Trip to Oxford, a Short Story Prequel of Letter from Belleau Wood

Bailey Benton, Trudy Cameron’s stepsister, is four years younger than Trudy. Some of Bailey's story appears in Letter from Belleau Wood, but most of the time she’s in another orbit. Here’s a little extra story involving Bailey. The events in “Trip to Oxford” do not appear in Letter from Belleau Wood or any other book in the series. A close look at Bailey will add a new depth to Trudy’s character. Furthermore, Bailey is becoming a young woman with her own personality. Sometimes Trudy fails to understand that Bailey is her own person.  

TRIP TO OXFORD

Soft balmy winds played a love song in the chimes and kissed Trudy’s face as she and Jeremy sat in the Adirondack chairs in the front yard. The arms of the chairs touched each other so Jeremy’s hand could cover hers.

“It’s the most beautiful moon I’ve ever seen.” She pointed to the huge orbit rising over the Hastabucha River swamp. “It looks like a giant mold of butter.”

Jeremy’s blond curls caught the lights of it. She inhaled the honeysuckle-laden air. Fireflies surrounded them. “This minute needs to last for all time.”

“Do you think Miss Zoe and Mr. Sam would let you go to Oxford with me next week?”

“You know they won’t.” She slipped her hand from his so she could pull herself to the edge of the chair. “Who says I want to go?”

“You wouldn’t miss it.”

“Jeremy Smitherlin, what makes you so sure of yourself?”

“Oh, all right, I’ll ask properly. Miss Trudy, would you care to accompany me on a train ride to Oxford next week so I can go for an interview at Ole Miss?”

“You know Mama and Papa Sam won’t hear of it.”

~~~

The screen door slammed. “Oh, hi, Trudy and Jeremy. I didn’t know y’all were sitting out here.”

Bailey balanced the tray as she walked down the front steps. She placed it on the table situated in the middle of the yard chairs. “I toasted some sourdough bread. Since it’s dark out here, I went ahead and spread the blackberry jam on the bread.”

Trudy reached for a slice. “Lovely.”

“Just in case you were here, I poured you up some fruit punch.”

“Thanks.” Jeremy took a swig.

“I overheard you say you needed someone to go along with you to Oxford on the train. I’ll be glad to go. Could y’all do me a favor? Convince Mama Zoe and Papa I’m old enough to take the trip, and don’t invite our brothers, okay? It gets messy if we take so many.”

Jeremy swallowed a mouthful of blackberry toast. “I’ll see about it, Bailey."

Not the Cameron-Benton family, but a typical home of the time. 
(Wikipedia, Public Domain)

TRIP TO OXFORD continued.

~~~

The following morning after the family cleared the breakfast table, Bailey knocked on the door of the dining room, where Zoe and Sam Benton shared another round of coffee. It was a special time reserved to allow the children to have private discussions.

Bailey cracked the door. “May I come in?”

“Sure.”

She spread her flounced skirt and perched in a chair. She fluttered her eyes so they’d notice how cute she looked. “Good morning, Papa. You look pretty today, Mama Zoe.”

Papa drummed his fingers on the table while Zoe rolled her eyes.

Bailey inhaled and exhaled slowly. So far, her approach was off to a bad start. Maybe they needed to go. “I’ll try to make this brief.”

“You don’t have to hurry, Sweetie.” After stilling his fingers, Papa leaned forward. “What is it?”

Bailey sniffed. She really, really wanted to go on the trip. “Papa and Mama Zoe, you know Jeremy has to go to Ole Miss for an interview with a professor.  He invited me and Trudy to go with him. Wouldn’t that be great for us girls to go with him on the train? We could expand our minds.” The words flowed faster. “You know we’d be safe with Jeremy. Please, Papa.”

“Did Jeremy tell you to ask if you could go on the trip?” Mama Zoe cut her eyes around.

Bailey didn’t utter untrue words, but her head nodded up and down. It happened before she thought.

Papa raised his hand. “If Jeremy wants you to go with him on the trip, he’ll ask us.”

“No, Papa. He didn’t send me to ask you. I just wanted to talk to y’all about it. You do think I’m grown up enough to go?”

Her parents stood. Papa said, “That will be all.”

~~~

That evening, Samuel Benton took Zoe, Jeremy, Trudy, and Bailey for a stroll. He gave Bailey ten dollars, Trudy fifteen, and Jeremy twenty-five.

Jeremy thanked him for his generosity and said he had enough money to handle any other expenses.

The conversation centered around the expected behavior of the teen-aged group.

Before bed, Bailey and Trudy made plans about the clothes they’d take.

Bailey laid out her new white lacy attire. “Let’s dress in white—”

“On the train? I don’t think so. We need to wear clothes that want show soil.”

Bailey found her lace parasol. “We’ll look stunning in white  the day when Jeremy goes for his interview.”

“Oh, okay. We should wear our summery clothes as we stroll on the campus.”

