Chapter Thirteen: Tow

Monday, July 4, 1910

Emily asked Audrey, "What'd you think of River City?"

"Well, not as exciting as Eagle Creek, but it does have its charms." She leaned in to Emily, "Remind me again, why do we have to have a thirteen-year-old boy with us?"

"Jake's an artist and he's drawing our portraits tomorrow night. Sarah's trying to be nice to him, charity work you could call it. He's not too annoying."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Fine, but, what happens if we meet any young men?"

Emily whispered, "In that case, he's some kid that we don't know and does not speak English who keeps following us around. That way he can never tell anyone.…"

Audrey winked. "Gotcha."

Jake asked, "Jan, do you like roller skating?"

Jan smiled and nodded.

"I'm lightning on wheels. I met a girl a couple of weeks ago at the library who likes to skate, her name is Angela, and I am hoping she is here tonight."

"Maybe."

When they arrived at the roller rink, Jake laced up first and hit the floor. He waved at the girls as he went by them at top speed. They reluctantly waved back.

The girls were seated on a large bench, the rink was crowded.

"Is this seat taken?" came a deep male voice.

Jan looked up and was instantly smitten with the tall, handsome young man who looked about eighteen.

She nervously shook her head, "No" and motioned for him to sit next to her.

Jan turned to Audrey and mouthed, "Wow!"

Audrey smirked. "Robert? You're boyfriend back in Helena?"

Jan rubbed her chin and gave Audrey, a note, "We're not in Helena, and this other guy is cute, why not?"

Audrey, Emily, Lynn and Sarah all smiled and gave her the thumbs up sign.

Jan looked down. She cleared her throat: "S, so...." The young man saw a male friend and skated off. "...you like to skate? Agh! C, c, come back, p, plea..."

Jan cringed. She took out her writing pad. "By the time I could ask him to skate he would have already married someone else."

The girls laughed and sympathized.

Lynn grabbed Jan's elbow, "Let's go."

Jan rolled her eyes and nodded her head.

The girls hit the floor. The young man flew past them.

Jan tried to speak, "H, h, h, h, hello?"

Emily said, "This is ridiculous. Watch and learn from a pro."

Emily skated rapidly to a point just beyond him and executed a perfect non-injury fall. The young man stopped to help. "Oh, thank you kind sir." She extended her hand, he lifted her up.

Jan was motioning with her hands, "No!"

Emily spoke in a faux Southern accent, "Much obliged. If only my boyfriend…" she froze, she couldn't think of a good name.

The girls looked to each other for clues and then made letters with their hands, Emily watched them. She thought, "T-O-W? Towel?" She smiled and said to him with great charm, "If only my boyfriend Towel was here to help me." As soon as she said that she grimaced and rolled her eyes.

"Towel? Your boyfriend is named Towel?"

She looked back at the girls; Lynn pointed her hands downward instead of upwards. She whispered through her smile to Audrey in a regretful tone, "I was making a W."

Emily reconsidered. "Tom! My boyfriend is named Tom."

The young man nodded. "I see, so you're not dating Towel?"

Emily looked to her friends and then back at him, "No. Towel and I are just friends."

She rolled her eyes and put her face in her right hand.

The young man said to her, "Of the four young ladies behind me. Which one wanted to skate with me the most?"

Emily was frustrated, the jig was up: "Which one wants to talk to him the most?" The girls all bulged their eyes.

He turned around. They all looked up and began whistling.

Lynn, however, soon looked down. She smiled and pointed to herself. Audrey playfully slapped her hand and pointed to herself. Sarah did the same. Jan kept right on whistling.

"The one who is not embarrassing me at this moment is named Jan. How old are you?"

"Twenty," he replied.

"Jan's twenty; she's a sophomore in college."

Jan put her hand on her mouth and shook her head at Audrey. The man rolled up to her and said, "Would you care to..." he made a circular motion.

Jan nodded and they took off around the rink.

