“No sir. A friend of yours awaits you in this time period.”
They went up the stairs and opened the door to Bill’s den. Bill was surprised to see Mark Twain sitting in front of the roaring fireplace reading a novel and sipping tea. He looked up and said, “Glory be! Sure glad ya made it back, partner.” He looked at John and asked, “Was I right about that crazy man trying ta reach the dock?”
“You sure were.” John turned to Bill and explained, “When we got here we had no idea where you were so Matt and me went down to the garden to see if there were any footprints in the snow when out of the snowstorm we saw a man looking at us through the gate. It was Mark Twain and he asked, “Hey partners. By any chance is Bill around? Its mighty cold out here.”
Matt shouted over the wind, “Do you know Bill?”
“Yep! And Whitey Madden as well.”
John and Matt looked at each other and Matt stepped in. “Mister Twain. Wonderful to meet you. I vouch for you as I read the mission debrief of Whitey Madden’s. In it he states that he told you of his ability to time travel so I imagine that Bill also told you of his ability to do the same?”
“Yep! And he also told me that the time thing-a-mee broke and stranded him in this time period.”
“Yes, that was the truth. However we finally got it fixed and have come back for him.”
“But he’s not home?”
“No sir, he’s not home and we are wondering where he might be.” Matt went to the gate and using his skeleton key opened it. “Please come in and join us inside as we talk this over.” They went up the stairs to Bill’s den.
“Hey guys,” said Rocky who was searching the building, “check out this letter I found on the table. It’s from his fiancé and it says that she arrives at Pier 14 today!”
They all read it and Mark said as he toyed with his mustache, “Reckon we now know where Bill is. He is so darned in love with that gal that I bet he is on his way right now to meet her at the dock.”
Rocky chimed in, “That’s a lot of snow covered streets for anyone to travel. Especially in this time.”
“The young man is right,” quipped Twain, “That crazy man is on his way down Fourteenth Street.”
Matt looked at his watch and said as he walked to the door at the rear of the den, “Mister Perna will you please accompany me?” He then said to the other two men, “We’ll be right back gentlemen, please don’t leave the building.”
Thirty minutes later Matt and Rocky returned with the items he brought back from 2016.
“Mister Brand, I remembered your measurements from your last mission and hope you have not added too many pounds.”
The three men dressed as Mark Twain sat in amazement at their transformation from gentlemen of 1888 to science fiction figures of the future.
“I pray, sir, that you will wait here by the fire,” Matt asked Twain.
“Gonna make myself a pot of tea and enjoy the fire. Good luck, gents.”
After long hot showers Bill and Shirley sat on his couch with her snuggled up next to him. He took a sip of tea and asked Matt, “I’m sure glad that you guys found us, but tell me how did you know what year I’d be in?”
“I knew sir,” Matt answered, “by the yellow stick-up paper that you went back to 1887 to save Mister Robert Lewis Stevenson. That was the day that the time portal broke down and with it any form of communications between you and us. It seems, sir that there was an earthquake in Mexico back in 1887 and that affected the many plates deep underground all the way to the coast of North America ending in New York City. For some reason your trip back to that year seems to have unsettled those underground plates in New York City which, as you know is where the people of the future placed the time portal. When you didn’t return at the time you said you would, I sent you a message on my communicator and was astounded when it never got through. I immediately sent a query to the people of the future and was once again shocked that my message never got through to them. I called Misters Brand and Perna and we sat around trying to seek a way to get through to you or those in the future, but we never succeeded. After months of trying every day we suddenly got hundreds of communications from both you and them. They assured us that the time portal was once again running and I simply read the latest message you sent and set my Time Frequency Modulator for today and called Misters Brand and Perna and they joined me in going back to get you.”
“But why didn’t you just go back to the day that I left on the mission and stop me from going back?”
“Because the mission had to be completed.”
“True, very true.”
Rocky added, “Bill we never knew that this building belonged to you. We only found that out when Mark Twain said you lived here. We just went through the time travel door as we always do. What a coincidence.”
Bill shrugged, “I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but once I found out that it was for sale I grabbed it.”
“Sir,” added Matt, “I believe that because you purchased this building before the club was formed our friends from the future simply saw no reason not to place the club here.”
Rocky pressed his temples and moaned, “This time travel stuff sure gets deep.”
Mark stood and stretched. “Guess I better be off, gents and let you do that time travel thing.”
“In this storm?” said Bill. “No way. Besides I promised that you would spend some time in my time. After all I spent six months in your time.”
“Ya got me there, partner. I’ll take the trip with you.”
Bill looked at Shirley and she nodded. He then said to the three men, “Shall we go home?”
Matt nodded, “I guess we should first put out the fire.”
They opened one of the windows and scooped snow into plates and cups and tossed it on the fire. After ten minutes it was out. Bill went down to the basement and drained the water out of the pipes and allowed the fire in the boiler to burn itself out.
Two hours later the small group went down the stairwell and at the bottom Matt asked, “Sir, what date would you like us to go back to?”
“What date did you three leave on to get us?”
“July 1, 2016.”
“Let’s go to that date.”