~~~

The train ride was wonderful. They left early. In Jackson, they had to change trains. Jeremy acted as though he knew what to do, but Bailey wasn’t sure. Eventually they found the train to Oxford. Bailey delighted in the experience of sitting at a table in the diner car, where they were served an elegant lunch.

At the Oxford depot, they took a ride in a carriage to the hotel.

After dinner, they walked through the neighborhood.

Bailey talked nonstop. “This is almost as much fun as the time we went to Niagara Falls. Jeremy, you would have loved that trip.”

“That was your parents’ honeymoon, right?”

“Yes, we all went. Me and Trudy already thought of ourselves as sisters, but after the wedding we were. Buddy and Billy Jack—that’s what we called him back then—got into all kinds of mischief.”

“Not long after that, Billy Jack decided he wanted to be called Will. I still forget sometimes. Also, baby Cameron was born right after the trip.” Jeremy poked Trudy. “Y’all were funny. It was obvious all you kids were embarrassed because your mother had a new baby.”

“Our friends had questions.” Trudy’s eyes twinkled. “You would have been glad to have a little brother, Jer.”

Jeremy’s eyes moistened.

“I’m sorry. I know you miss your mother.”

Trudy and Jeremy found seats in the hotel parlor.

Bailey walked toward the foyer. “I’m going over and read the bulletin board.”

~~~

Early the next morning, Bailey shook Trudy’s shoulder. “Wake up, sleepy girl.”

Trudy yawned as she jumped out of bed and threw on her dressing gown.

Already dressed in her white frock and makeup applied. Bailey sat in a chair. “Fix my hair.”

“Oh, all right.” Trudy spoke through yawns. “Give me a minute to go to the bathroom and splash water on my face.”

In a short time, Trudy arranged Bailey’s blonde curls in a fancy updo.

“Hurry up.” Bailey pulled Trudy’s dress from its hanger.

As soon as Trudy fastened her buttons, Bailey approached Trudy with a hairbrush. “What do you want me to do with your thick red hair today?”

“Don’t go to any special trouble Just make one braid and let it hang down my back.”

Jeremy, looking sharp in his best suit, met them for breakfast. He ate carefully. “I hope I don’t spill anything.”

“Let’s get our parasols and reticules.”

When they returned to the lobby, Jeremy stood waiting for them. “It’s close. We have time. Is it all right with you girls if we walk?”

Both girls said, “Sure.”

“Don’t get into trouble.” Jeremy waved as he ambled away.

 Trudy threw a kiss. “You’ll do great.”

A young man, possibly a student, approached them. “Well, hello there.”

Bailey giggled. “Hello.”

“You two lovelies must be lost. Where are you trying to go?”

Bailey spoke up. “We’re looking for the Lyceum building.”

“Ha ha.” He laughed hard. “You can’t miss it. Go straight ahead. Keep your eyes open.”

“Come on, Bailey.” Trudy, holding her sister’s hand, led the way at a brisk pace.

Bailey looked around.

“Don’t look at him.”

“I just—” Bailey tripped along to catch up.

“Don’t do that!”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I just needed to know where the Circle is so we won’t miss the parade.”

“What parade?” Trudy raised her voice.

“That one.” Bailey dragged Trudy. “Come on.”

“Stop!”

Bailey kept pulling Trudy. “Here we go.”

Soon the sisters were bringing up the rear of the Suffragette Parade, which consisted of a host of women dressed in white.

Jeremy told them all the details of his interview.

Trudy beamed at him. “It’s great to see you excited.”

On the train back to Jackson, Bailey left her seat. “Watch my bag for me.”

“Where are you going?” Jeremy asked.

Bailey didn’t answer.

“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be back in a minute.” He took Trudy’s hand. “Ole Miss is such a beautiful campus. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to go there instead of the W?”

“No. Right now, all I want is to go home.”

“Something wrong?”

“We’ll talk about it.”

Bailey reappeared with a notebook and a pencil in her hands. “Look. I have fourteen signatures.”

“Fourteen signatures?” Jeremy asked.

“It’s a petition. I’m asking all the ladies to sign it. Some men are signing it too.”

“Sit down, Bailey.” Trudy gave Bailey a stern look. “What are you going to do with your petition?”

“I’m going to mail it to the National American Woman Suffrage Association.” I have their address. They’ll send it to the President.

Letter from Belleau Wood