Jake, in the mean time, was having no luck. Angela was not there, which, fortunately for him meant that she could not laugh when he hit the railing at top speed and somersaulted to the floor. He sat at a table, took off his skate and checked his ankle. Lynn saw him. She motioned with her head that they'd better join him.

Jan noticed where they sat. She made a motion to the young man, "Drink?"

He replied, "Sure" and they glided to a table. He said, "I'll be back in a second."

She smiled.

Being unscathed, Jake returned to the rink.

The girls sat two tables away from Jan and her potential date.

Audrey said to Lynn, "Tall, dark and handsome is getting her some refreshment."

Sarah whispered, "You mean 'Towel'?"

Audrey replied, "His name isn't Towel, it's...." She raised her voice, "Shut up!"

Jan heard them. She checked to make sure he was still in line at the food bar. She motioned with her hands.

The girls watched her and said, "J... A... S... O... N: Jason."

Audrey asked, "What's a Jason?"

Emily replied, "That's Towel's name!"

Jason brought Jan a bottle of Pepsi Cola and a straw. Jan smiled and nodded.

He replied, "You're welcomed. So, are you from here?"

She shook her head, "No,"

"Me neither. I'm from Rapid City, South Dakota. My friend, Mick and I work for Thomas Edison."

Jan choked on her cola. She mouthed, "Neat."

He mouthed, "Neat" in reply.

"You don't talk much do you?"

Jan stopped drinking and pulled out her note pad: "I stutter."

He rapidly inhaled through his teeth, "Oh, sorry. I wasn't making fun of you."

Jan smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

Jan kept looking at the girls for clues. They were all in on "Project Jan and Jason."

Jason told a funny story; Jan laughed and playfully slapped his hand. Emily mimicked the hand slap and then made the sign for her to 'stretch it out longer next time.' She laughed again. This time she threw her head back, tossed her hair behind her ears and delayed removing her hand from his.

She checked again with the girls, they were giving her four different signals.

"Huh?" she said, "Oh?"

She turned back to Jason and wrote down, "What do you do for Thomas Edison?"

He replied, "Me and partner Mick show movies. He's plays piano. I'm the projectionist."

She thought and smiled. "Oh." She turned back to the girls and made pantomimed a man with a movie camera. They were clueless.

She motioned with her hands, "Never-mind."

He told another funny story. She checked back with the girls.

She asked, "Da, da, da, do you like Indians?"

Jason was bewildered. "I'm not sure if I know any but if I did, then I suppose I liked Indians."

Jan nodded, "G, g, g, g, good." She was embarrassed and confused.

She checked again.

She wrote: "Do you make spaghetti?"

Jason asked cautiously, "'Do I make spaghetti?' Nope. Mick and I usually eat dinner at a restaurant."

She was getting antsy, "B, b, b, b, b, boxing?"

"I, guess, I enjoy boxing, I dunno."

"W, w, w, w, would you like to go to the ladies room?" Upon realizing what that must've sounded like she hid her face in her hands.

Jason replied, "Um, no. I'm probably not wanted in there. Maybe I should be going."

He started to stand up. Jan grabbed his arm, "S, s, s, s, s, stay." She turned around to the girls who were now about to fall out of their seats from laughing so hard. Jason tried not to reveal that he'd figured out what the girls were doing.

"Jan, how about we retaliate for this?"

Jan nodded.

A couple of minutes later Jason got up and went skating with Mick. Jan went over to the girls table. All four were talking at the same time attempting to explain what they meant by their various hand gestures.

"Does he want to go get something to eat?" said Emily.

"You were supposed to laugh louder at his jokes" said Sarah.

"You were supposed to ask what movie he was showing," said an exasperated Lynn.

"I meant you and I should go to the ladies room not you and him!," said Audrey.

Jan nodded. She wrote down on a piece of paper. "Do you think him and his friend are handsome?"

They all agreed.

She wrote: "Tell me what specifically you like about Jason and the other guy?"

Sarah said wistfully, "His eyes, emerald green."

Audrey said, "He's built like a football player."

Emily agreed, "Did you notice his friend, those blue jeans?"

