American Struggle

by Veda Boyd Jones

  “No,” he said emphatically. “Not in a few minutes. However, records show that death has come as soon as six hours after an attack.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Independence Day

  Rob and Emma together read the magazines Dr. Drake had given Rob, but since they were old issues, there was no mention of cholera in them. The issues of the magazine Dr. Drake edited, the Western Medical and Physical Journal, covered more than diseases and their causes and cures.

  “How do you come up with all these writings?” Rob asked Dr. Drake when they returned the magazines for another pile.

  “Studies,” Dr. Drake replied. “I want to see how Western medicine differs from Eastern medicine, but I can’t just give my ideas. I have to observe and then write down my conclusions.”

  “What kind of studies?” Emma asked. The way Dr. Drake looked at her made her fear she had been too bold in asking.

  “You’re a curious girl, aren’t you, Emma?” His voice sounded as though he wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing or a good thing.

  “I’m curious, too,” Rob put in, but Emma wasn’t sure if he was defending her or trying to shift Dr. Drake’s attention back to himself.

  Dr. Drake looked at him and smiled, and this time, the approval was written clearly across his face. “That’s a good thing, Rob. That curiosity is going to take you far in life.” In a low voice, as if musing aloud, he added, “You need direction, but you’re too young for formal training.” He walked over to his desk and sorted through a drawer, taking out a pencil and some paper.

  “Rob, how would you like to help me with some scientific experiments?” he said as he drew some lines on the top sheet of paper.

  “Oh, yes!”

  Dr. Drake wrote some more, then looked up. “Here’s what you do. Each day I want you to record the temperature of the air at your house, then down at the river. You’ll need a thermometer. Do you have one?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll order one for you next time I need supplies.” “I’ve seen one in Barnett’s Mercantile. Maybe Father would get it for me.”

  “I imagine he would. Anthony has a curious mind, too, and he’d want to foster that in you. And what about you, Emma?”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. You have a questioning mind and an outspoken tongue.” Dr. Drake chuckled. “It’s clear to me that you want something out of life—but you’ll have to work hard to get it.” Again his voice was so low that Emma wondered if they were supposed to hear. Dr. Drake’s soft words filled her with a prickly feeling of excitement. She was willing to work hard.

  “Now, there are a few other studies you two could do for me,” Dr. Drake said in a louder voice. “One is to notice the clouds at two times each day and record the type. The times must be consistent—the same. And when you go to the river to measure the air temperature, you must leave the thermometer in the same place for a few minutes to get an accurate reading. Don’t leave it in direct sunlight. While you’re waiting, measure the depth of the river. Use the flood gauge at the public landing and record the direction of the wind, and the speed, too, if you can.”

  With school starting up again after the flood cleanup, Rob made a schedule of when he and Emma could record their observations. That way they would be consistent. Rob’s father bought him a thermometer, which he kept in a leather pouch so it wouldn’t break when they carried it to the river each morning before school. At that time, they measured the river depth and looked up at the sky. After school, they again measured the river depth and recorded the type of clouds and where they were in the sky before Emma went home and Rob went to the shipyard to do his regular cleanup work. With the threat that cholera would come to Cincinnati, Rob’s father was a fanatic about keeping the place free of garbage.

  “Why do you think Dr. Drake wants all this information?” Emma asked.

  “I think so he can see if the temperature affects any events that occur. Dr. Drake said the cholera is affected by the atmosphere, but I’m not sure about the river. Maybe he wants to see if the temperature affects the height of the river.”

  At home on the porch, Rob showed her a book he had checked out of the library that had all types of clouds in it. “Those are storm clouds there,” he said and pointed to the sky.

  Emma looked at him as if he were crazy. “Of course they’re storm clouds. Everybody knows that. It’ll be raining in a few minutes. The breeze has cooled down, too.”

  Rob whipped his thermometer out of its leather pouch and set it against the porch rail. He sighed. “Why do you always have to act as though you know more than me?”

