Being Mary Ro

by Ida Linehan Young

  “I worked with Mom. Neither her efforts nor mine were enough,” Mary said flatly. “I want to be a healer, possibly a surgeon. That’s what will make a difference, and I know I can be good at it.” Mary sensed in her heart and soul that the world didn’t let nurses into that place where she wanted to be. The want within her was strong—she hoped it would be strong enough.

  “Leave her alone,” Bridie scolded. “The poor child has had enough going on this past month besides you two trying to discourage her.”

  Theresa and Nellie were younger than Bridie and had seen tough times in Boston as unmarried young women. However, Bridie and her husband had helped them through. They knew full well what Mary was facing and would stand by her. She was family, and that’s what families did.

  Quickly changing the subject, Theresa asked Mary about her adventures since the shipwreck off John’s Pond, which they had read about in the Globe. All three were captivated by the tale she told, and by the end, when she explained about the most recent boat episode, they almost fell off their chairs. Getting into the story, Mary re-enacted how she bashed the criminal over the head, knocking him out. In retrospect, it was laudable, but at the time it was terrifying.

  “I have no doubt you will do fine at medical training, Mary. After what you just went through, that will be easy,” Theresa said, smiling and hugging her. “You know we only have your best interests at heart.”

  Their nephew Charles interrupted, claiming to be hungry and asking about supper. Laughing between tears, they helped Clotilda set the table in the dining hall, rather than trying to squeeze the crowd into the kitchen.

  Robert Ayre, Bridie’s husband, returned home from his law office before the meal. A prominent lawyer with a successful practice, he worked long hours in order to keep it that way. Mary remembered him from when she was much younger. He was tall, his dark hair turning grey around the temples, his eyes kind and not unfamiliar with laughter, according to the lines. The younger two boys boisterously greeted him in the hallway, while the older Rob was a little more reserved in the presence of company. Mary sensed Bridie’s husband was like Da—a good man and a good provider.

  A native of St. John’s, Robert had been working with his uncle trading fish one summer on behalf of Ayre and Sons. Her father was on the wharf when Bridie was sent to fetch him because Brian had fallen from the stable loft and broken his arm. The two met on the dock, and it was love at first sight. Robert returned to court Bridie every chance he got. It was the best summer the fishermen in John’s Pond had seen in years—the merchant was always around.

  Da was protective and didn’t know if the outsider had the right intentions for his eldest daughter. Though they wanted to marry that same summer, her father wanted them to wait until the spring to see if their feelings had changed. Da thought absence would see the infatuation wane and that Robert would tire of the situation. However, the two wrote each other over the winter, and Bridie cried every time she got a letter. It broke Da’s heart to see her so distressed.

  Robert showed up on the wharf in John’s Pond as soon as the ice cleared. The merchant trade was soon over for him. In September, he was moving to Boston to finish his law degree and planned to set up a practice there. He wanted to do that with Bridie by his side and with her father’s blessing. Da wasn’t keen on Bridie going so far away at first, but Mom had intervened. Mary’s sister and brother-in-law were married in the church in John’s Pond on a sunny August afternoon, with dancing and celebrations going long into the night. The next day, Bridie was gone—the abyss had swallowed her.

  The next summer they returned for a visit, but by the following year, Robert’s law practice was flourishing and they had a baby on the way and couldn’t make the trip. Sadly, Baby George was born with deformities and lived only a few days. Bridie and Robert were devastated. It was around this time Theresa and Nellie decided to follow their sister. Their prospects for marriage weren’t being fulfilled in John’s Pond. Da was keen on seeing Bridie and made the trip with his daughters to ensure they both got to Boston safe and sound.

  Three years later, Bridie had little Robert, and the other two precious boys followed. Nellie and Theresa married, had children of their own, and none of them ever returned. This was the first time Mary had seen Bridie since she was a young girl, and it must have been twelve years since her other sisters left. Despite the time lapse, they could never be strangers since they were blood.

  16

  Danol showed up for supper with a blonde-haired woman on his arm. He stopped abruptly when he saw Mary in her new attire. He stared at her, and she blushed. The woman beside him looked considerably uncomfortable and shuffled from one foot to the other as she waited for Danol to speak. Finally, she drawled, “Danol where are your manners? You must have left them on that wretched boat.” She turned her attention on Mary. “I’m Maude Spencer. I’m a stenographer at the precinct where Danol’s stationed. You must be Mary Rourke.” She stretched out her hand toward Mary.

  Mary nodded and took her hand. “Yes, that’s me.” She instantly disliked the woman.

  Bridie came to greet them, and Maude introduced herself. “I’ve missed Danol so much over the last few weeks and couldn’t possibly go another evening without his company, especially since he’s going away again in a few days. I hope you don’t mind that I tagged along.”

  Such gatecrashing was a social gaffe, but Bridie, the beatingest hostess, assured her it was fine and guided them all to the dining room.

  After the introductions were made and the meal was served, conversation flowed easily. The sisters chatted about people from John’s Pond while Robert and Danol talked about law, the police, and the general state of Boston as a whole. At every opportunity, Maude put her two cents’ worth in the conversation. It irked Mary that Maude was so easily at home in Danol’s world—a foreign place to her.