Jan smiled and said, "T, t, t, t, tell me more."

Emily sighed. "He has delightfully robust calves."

Lynn fanned herself and said, "I couldn't keep my eyes off them."

Emily smiled and motioned with her hands. "Me too. If we didn't have Jake with us I'd...."

"Jeff Mifflin."

Emily asked Sarah, "What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

They heard, "Jeff Mifflin and Emily got together in Helena, but she was too much of a tease so they broke up. Now Simon Hastings, who went out with Sarah had limited success."

The girls spun around to the table behind them. There were Jason and his friend Mick looking over some notes. Sarah, Emily, Audrey and Lynn had their mouths agape, they all gasped in unison.

Jason asked, "Which one is Lynn?"

Jan pointed at her.

"It says here that she's never even been on a date."

Lynn was mortified, she sank beneath the table.

Jan smiled at her. "G, g gotcha!" The guys laughed as did the girls.

"Hi, I'm Mick." He stuck out his hand.

"Emily,"

He replied, "Pleased to meet you, Emily. So, I look good in jeans?"

Emily was embarrassed, Lynn was laughing at her.

Emily looked down a moment and then whispered coyly, "Very."

After two hours of skating the group left. Jake was disappointed, Angela never showed up. As they walked down the street, Jake stayed a few paces behind the girls reading a souvenir map.

"Where's the theater?" asked Lynn.

Audrey had the directions: "23rd and Jackson Square, one more block. The admission is a nickel."

Emily spoke up, "Jackson Square? Jackson Square? That sounds familiar? Where have I heard that name before?"

Jan said, "N, n, n, n, New Orleans."

Sarah and Emily froze. "New Orleans?"

Lynn said, "Jake, let me look at your tourist map." She took it from him and said, "It's next to the Carlisle Burlesque Theater."

Sarah said, "Emily! Carlisle Burlesque Theater in the New Orleans District?"

Jan replied, "W, w, w, w, w, what?"

Sarah said, "We're not allowed to go to the New Orleans District. That theater is an establishment with... beautiful women… catch my drift?"

Jan tilted her head and then looked behind at Jake. "Y, y, y, y, you mean?"

Sarah whispered, "Right!"

Audrey spoke softly, "We're not going to a gentleman's club, what does it matter?"

Lynn asked, "Audrey, Jan, it's the New Orleans district, didn't you hear the lecture?"

Audrey and Jan looked to each other and shrugged their shoulders.

Sarah cringed, "We're not allowed in the New Orleans district."

Emily and Lynn nodded their heads in agreement.

Audrey whined, "But I want to go see Mick play piano at the movie."

Jan pointed to herself and said, "J, J, Jason?"

Lynn and Sarah looked at Emily. "You are the one who said, 'Where's the movie?'"

Emily sighed. "Gimme a minute." She swished her mouth. "Ok, I got it. You girls can keep a secret?"

They replied, "Sure."

"Audrey and Jan are from Helena, not from Eagle Creek, so, it really does not apply to them."

Lynn smiled and nodded.

Sarah hesitated. "What about Jake?"

Emily flailed her arms. "What about Jake? He doesn't know where the New Orleans district is!"

Lynn urgently whispered, "If he even sees that club he'll want to know what kind of gentlemen and what kind of women are in that mysterious place. He'll plead, 'I'm a gentleman, why can't I go in?'"

Emily pondered and said, "I got it. I'll tell Jake that we want to play 'Hide and Go Seek.' He'll be the seeker. To make the game more exciting, he'll count to one thousand."

Sarah said, "Jake is not that naive!"

Lynn retorted, "Do you want to see mister blue jeans again?"

Sarah nodded and squinted. "Try it."

Lynn walked back to Jake. Sarah and Emily watched as they talked.

Emily said, "Come on Lynn, we know you can pull this off."

Sarah crossed her fingers, doing a low tone cheer, "Emerald eyes and blue jeans. Emerald eyes and blue jeans. Emerald eyes and blue jeans."

