Free Sisters by Lynne Cheney Page A

the thought of running away had been in her mind
for months. One day as she walked along with a group of girls, she
was thinking how much she hated the school and its rules. They all
held hands, as the nuns required, so that they formed a chain with a
sister at the front end and another at the back. It was a humiliating
way to walk down a street, Sophie was thinking, when there, on the
windowless side of a wooden building, she saw a picture of a woman on
a horse. She stared at the 'Mazeppa' poster, thought of how well she
herself knew how to ride, and made one of those great leaps of logic
at which the young are adept: the 'Mazeppa' troupe would be her way
out of the convent school! She'd go to the woman on the poster, tell
her of her own skill with horses, and she'd be invited to join the
troupe! As the chain of girls pulled her along, Sophie was already
planning on how to get away from the convent so she could go to the
theater.
    That very night she lay in
her narrow cubicle, pretending to be asleep. The cubicles were
partitioned off with muslin and lit from the inside so that the
sister at the end of the hall could see the girls without being seen
herself--if she were awake. That was the picky point. Sophie had
heard the sister slept, but did she really? Finally she stealed [sic]
herself to take the risk, slipped out of bed, and dressed. No one
objected. She parted the muslin curtain and crept out into the
darkness, past the sleeping nun. The window was open--the sisters'
zeal of fresh air approached their enthusiasm for the blessed
saints--and in a moment Sophie was over the sill and on her way to
the theater.
    Once she got there, she had
no trouble finding Adah. She simply followed the noise to the crowded
dressing room and made her way to the center, where the tall, dark
actress stood. Adah shushed the men around her and listened to
Sophie's story. Then without pressing for details of Sophie's
background, or questioning whether she had the equestrian skill she
claimed, Adah turned to a short, bearded man near her and commanded
him to find Sophie a part in the play. Soon Sophie found herself
dressed as a page. It was she who brought Beauty Belle, the horse
Adah used in San Francisco, onstage.
    Sophie wasn't aware then
how much Adah's mood depended on the situation at the moment. She
would not always be so outgoing and generous, but this happened at a
time of triumph for her. The entire troupe of 'Mazeppa' departed San
Francisco in glory, all of them in stagecoaches heading for St.
Louis. Their stop in Virginia City was another coup for Adah, with
the miners begging her for a single performance of 'Mazeppa' and
showering a fortune in silver on her.
    In Virginia City, Adah
called Sophie into her room. "Sophie?" That was the way she
talked, with tiny question marks scattered through her husky speech.
"Sophie? You're beautiful, do you know that? Of course you do."
    By now Sophie had heard of
the monumental rages of jealousy Adah was capable of, so she was wary
of the actress's words as well as flattered by them. But there was no
sign of anger as Adah continued, "There will be men in your
life, Sophie, many of them, probably. Enjoy them, Sophie, but don't
let yourself be trapped." She looked at the young girl
meaningfully. "Sophie? do you know what I'm saying?"
    "I... I'm not sure."
    Adah picked up the
lacquered box from the sofa table. Sophie thought it probably
contained cigarettes and Adah meant to have one. She was fond of
smoking. But she handed the box to Sophie. "This is for you."
    Sophie opened it, thinking
she should thank Adah, but when she saw what was inside, she was
speechless. There were several small sponges, each in a silken net
with a string attached. There were packets marked "Preventive
Powders," and lined up in neat rows were several dozen condoms.
    "There are all these
things, you know," Adah was saying. "But the sheaths are
really the best. Sometimes men don't like them." She stared into
space for a