Willow Chapter 9: The Pull of the Hudson

Skating_in_Central_Park_Frank-S.-Armitage-American-Mutoscope-And-Biograph-1900.ogv ‎image by Ogg Theora. Per Wikimedia, This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1926, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal.

“Maggie, child, where are you?” Rose called. As the governess and supervisor of Miss Sarah’s education and recreation, Rose had made a decision: Miss Sarah’s lessons were finished for the day, and they would take some exercise by skating on the frozen Hudson River.

Rose called for Maggie after lengthy internal deliberation. Maggie was not on Miss Sarah’s social level, so in Rose’s worldview the two could never really be friends. Still, there were few families in the area, and no girls. Rose knew that Miss Sarah must sometimes want company her own age, without the trouble of traveling downtown.

Maggie was working in companionable silence alongside Cook when she heard Rose call for her. Reluctantly, she put her paring knife down and turned to face Rose as she came in, seemingly in a hurry.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I have decided you will go skating with us this afternoon, the river is well frozen.”

Rose might as well have pronounced that she wanted Maggie to fly. The girl’s eyes widened.

“But ma’am…” she stammered “I don’t know how, and I haven’t any skates.”

“Never mind that, you can wear Miss Sarah’s old skates, and it’s easy enough to learn. But you’ll need a proper coat and muff. Come with me.”

Maggie looked helplessly at Cook, who shrugged, resigning herself to suddenly losing her help. Cook shook her head ever so slightly, wordlessly conveying her opinion that strange things happened in this house.

Maggie followed as Rose walked briskly to the front hall and pulled a coat and matching muff from the back of a large wardrobe.

“I think this will do, you are a bit smaller than Miss Sarah. Now let me see your shoes” she commanded.

Maggie reluctantly pulled her skirt up just enough so that Rose could see the high top boots her mother had once taken in payment for house cleaning. Privately, Maggie thought them quite smart, but Rose shook her head in dismay upon seeing how worn the leather was.

“Child, these will have to do for today, but your boot seams are splitting.” Then, more gently, she said “put on this coat and muff, and bring those skates that are on the floor. Wait here while I go help Miss Sarah dress.”

Mutely, Maggie obeyed, sliding her arms into the most luxurious wool coat she had ever worn. A fur collar warmed her neck, and she slid her hands into the matching fur muff . She marveled at how soft it was, how it instantly warmed her hands. She heard stirring at the top of the stairs, and Miss Sarah descended with Rose, chattering excitedly about skating.

They went past and were in the foyer before Rose turned and called to Maggie. “Well come on, then, and be sure to bring the ice skates.” Rose herself was carrying two pairs of skates, for herself and Miss Sarah. They made their way to the horse-drawn sleigh waiting just outside. A dark haired man in a uniform assisted Miss Sarah and Rose as they climbed in and settled themselves under lap robes.

“Thank you Mick” Rose said formally. “Now her as well” she added, looking toward Maggie, who hung back uncertainly. The man looked at her; she could see he was noticing her for the first time, trying to understand her status. It made her want to shrink away, disappear.

“All right then, Miss” Mick held out his gloved hand to help her up.

Maggie’s heart was pounding and she wanted to escape. Still, there seemed to be no other way out of the situation than to take his hand and climb into the sleigh. Sitting down gingerly on the velvet seat, she kept her eyes down, except to steal one glance at the girl across from her. Miss Sarah was chatting away about their skating expedition last year, and did not seem to notice her. Fleetingly, Maggie wondered what it was like to speak so confidently, with never a doubt that others would want to hear.

Then Mick was in the driver’s seat, flicking his whip, and the beautiful white mare moved out smartly, shaking her mane and making the bells on the harness ring. The sleigh was gliding down the driveway between the rows of trees that Mr. Brown had planted when he built the house, trees that were still only the height of a tall man but that gave some promise of being majestic one day.

Mick guided them onto the road above the Hudson, and then they made their way to a rather steep incline road that led down to the parkway by the River. Other sleighs were coming and going, transporting skaters or simply out for the fresh air. Gusts of wind from the river kept it quite chilly, but sky was clear and a winter was shining, giving a cheerful light if not much warmth.

Maggie took it all in, awestruck. She had never ridden in a sleigh or carriage, never worn a coat that actually worked against the cutting wind, never contemplated skating. When the sleigh stopped beside a section of the river where the ice look particularly thick and where other skaters were circling, Miss Sarah spoke to Maggie for the first time.

“Do you know how to fasten your skates to your boots? Here, I’ll show you. Put the skate down, then your foot… that’s it, quite as if you were stepping on the skate. Then fasten the buckles very tightly to keep the blade in place under your boot.”

Thankfully, Maggie noticed that Miss Sarah made no comment about the condition of her footwear. She finished fastening the skates and Mick helped all of them out of the sleigh. They walked the few steps to the edge of the frozen river, then Miss Sarah boldly stepped first onto the ice, laughing a little as she leaned on Rose’s arm to get her balance.

“Rose, how delightful, can you believe it has been a year since we did this?”

“Yes, all things in their season. Now Maggie, come onto the ice, then take small steps, soon you’ll learn.”

Maggie stared at her companions, then beyond them to the skaters laughing, chasing one another, to the couples skating hand in hand. It seemed to her that only their wealth allowed these people to glide on top of the treacherous river. She thought of a little boy, her brother’s friend, who had drowned in the Hudson after falling off a dock. He was fishing for eels for his family’s supper.

“Ma’am…” she faltered, trying and failing to find the words to explain that the river would know she was wearing a coat that was not her own. The river had seen her arrive in an elegant sleigh in which she had no business. The river would know she was not like the others, could not glide carefree. Surely, the dark currents under the sparkling ice would reach up to claim her.

“Maggie” Rose said, growing stern “you will listen. We are about to skate, and you are coming with us. Step onto the ice.”

Wordlessly, Maggie surrendered to the idea that she would drown in icy water, and stepped onto the ice — which, miraculously, held. In mincing steps, and then in short glides, she followed Miss Sarah and Rose as they made two circuits of the skating area.

“Now girls” Rose said somewhat breathlessly, as they reached their starting point again “I’m going to rest a bit, but you two keep skating.”

The girls nodded agreement and set out on a third circuit, only to have Miss Sarah lose her balance when a brash young man skated too close, brushing into her. Miss Sarah grabbed Maggie’s arm to steady herself, forcing Maggie to muster all of her balance.

“That lout nearly made me fall!” Miss Sarah exclaimed, after she had steadied herself.

Maggie looked down at the ice, overwhelmed by the circumstance, grateful that she had not fallen herself when her arm was grabbed suddenly.

“Maggie, you don’t have to be so shy! Rose can’t hear you, and I owe you a debt of thanks. That obnoxious boy would have made me fall, if it weren’t for you.”

“You’re welcome” Maggie whispered. The sun glinted off the ice, and the river did not reach up to claim Maggie. Yet.

A note to readers: Thank you for giving this book chapter a chance, I hope you enjoyed it. I am sharing one chapter at a time of Willow. In case you are wondering, publishing this book chapter is part of my new goal to share my fiction. Unlike my work on historic African American schools and sharecropping (which has been published in various venues and featured at dozens of film festivals), I have not shared my fiction widely. For links to my documentary films and history articles, please see: