1870
Dear Majesty,
Greetings from the Wild West in the USA. There is so much to tell you. That is a bit strange to say. I find myself far away from my dear parents and the stability and the civilized world where you reign. The USA is a vast country and they have their own way of doing things. It is a different life than the one I had in Ireland. One example is that will shock you is that people carry guns. They solve conflicts by shooting each other. At times it seems like there is no civilization in this country, and those with guns have the power.
The Devon family wanted to adopt Shirley. God knows why they wanted to adopt her. Broadway and the entertainment bosses also wanted her because she made money for them! I never understand Shirley when her eyes lit up when the Sherrif said the agents wanted her back. Did she not understand that the agents and entertainment business did not care about her as a person. They saw her as a celebrity that earned them so much money. They didn't care how many hours Shirley worked or the fact that she had no childhood and thought the world rotated around her curls.
The strange thing is that Shirley wanted this life. I suppose its the only thing that she knew. Shirley found it hard here in the Wild West where no one knew her. This was hard for me to understand. I lived my life sheltered in a manor house and people always knew me as the landlord's daughter. In a way, I was unknown while everyone knew who Shirley was.
Doctor Morrigan could see the problem. She was upset when the Sherrif said that the agents had a legal right as Shirley's guardians. After the Sherrif went, Doctor Morrigan paced back and forth wondering what she would do.
“ How could some agents or the theater world have custody over Shirley,” she asked. “ She is only a child. She needs a happy childhood with a family that loves her. Those agents will just make her work long hours and this cannot be good for Shirley. Fame has already given her the wrong priorities.”
After hours of discussions, the Devons came and told Shirley that they were moving to a town called Cloudcroft. Shirley asked about the agents in which she got no answer. I knew that this move could be to make it harder for any agents to find her. I did not hear the rest of the discussion, as I went back to the orphanage.
The next few days were hard for me. Shirley and her new family would be moving soon and I would be left alone. On top of that, my situation was confusing. I did not hear from the lawyer that my father said would help me. I did not hear from my parents. This worried me as I had nightmares that the Irish rebels done something bad to my parents. The fact is that I had nothing to smile about.
The day came when the Devons were supposed to move. I wanted to go and wave goodbye to them, but I just sat on my bed cuddling with the cat that now followed me everywhere. I knew that I would start crying when they drove away. I did not want anyone to see this side of me.
Dr. Morrigan came into the orphanage in a panic. She told me that the family was ready to go but they could not find Shirley. She was afraid that the agents found her and she was now on her way back to the big cities.
I told Doctor Morrigan that we should search around the town. It would not surprise me if the curly top forgot all about moving and was just exploring the town. This frustrated Doctor Morrigan as she said she had no time for this behavior. I did my best to calm her down and said we can search the town.
We searched all over town and could not find Shirley. I was getting worried and hoped that she did not try to explore the caves, in which she threatened to do so many times. I did wonder what went through her curly brain. Did Shirley not realize that she was moving and people were looking after her? She could not be found. At one stage, I wished she would start singing so I can follow her voice. This shows how desperate I was! It was the only reason I would ever want to hear Shirley sing!
I found her crawled up asleep outside the theater. I pointed my finger at her and demanded to know why she was here? Did she not realize that people were looking for her.
Shirley was crying as she looked up at me. She started rumbling some sentences, most of which I did not understand. She hugged me and said she couldn't help thinking about how her parents were killed by the Indians. She missed them so much. She was afraid of the Devons adopting her. Shirley complained that they did not understand who she really was and how important it was for her that people liked her dancing and singing, Shirley missed her parents and fame.
“ You must be strong!” I told her. “ Yes, you lost your parents. Look how many orphans there are in this town that has just as a sad story as you have. Look at me. I did not hear from my parents for a long time. I am worried. However, we must be strong. The Devons love you and they want to adopt you. You are lucky. They don't see you as a child star or a famous person. They do not love you because of your singing, which is something I can understand. They love you for who the real Shirley is.”
Just then Doctor Morrigan found us and she gave Shirley a hug while complaining that they have been worried. Shirley was smiling and said a sweet apology to her new mom.
The Devons and Shirley left the town and this left me all alone. I sat in the middle of the town and watched people walking by. It is hard to explain how I felt. I felt like there was an empty hole in me. There was an emptiness. I know why I felt this way. I was all alone. I did not hear anything from my parents. My aunt was gone. The only friend I ever had was now adopted and moved away.
I tried asking myself why I was a friend with such a little curly-headed diva. I never had a friend my age. Being a landlord's daughter meant that I never played with the local children. I never thought I missed having a friend. I had my cats and books. Then Shirley entered my life. She was the opposite of me. She was an egocentric diva with curls. She thought everyone should love her and treat her as something special. Still, she has become my only friend I ever had, and to be honest... I think I am her only true friend.
Now I felt like I had no-one. I thought time would heal this emptiness in me. However, it seemed like it was getting worse and worse. I tried speaking with the other children at the orphanage, but they were so normal. I don't how to explain this. I think that they were not like Shirley. They were predictable and well behaved. They were nice and polite. I could not see them as being a good friend. I thought I must be going crazy, as they were the sort of friend that I deserved. Not a curly topped diva that pushed my morality and etiquette to the limits, and had my emotions on a roller coaster.
