Earthly Astonishments (18 page)

T
UESDAY
, A
UGUST 12, 1884
—A twelve-year-old schoolgirl has been reported missing by the headmistress of her school, the MacLaren Academy.

Emmeline Mary St. James was with her classmates on an excursion to Coney Island but failed to return to the railroad station with the other children.

It is believed that she is the victim of an abduction. Miss MacLaren, the chaperone in charge at the time, reports having encountered several sinister men in the holiday resort of Brooklyn.

“My girls were undertaking a study of tidal patterns in the ocean. We were not prepared for the seedy nature of the adjacent community.”

Miss St. James’s father, Mr. Jaffrey W. St. James, is one of the more prominent traders in this City. A hunt for the missing child has been launched by the police forces in New York City and Coney Island. Employees of the Museum of Earthly Astonishments, where the
child was last seen, have been questioned at length. The reward for Miss St. James’s safe return will be substantial. The punishment for those responsible will be severe.

T
UESDAY
, A
UGUST 12, 1884
—Little Jo-Jo, this City’s reigning princess of the little people, is possibly a character in the drama unfolding in Coney Island, Brooklyn, at this writing.

The schoolgirl reported missing yesterday, one Emmeline Mary St. James, was in a party from the MacLaren Academy, who were visiting R. J. Walters’ famous Museum of Earthly Astonishments. Her classmates were not observing ocean tides, as the headmistress, Miss Ethelwyn MacLaren, had previously informed the press.

They traveled to the popular summer resort to seek out Little Jo-Jo, who had once been an employee in the school. It seems likely that there is a connection between the disappearance of Miss St. James and mysterious accusations against the diminutive charmer.

The headmistress claimed that Little Jo-Jo had stolen certain monies belonging to the school funds. Little Jo-Jo claimed she was mistreated at the hands of the school authorities and that the money taken was simply money owed her for unpaid wages.

Little Jo-Jo’s character is so spunky and beguiling that her honesty cannot be doubted. She is a person of such appeal that her size is incidental. And there are further points of confusion in the story.

Mr. R. J. Walters asserts that he has no knowledge of any intrigue concerning his prized exhibition, despite having been present, with this reporter, at the confrontation between the volatile schoolmarm and Little Jo-Jo.

Miss MacLaren refused to respond to queries.

According to Miss Charlotte Montgomery and Miss Felicia Hicks, classmates to Miss St. James at MacLaren Academy, their headmistress had expressed annoyance that Little Jo-Jo was working for the second-rate Mr. Walters. “She thought P. T. Barnum would pay a better price to own such a freak,” they declared, in an interview at the school gates yesterday.

They also suggested that the missing girl, known as Emmy, was not a likely candidate for abduction. “No one would want her,” asserted Miss Hicks. “Little Jo-Jo was her only friend, but that was a secret too. No one makes friends with servants.”

A city-wide search has been ordered, involving more than half the police force. Mr. Jaffrey W. St. James,
father of the missing girl, has offered a reward of $200 for the safe return of his beloved daughter.

osephine said good-bye to Emmy with her heart as heavy as a bucket of stones. Emmy blubbered without shame.

“Oh, Jo!”

“Dear Emmy!”

Josephine’s face was pressed against Emmy’s leg for a final embrace, holding back her own tears.

“I know Margaret will look after me,” sobbed Emmy. “When she hears the whole story, she won’t let me go back to school; she’ll talk to my father, I’m certain of it.”

“I know you’ll be fine,” whispered Josephine. “Even if you look ridiculous!”

Police constables on the lookout for Emmeline St. James, twelve-year-old school-girl, were flocking the street corners of Coney Island. Charley had insisted that a disguise was Emmy’s only chance.

She was wearing Charley’s second pair of trousers, though she couldn’t close the buttons all the way. Her shirt had once belonged to Hilda Viemeister’s brother,
and her hair was scrunched into an old cap. Charley had suggested lopping off her braids with the poultry shears, but Emmy swore her mother would die, so she wore the cap instead.

Charley clapped her shoulder as if she were a real boy. “Keep your feathers fluffy,” he whispered.

Nelly led Emmy away, down the street toward the train station. Josephine and Charley waved until they were out of sight.

“Let’s go to the museum.” Josephine longed for a distraction from the sudden hole made by Emmy’s departure.

“Why go so early? We’ll be in that cave long enough.”

“We could walk along the beach way. We could wade in the ocean.”

“You start ahead. I’ll catch up when I’ve found my umbrella.”

Josephine set off on the same path she had taken the night before. She could hear the roar of the waves, sounding like an endless wind blowing over dry grass, as soon as she left the busy concourse.

The peace of the morning was like a breath being held until it could exhale into a rowdy afternoon. Then the beach would come alive with splashing and laughter and ballyhoos of all kind, with folks selling anything that other folk might buy.

The pier was the only busy place this early in the day. The first ferry had just arrived from the city, spilling
early arrivals armed with picnic baskets onto the iron-railed walkway that led to the esplanade. A buzzing chatter floated above the rolling water, anticipating a day of pleasure.

As she crouched at the edge of the sand to remove her boots and stockings, Josephine glanced behind to see if Charley was in sight. Instead, something swooped down upon her, stuffing a rag into her surprised mouth, as she was knocked to the ground. Was it Mr. Walters again? Rough fabric covered her eyes in an instant, and powerful hands shoved her while wrapping her whole body tightly. He was smothering her! Her howl was trapped behind wadding already sodden with saliva.