Ruth Visits an old Friend

She had left her children in the care of a now shaken Mrs. Abrams, and was heading for the ferry to Jersey City. Ruth was on a mission, and she needed to get across the Hudson. She had a hell of a time getting to the ferry from Penn Station. She had to take the El to the 23rd Street Ferry Terminal of the Pavonia Ferry “Oh this is hell. All of New York is hell.” She silently thought to herself. Once across the river, she boarded the train to Piermont. The trip was slow, and people were looking at her with odd looks. One person asked Ruth whom she was going to see, and when she replied; “Victoria Langdon”, a look of fear struck them. “Did you hear about her husband? Sick man he was.” One person said. Another person added “She's the witch of Piermont. I feel sorry for that daughter of hers. She must get beaten every day.” Ruth just listened to these people make Victoria a monster. “Maybe Emily was right after all?” Ruth thought to herself. When she walked off the train at Piermont Station, Ruth found a cab to take her to the Langdon Estate, high up on Tweed Boulevard. When she arrived, she walked to the door and rang the bell. A maid answered. “Hello, may I help you?” She asked. “Yes, I'm here to see Victoria.” Ruth said. The maid replied; “She's inside, you may come in.”

The house was splendid. Massive rugs that covered the floor, and animal heads that were mounted on the walls. “Amy, I thought I told you to let them-Ruth!” Victoria said in excitement. “It's good to see you. How have you been?” Ruth said. Victoria hadn't seen Ruth in almost four years, and their constant letters to one another did no justice. Victoria knew all about Rose from Ruth's letters, and wanted to meet her. “Did you bring Rose with you on this Sunday?” She asked. Ruth muttered “No, she has school tomorrow, as does Emily. I wish I had known you were back, I would have sent Emily to you.” Victoria began; “I came back on Friday. Paris loved my designs. Did you tell her?” By “tell her”, Victoria meant “Did you tell Emily that she is your daughter?” “Yes, I told Emily, but I think I did it wrong, you see we announced it on Thanksgiving, in front of everyone.” Victoria motioned to Amy to bring some tea. The maid complied, and soon two cups were brought to them. “That's actually a good way to come out about it.” Victoria said. Ruth just nodded in approval. “I received your letter Ruth, and yes, I'm happy to let you have that arrangement. I've got several appearances in New York city court coming soon, one during the Christmas Holidays and the rest, I will have to check back on you with the days.” “Victoria, do you realize the effect the divorce has had on her?” Ruth muttered. “Yes Ruth, I do. Sadly, she's been in tears most days. Boarding school has down right frightened the poor thing, plus with her braces; she's really been self conscious of her surroundings.” Victoria took a sip of her tea.

Victoria was a woman, whom had amassed great wealth from corsetry. Her black hair was neatly done up in a bun. Her eyes were a deep green, that shone like emeralds in sunlight. Her face, while not the most attractive, was easy on the eyes. Her method of dress, was conservative, with a lace collar and a cameo on her neck. Her voice, while typical of an upper class New Yorker, was not refined as to get rid of the nasal tone associated with New Yorkers. This is to say, that she was very different, and most people would not have associated with her, but due to her standing, they accepted her all the same. Even when she was a child, she was molded by the New York Elite to be a high strung, rigid person. This changed however, when she met Ruth DeWitt at St. Catherine's in 1883. From then on, they were inseparable, often, the DeWitt's and the Morrow's would summer together in the Hamptons, in the company of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. Victoria's parenting style however, was different. She was trained to be strict, but loving. The way she raised Emily as her own, after it was discovered that she could never have children, however made her cherish her child. As Emily got older, Victoria began to lecture Emily on etiquette, however if Emily made a wrong move, Victoria would slap her wrist, and tell her to do it again.

“How was her behavior? Did she behave herself? She didn't run while she was there did she?” “No, Victoria, she did not run(she lied). She behaved herself, and she wore her corset.” “Good, that's all that matters. I spent months designing that corset for her. She shouldn't run, that's what little girls do. She is not a little girl anymore.” Ruth commented; “I didn't realize that Emily had such a rigid lifestyle. “ “What's worse is that she has this habit of calling me 'mama' or 'mommy', or even the dreadful 'motherkins' It's horrible, I can't bear it.” Ruth, becoming annoyed by talking about Emily, changed the subject. “So, how does it feel now that Jonathan is gone?” “Well, to tell you the truth, I miss him terribly, but what he did is no excuse. I cannot believe he had an affair, especially with one of the nurses at Seaview! So, I've had to explain to everyone that my husband is a cheating pig.” Ruth stifled a giggle. “Remember when we went to school Victoria? Well, I've sent my Rose to St. Catherine's girl's school. I had a run in with a particularly nasty Mrs. Abrams.” “Mrs. Abrams? My god, she's still there, she must be ages old now.” “I've heard, by way of Emily that one of Rose's friends was caned severely by the headmistress. They never touched us. It seems that now they're beating them regularly.” “Rose was frightened by the headmistress after the caning incident.””Poor thing, I do hope she is alright.” Unaware of the time, Victoria offered Ruth dinner. “Please, dine with me tonight. I cannot bear to eat alone. I'm sure your husband will not mind.” “No, Victoria, he will not mind. I told him I was going to New York to do some Christmas shopping anyway, and he knows I'm here. My trunk should be arriving any minute.”