  Danol found his eyes continually searching for Mary. He couldn’t believe the transformation from waif to princess. It was like seeing a magnificent butterfly emerge from a cocoon. He knew well of the beautiful person within, but this woman before him was exquisite.

  When the conversation came back around to Mary going to medical school, Danol said, “I have some good news. The police commissioner—and the mayor—have agreed to intercede. I have their letters of endorsement with me. I’ll personally escort you to the university tomorrow. You can present the letters, and I’ll be there to show the city’s support,” he said. He was fully confident in his authority.

  “Tomorrow, Danol? That’s so soon,” Mary said. Her heart came up in her throat at the thought. Tomorrow was . . . tomorrow.

  “I’ll be gone for two weeks, so there’s no time like the present. That’ll give you time to figure out what you need. I’ll also have the reward money to cover the payment for two semesters, and we can pick up any supplies you need when I return.”

  “Bridie and I have already talked about this,” Robert said. “We want to pay tuition and provide Mary with all the supplies she needs for school. It’s our gift to her for taking care of her parents and seeing to their burial when none of us were around.” Looking at Mary with a welcoming smile, he said, “We also have a place for you here as long as you want or need it. Please accept our offer. It’s something that we really want to do.”

  Mary thought about it for a moment. She looked toward Danol, but his expression was blank. Finally she nodded. “Fine, as long as you let me help around the house.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Nellie and I want to take you shopping and get you a new wardrobe for school,” Theresa said. “That’s our gift to you.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Mary said.

  “We know we don’t have to. We really want to,” Theresa said. “We can’t have our sister in rags in university. We would be the talk of Boston.” Theresa begged her to accept and to spend time with their families as well.

  “Agre
ed, again!” Mary said, her eyes welling with tears. “You’re all so good to me. Thank you.”

  All the sisters clasped hands across the table. The children asked to be excused while the men went off to the parlour to have a cigar.

  Maude tapped her fingernails on the chair and pretended to listen to the conversation between the sisters. She didn’t bother to engage beyond a “yes” or “no” when Bridie tried to include her in the conversation. When the men returned, Danol said he had to leave. He had a lot of paperwork to attend to for the prisoner transfer before coming for Mary around mid-morning.

  Mary walked both Danol and Maude to the door. In the vestibule, Danol quietly asked about her bruising.

  “I’ll be fine, Danol. Nothing time won’t heal.”

  Maude gave a heavy sigh behind him.

  “Can you wait right here while I escort Maude to the carriage?” Mary nodded and listened to protests from Maude as the door closed behind them.

  Who was this Maude person, and what was her relationship to Danol? She was a stunningly beautiful woman. But Mary hadn’t associated Danol with another woman, and he hadn’t mentioned her. Though she had no right, Mary felt strangely uncomfortable with the thought. Where were these feelings coming from? While she waited in the porch, she reminded herself several times that she loved Peter Nolan. She pushed aside what she knew to be jealousy. Mary was a little more satisfied with Danol sending Maude home than she ought to be.

  Danol came back, but neither of them knew that Bridie was eavesdropping on their conversation.

  “I’m sorry about Maude. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. You look beautiful, Mary. I don’t know how you will manage cases as a doctor, because I’m sure all the male patients will want to see only you.” They both laughed.

  He tenderly kissed her forehead and said goodbye. “I’ll be back in the morning. Then we’ll go show those university folks what a real doctor looks like. Bye, Mary.”

  The door shut firmly behind him. Mary’s fingers rose and caressed the place where his lips had touched her skin. She didn’t know how to feel—she was excited and scared to death all at the same time. But there was something else mixed in with those feelings that she didn’t quite understand. Peter had put her heart in a knot all those years ago, and now it seemed that Danol had done the same.

  Mary paced the parlour floor. Bridie had given her a long dark grey cotton dress that covered her from chin to toe. The bodice hugged her slim figure without being tight, and the skirt flared slightly about her hips. Conservative, according to Bridie, and appropriate. She would also wear a fetching grey hat to complete the set. Mary had just finished putting her hair up and pinning the headpiece when she heard a knock.

  She rushed into the foyer to collect her coat. She stopped abruptly when she saw Danol in full uniform. They both stared at each other.

  “My, Danol, you’re all spruced up.”

  “And you—you—well, you look fine, Miss Doctor-to-be.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need me with you?” Bridie spoke behind her. “I’d be more than happy to accompany you.”

  “I don’t believe that’s necessary. At least not today,” Danol said. “She’s not registering yet. Nathan—Mayor Matthews—said nothing will be decided at this meeting. It’s a good chance for Mary to see where she’ll be going.”

  Bridie waved from the door as Danol escorted Mary to a horse and carriage. He instructed the driver to take them to the Boston University School of Medicine.

  She couldn’t control the flock of butterflies taking flight in her stomach, and Danol sensed the change. “You’ll be fine, Mary. According to Nathan, this university is very open to having womenfolk in their classrooms. Don’t worry until it’s necessary.” He patted her hand reassuringly.