Jake shrugged and covered his eyes. "One. Two. Three. Four."

Lynn turned around and smiled. Sarah and Emily did a little dance.

Lynn draped an arm across Jake's shoulder to make sure he did not trip on the sidewalk.

A few minutes later, Jake was becoming breathless.

"Three hundred and six. Three hundred and seven. Three hundred and eight."

"Jake stop. We've changed our minds. We're not going to play 'Hide and Seek' after-all. We're watching a movie."

They sat him down on the front row and told him to save five seats.

Jan, Audrey and Emily were talking to Jason at the projector's table. He was showing them how it worked. Lynn and Sarah were at the piano with Mick.

Mick said, "Why did that kid have his eyes closed when he walked in?"

Lynn laughed. "We didn't want him to see the gentleman's club next door. He might spill the beans."

He raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

Sarah whispered, "We're not supposed to be here?"

Mick shrugged. "There's nothing improper in this movie."

Sarah said, "It's not that; we're not allowed to be in or even near the adult establishments."

Mick asked, "What's the big deal? All of you girls are twenty-years-old, right?"

Sarah spun around and whispered a scream, "Emily!"

Lynn stammered, "Um, my little friend Sarah is only sixteen."

Sarah spun back around and pointed to Lynn, "So is she."

Mick was confused. "What? Oops! This could be... delicate."

Lynn pointed at Jan, Audrey and Emily. "They're all twenty."

Sarah said, "Lynn!"

Lynn shrugged. "I don't know their birth dates."

Mick popped his lips. "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. That could be a problem."

Lynn growled to Sarah, "Thanks for spoiling a perfectly fun evening."

Jason said, "Oh, time to take your seats ladies, I, mean, girls."

Lynn sat on Jake's left. Sarah sat on his right. Sarah leaned back and flicked Lynn on her right shoulder.

"Ouch!"

Jake said nothing.

Emily was next to Sarah; Jan was next to Audrey.

Mick stood up on a small ladder in front of the big white sheet.

"Ladies and Gentleman may I have your attention please? The following presentation may shock you. It has been known to seriously frightened women and small children.

Who knows what evil lurks within the human heart? Truly man is capable of many maddening acts in his quest to be an equal with the Creator. In this dizzying age, let us be warned about the dangers of tampering with the sacred germ of life. This was the dire missive put forth by Mary Shelley when she wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus in 1818.

Today, in this theater illuminated with electric lamps courtesy of the Edison Electric Company, let us carefully examine the role of science and the brotherhood of man. Prepare yourselves. And now, the Edison Trust presents... Frankenstein."

Mick got down from the ladder and sat back at the piano. The lights suddenly went out. He began playing a happy song. The actors made no sound, they spoke by their actions.

Victor Frankenstein is in the sunroom of his estate. His father and his true love, Elizabeth are saying farewell. He takes his luggage and cheerfully departs for college.

Jan wrote, "This Frankenstein has a nice house."

Audrey replied, "He's a doctor."

Jan nodded.

Emily whispered, "Look at all that expensive furniture. Jeff was pre-med; do you think his apartment was that nice?"

Sarah quietly taunted her, "You'll never find out. You'll never find out."

Emily moaned, "I won't."

~ Dr. Frankenstein is in his bedroom looking over notes. Can he make a man? ~

Emily whispered, "He has satin sheets!"

Sarah pouted, "You'll never, ever, ever find out."

Emily gave her a raspberry.

~Dr. Frankenstein writes a letter to his intended. ~

~He decides to write Elizabeth and tell her about his break through. ~

Sarah asked, "Why can't Simon write me?"

Emily replied, "'Dear Sarah, I'm having a wonderful time kissing Harriet.'"

"Oh shut up!"