Matt entered his password followed by July 1, 2016, 5:00 P.M. and pressed the activate button.
DATELINE: JULY 1, 2016 PLACE: THE 1800 CLUB, NEW YORK CITY
They walked up the stairs and once at his landing Bill knew he was back in his own time by the scratching and sniffing sounds from the other side of the door. Samson knew his master was home.
He opened the door to be greeted by his beagle jumping up on him as he howled. After a moment he did the same to Shirley and she felt at home. They entered the den and Mark Twain looked around and said, “Tarnation! Is this the future? Still using oil lamps Bill?”
Bill grinned. “I’ll explain it all to you in a bit, Mark. But believe me it’s 2016.”
“Allow me to make us all some sandwiches for dinner,” said Matt as he left the room.
Mark Twain looked around the room. “Place sure looks about the same to me, Bill. If this is the future someone liked your layout.” He went to the window and looked out at the tall almost all glass buildings, the cars and busses then to the Hudson River where a huge container ship was slowly passing by. “My Lord! This is amazing! I feel the need for a walk out there.”
“I’ll tell you what. I suggest that we rest up tonight and tomorrow we’ll step out after breakfast. Okay my friend?”
“It sure is okay with me,” he answered as he studied Bill’s library. “Am I in here somewhere?”
Bill grinned as he pointed to a shelf dedicated to Mark Twain.
“Well, what do ya know? A book titled, ‘A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court.” I do believe I’ll read this one and see how I ended it.”
Bill and Shirley took the time to get changed into some relaxed clothing. Matt returned with a platter of sandwiches and drinks. They all sat
around the coffee table and ate as Bill gave them a few stories about living back in 1888 and some do’s and don’t for the time travelers of the club. After lunch John and Rocky left and Mark Twain said, as he looked once again out the window, “Say Bill, mind if I take a lay down on your couch? It’s been a mighty long day.”
“I have a better idea, Mark. Follow me.” Bill led the writer to the bedroom he used when he was a guest of Bill’s back in 1888.
“Glory be! My room is still here!” Mark smiled as he looked around the room. “This is even better than the hotel.”
Bill opened the bathroom door and said, “Mark there’s a bathrobe on the back of the door and fresh towels stacked near the radiator. Have a good night’s sleep and after breakfast in the morning we’ll show you the town.”
“I thank ya and say good evening to both of you.”
Bill went back to the den and Shirley stood and said, “I have an idea. I’ll go to my room and change into something comfortable if you are up to chatting for a while?”
“I will chat all night with you.”
She smiled over her shoulder as she left the room. She entered her bedroom and taking a wooden match out of the cast iron match holder near the oil lamp, struck it on the rough side of the holder and lit the lamp. She then went to the dresser. She suddenly got embarrassed as she realized that she had planned her next move the last time she visited Bill. Shirley opened the top drawer of the dresser and took out a short silk baby blue chamise. Lord, Shirley . . . she thought, What would the ladies back in London think of you if they saw your choice of bed wear?
She remembered how on the last trip to New York Matt told her to go to the wardroom and pick out anything she wished to wear and she picked out outfits for this time period and could not resist looking through the women’s intimate apparel and picking out a few outfits for herself. She donned her outfit and put her bathrobe over it. It would not be proper to have Mister Twain or Matt see me in anything less than this bathrobe should they see me in transit to Bill’s room.
Nobody saw her as she entered the den then went to Bill’s bedroom where the door was slightly ajar. The crackle of the wood burning in the room’s fireplace and the shadows that the dancing flames projected on the walls all gave her the feeling that this was where she belonged. She closed the door behind her, dropped the bathrobe and walked towards the foot of the bed and saw Bill smiling up at her from beneath the thick bearskin rug on the floor between the bed and fireplace. He lifted the soft rug and she joined her love.
The next morning Matt, ever the gentleman, tapped lightly on Bill’s bedroom door rather than just entering as he usually did. “Sir, breakfast in thirty minutes.”
Shirley scrunched herself into the smallest ball possible beneath the bearskin as Bill answered, “Thanks Matt.”
She peeked out from beneath the rug and asked, “I’m sure he knows I’m here.”
“I’m sure he tapped on your door and not hearing any reply figured that you were in the shower.”
She stood and quickly snatched up the bathrobe and put it over her shoulders. “And that is where I am heading right now. See you at breakfast.” She pecked him on his nose and left the room.
Thirty minutes later Bill, Shirley and Mark Twain sat at the table in the alcove. The sun poured in and reflected off of the silver-serving tray on the table. Bill poured coffee for all and Shirley removed the cover to show a large batch of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausage and fried potatoes.
Mark closed his eyes as he sniffed the aroma. “Sure smells like breakfast in one of the finest hotels in New Orleans.”
“Matt’s the best!” added Bill.
“He sure is resourceful,” added Mark as he stood and fingered his lapels. “He took my suit and gave me this one to use until mine is cleaned.” He sat and looked out the windows as Bill gave him a running commentary on the Big Apple ending with “after breakfast I thought that we’d take a short walk to the house you stayed in. They have a memorial for you there.”