  “I don’t. But sometimes I do know more than you. Should I just keep quiet?”

  Rob didn’t say anything, but Emma thought she read his answer on his face. After a moment, Rob said, “You know the saying: Red sky at night is a sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.”

  “Sure. I know that, too.”

  Rob sighed again. “Well, Dr. Drake says we can prove that by scientific observations. If we record the look of the sky in the morning and the sun shines pink and red on the clouds and later it rains, and that happens over and over in the same way, then we can draw a conclusion that when the sky looks like that, it will rain later in the day.”

  “We didn’t have a red sky this morning,” Emma said.

  “No, it doesn’t mean we will always have a red sky before we get rain, but if there is a red sky, it will probably rain.”

  “We’ll see. I might start some of my own observations out at the farm.”

  “Dr. Drake would like that. He has doctors in other parts of the state making observations, too. He says next we’ll record the different plant life, to see if it has any effect on things.”

  As spring moved toward summer, Emma was busy helping her parents around their farm, but she also spent more time with her scientific observations. She measured the distance around the big oak tree that grew in the middle of the pasture, and some of the other trees, too, but she recorded these numbers every week, not daily. She measured the height of the wild rosebush that grew beside the henhouse. She counted blossoms on one limb of the redbud tree and recorded the length of time that passed before the pink blooms fell off. Then she measured the tiny puckered leaves every day, and soon they were full-grown, flat, heart-shaped leaves.

  “You are a natural scientist,” Dr. Drake told her when she showed her notebook to him.

  Emma felt her face turn pink with pleasure.

  “What about you, Rob? Are you keeping records as well?”

  “I want to be a doctor,” Rob said.

  “You will be someday, but first you must understand the world God gave us and what change brings what result.”

  After that, Rob kept his own notebook full of observations.

  Each week the temperatures on Rob’s and Emma’s charts climbed. Then summer arrived, and plans were made for the big Fourth of July celebration.

  “After the parade and speeches,” Emma’s mother said a couple days before the event, “we’re all going to the Etingoffs’ house. Anthony will fetch the Davis sisters. You and Rob can set up the big table in the yard before the parade. Then we’ll use all the quilts to sit on. Anthony is going to bring some lumber from the shipyard so he and Rob can put together some benches.”

  “Why do we always make such a fuss over the Fourth of July?” Emma wondered out loud.

  “It’s right that we celebrate this holiday with family and friends in this great nation,” Papa said.

  “Are you going to give a speech?” Emma asked.

  Her father looked surprised. “A speech? No.”

  “You sound like a speechmaker.” Emma waved an arm out as if gesturing to a crowd. “In this great nation,” she mimicked her father’s deep voice.

  Papa chuckled. “I guess I sound like a politician, when I’m just a proud American. This country gives us freedom. Freedom to speak what we feel, freedom to worship as we believe, freedom to become anyth
ing we want.”

  “Dr. Drake said that, too. He said I can be anything I want to be as long as I set my mind to it.” Emma was pretty sure he’d been talking to Rob when he’d said that, but she’d taken it to heart anyway.

  “He meant you can be anything as long as you’re willing to work for it. And you’re going to want to take good care of your own home one day. You’re a good worker, Emma.” Papa gave Emma’s hair a gentle tug. “I know you’re going to be a wonderful wife and mother.”

  It was hard to sleep that night. Emma’s bedroom was hot and stuffy, and she lay awake thinking about what Papa had said. Why couldn’t anyone understand that she wanted to be something exciting when she grew up, the way Rob wanted to be a doctor? Rob would probably be a husband and a father one day, but no one talked as though that was the only thing he should be thinking about when he looked toward the future. Why should things be any different for girls?

  She sighed. At least she had her secret. Even if no one else knew what she was doing, she knew.