~The doctor finishes his letter. He gets a candle and walks dramatically to the next room. ~

*Mick hits a gong! He begins playing some dark, foreboding music in a minor key.*

~In the doctor's lab there is a skeleton seated in a chair and two large doors which lead into a small dungeon like room. The doctor opens the doors and begins tossing powdered chemicals into a large black pot. He closes and then bolts them with a heavy piece of wood. ~

~Inside the forbidden room, smoke rises from the boiling cauldron. The doctor peeps in through a small window. He is overwhelmed with hubris. Slowly but surely, a hideous carcass forms. ~

~Rotting flesh appears to animate the monstrosity. His loathsome eyes leer at the audience. His right arm goes up and down as if he is waving at the foolish humans in the dark, dark theatre. A couple of women pass out, children are now screaming. ~

A hideously deformed face appears.

The creature has a barrel chest and looks to be 6 feet tall. The doctor is shocked by the freakish appearance of his inhuman malfeasance. This is not what he bargained for. He stumbles around the lab, disheartened and aghast.

~The doctor runs back to his bedroom. He is overcome with emotion. The monster appears over his bed, he was hiding behind the drapes. He fiendishly motions over the doctor, as if he wants to tear the sleeping fellow to shreds. The doctor awakens in time but sees the demon. He faints and hits the floor. ~

Emily whispered to Sarah, "Jeff worked with dead bodies. You think he would do stuff like that?"

Sarah replied, "Yes, Emily, yes. That is the real reason he invited you to his apartment!"

Emily shrieked.

~An unidentified gentleman enters the room. "What's all this commotion?" He discovers the young doctor on the floor. He lifts him off the floor and puts him into bed. ~

*Mick begins playing a lighter melody.*

~The doctor returns to his stately manor. Elizabeth, his fiancée, is quite relieved to see him. Now they may be man and wife. His father and grandfather also welcome him home. ~

~The doctor is reading a book in his study. He looks in a mirror just as Elizabeth enters the room. She is radiant in a long white dress and aristocratic bonnet. He asks her to shut the door; he wants to spend time with her… alone. She delightfully complies and pens a corsage on the lapel of his suit. The young lovers briefly kiss. Some of the women in the audience were jolted by such an open display of affections. ~

~Elizabeth, being a virtuous woman, repels his further advances by distracting him. She picks up a book. He tells her about its contents. "Can you make some tea for me?" She gets a small kettle from the fireplace and then leaves the room. ~

*Mick returns to the solemn music in a minor key.*

~As soon as Elizabeth is out of sight the doctor looks in the mirror. His nightmarish, walking cadaver has followed him home. Clothed in rags and disheveled, the monster tries to explain that he, like the doctor, wants a bride for himself. ~

Emily was petrified as she watched. She felt someone or something breathing on her neck.

A sickening voice whispered, "Emily, I want Emily to be my bride."

She put her hand on her mouth, ready to scream. And then she looked to her left and noticed that Jake was missing.

"Emily, I want..." Jake was laughing as he spoke, "Emily."

Sarah grunted, "Sit down."

Jake returned to his seat.

~Elizabeth comes back in the room with tea for the doctor. The monster hides behind a decorative panel. He watches them leave the room, oh, if he only had a woman of his own. ~

~The monster, consumed by passion, screams "Give me Elizabeth! I want her as my wife!" They wrestle. The tussling stops when the creature sees his own reflection, he is terrified and appalled by the repugnant visage. ~

*Mick tickles the ivories with "Here Comes the Bride." *

Sarah whispered, "Bridal night?" She closed her eyes. "I am not looking."

Emily asked, "Are you the least bit... curious?"

~The doctor and his new wife are in a sunroom greeting family and friends who are all elegantly dressed. Elizabeth is wearing a white wedding gown with a long mesh train. ~

Audrey whispered, "What do you think of her dress?"

Jan made the "so-so" motion with her hands.

~The couple engages in a long passionate kiss. ~

Lynn said, "Not bad."

Jake replied, "Gross!"

~They engage in another exquisite smooch.~

Sarah reluctantly whispered, "Ok, I'm a little bit curious."