“A memorial for me? Dang! That sounds just about silly enough to be true.”
After breakfast the three stepped out. As they walked the few blocks Bill and Shirley both watched as the newest time traveler tried to see everything at once. He was amazed at the automobiles and shocked by the size difference between a small car and a bus. He craned his neck to watch as aircraft leaving LaGuardia Airport flew low while others were no more than a speck in the blue sky leaving only their contrails to point them out. He laughed that everyone seemed to be looking at their cell phone and walking at the same time.
They stopped in front of a beautiful building at 14 West 10th Street. Mark looked at the building than asked, “Is this where there’s a memorial to me?”
“Sort of a memorial Look at that plaque on the wall.”
In this house once lived
Mark Twain
(Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
Author of the Beloved American Classic
The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer
“Well I’ll be darned! What did I do to get this fine looking plaque on this building?”
“You lived here in 1890 to ’91. You said that it was your favorite residence of all of the places you stayed in while in New York City.”
Just then a small group of people exited the building and the woman who was giving a tour of the building said, “As Mister Twain said many times ‘this was my favorite residence in New York City.”
Bill guided Twain and Shirley away from them and after they left Bill asked, “Do you want to go in?”
“Maybe for a moment or two. I don’t wish to know everything that I get to do.” They walked down the three steps and entered the small hallway. Bill led the way as they went up the stairs to the second floor. As they looked through the open door of an apartment being painted, Mark walked towards the stairway to the third floor. A young couple came down the stairs and she asked him, “Excuse me, but did you happen to see the tour we were with?” Before he could answer, the young man grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her away towards the stairway that would bring them down to the front door. A puzzled Mark looked after them and was shocked to hear the man say as they quickly left the building, “It-It’ the ghost of Mark Twain! We just saw Mark Twain’s ghost!”
“Best we get out of here,” said Bill with a grin. “I forgot to tell you that they say this building is haunted and you just made two new believers.” The three laughed as they left the building.
They ate lunch in a small restaurant on Eighth Avenue next to a bookstore and after lunch Mark asked that they walk through it. Mark was shocked by the amount of books that filled every nook and cranny of the small store. The owner was a short pudgy man with glasses that hung around his neck. He walked over to the three and said, “I see that you are doing Mark Twain. What theater?”
Twain was sharp and before Bill could answer for him he said, “Nope! Just practicing for when I’m discovered, sir.”
After thirty-minutes in the shop the three time travelers left with a small bag of books that Mark wanted. “But you must wait until we meet again to get paid back, Bill.”
“No problem, Mark it’s all on the club.”
“Can I ask a favor?”
“Sure! Anything.”
“Might we take a ride on one of them busses?”
“No sooner said than done. We cross here and walk over three blocks to Sixth Avenue and catch the bus.”
The three took the bus heading uptown and Mark was thrilled . . . except for the comfort. “Mighty powerful sounding engine. Not like the steam engines on the Riverboats that run up and down the Mississippi.” He tapped his knuckles on the seat and continued; “However the carriages of my time give a more comfortable ride. This seat is like sitting on a block of warm ice.”
Bill shrugged, “Plastic! Its what they use on everything these days to keep the vehicles lighter.” He looked up and said, “Come on. We get off here.”
The three left the bus and Bil
l guided them to the entrance to Central Park. They walked along the curving flagstone path and soon arrived at a bench. The day was warm and the sun beat down as parents, nannies and children strolled or played in the park. Bill said, “Let’s sit a moment to enjoy the day.” They sat and Bill added, “Mark, this is where my mission started over one hundred years ago when I came back to save Robert Lewis Stevenson from getting hit in his head by a rock.”
“This bench? Shucks I remember like it was yesterday.” He smiled and looked around then said, “Bill, you and Matt and Shirley sure been mighty nice to me and I appreciate it. But now I feel that I should get on back to my time as, according to your library I sure do have a lot of writing to do. And my seat just won’t hold up on these bus seats.”
The three walked slowly back to the club.
After dinner Mark changed into his newly cleaned suit and shook hands with Matt, scratched Samson’s ears and snatched a kiss on Shirley’s cheek.
“Well, partners, I’m set ta go. Where do I end up?”
“That’s up to you, Mark,” answered Bill. “According to the records the streets were passable by March 15th. However when you go back if the streets were still impassable just stay in the building and leave when you feel safe.”
“Just like that? Stay until it’s clear?”
“Yep! I’ll be going back with you to start up the furnace so it’ll be nice and warm. I’m sure the ice is still good and . . . “
Matt entered the conversation, “Please sir, allow me to put together a basket of food for you.”
“Heck, I can’t refuse that offer.”
Bill stood before the open door and set his time frequency modulator to MARCH 15, 1888 5:00 P.M. and stepped out onto the landing followed by Mark and Shirley. At the bottom of the stairs he pressed the activate button and then led the two back up to his den.
DATELINE: MARCH 15, 1888 5:00 P.M. PLACE: THE 1800 CLUB, NEW YORK CITY
Time Travel Adventures of the 1800 Club, Book 14 Page 20