  The Fourth of July dawned with no red skies. It will be a good day, Emma thought as she downed her oatmeal in big gulps. They left for town early, and as soon as they arrived, Emma and Rob raced to the river to make their morning recordings.

  When they returned, they helped carry the big table to the yard. Mama set her pies on one corner and covered them with a cloth to keep the flies out.

  “This is to keep you out, too,” she told Emma and Rob with a laugh.

  By late morning, they stood on the side of the street, watching the Independence Day parade. Hundreds marched by them, waving. Some men represented trade associations. Children marched with their Sunday schools. A festive air surrounded them all as the nation’s freedoms were celebrated.

  “Do you want to listen to the speeches?” Emma asked.

  “Maybe one,” Rob said, “if it doesn’t go too long.”

  “Politicians always speak too long,” Emma said, but she walked with Rob to the end of the parade route where the speaker’s stand had been erected. The first speaker had the crowd’s attention, and roars of approval filled the air as he punctuated every accolade for the United States of America with his fist in the air. But after an hour, Emma was tired of standing and listening, and she was hot and hungry.

  “Want to go home now?” she whispered to Rob so she wouldn’t upset those around them who were listening to the orator. He nodded.

  They edged their way out of the crowd, then headed toward home. Under the shade trees in the backyard, they found the Davis sisters visiting with their mothers. Emma’s three-year-old sister, Mary, lay on a pallet sound asleep. Her little brother, Timothy, played with Rob’s dog, Jackson.

  “Are the speeches over?” Mama asked.

  “No. I think they’ll go on for a while,” Emma said. She drew some cool water from the well, drank a dipperful, and then handed the dipper to Rob. “Listening to how great this country is sure makes a person thirsty.”

  “It was probably the hot sun and not the words,” Mama said.

  Over two hours later the others arrived in separate groups. First Rob’s grandparents arrived, then Emma’s grandparents, and then more cousins. The backyard was filled with laughter and talk until the women uncovered the food.

  “Let us thank God for the providence He’s given us,” Rob’s father said. The others stood and bowed their heads.

  “Thank You, our heavenly Father, for the joys of this day. We live in the greatest country in the world because we are free. And the greatest freedom we have is to worship You in any manner we choose. Please guide us to make choices that will please You. And bless this food to our bodies that we may be stronger and serve You better. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  “Amen” echoed through the gathering.

  The adults filled their plates from the large table. Then it was the children’s turn to heap fried chicken, corn bread, green beans, and boiled potatoes onto their plates. After they’d eaten all the pies, someone called out for some music, and Mama retrieved her harmonica from the wagon.

  She called out, “What’s your favorite?”

  Miss Clara named a tune, and Mama jumped into the song. Others sang along and called out more favorites. After a while, Papa and Uncle Anthony lit lanterns and placed them among the group.

  It was well after dark when Mama finally put her harmonica away and the group broke up.

  Emma helped carry empty baskets to the wagons lined up in front of the house. Rob’s father escorted the Davis sisters to a wagon and left to take them home. The others bade farewell into the night. Emma’s family was the last to leave.

  “Thanks for the hospitality,” Mama called to Aunt Patricia.

  “Another great Independence Day,” Rob said to Emma. “The best country in the world—where we have freedom. We can all be anything we want to be as long as we set our minds to it.”

  “Not all of us,” Emma said as she climbed onto the wagon.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Rob asked.

  But Emma turned her face away and didn’t answer.

  CHAPTER 7

  News from New York

  With the big Fourth of July celebration over, Emma settled down to helping her parents on the farm, but she still had time to record her scientific observations—and whenever she could catch a ride into town, she visited Rob. He might aggravate her sometimes, but he was still her best friend.

  “Have you seen Dr. Drake this week?” she asked one hot mid-July day. “I thought I’d see if I could borrow a book from him.”

  “A book on what?” Rob asked as he finished sweeping the floor of his father’s office.

  “I want to know more about the bones in his skeleton.” Emma thought Rob gave her a funny look, but he only shrugged and said, “Let’s go see him.”

