The Strongman and the Mermaid by Kathleen Shoop

Author:Kathleen Shoop
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kathleen Shoop
Published: 2021-02-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 34

Mary

June 23, 1910

St. John’s Eve

Ever since Mary had learned to swim like she’d sprouted fins, she had found the festivities that surrounded St. John’s Eve to be some of her favorites. Now she was at the age where she needed to act ladylike and remain dry in her white summer dress, she missed the chance to splash around, not caring about whether some boy plucked her crown from the candlelit water.

Down on the banks of the Mon, tables were set with white crochet and flowered linens that wafted in the sticky, hot wind. St. John’s Eve, the day before John the Baptist’s feast day, was also called Midsummer’s Eve for those who weren’t so religious. The Irish brought goody—bread soaked in hot milk—the English brought beer, and the Slavs brought the music and set the bonfires for cooking and jumping over. The Poles brought the flowers for the crowns used for rzucanie wiankow—the tossing of the wreaths—and the herbs to sprinkle into the fire.

At tables under a canvas tent were vines, leaves, flowers, candles, and floral wire. Girls and single ladies twined their vines into crowns, measuring each other’s heads before decorating the wreaths. Flowers and ribbon were added, with spaces to hold small candles. Later, the girls would release their wreaths into the river, hoping they’d float toward the men of their dreams.

Matka didn’t care for the event. “Stupid waste of time. As though all them ladies’ houses will redd-up themselves.” Still Mary asked her to attend.

“Nope. Someday you’ll see, Mary. Sad day that’ll be.”

Mary squinted at her, praying she was wrong then left for the river.

The committee of women who’d arranged the celebration had brought fennel, rue, rosemary, lemon verbena, mallos laburnum, foxglove, roses, and elderflower along with lavender and St. John’s wort. Some of those supplies were used for the crowns, and the rest were divided among the women so they could be kept outside overnight in a shallow water bowl, collecting dew. The next day, they would use the flower water to wash their faces, a ritual to protect them from evil and increase their fertility and beauty. As she saw it, Mary was never in danger of having too much beauty and couldn’t wait to wash her face in the special water the next day.

Many of the families who lived in Donora hosted relatives for the summer to visit and enjoy the river. Mary eyed the crowd, wanting to avoid Ralph, her mother’s idea of a match for her.

She still thought an awful lot about Samuel, who had been her most ardent dance partner, even if he’d been horrid, even if he’d turned his eye toward Melody. But she was looking forward to the chance to see boys visiting from other places as well. Though Mary hadn’t seen Samuel with Melody lately, she couldn’t get out of her mind what Peggy and Kasandra had told her about his packed social calendar.

Tents had been erected for the men and women coming from work to change clothes.

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