I walked around the town for the next few days. Every time I heard a strange noise, I thought it was Shirley's voice, only to find out it was maybe just a mouse screeching from being caught by a cat. Every time I saw a mop. I somehow thought of Shirleys curls.
The mailman called me over and said that there were two telegrams for me. I jumped of joy and nearly gave the mailman a hug. Then I remembered how mom always told me to control my feelings. Maybe things would now go my way!
The first telegram was from my aunt. She apologized for not meeting me and explained that she had found a man that she loved and was traveling around the country with him. She explained that it was no place for a child to be. She hoped I would find it comfortable in the orphan home until it was safe to go back to Ireland. She finished by apologizing several times and hoped I would understand that at her old age, this was her last chance for happiness.
The second one was from a lawyer in Dublin. He explained that he had bad news. My Dad lost his estate and was now living in a small flat in Dublin. He lost all his money and was now bankrupt. He did not know about my mother. My dad did not want to speak about where she was. This means that the lawyer expected the worse. He thought that my mother was dead. He also explained that the lawyer that dad employed in New York could not help me. He just pocketed the money that dad sent him and we could not expect him to help. The lawyer explained that Dad was too ashamed to contact me and would be mad if he knew the lawyer was doing this. He finished by explaining that I was a victim of all this, as I was now stuck in the USA.
These two letters shocked me so much, that I felt very faint. I was lucky that the orphan girl Lila was close by. She helped me go to my aunt's empty house and told me to rest. I explained to her that my family lost everything they had and this meant I was stuck in the USA. I felt like I was so far away from my family. Dad needed my support and I needed to know what happened to mom. I refused to believe that she was dead. If I believed this, then I would be in a very bad way!
Lila did her best to comfort me. She admitted that she heard lots of sad stories, but my story beat them all. Lila explained that she could see that I was now alone in a strange country, and now the one girl that I had as a friend moved away and this made me more alone.
Lila did not understand why I even liked Shirley. She told me that she was reading a newspaper last week, and there was an article about Shirley. She was missing and this caused many of her fans to wonder when she would be found and get back to what she was born to do. Lila had strong views about Shirley. She did not consider Shirley a child. She was just a product of men's greed that just wanted her to work and get them more money. She was a commodity and a product.
Despite Lila's view on Shirley, she told me she had an idea. She would take me to Cloudcroft so I could talk with Shirley.
So during the next few days, I traveled with Lila. This girl made me smile and I loved listening to her stories about how she traveled. She did not consider herself poor or an orphan. She explained that she had everything she wanted and she was happy. Her view was that a person that had her freedom and was happy was the richest person on the Earth. Lila quickly became a friend. Unlike Shirley, she was wise and not annoying. She was the second friend I ever had in my life. I respected Lila, but could not live the way she did.
We found the Devons house in Cloudcroft. It was a huge house, and I am sure people got lost in it. A maid opened the door and let me in. I waited in a small room until the maid found Shirley
Shirley skipped in the room and gave me a huge hug. She told me that she was so happy to see me here. She really missed me! This made me smile as I thought it was not just me that missed her. She told me she will show me around the house. She could not show me the town as she was grounded. She told me that she gave the horses some chocolate to the horse and the horse got a sore stomach, This made me smile.
I was shocked when Shirley showed me her room. It was bigger than the one she had in the old town. She had a huge bed and a desk with closed books. She still had books under the leg of her bed. I considered this a sin. Shirley had so many books, and she did not open any of them. If it was me, books should be read.
I wanted to say something. So I told her that she should tidy her room. There were toys all over the place. Shirley glared at me and poked me in the side. She must have poked me in the most sensitive part of my body, as it hurt. She even laughed when I cried out in pain. This made me ask myself how I could ever miss her.
Then Shirley took my hand and dragged me down to the kitchen where she asked Mary (the maid) if we could have hot chocolate. Mary was a nice woman. She gave us some hot chocolate and a doughnut. I was in heaven. The doughnut was so sublime. It was like a piece of heaven was in my mouth.
I was no longer mad at Shirley. The doughnut put me in a great mood. I told her everything that happened to me. This was a bit hard, as Shirley kept on interrupting with questions. After I told her my story, her only comment was that I was no longer a rich daughter. I was homeless and poor. I looked at Shirley and wondered was this her way of being nice?
Before I could answer, Shirley shouted for her mother to come in. Doctor Morrigan was surprised to see me and at the same time was delighted. She sat down and I told her my story. Doctor Morrigan had tears in her eyes as she heard my story. She gave me a hug and told me that she felt so sorry for me. There was some silence as she hugged me.
Shirley broke the silence by saying that I could stay at their house as her private maid, I did not say a word to Shirley but thought that she must be crazy. I would not be following her orders all day and cleaning up after her. I still had my pride. Shirley explained that I was now a poor girl and I did not know where my parents were. It was the logical thing to do. Besides that, she admitted that she needed help doing things.
