Chapter 9

 

 

July 18, 1878

A s she hurried out the door into the backyard, and before she reached the clothesline, Mary Hayes began calling instructions to Blythe and Nancy. “You two need to finish pulling those towels and the last of the sheets off the line. Take them to the kitchen table. Get them folded and put where they need to go as soon as you can. That special train bringing all those eclipse-chasers will be pulling into the station about four o’clock. They’ll be here looking for their rooms before you know it.”

With the dry linens in the large laundry basket, Blythe and Nancy did as they were bid.

Blythe turned the basket sideways to fit it through the doorjamb. For all her chattering, one trait Nancy possessed that Blythe quickly learned to appreciate was her work ethic. Nancy completed her tasks quickly and efficiently. Even though she talked while working, unlike some of the hired help Blythe had known in Chicago, she did not stop what she was doing when talking.

Once alone in their room the night before, Nancy had offered Blythe her choice of the side of bed she preferred sleeping on. That morning, since Blythe was not yet familiar with the hotel, Nancy went with her on each floor and gave instructions on which rooms had been vacated and needed to have the beds made and towels replenished. They worked together to prepare the rooms.

“What about your fiancé? That was who you wrote to last night, wasn’t it?” Nancy leaned over to fold the corner of a bottom sheet at the head of the bed.

“Yes. I hope to be able to get away for a few minutes to mail my letter to him.” Blythe shook the top sheet in the air to release it from its folds.

“Maybe your soldier will come for you at the same time as the eclipse so your friends can meet him.” Nancy grabbed the top and smoothed it next to the headboard.

“Perhaps.” Although she liked all three men she met on her trip to Rawlins, it was Eli Morgan who filled her thoughts and awareness. The last thing Blythe wanted was for Eli and Sgt. McGilvey to meet.

Once all the rooms were prepared, Mary put them to work sweeping and damp-mopping the lobby and hallway floors, as well as the stairs. Nancy was given instructions to dust everything while Blythe was handed lemon oil and a rag to clean the handrail and balusters on the stairs.

At one point, Mary grumbled while rolling her eyes. “Many of the scientists come from Eastern money and are used to hotels with the finest architecture and all the amenities. Compared to what they’re used to, I’m sure this place will impress them as a poor substitute. Still, I want it clean when the first wave enters, even though it will be them, not those of us who live in Rawlins, who track in all the dust and grime we’ll see by tonight. Be prepared to sweep the stairs and lobby floor after everyone is settled in their rooms.”

Blythe acknowledged her employer’s concerns with a nod and went to work. She understood what it took to polish wood to a shine.

All three of them, after working diligently to get the inside of the hotel in the best condition possible, sat in the kitchen with cups of tea in front of them.

“It’s too hot this time of year to heat water for tea this late in the day, but we needed it.” Mary shook her head. “I think I’m going to have to ask Allen to move the stove outside for cooking supper.”

“You need a cook shack.” Nancy giggled. “If you cook outside, you need something to keep the dust out of your food.”

“I’ll talk to my husband about it. Maybe one of these carpenters in town can put something together real quick. If not, I might have to cook on the stove we use to heat laundry water.”

Allen Hayes stuck his head through the door. “The special train hauling the Draper Expedition just sounded its whistle and is pulling into the station now. I only have young Andy I hired for the afternoon to help me carry baggage, so I’ll need you ladies to show them to their rooms and perhaps help them with small items.”

The three gulped down the last of their tea and put the cups in the dry sink. Mary took command of the registration desk. Nancy and Blythe stood between the desk and the stairs. They did not have to wait long before a line of tired, dusty, and cinder-covered guests began streaming through the doors.

Other than showing the newcomers to their rooms, Blythe was not called on for much. Most of the men preferred to make two trips, declining to allow either her or Nancy to help them carry items. All seemed to go smoothly until she returned to the lobby in time to hear one customer complain about being required to share a room.

“Madam, I require my rest. I do not wish to share a bed with someone who might be the grandest of fellows, but who probably moves around or makes noises in his sleep. Surely, you have a room with a single bed in it available?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Edison. My single rooms are already taken by those who paid for earlier reservations.”

Blythe suppressed a smile. She had overheard enough on the train trip coming out to know that Eli and his associates had arrived a day earlier than the Draper Expedition solely for the purpose of reserving rooms with single beds.

“I plan to put you in with Mr. Fox, here.” Mary gestured toward a man who stood several feet from the desk. “I understand he reports for the New York Herald. Perhaps, if you have any new inventions, you can talk to him, and he’ll write up a nice article about it for his newspaper.”