  Together they walked toward Dr. Drake’s, but they met him on the street a block from his home.

  “It’s here,” Dr. Drake said in a solemn voice. “The cholera is in New York.”

  Emma’s stomach did a strange little flip. Now the dreaded disease wasn’t just something that was spreading in Europe and that she read about in magazines. Now it was in the United States. How long until it reached Cincinnati?

  “When will it get here?” she asked.

  “Hard to say. Could be a few weeks, could be a few months. We must get people to clean up the filth here. We must get rid of the breeding places for the cholera.”

  “How did it get across the ocean?” Rob asked. “Must have come on a ship. The report I have from a doctor friend in the East is rather sketchy.” He held up a letter. “The disease reached New York nearly a month ago.” “A month?”

  “Yes. There’s no time to lose. I’m on my way to talk to some of the Board of Health members. The city must take precautions. We must ensure the safety of our citizens.” He raised a hand in farewell and marched on down the street.

  Rob and Emma stood looking at each other. “It’s here,” Rob said, echoing Dr. Drake’s words. “We must warn the others.”

  They ran back to the shipyard. Emma could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

  The moment Rob saw his father, he yelled, “The cholera’s in New York.”

  His father dropped the hammer he was holding. “Who told you that?”

  “Dr. Drake. He thinks it came on a boat.” “Then it will probably come here the same way.” Rob’s father looked toward the Ohio River. “Every boat should be inspected before it’s allowed to tie up at the wharf. If there’s sickness on it, it can’t stop here. I’ll go talk to Dr. Drake.”

  “He’s not home. He’s talking to some Board of Health members.” “I’ll find him. Go tell your mother.”

  Rob and Emma raced home. As soon as they broke the news to

  Rob’s mother, they headed for the marketplace to tell Mama. The news spread like wildfire through the market.

  At the dinner table that night, Papa prayed, “Our heavenly Father, thank You for this day and this food. Plea
se deliver us from the pestilence of cholera that’s in New York….”

  Emma didn’t listen to the rest, but she added her own fervent prayer to that of her father’s: Please, God, don’t let the cholera kill my family.

  “Anthony says Dr. Drake has called a meeting of all interested citizens tonight,” Papa said. “I’m going to hear what he has to say.” “Can I go with you?” Emma asked.

  Papa looked at Mama, then shook his head. “You’d better stay here. I’ll tell you what he says when I get home. Or maybe tomorrow. It may be late when I get back.”

  Emma went to bed and watched the stars out her window. She could hear the mantel clock tick-tock, tick-tock in the parlor below her room, and still Papa didn’t return from town. What could they be discussing this long? She fell asleep dreaming that the invisible cholera insects hovered over Cincinnati.

  At first light, Emma awoke and rushed downstairs. She smelled coffee and found Mother and Father in the kitchen.

  “What did he say?” Emma demanded.

  “The afternoon newspaper will have a full report,” Papa said, “in case I forget something. Mostly what Dr. Drake said was that we must clean up the marshy areas where the disease can breed. We must clean out cellars and air them. Garbage must be disposed of properly so it won’t make our drinking water impure. It’s up to the citizens to clean up this town. The Board of Health doesn’t have any money to hire people, so we have to do it ourselves. There are places where the flood sludge hasn’t been properly disposed of. These are the breeding places.”

  Emma’s mouth formed a large O. “Nobody got the big pile out of the Davises’ backyard,” she said.

  Papa looked at Mama. “I’ll take the wagon into town and talk to Anthony. You can come along, Emma.”

  “I’ll air out our cellar,” Mama said. “Timothy can help me carry things out.”

  When Emma and her father arrived at the Etingoffs’, Emma and Rob ran to the Davis sisters’ house. They told them of the coming disease and the plan to remove the dried sludge pile in their backyard.

  “I didn’t want to say anything about it,” Miss Clara said, “but I did wonder about it.”