Doctor Morrigan smile and told me she had a better idea. I could live with her and her family and they would be my guardians in the USA. They would be my American family. I would get my own room and I could go to the local school. I thought about it and thought of having Shirley as a sister. This would really complicate my life. However, when Doctor Morrigan said they had indoor plumbing and an indoor toilet, I smiled and said I would be happy to live here. This made Shirley so happy. She started singing that she had a new sister. This made me ask my new mom if my bedroom could be on the other side of the house.
The next morning I woke up to find Mary working in a kitchen. She told me that she was so happy now that I lived there. She put a huge breakfast before me, which I ate. I was impressed by her. She told me she came from Europe and was so lucky to work for the Devons. She told me that she loved cooking and loved when people enjoyed her food. I asked her could she teach me how to cook, especially pancakes and doughnuts.
Shirley came rushing in the kitchen and told me she was no longer grounded. She started pulling at my hand saying that she wanted to show me something. Mary smiled and told Shirley she should relax and eat breakfast. Curly Top just nodded and said that time waits for no one. She grabbed a piece of cake and dragged me out of the house.
I tried telling Shirley that she needed to get something proper to eat for breakfast. Shirley just dragged me as she said that cake was food. I felt like she was pulling me and it nearly felt like my feet were in the air. We ended up at a cake shop.
“Did you just not eat cake,” I asked
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“ Don't be so silly.” she giggled, “I am so happy that you are my new sister. I wanted to buy you a doughnut from my pocket money.”
This made me smile. The curly top has a heart and could think of others. She bought me a doughnut and bought her self some ice cream. I rolled my eyes thinking that it was no wonder she still had her baby fat and that her legs were so stubby. I did not want to debate with her. I just sank my teeth into the doughnut. I was once again in heaven. I did not even hear Shirley chattering. I concentrated on the party in my mouth as wished the taste would stay there forever.
On the way home, a strange man stopped and looked at Shirley. He asked her was she “Curly Top”. Shirley smiled and told him he was. The man got so excited that he said he was at one of her performances and it was one of the best experiences in his lifetime. He asked her if she could sing him a song. Shirley did not need to ask twice. She started dancing and singing in the middle of the street. In no time, there was a crowd around her smiling and clapping. Once again I was amazed. I did not know why people thought she was so good. I personally promised myself I would take ear muffs when she dragged me downtown again.
The man asked us to go to the stables with him. I whispered to Shirley that we should not go with someone we did not know. Shirley just smiled and said that he was not a stranger. He was a fan. She was right. When we were at the Stable, he said he had a present for Shirley. He gave her a pony.
Yes, he gave her a pony!
So I walked beside Shirley as she rode the pony through town. I was in a bad mood. Yes, I admit that I was jealous. She got a pony and the man did not even look at me. Shirley could see that I was grumpy, and she tried to cheer me up by saying that two could ride the pony
As we came home, I joked that her pony would be cold standing outside. I was shocked when Shirley rode the pony into the house and in the living room. She just smiled and told me now the pony would be warm. I gave her one of my confused looks and thought did this girl not think at all?
We went up to my bedroom and I read a book for Shirley. It was the most I could do after she bought me a doughnut. I also wanted to see the trouble she was in when mom came home from the doctor's office.
After a few hours, we heard mom shout Shirley's name. I knew mom was mad because she shouted “Shirley Devon!”. Shirley walked down as innocent as she could be and asked her mom if she liked the new pony. I could see that mom was extremely mad and at the same time confused. The only response she could say was to get the horse out of the house.
“ Why is that animal in my living room?” she asked
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“ So he would not be cold,” Shirley answered
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“ I do not want a horse in the house. Should I even be saying this? Doesn't everyone know that horses do not come into the house? Where did he even come from?”
Shirley explained that a man gave her the pony as he was a fan. Mom told her that she could not accept presents from others, and especially ones she could not take care of. Shirley was told that she had to scrub the floors and she was grounded.
Curly Top stomped off to her bedroom saying no one understood her.
I went to her later to ask her if she wanted to come with me and learn how to cook. I could not find Shirley. I went down to Mary and she started showing me how to cook. I must admit that this was a lot of fun and I did not notice the time went by. I loved the idea of mixing different things and after a bit of care, they would turn out to be delicious food. Mary was an excellent teacher. She made everything so fun.
Mom came in and asked if I saw Shirley. We searched for the girl all over the house. Mom was getting more frustrated and said that she guessed that Shirley went out despite being grounded. Who else would leave the front door open? I saw mom slump down in a chair and admitting that Shirley really was a good child, but she was a challenging child that would give her gray hairs. I figured this was a diplomatic way of saying that the curly top was a brat. Mom said Shirley would get it when she came home.
After an hour or so we heard Shirley shout where her mom was. I could see mom was getting ready for the big showdown.
Little did mom know that Shirley would be standing there with 7 orphan children,
“Mom, these children need a home and parents. Can they live here? They can share Sarah's room.”
Your majesty, I need to stop here as I can feel myself getting mad once again at retelling this story. You can imagine how mom felt. I will tell you in your next letter!
Your faithful subject
Sarah
To be continued
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