“I appreciate the thought, ma’am.” Edison raised an eyebrow as he eyed Edward Fox before he returned his gaze to Mary. “However, I want it understood that I am more than an inventor. I am also a scientist…one who prefers a good night’s rest.”

“Hear. Hear.” Fox shook his head. “For a bunch of quiet scientists, I’ve been subjected to more talk, theories, and speculation these past few days than I have for the past ten years.”

Mary, with a flash of annoyance on her countenance, snatched up a key. She handed it to Blythe and then forced a smile as she glanced first at Edward Fox, and then at Thomas Edison. “It’s an honor to have the two of you stay at our hotel, Mr. Fox and Mr. Edison. I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Edison, but we are a small town. Under normal circumstances, our hotel is quite adequate. I’m sure you and Mr. Fox will work something out. Mrs. Greenly will show you to your room.”

Upon hearing a new voice near the front door, those in the lobby looked toward the speaker. “Hey, Mr. Edison, did you bring one of them phonographs you invented with you? I’d sure like to hear something like that.”

“With a sigh that he transitioned into a tight smile, Mr. Edison turned to the man. “No, sir. I’m here as part of a scientific expedition. During the eclipse, I’ll be testing the tasimeter I’ve invented for the purpose of detecting heat sensitivity from a variety of sources at several distances. I’ll use what I learn to create a source of incandescent light. It’s going to be bigger than the phonograph.”

The man responded with a snort. “I’ve got me a heat tester right here.” He raised his hand with the palm toward Edison. “I get it close to a fire or hot stove, I can feel the heat right fine.”

Edward Fox rolled his eyes.

As he glared at the man, the muscles in Thomas Edison’s jaw tightened.

“Elmer Bascom, this isn’t a sideshow.” Mary stamped her foot as she called out to the local who had come to gawk. “Get out of my hotel and leave my guests alone.”

“And if I ain’t inclined to go?” A defiant expression on his face, the older man folded his arms.

“You know as well as I do Rankin’s Livery isn’t that far away.” Mary lowered her chin and glowered. “If I send to the sheriff’s office for Deputy Jim Rankin and he’s not there, I just need to check at the livery, and he’ll be here in no time.”

Shaking his head, Elmer flapped his hand at Mary as he turned to exit. “Don’t go getting all worked up on my account, Mrs. Hayes. I just stopped by to see what the hullabaloo is about.”

Blythe gestured toward the stairs. “Right this way, Mr. Edison and Mr. Fox. I’ll show you to your room. Is there anything I can help either of you carry?”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Greenly.”

Hiking his satchel higher on his shoulder and tightening his grip on his valise, Edison gave Blythe a baleful once-over. “No, thank you, ma’am. I don’t expect a woman to carry my belongings. All I ask is that you give us a quiet room.”

“You’ll have the room at the back, left corner on the second floor. That way, you won’t have other guests walking past your door.” Blythe led them up the stairs. That’s just below mine and Nancy’s room. I’ll have to tell her we need to step lightly and keep our voices down.

After all the expedition members were settled, Blythe joined Mr. and Mrs. Hayes and Nancy at the kitchen table. Andy, the teenage helper Allen sometimes hired to help haul luggage or clean up the outside property, had gone home.

Mary, a glass of water laced with a tablespoon of vinegar and a spoonful of sugar in her hand, leaned her head back and sighed. “We managed to get them all in rooms, but it was tight. The two gentlemen who brought their wives I placed on the ground floor. They’ll sleep cooler down there.”

“As warm as Rawlins can be in July, the whole bunch ought to be happy they don’t have Blythe’s and my room.” Nancy placed her palm over her mouth as she giggled. She sighed as she looked off to the side. “I do sometimes wish we could leave the door open so we can catch a cross-breeze coming up the stairs from the window on the second-story landing.”

Mary tipped her head forward and glared at Nancy. “Whether we have all our rooms full or empty, you will not leave your door open for any reason, Nancy. I do not need anyone wandering up to the attic rooms and bringing trouble to you two. Make sure that door stays locked.”

“Yes, ma’am. I was just thinking out loud. Besides, heat or no heat, after how hectic it’s been the last two days, we’ll probably sleep like the dead tonight.” She sighed with resignation. “Tomorrow will be busy, too.”

“If it makes you feel any better, we’ll be in an attic room across the way sharing the heat with you. You helped us bring up our belongings, remember?”