The Year of 1901 (Chapter 3)

Here is chapter 3! 😀

Chapter 3

The Angry Driver

“Why are you driving miss?” he yelled still very vexed with his eyebrow knitted. Es now had no idea what to say in reply. “This is exactly why women shouldn’t be out on the streets driving. You nearly road be off the road!” His voice was very loud, and he shouted at Es. She was opening her mouth about to reply when the door to the carriage which the angry driver had been driving, opened, and a younger gentleman stepped out.

“Lewis,” said the young man who was wearing a long coat and grey top hat. “What in heaven's name is going on?” 

“I’m sorry sir,” said the driver who looked older than the young passenger. “This young girl nearly road me off the road.” He nodded his head toward Es as he said this. His manners were truly quite rude. Es did not like being called “This young girl” for she had just turned 16 last month. The young passenger was about to say something when Mrs. Billing came out of hiding. 

“Why Andrew Pearson!” she said with a shout. 

“Mrs. Billing!” He walked up to the carriage and took off his hat with his gloved hand. Mrs. Billing reached her hand out of the carriage and he took it in his own.

“What are you doing in town? I thought you were off to college?” She said gleaming. 

“I was mam!” He said as he let go of her hand and showed his pearly teeth with a wide grin. “I got back yesterday.”

“No!” She said as she gripped the side of the carriage with both of her gloved hands.

“Yes, yes I did.”

"Well, we are so happy you are back in town. So much has happened since you left. Did you know that John and Abigale got married?"

"Yes, I did hear that. They have a baby now too?"

"Yes, she is still so tiny. We really have missed seeing you these that few years. You did visit once a few years ago. Didn't you?"

"Yes, I came for Christmas once but was not able to stay but a few days," was Andrew's polite reply.

“Well, you have got to come for dinner sometime soon!”

“Yes,” he laughed. “Definitely!” All three of the Billings girls were watching the conversation. And reader, you must know that John is the oldest Billing child. He recently married early last year and now has a daughter. Kitty and Esther still sat on the driver bench. Kitty had her left arm on the back of the seat while Es still held the reins in her hands.

Reader, we shall now take a break from the lively conversation between Mrs. Billings and young Andrew Pearson and talk a little about the 18-year-old girl that still sat in the carriage looking over her mother’s shoulder. Yes, Priscilla. As soon as the carriage door had opened Priscilla’s heart skipped a beat and for a few seconds, she did not breathe. There stood the boy (now a man) that she had very much liked for most of her teen years. He had been away at college for four long years in which Priscilla had told herself that she did not like him. After four years of not seeing him, she was certain that all thoughts of him were gone and out of her mind. It stayed that way till she saw him step out of the carriage. Ever thought rushed back improved. She had forgotten how very tall and handsome he was. He was even more handsome now at 22 than he was at 18 when he first left. His thick brown heir sat very gently combed on his head and his polished hat sat in his gloved hand. Andrew Pearson truly was a handsome man and known for it. He was not one to try and get attention from girls but believe me when I say they gave him plenty. Every girl in the town had liked him and swarmed him like buzzards. Most girls would make themselves look like fools flirting with him all the time. She though had never flirted with him in her life. Whether she had even spoken more than 10 words to him was debatable.

Now, reader, you might be wondering if he is at all related to Mrs. Pearson and her snobbish daughter that I mentioned earlier. He is indeed closely related to them. Very closely. In fact, he is the son of Mrs. Pearson and the brother of the snobbish daughter, who I might as well tell you now is named Gertrude. Andrew though was never like his little sister. Gertrude had been spoiled by his fat mother and his father had stayed out of it for the most part. Andrew though was always a kind boy. Ever since he was young, he had always been polite and watched his manners. This reader, may I mention, did not help with the girls’ swarm him like buzzards because he was too nice to be rude and make them leave him alone. But collage however had brought some wit into him and made him much firmer in his beliefs rather than shy and docile.  Now that I have muttered for a while, we shall return to the carriage incident and conversation between Mrs. Billings and Mr. Pearson at present.

“Can you make it on Friday evening?” Mrs. Billings asked in response to his “Definitely!”

“Friday?” He said as he thought for a second. “I’m not exactly sure what my mother has planned for me this week.  You know my mother and she most likely has a month of Sunday's planned for me. So, I don’t know if that would work… but I shall call and tell you in the next few days.”

“Oh, we’d love to have you, Mr. Pearson,” she said still smiling as big as ever. “And your family should come as well.” She said this without thinking much of it. The Billing family never really got along with the persons. They probably had not had the Pearson family over for dinner as long as they had known them. Now, reader, this was not because of Andrew at all. It was just that there were other certain people in their family that they did not seem to cope well with.

