The Vaudeville Star

It was then that one of the girls mentioned the term “vaudeville.” Vaudeville. The name itself sounded odd and foreign on her tongue. Vaudeville. She soon discovered it was a variety of acts grouped together and performed on the same bill. Vaudeville could consist of dancers, comedians, magicians, singers, and acrobatic acts. The idea of going onstage as a vaudeville singer thrilled her.

With a new goal in mind, Ruby struggled to excel at her music lessons, to learn as much as she could in her time spent at Miss Porter’s. Her music teacher was traditional and detested the “music hall” songs that were so popular onstage and with the common people. But Ruby learned several songs in secret that she had heard from her friends. She also worked on her posture and tried to cultivate elegance in her movements.

One long weekend, several of the older girls in Ruby’s group, along with two adult chaperones, visited New London in Connecticut and saw a small vaudeville show at Lyric Hall. Ruby was captivated. The show was mesmerizing with three men on bicycles, an acrobat team of dwarves, and a singer who commanded the stage as Ruby hoped to one day do. The singer held the audience in thrall, and Ruby knew then that there was no turning back.

She was silent the rest of the way back to Farmington while all the other girls chatted about their trip and the items they had purchased in New London. Ruby’s mind was too occupied with her future. She needed to find a way to make her dreams come true. She received a small allowance from her father, but that only covered her clothes and other small necessities. She needed to save money so that she could afford the train ticket to wherever she decided to go. She immediately thought of New York.

Though other cities had theaters and music halls, New York was the center of it all. She knew she would be new and very green, but she planned to work hard and become a star. A shiver of anticipation raced through her.

When she returned to Miss Porter’s, she asked to speak to the Head of School. She had worked hard and caused no problems since she had been enrolled, and she was well liked by both teachers and students. With the Head of School’s assistance, she was able to secure a job helping the teachers with chores to earn a bit of money. She would put every penny aside and only purchase a new hat or gloves if absolutely necessary. Everything must now go toward her goal of New York.

She heard from her father monthly, and he kept her abreast of the news back home. She was not surprised to learn that Pernetta remained unmarried. Her mother never wrote to her, though her father always included her love in his letters. He never mentioned Ford, and she never asked, but she continued to write to her friend Jessbelle, who would sometimes mention her brother. They had traveled together to Europe, and though Jess wrote that the trip was exciting, she didn’t elaborate.

Everything had gone according to Ruby’s plan, and suddenly three years had flown by and she was now in the final month of her time at Miss Porter’s School. The school, which she had once looked on as a prison, had become a haven. She had worked hard in her studies and was an excellent student. More importantly, she had cultivated a fine singing voice that everyone agreed was special.

The school gave seasonal recitals, and Ruby had been the star of the last three. She loved the attention and the applause that came with being onstage, and she lapped it up. Long denied any sort of affection at home except from her father, she suddenly found herself basking in the glory of it all. And she knew it was not enough. Not enough by half. She had diligently done her homework and now had the money she needed for the train trip to New York as well as money for a room in a boardinghouse for at least two months.

She planned on finding a job onstage once she reached New York, and from there she would work her way into a troupe. She wanted to find a small troupe where she could slowly climb the ranks and become the top performer on a vaudeville bill. She had grand ambitions, and she knew it. But she was extremely determined and knew that she could be patient.

In the final month of winter, she received a summons to see the Head of School. She immediately set off to the large office, where she was told that a family member wished to speak with her in the front parlor. She knew it must be her father. She hadn’t heard from him in over a month, and they had last seen each other when he had visited her before Thanksgiving.

Her family life had all but dissolved since the disaster at the engagement party. Pernetta had completely turned her back on her, and her mother had followed suit. Her father, not wanting to stir up more problems, had sided with his wife, though he continued to write to Ruby and sent her money. He had visited her several times, but they never spoke about her mother or sister, and she had only once asked after Ford.

At eighteen years old, Ruby was ready to face the world and everything that lay in New York, but she was saddened that her own family seemed bent on turning their backs on her.

She touched a hand to her hair and paused before the looking glass. Her blond hair was pinned back, and she wore a light pink linen dress with a square neckline and long sleeves. She had grown into a lovely young woman with high cheekbones and lush lips. She gave herself one last look before she opened the door and swept inside.

“Daddy!” She turned excitedly about the room, looking happily for his beloved figure.

The room was dimly lit, and the gray winter light was streaming in as she saw the figure standing beside the fireplace. When he turned to her, she felt her heart skip a beat.

“Hello, Ruby.”

Ruby’s step faltered. “Ford. Hello.” She tried hard to mask her utter surprise followed by the flood of warmth that seeped inside her. She hadn’t seen him since their parting three years before.

“Why are you here? In Connecticut?” she asked as she moved to stand before him.

Ford looked at Ruby and then gestured to the sofa. “I came to see you.”

Ruby smiled brightly as they both sat together. “Indeed? That is mighty gracious. When they told me I had a visitor, I was absolutely certain is was Daddy. I can’t say I ever expected to see you here.”

Ford

glanced at the door while Ruby admired him. She had thought him handsome as a young girl and had wondered if her desire for him had been a fantasy, as he had once called it. Perhaps half fantasy filled in by a young girl’s longing. But seeing him before her now, she knew that was not the case.

Now, at twenty-eight years old, Ford was even more handsome. He had broad shoulders beneath a gray suit and a large overcoat. He looked utterly masculine, and nothing about him seemed changed except that he was more aware of himself. And Ruby realized with a sinking heart that she still loved him. But now the girlish love was suddenly replaced with a woman’s desire. She wanted him. Nothing had changed.

“Ruby, I . . .” he began to speak but seemed at a loss for words. He glanced around the dark room decorated in forest green and wood paneling. “Are you allowed to leave the school?”

Ruby looked into his face and laughed. “I’m not a prisoner, Ford. I can leave. I often go into town to shop with my friends.”

“I mean with me. With a man. Can you go into town with me? Perhaps for dinner? I need to speak with you. Alone.”

Ruby blushed at the suggestion. “You aren’t just a man. You’re practically family. I can ask the Head of School’s permission. If you would like?”

Ford suddenly shook his head. “I’ll ask. Go get your coat. A warm one. It’s cold outside.”

Ruby frowned but did as he suggested. She ran to the building where the dormitories were housed and made her way upstairs. She looked at herself in the mirror in her room and saw a flushed face and bright eyes. She smiled as she brushed her hair and placed a ribbon through it, letting it fall down her back.