I don't think. I know. Roger is on the executive committee of our group in Memphis. When he came home from one of the meetings, he said they wanted me to represent them since no one else could get away at that time of year.”

“But if I understood correctly, you were teaching school. How did you manage that?”

Marian's questions were beginning to cause Sarah some concern, and she fidgeted in her chair. “Roger owns the school, but Mrs. Simpson runs it. She hired a substitute for my classes.”

“I see.” Marian sighed, took off her glasses, and rubbed her eyes. “Sarah, there's something you need to know. Alice had a phone call from Mrs. Windsor in Memphis. She had called to check on you and see how you were making it since she hadn't heard from Mrs. Simpson or Roger. In the course of the conversation she mentioned that she and another lady were making plans to come to Washington, but Roger persuaded them to let you come in their places. In fact he donated a large sum of money to the Memphis group in exchange for him to bring you and his aunt.”

“What?” Sarah stared at Marion in disbelief. “There must be some mistake.”

“It's true. When Alice told Mrs. Windsor that Mrs. Simpson has done very little since she's been here, Mrs. Windsor said that didn't surprise her. Evidently she does very little in their group too.”

Sarah jumped to her feet and began to wring her hands. “Oh, this is terrible, but I assure you I knew nothing about this. I thought I had the wholehearted endorsement of the group.” Another thought hit her, and she placed her hands on her burning cheeks. “Oh, what Miss Paul must think.”

Marian shook her head. “She thinks you're a very dedicated worker, but she's concerned about your involvement with Mrs. Simpson and Mr. Thorne. I know you don't have any family, but surely someone else must have warned you to be careful in your association with them.”

The memory of Alex questioning her about the letter she received from them before her mother's death popped into her mind. “Someone tried to, but I wouldn't listen.” She swallowed and asked the question she feared to ask. “Does Miss Paul want me to leave?”

Marian shook her head. “Of course not. She's very fond of you, and she thinks you do a good job. We felt you needed to know this.”

“I did need to know. I must do something, but I don't know what. I can't give up the work here. Since the time I saw suffragists marching in downtown Memphis, I've known my destiny lay with this cause.”

“What are you going to do about Roger's proposal?”

“The same thing I've been doing since he first spoke of it, tell him no. I don't want—”

The front door burst open before Sarah could finish her sentence. Henrietta Morris, a new volunteer from the Boston area, ran into the room. She stopped just inside the door and bent forward, her hair disheveled and her arms crossed at her waist. She panted for breath, and tears streamed down the girl's pudgy cheeks.

“Miss Paul! Miss Paul! Come quick!” she cried.

Alice came running from her office. “What is it?”

Sarah and Marian ran to the girl who was struggling to speak. Between sobs she gulped out her message. “They've been arrested! The pickets have been arrested and taken to police headquarters.”

Unable to move or speak, Sarah glanced at Marian, who appeared just as shocked as she. Alice grabbed Henrietta's shoulders and gave the girl a gentle shake. “Arrested? Who arrested them?”

“The police. They took them away in a police wagon. They said they were obstructing sidewalk traffic and arrested all of them.”

Alice turned to Sarah and Marian. “I'm going to police headquarters. You stay here and see if you can calm Henrietta. I'll be back as soon as I know anything.”

With that Alice charged from the office into the street. Sarah put her arms around the girl and led her to a room in the back that housed two cots. She settled Henrietta on one of the cots and went to the kitchen, where Marian had already poured water from the kettle for a cup of tea.

Marian raised anguished eyes to Sarah. “I knew this would happen. It was only a matter of time.”

Together they took Henrietta the tea and then left her to rest. Sarah walked back to the desk and sat down at the typewriter. She picked up her list of today's demonstrators and with a heavy heart read their names.