you went to church when there is no service or other event going on?”
“I went there to meet a woman. She’s one of the seamen’s wives who lives down near the docks.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you want to meet with someone like that?”
“There are things happening to these women, and I intend to see it stopped. We were gathered one day in Mrs. Hale’s office talking about it. There are several of us who work to bring her stories and publishable pieces. She told us of trouble she’d seen for the seamen’s wives in Boston. She’s working to get Congress to make a law of protection for those women. It caused me to think that some of the same problems were going on here. After all, the river traffic on the Delaware goes out to sea and some of those men are gone for years at a time. Why should Philadelphia be any different than Boston?”
“And what did you find?”
“Something is happening that is most distasteful. I’m not at all sure how to help or how to eliminate the problem.”
“What exactly is the problem?” Garrett tightened his grip on her elbow as they approached Mia’s house. “Tell me, or I won’t let you go.”
She laughed. “Shall you make me stand out here all night?”
“If need be. Mia, this is serious. You could have been killed tonight.”
“It is serious, Garrett. Some of those women are being forced to pay money on debts left behind by their husbands. They can barely earn enough money to buy food and pay rent. Some of them are being forced to . . . well . . . to provide other means of payment—including offering themselves or their children to their debtors.”
Garrett turned her to face him, his fingers digging into her shoulders. “Mia, you need to stay out of this. You cannot be involved in this problem any longer. A situation like this could well see you being forced to do unspeakable things.”
“But someone has to help them. I cannot stand idly by, knowing this is going on in my community.”
“But that isn’t your community. That’s the docks, and those people are not like you.”
“What a snobbish thing to say. They are God’s children, the same as you or I.”
Garrett let out an exasperated sigh. “Of course they are, and I didn’t mean to imply that they weren’t. I don’t even mean to imply they are of a lesser value than we are.”
“Then what are you saying?” she asked, frustrated.
“You are a young woman of good breeding. You are from one of the better families in Philadelphia. Your life here has not prepared you for what they endure. Mia, they have so little, and I know you. You will fret and fuss over how to save them—how to bring them all up to a comfortable standard. But it cannot be done.”
“Why not? Surely there is a way to give them a better life. At least there must be a way to end this tyranny of injustice. We are from a better social class of people; therefore it should be our responsibility to see them fed and properly clothed. To help them have the bare necessities of life.”
“Mia, the poor will always be with us. We cannot make their lives rosy and well ordered.”
“Well, we certainly can’t if we won’t even try, Mr. Wilson.” She jerked away from his hold. “I cannot believe that someone who appears as compassionate and caring as you would begrudge those women a champion. You would strip away all hope they have.”
“Only if that hope is you, Mia. I don’t want to see you hurt in this. This isn’t an affair for a woman to handle.”
“It’s an affair that we should all take into consideration. There is much to be done and too few who recognize the need. I’m disappointed in you, Garrett Wilson. I am angry too and do not wish to further discuss this issue.”
She hurried up the walk to the garden and passed through the gate before Garrett could say another word. He sounded like the same obstinate people Mrs. Hale had come up against in Boston and elsewhere.
“I don’t understand you,
“I went there to meet a woman. She’s one of the seamen’s wives who lives down near the docks.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you want to meet with someone like that?”
“There are things happening to these women, and I intend to see it stopped. We were gathered one day in Mrs. Hale’s office talking about it. There are several of us who work to bring her stories and publishable pieces. She told us of trouble she’d seen for the seamen’s wives in Boston. She’s working to get Congress to make a law of protection for those women. It caused me to think that some of the same problems were going on here. After all, the river traffic on the Delaware goes out to sea and some of those men are gone for years at a time. Why should Philadelphia be any different than Boston?”
“And what did you find?”
“Something is happening that is most distasteful. I’m not at all sure how to help or how to eliminate the problem.”
“What exactly is the problem?” Garrett tightened his grip on her elbow as they approached Mia’s house. “Tell me, or I won’t let you go.”
She laughed. “Shall you make me stand out here all night?”
“If need be. Mia, this is serious. You could have been killed tonight.”
“It is serious, Garrett. Some of those women are being forced to pay money on debts left behind by their husbands. They can barely earn enough money to buy food and pay rent. Some of them are being forced to . . . well . . . to provide other means of payment—including offering themselves or their children to their debtors.”
Garrett turned her to face him, his fingers digging into her shoulders. “Mia, you need to stay out of this. You cannot be involved in this problem any longer. A situation like this could well see you being forced to do unspeakable things.”
“But someone has to help them. I cannot stand idly by, knowing this is going on in my community.”
“But that isn’t your community. That’s the docks, and those people are not like you.”
“What a snobbish thing to say. They are God’s children, the same as you or I.”
Garrett let out an exasperated sigh. “Of course they are, and I didn’t mean to imply that they weren’t. I don’t even mean to imply they are of a lesser value than we are.”
“Then what are you saying?” she asked, frustrated.
“You are a young woman of good breeding. You are from one of the better families in Philadelphia. Your life here has not prepared you for what they endure. Mia, they have so little, and I know you. You will fret and fuss over how to save them—how to bring them all up to a comfortable standard. But it cannot be done.”
“Why not? Surely there is a way to give them a better life. At least there must be a way to end this tyranny of injustice. We are from a better social class of people; therefore it should be our responsibility to see them fed and properly clothed. To help them have the bare necessities of life.”
“Mia, the poor will always be with us. We cannot make their lives rosy and well ordered.”
“Well, we certainly can’t if we won’t even try, Mr. Wilson.” She jerked away from his hold. “I cannot believe that someone who appears as compassionate and caring as you would begrudge those women a champion. You would strip away all hope they have.”
“Only if that hope is you, Mia. I don’t want to see you hurt in this. This isn’t an affair for a woman to handle.”
“It’s an affair that we should all take into consideration. There is much to be done and too few who recognize the need. I’m disappointed in you, Garrett Wilson. I am angry too and do not wish to further discuss this issue.”
She hurried up the walk to the garden and passed through the gate before Garrett could say another word. He sounded like the same obstinate people Mrs. Hale had come up against in Boston and elsewhere.
“I don’t understand you,
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