  The coach pulled up in front of a three-storey brick building. The entrance was on the ground level with a single step to get inside. A lady seated behind a desk glanced at them as they entered. Her eyes lingered on Danol for a little longer than necessary, and Mary smiled to herself.

  “Good morning. I’m Lieutenant Danol Cooper from the BPD. This is Miss Mary Rourke. We have a meeting with Mr. Warren to talk about Miss Rourke entering the medical program.”

  The stoic secretary greeted them, but her stern demeanour was unsettling. She told Mary that the program director would meet with her to assess her learning acumen and any practical experience gained in the field of medicine. The secretary showed Mary into the office and introduced her to Mr. William Warren.

  He was a kind-looking, older gentleman, and when he spoke, she felt herself relax.

  “Good morning, Miss Rourke. I understand you want to earn a degree in medicine,” he said. “Our university is committed to inclusion. That is not to say that you won’t have some trouble from your peers. However, we endeavour to ensure our female students are respected within the classroom.”

  “That’s very good to hear, sir,” Mary answered with more courage than she felt.

  “Tell me about yourself, Mary. Why do you want to be a doctor?” He offered her a cup of tea to put her at ease.

  Mary told the older man about her life in John’s Pond and how her mother was a nurse and midwife who helped Mary learn some medical skills. Mary told him she had been helping deliver babies since she was thirteen years old. She had assisted her mother with many types of treatments, including broken bones, stitches, and lancing boils. She talked about the diphtheria epidemic and her experience over the last few months where she stitched Danol’s wound and fixed a broken arm and treated ailments on the Newfoundland.

  When she was finished, Mr. Warren asked her a few questions about schooling and her ability to read and write. Mary had heard stories from her mother regarding some of the nurses she had worked with at the Riverview Hospital in St. John’s. Most had no education, couldn’t read or write, and were expected to dispense medicines to patients without actually knowing what they were administering. Luckily, her own mother had gotten her grade eleven and had insisted all her children follow suit so they wouldn’t end up in the same predicament as those poor nurses.

  “Do you plan on specializing? That will take many more years,” Mr. Warren said.

  “No. Not right now,” Mary said, and then she told him of her plans for the medical boat.

  “You sound like a great candidate. However, first you will need to pass the university entrance exam,” Mr. Warren said. “You also have to be prepared for several years of study. Where you place on the exam will determine just how many years you’ll need.”

  Mary reeled from thoughts of the path her life was following. Outside the office, she found Danol pacing the floor. He stopped in his tracks when she closed the door to the office. She smiled and quickly described the process she had to follow before being admitted.

  Mr. Warren’s assistant retrieved several stacks of paper for Mary to fill out and scheduled her to write the entrance exam in three weeks. Mr. Warren brought two books and a piece of paper from his office and handed them to Danol.

  “Miss Rourke, here is some reading to help you prepare. I suggest you take this list and bring it to the public library.” Mr. Warren looked from her to Danol. “I can see by the letters of endorsement that you have lots of people rooting for you, and I really want to wish you the best.”

  They made it back just as Clotilda was preparing lunch, and Danol stayed for the meal.

  She told Bridie about her meeting and how she had to study for three weeks in order to do her best.

  “Bridie, I may be here for a few years, at least in the fall and winter.”

  “That’s okay by us, Mary. If you ever want to live here, both Robert and I will do everything we can for you,” Bridie said. “You’re my sister, and I’ll support you.”

  “Let’s see how the next few weeks go. Now I have to get down to studying, and I’ll need to spend some time at the
public library.” Mary could only imagine how many books must be there.

  Danol said he’d come by in the morning and take her to the library, but Bridie told him that one of her friends volunteered there, so she’d go instead. She invited Danol for supper the following evening before he headed to New York. He accepted.

  Danol left just after lunch, and Mary went to her room. She refused to let the books and reading list overwhelm her. She was glad that she’d been an avid reader and that her mother had made her go to Mount Carmel to finish her grade eleven. Although she didn’t appreciate it at the time, she would look toward the heavens and thank her mother for her foresight more than once in the next three weeks.

  Mary came downstairs for a quick bite that evening before getting back to studying. Bridie told her to take the time to do what she needed to do, insisting there’d be lots of time to see Boston when she finished her entrance exam.

  The next morning after breakfast, Bridie booked a private carriage to take them to the Boston Public Library on Boylston Street. Her sister explained that there was a branch library closer, but her friend had said the one on Boylston Street would be best suited. When the carriage stopped in front of a spectacular two-storey brick building, Mary was more nervous than she had been the day before.

  The brownstone structure was imposing, yet somehow inviting. Mary’s love of books would test her resolve over the next few weeks. She had to stay focused. She wasn’t paying attention to what Bridie was saying and, instead, stood at the entrance to a great gallery and gaped at what lay before her.

  She gazed up at long, slender windows, rounded at the top and surely as tall as her house. Light from the massive windows reflected on the pale grey walls and giant white columns spaced evenly throughout the great hall. A table encircled the base of each column, and people were scattered out among the tables reading books and newspapers. Very few tables or chairs remained empty. What was this place? Mary had never seen the like before.