Page 16 of Familiar Things New

“Carriages certainly aren’t cheap,” she said. “But I may have a way for you to earn some extra money. If you’re interested.”

“If, uhm, if it’s another opportunity at one of the breweries or mills, I’m afraid I’ll have to politely decline,” he said. “See, I’m too clumsy to work at those types of places. I can’t focus well enough on tasks if they’re not particularly interesting to me. And so, I wind up making way too many mistakes. It’s bothersome to the other workers.”

Mrs. Meyer’s mouth curled into a small, amused smile. “No, not that.” Abruptly, she turned and started back down the stairs. “Follow me.”

After a moment of hesitation, Andrew obliged and followed her to the first floor where she lived, and they then went into her sitting room together.

“Have a seat,” she said, motioning to the sofa. She walked over to her bookcase and plucked a stack of playing cards off of a shelf, which she then set on the long sofa table. She pulled a rocking chair close. “Do you know how to play euchre? Two-handed euchre, I should clarify.”

“I don’t,” Andrew said, his eyebrows pinching. “I’m sorry.”

“I can teach you.” She settled in her chair with a soft oof, her knees cracking as she bent them. “I learned from my parents. Euchre isn’t as popular around here, but it certainly was back in Pennsylvania.”

“Oh, is that where you’re from?”

“Mm-hmm. I moved up here to Albany with my late husband, Clifford. He was in the lumber industry.” She picked up the stack of cards and began shuffling. “I want someone to play euchre with. But my friends from church are only ever interested in hearts or whist. If you can come play euchre twice a week, I’ll reimburse you for your time.”

Her offer pulled at Andrew’s heart, and he smiled warmly. He hadn’t realized before that Mrs. Meyer might be hurting for company. Although, maybe that was why she tolerated his occasional late payments on rent.

“Oh, uhm, there’s no need to pay me to come play cards with you,” he said. “I’d happily play with you for free.”

“Yes, but you need money for your business, and I’d feel less like I was being tricked into something this way.”

Andrew laughed a bit before becoming more serious.

“Why help me with my business at all?” he asked.

“Because you seem like a nice boy. And I can tell how much you believe in that studio of yours.”

Andrew’s cheeks warmed.

“All right, well, if you really want to pay me . . . I mean, I do need the money. Once I have enough saved to rent a carriage, I can try to travel to people’s homes. Or maybe I can even travel to some of the farther neighborhoods to take photos of families out there sometimes as well. Some people like having their photographs taken outdoors, for instance. Oh! I know! I could set everything up in a churchyard or a park or even the middle of town! People might like that.”

“It warms my heart to hear you so excited.” She pointed to his face. “And to see it, too. Plain as the sun midday.”

Andrew’s cheeks burned hotter, and he looked down at his clasped hands. Never had he expected this sort of kindness. Mrs. Meyer really was a lovely woman.

As Andrew looked back up, Mrs. Meyer placed a card face down in front of him, and then she placed one in front of herself as well. Back and forth this went until there were five cards in front of each of them.

“Now, pay attention,” she ordered. “I won’t be going easy on you. Especially because you’re stealing my money.”

Andrew huffed a laugh. What a strange way for him to fund his business.

Although, it might be nice to have the company.

Chapter Five

Edwin

In early December, Edwin and Agnes were walking through the neighborhood, heading to their favorite bakery in order to purchase a loaf of bread to pair with that evening’s stew. Orders for seamstress work had been fairly slow lately, which was providing Agnes with some more free time (and their mother with a welcome break from working with her hands), and Edwin’s work at the conservatory had been helping cover a large portion of their family’s expenses. Without the stress of having to fulfill orders, Agnes’s mood was palpably lighter, and for the first time in a long while, she seemed hopeful about the future. Perhaps receiving that ridiculous portrait from William had brightened her spirits, too. Despite Edwin’s continued worries that William was reluctant to pursue Agnes in earnest because of him, he tried to see the photograph as a nudge toward courtship, though whether it really was that or not was anyone’s guess.

When Edwin and Agnes turned the corner onto South Pearl, a smoky scent—probably some kind of cooked meat—wafted up Edwin’s nostrils, and his mouth began to water. Steps later, they passed the restaurant from where the enchanting scent was coming, and Edwin wondered whether he should ask William to come with him to that particular eatery sometime, as long as it wasn’t too expensive.

Even though Edwin still felt uneasy about going out to either saloons or restaurants by himself, both because he hadn’t been allowed to in the past and because he still felt nervous about socializing with new people (not to mention the fact that the prospect of speaking with random men after he had enjoyed some wine, whiskey, or beer felt especially worrying), he really wanted to sample some of whatever that food was. Walking past the restaurant every time he needed to buy bread had become practically torturous.

“What are you thinking about?” Agnes asked.

“Just how incredible the food smells,” Edwin admitted, his breath fogging in front of him as he spoke.