Maureen the Detective by Veda Boyd Jones

Author:Veda Boyd Jones [JONES, VEDA BOYD]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-62836-224-4
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2005-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

Easter Traditions

“Let me shake the hand that shook the hand of President Roosevelt,” Uncle Albert said to Maureen before Sunday dinner. The Stevensons had gone to the Bowmans’ home straight after church and were in the front parlor awaiting the call to eat.

Maureen laughed as Mark’s father grabbed her hand. He always wore a smile, and she had liked him the first time she’d met him.

“Did you shake Mark’s hand, too?”

“Over and over,” he said with a laugh. “That boy still can’t calm down.”

“My heart’s still beating double-time, too,” Maureen said. She had a hard time comprehending that she had actually met the president. Even more startling had been the revelation that Mrs. Hoag knew the man. That story about her sitting on the front porch of his ranch house was true. The president had mentioned their time in Dakota. Did that mean her other stories about famous people were also true?

“That Mrs. Hoag is quite a lady,” Uncle Albert said.

“She said she’d sent a telegram to President Roosevelt telling him that we would be at the parade right at that spot,” Maureen said. “He must have been looking for us.”

“Imagine that,” Mother said. “Mrs. Hoag was very kind to include Maureen and Mark. I knew she was a civic-minded woman, but recently I asked the ladies on my committee a few questions about her.”

She leaned toward Uncle Albert as if confiding in him. “I learned she and her husband were instrumental in getting the new library, the art gallery, and the natural science museum all in that building on Hennepin Avenue. She was a great patron of the arts; and from what Maureen tells me about her worldwide collections, she’s still very interested in the fine arts.”

“I’m glad Mark and Maureen are getting her out of that house. Mark’s full of her driving that electric,” Uncle Albert said.

“Everything is ready,” Aunt Annie announced, and the two families made their way into the dining room.

Mark’s brother and sisters, his parents, Maureen, and her new parents crowded around the table, and Uncle Albert asked the blessing, remembering that today they celebrated Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. After the final amen, which was echoed around the table, there was no shortage of conversation. Calvin told Mark that his old bicycle looked better than it ever had, and Eva and Annette were kind as could be to Maureen. After dinner the older ones talked among themselves, leaving Mark and Maureen and Sophie to play croquet outside in the spring sunshine.

All too soon, it was time for the Stevensons to go home, and Maureen waved at her extended family as Father drove them home in his automobile.

Back in her own room, Maureen picked up the picture of her mama. “It’s Palm Sunday, Mama. I guess we won’t have your Easter cake this year. And we didn’t have Mothering Sunday last week. I didn’t give Mother a present. It would seem wrong, somehow, her not being Irish.”

Tears blurred her vision as she looked at Mama’s smiling face.

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