~The couple almost walks into the master bedroom together. Lynn covers Jake's eyes. The doctor stays in the doorway, wanting to give his virginal prize some privacy. He blows out a candelabra and then leaves to get a bottle of champagne. ~

*Mick returns to the harsh tones.*

~There in the hallway, it's the monster! He bursts through the doors of the sunroom. He sees the open door of the bridal chamber. He must have her. ~

~The doctor returns. "Why are the doors to the sunroom open? Could it be? Oh no!" ~

~Before the monster enters the chamber, Elizabeth escapes and runs to him. She is untouched but the fright leaves her swooning. She falls to the floor. The monster soon joins them. ~

~The doctor is furious. "You barbarian! You brutish offspring of Lucifer himself! What have you done?" ~

~The doctor grabs the candelabra and challenges the evil entity to fisticuffs: heroic but not too smart. The monster takes the candelabra and smashes it against a table. The doctor responds by cowering like a frightened little girl. ~

~The monster is frustrated. The woman he adores could be dead and the man he hates is a weak kneed pansy. He leaves; "Good riddance." ~

~The monster runs back into the study. He is distressed and befuddled. "What went wrong? Why am I not a man like him?" Once again, he sees his reflection, "Noooo!" ~

~In all of the accursed trauma, he unexpectedly vanishes into thin air! He is no longer a dweller of this side of eternity; he exists only in the glass. ~

~He cries aloud to God, "Let me live! Let me love!" Dr. Frankenstein walks in to the study. He is perplexed. "Why is the monster in the mirror?" ~

~He laughs at his good fortune. ~

~The monster reels in heart ache. He screams and then fades from the mirror. ~

~Alas, he is no more. ~

The girls were relieved. Jake was disappointed, he thought the monster was really neat!

~Elizabeth runs into the study. "The monster is gone, my bride!" She is ecstatic!

"Finally, I may fully give myself to you." They kiss once more. ~

*Mick returned to bouncy, gay music as the lights slowly returned to chase away the darkness and any lingering dread. The assembled patrons began slowly exiting the building.*

Sarah was crying, "That was so romantic."

Emily said, "If Jeff did play around with dead people like that other guy then he was a bigger creep than I ever imagined."

Jake asked Jan, "Did you like the film?

She smiled and nodded.

Audrey said, "Frankenstein was handsome but that monster gave me the willies."

"The book was better." said Lynn. "My mother read it too. I wonder if she would've liked it."

Jake stepped away from the group. Lynn heard him ask, "Aunt Peggy, was the film better than the book?"

"Jake!" Lynn spun around. "Hello mother. Hello father."

Mr. Watson asked, "Lynn, what are you doing at this theater?"

Jake replied, "A strange man at the roller rink invited us to see the film. He played piano. He's much older and Lynn likes the way he looks in blue jeans."

Peggy Watson was indignant. "Lynn?"

Jason, the projectionist, slipped off his chair and hid beneath the table. Mick eased off to the fire escape.

Lynn's mother asked, "How old are these men, Jake?"

"They're both twenty-years-old and the girls are twenty so it's perfectly legal."

Lynn shrieked, "Jake!"

"Lynn? Twenty?"

Her father said, "Oh my."

Lynn, Jan, Emily, Sarah and Audrey whined in unison, "Jake!"

Lynn's mother was now in shock! Her father began searching for Jason and Mick. Jason was crawling down the aisle headed for the lobby. Mick was long gone.

Sarah spoke up, "Mr. and Mrs. Watson, please, let me explain. It is not as bad as it sounds."

Mrs. Watson replied, "So far, it sounds really bad."

Sarah recounted the details of the evening. George and Peggy Watson wanted to stay and have fun like the girls. Mr. Watson said, "I've had a lot on my mind recently. Maybe I forgot to explain the rules. You ladies will never mention this to anyone in Eagle Creek?"

They replied in unison "No, sir."

"Jake you will not say anything about this to your father?"

He shook his head, "I won't tell anybody, Uncle George."

"Fine. That settles that. Now then, the fireworks show at the park begins in 30 minutes, we can just make it. How does that sound to everyone?"

They cheered and went to the park to enjoy the show.