Free Crestmont by Holly Weiss

I’ve wanted to write to you, but just couldn’t until now. There was nothing for me in Bethlehem . I felt there was no way to better myself there, to try anything new. I saw myself doing laundry for the rest of my life and couldn’t bear it.
 
Lily, I want to sing. Mother and Father would never understand that I had to get out. I want to try to get to a big city and see if I can do vaudeville, to be somebody people would know about and respect. I had to slip away quietly and not tell anyone, so they wouldn’t come looking for me. In doing it that way, I know I hurt you and I’m sorry. Please forgive me.
 
Anyway, I’m working this summer at a wonderful resort inn and feel fulfilled. The job is hard, but I have oodles of new friends. As soon as I make enough money, I’ll continue on to a big city. I’ll write again. Sending my love, I remain
 
Your sister,
Grace
     
    Well, she was trying to make new friends, so that wasn’t a total lie; anyway, she did feel more at home at the Crestmont than she had at home. She neglected to send love to George or her parents, she realized, and she hadn’t left an address for Lily to write back. No matter, maybe she would feel up to that next time.

     
    ****

     
    Gracie clattered down the hall with her mop and bucket of cleaning supplies on Monday morning. She stopped short when she saw Mrs. Woods walking deliberately toward her.
    “A moment of your time, please, Gracie.”
    Sure she had missed something in one of her rooms, she said, “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
    “Have you done something to be sorry for?”
    “I’m trying to be thorough, Mrs. Woods, but sometimes I’m a little slow.”
    “On the contrary, you are thorough, and your pace is more than acceptable. That is why I am assigning you three more rooms. You will do 57, 58 and 59in addition to your regular rooms.”
    “Excuse me for saying it, ma’am, but aren’t those Bessie’s rooms?”
    “Bessie has been reassigned elsewhere. Begin there tomorrow, please.”
    Gracie dipped her head in acknowledgement, her green eyes seeing a pointy nose and freckles swimming in the floor boards.
    “Good day, Gracie.”
    “Thank you, Mrs. Woods.”

     
    ****

     
    William Woods closed his office door and opened the bottom drawer of his desk. He fingered through several ties and pulled out the yellow one with navy diamonds. Whistling into the mirror on the back of the door, he replaced this morning’s blue and gold striped tie with the preferred selection. He admired how it complimented his light blue seersucker suit. The drearier the day, the more yellow he wanted in his tie. He checked his pocket handkerchief in the mirror and aligned his cufflinks. Did he remember what guest had given them to him? A mystification to tackle another day.
    He rocked on his heels and said, “Time for work, Woods.”
    His wife slipped through the open door. Two inches taller than he, she peered down and brushed a few wisps of his plentiful sandy, silky hair into place. “Afraid the sun will not poke through that gray, dear?” Margaret said, gently fingering his new tie.
    “Good morning, Margaret. I was just selecting the hymns for Sunday’s hymn sing and am considering doing a solo on ‘Rock of Ages.’ Do you recall us singing that last week? Celeste Woodford, the Penningtons and the Swetts are here for a month and I don’t want undue repetition.”
    “If you would write down the hymns you select, William, you surely could recall what you have sung.”
    “ Hm , I shall have to remember to do that. Margaret, my dear, you would have been proud of me this morning.” His words erupted in crisp, staccato phrases. “Agnes Swett hurled me an insult. I dodged.” Margaret’s brown eyes widened with interest. “She was fussing. Remember we could not put her in Room 1—you know—with the private balcony she had last year? I shot her an explanation—off the top of my head, of course. We had purposefully put her in 34 at the west end of