Maggie
I wondered at first if Calvin’s marriage to Leah would make a significant difference in the running of our household, but it was naïve to think that my sister would give over control of the purse strings simply because she was now legally wed. Leah was far too set in her ways. Even if Calvin had wanted to master his wife and assume his place as provider of the family, he was not capable. In spite of his unexpected return from the brink of the grave, we all knew that it was not so much a reprieve as a postponement. Consumption was a chronic disease, known for its lengthy periods of dormancy followed by sudden crisis. For months after his illness, Calvin was as weak as a kitten.
Thus, our family business of spiritual stewardship remained the only means of income for us. Our circuit across the state had brought in a fair amount of money, but our traveling expenses had not been inconsequential either. Once it was certain that Calvin was not in immediate danger, it became necessary for us to resume the spirit circles that provided the means for our subsistence.
When Kate came home for Christmas, we discovered that she had not been neglecting her talent for mischief while away at school. During the hours in which she no doubt should have been studying, she had invented a new spirit trick, which she called ghost writing. In the midst of a spirit circle, Kate would moan and roll her eyes back convincingly, apparently descending into a trance. Her left hand would begin to move in broad, looping gestures. If given a pen and directed to a sheet of paper, Kate’s hand would begin to write, seemingly without her volition, in a wide, scrawling backward script. When reflected in a mirror, the writing revealed some communication intended for a person in the room. No matter what was written, be it I forgive you or Trust that your present occupation will serve you well, someone in the room would claim the message for their own. Hardly anyone who departed from a spirit circle in which Kate participated doubted the validity of what he or she had seen.
***
In January, Leah pressed for Kate to return to the Greeley house and attend the next school term. Not only was it important to retain Mr. Greeley’s support, but Kate’s image of innocence was enhanced by her scrupulous attention to her studies. Kate did not depart without tears, but as usual, she eventually submitted to Leah’s will.
The months flew by. Life in Rochester, while not as quickly paced as that in New York City, offered more than enough amusement to keep me busy. I was enjoying the company of a large and varied group of persons, ranging from abolitionist and feminist reformers to newspapermen and mesmerists. I received letters from people I had never met. No less than four letters offered betrothal, solely on the basis of my description. “Hmmph!” snorted Leah, reading these proposals with amusement. “No doubt these gentlemen, if they even deserve such a term, are more interested in the shape of your purse than your figure!”
***
In the summer and fall of 1850, two terrible events shook our nation. The first was the unexpected death of President Zachary Taylor from a sudden attack of cholera, and the second was the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act by Congress. This great blow to the antislavery movement made it a federal crime to harbor fugitive slaves. The new president, Millard Fillmore, signed the bill, officially turning the Posts into criminals. Our spirit table shook with anger, and Kate, finally returned from her lengthy term at school, transcribed pages of spiritual invective in her eerie, backward script. On one occasion, the spirits wrote, through Kate’s hand: Poor President Taylor—he has left his country with a man who will lead the nation into war.
Our spirit circle was taken aback by that message, and Leah chastised Kate privately for it. “There is no need to be so grim! Our clients don’t like it!”
Kate made no excuses but gazed at Leah with that fathomless expression she used when trying to convey that her spirit messages were real. Leah only snorted in disdain and waved her away impatiently. There was no more talk of war after that, but the shade of the idea had already been raised and could not be banished.
In the late fall, I received a letter from a family we had met in Troy the previous year, inviting me to come and reside for a time in their home and hold spirit circles for the believers who lived in that town. I remembered the Boutons fondly, especially Mr. Bouton’s sister Annabel, who was my age. This girl had struck up an acquaintance with me at the time of our visit, and we had continued to exchange letters over the months. Leah was inclined to allow me to go, now that she had Kate back, but my younger sister surprised me with her jealousy and anger.
“I’ve only just returned!” she cried. “Is my companionship so unsatisfactory that you have to leave Rochester for better company?”
I was shocked and hurt by her words. “Kate! You have been away for months making friends at school, but I have been working all that time, holding the spirit circles and doing Leah’s bidding! Don’t I deserve an opportunity to travel and meet new people as you have been doing?”
To my consternation, Kate folded up like a rag doll and collapsed weeping upon our bed. “None of those girls was a sister to me! I could never truly be myself! I counted the days until I could return to Rochester, and now you are going away!”
Slowly, I sat down beside her and put my arms around her. I knew my sister well, and while she spoke the truth, she was also trying to bend me to her will. I was approaching seventeen years of age, on the verge of womanhood, and Kate was still a child. Although she was my beloved sister, I was stubbornly determined to seek out a measure of independence.
I had not told Kate, nor did I plan to tell Leah, but Annabel Bouton had written to me that she had an “understanding” with a young banker named John. Her brother would not consider allowing a formal betrothal at her age, but all tacitly agreed that Annabel and John could be engaged when she reached eighteen and married shortly thereafter.
“I would love for you to come and stay with us for a few weeks,” Annabel wrote. “I am so happy and I want to share my newfound elation. John has a brother who saw you at a spiritual lecture last summer, and he would dearly like to make your acquaintance. If you were to come to Troy, Maggie, it would be my greatest delight to make the introduction!”
Perhaps it was foolish, but I felt great satisfaction at keeping Annabel’s secret engagement from Leah, and the idea that I could meet an admirer during my visit had tantalized me with daydreams of romance. I regretted Kate’s unhappiness, but it was not going to prevent me from having my little rebellion.
“Three weeks,” I said into Kate’s hair, hugging her closely. “I’ll be back in Rochester in less than a month.” In my heart, though, I knew that once I was out of Leah’s clutches, I would stay in Troy as long as I pleased.
“I just wish you wouldn’t go at all,” Kate whispered. “I can’t explain it. I just don’t want you to go.”