They dined on roasted chicken that night. “Tell me Ruth, how is your husband? You already know about mine.” “Oh, Sam is doing fine. He was appointed head of the Philadelphia Customs House, after they fired and replaced the staff back in August. We've been getting along just fine.” Victoria got up from the table and brought back a bottle of whiskey. “Do you want some of this in your tea or coffee?” “Good god Victoria, has it gotten that bad for you?” “No, this is the filthy pig's whiskey. It needs to be gone, it needs to be drunk.” She poured some whiskey into her coffee and took a few sips. Ruth looked at it in disgust. “The next point I'd like to bring up to you, Victoria, is what should I get Emily for Christmas?” “How much do you wish to spend on her? She seems to have an affinity for paper dolls. I'm getting her a new wardrobe, complete with new corsets. She is also getting a new trunk, the current one she has, was mine back when we attended St. Catherine's.” “Does she play with any toys?” “Yes, Ruth, in fact she has a massive doll set. I will show you.” They walked upstairs to Emily's room. The room, was large, larger than Rose's, and it contained a magnificent four poster bed, complete with massive pillows and a quilt that looked hand made. “Here is her doll collection” “Sweet Jesus that's a lot of dolls.” “Yes, despite my attempts to teach her that she is not a little girl anymore, she still plays with them.” They walked over to the closet. “Here is her wardrobe. You can see that her underclothes have been put into their own compartment. The mannequins over here, keep her corsets from getting tangled. I feel as though I've failed her.” “You haven't failed her. Maybe you push too hard, let her be a child. This divorce has gotten you all mixed up.” Victoria agreed.

They continued touring the room. “Her bed, this bed is almost too large for her, she might get lost inside of it.” Victoria joked. “I certainly will say that this bed is larger than Rose's. It's the size of my bed.” They walked over to the vanity. “This is Emily's vanity. Most certainly she needs it. She has all of her make up and perfume here.” “I see.” “Well, when we realized that we would never be able to conceive, I took it upon myself to spoil her as a child. Getting her things down in the city. My husband, then would 'study' her. He's a psychiatrist. He did some cruel things to her, like hitting her with a rolled up piece of newspaper then asking her, for posterity's sake, how it felt.” A knock was heard at the front door. Victoria opened the door. “I have a trunk for a Mrs. Bukater.” Ruth came and picked the trunk up after tipping the porter. “Here, I'll have Amy come and get it.” They walked back upstairs to Emily's room. “She also likes photography. Here are some of her pictures. I'll admit, they're better than mine.” Ruth looked at the pictures. “Wow, are these the palisades? That's you. There you are on an outing. Here's another, it's you sitting a bench. Vic, she loves you.” Victoria blushed. “Ruth, I have something to show you. I am going to revolutionize corset boning. I am asking for help from Hockley Steel, of Pennsylvania.” By now, it was getting late, and it was time to head to bed. “Here's your room. Breakfast is promptly served at 8:30 AM. Have a good night.” Ruth slipped out of her clothes and into her nightclothes. She slipped under the covers and was out cold.

At breakfast the next morning, Victoria arrived late, in fact she was in her house coat. “I thought you said Promptly at 8:30” Ruth joked. “Not yet. I still need my tea.” Amy brought her some tea, and Victoria began to cheer up. They ate breakfast, and then got dressed. After Ruth got dressed, she packed her trunk and headed downstairs. “Victoria, I'm afraid I must get going. I would like to get my shopping done, and I still have to visit my mother and father, in Westchester.” A cab pulled up in front of the house and Ruth stepped inside. Back on the train to New York, Ruth remembered where she was going to stay: The Waldorf-Astoria. From the 23rd Street ferry terminal, she left, looking for a cab to take her to the hotel, there she would check in, and then go about her business. It was to be a long week. She knew that she would have to get a lot of things for both her children. She left the wardrobe to Victoria, but she would get Emily other various things. “Who cares what she says? She is my child. Right?”