“I will tell them.” He smiled and nodded his head before standing in awkward silence for a few seconds. He then turned around to his driver trying to find some way to end the conversation in a less awkward manner. “Lewis,” he swung his gray hat in his hand as he spoke. “What seems to be the problem?” His driver still looked upset and even more angry that the situation had been ignored.

“As I said earlier sir, this young girl here nearly road me off the street.” He pointed at Es this time which was highly embarrassing for the poor girl. 

“Mr. Pearson,” said Mrs. Billings trying to ease the situation. “We do not have a driver at this time, and we were trying to make it to the Crawford’s for tea this afternoon.”

“Oh,” said Andrew with a laugh because he knew of the Billings' servant problem. After looking up at Mrs. Billing though he stopped himself. In a serious expression, he continued, “Well, as a matter of fact, I have just dropped Gertrude and my Mother at the Crawford's. I believe they were going to tea as well.” This brought great disappointment for Mrs. Billing because it showed that the Pearson's had beat them after all. 

“I shall mention the dinner invitation to Mrs. Pearson when I see her. I am afraid we are a bit late.” She indicated that they need to get going. Andrew did not catch this for a few seconds.

“Oh… yes of course.” He slowly rotated his feet on the pavement (he was a bit awkward around women.) “We must be going as well. I have to go and pick up my mother’s new hate for her from Mrs. Lukens’s shop.” And with that, he nodded and walked back to the carriage door.

Back when Priscilla was 14 and 15, she always thought he did not care for her. This was not entirely wrong. He did not return the liking she had for him, but he always did think she was an exceptionally beautiful little girl that was very polite.

Lewis (the driver) opened the door for Andrew. He glanced over at Esther showing his frustration as he reluctantly shut the door. Es did nothing but sit there not knowing what to do. The man then stepped up to the driver’s seat with his long-left leg lagging. Esther had not liked the way he had scowled at her, so she quickly turned her head forward and yelled “giddy up” before he was able to gather his reins.  Es’s opinion of the man was extremely low.  He was mean and proud she thought. Also, very unforgiving.  A motor vehicle had already started to go around them, so Es quickly merged into the traffic right behind it.

She did not have to go far, for the Crawford’s house was the second to the right on that street. She did a half-decent job pulling the carriage up beside the house. Carefully she directed the horses in front of another carriage. She tied the reins and jumped down off the carriage before picking up her dress and walked around to the front door. She Stepped quickly trying to get out of the street in which carriages and motor vehicles came down periodically. Kitty had already jumped down, off her side of the carriage and Mrs. Billings was already ringing the doorbell. Mrs. Billings was really in a hurry trying to not be any later. Priscilla though was a bit slower exiting her way of transportation than the rest of her family. For her mind was not at all where her body stood. Slowly she stepped out of the carriage. Her mind was still at the carriage incident with Andrew Pearson. She was playing over each line and action that he presented. If movies were invented back then, Priscilla might describe her brane as a projector with a piece of film being played repeatedly. Now, reader if you are a woman then you most likely understand this situation quite well. If you are not a woman then I am afraid you must continue in your confusion. For if I were to try to explain the ways of a women’s brain you, most likely, would enter a deeper state of confusion.

The Crawford door did start to open after only a few moments of waiting. Priscilla’s brain was awoken from its thoughts and she quickly shut the carriage door to join her mother and sisters.

“Mrs. Billings,” said the butler with a nod as he stepped back to let them in. The Billings were good friends with the Crawford’s, so it was usually for the servants to address them by name.

“Good afternoon Charlie,” she replied to the nearly bald, gray-haired man as she stepped through the doorway. “I do believe we are late.” With this said, the old butler turned around to the large clock behind him.

“Not by much mam. The Pearson were early this once.”

“Oh,” said Mrs. Billing with a chuckle as she patted Charlies’ shoulder. Es was about to follow her mother and sister in the house when she remembered the horses. Rapidly turned around nearly bumping into still partly dreaming Priscilla and walked down to the carriage that was parked behind theirs. She stood on her toes as she looked down the street for Mr. Waterford’s figure. Of course, Mr. Waterford was not expected to walk the pace of a carriage, but Es knew they had been delayed by the carriage incident.

“Looking for something miss?” asked the old driver who sat in the carriage’s driver seat. The older man had a white mustache on his top lip, and he wore a black hat on his white-haired head.

“I was just looking for our driver,” she said in reply. “Sir,” she had come up with an idea. “Do you mind watching our horses for a while? Our driver should be here momentarily.”

“I do not mind,” he said with a slight shake of his head.

“Thank you, sir.” She nodded toward the old man before picking up her long skirt and starting back to the door.

“Are you coming in miss?” asked the butler who had been waiting on her.

“Yes, I’m sorry.” She brought her white shoes over to the glossy floor.

“May I take your hat and coat?” Asked the man with absolutely no expression. Esther promptly took her hat and coat off. She handed the old gent her gloves as well.

 

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