{"id":991,"date":"2019-02-08T12:14:38","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T17:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=991"},"modified":"2020-06-01T09:06:52","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T13:06:52","slug":"a-fair-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/a-fair-to-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"A Fair to Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Divi_Feature_Images\/A-Fair-to-remember.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember.png 500w, https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Fair to Remember<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitefire-publishing.com\/authors\/suzie-johnson\/\">Suzie Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buffalo, New York, Pan-American Exposition<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara Lambert thought being a Kodak girl at the World\u2019s Fair would an adventure\u2013but she never expected to end up photographing the attempted assassination of President McKinley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James Brinton, a disgraced police officer now working as a security officer for the Expo, hopes to redeem his good name. And perhaps, if luck is on his side, gain a job with the president\u2019s security agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Clara is accused of being involved in the assassination attempt, James is already falling in love with her. Now he must work to prove her innocence. But when she\u2019s arrested, he has to do the one thing he promised her he\u2019d never do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James and Clara must each learn about <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/?s=forgiveness\" title=\"forgiveness\">forgiveness<\/a> before they can find their way back to each other.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Chapter 1<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'><p>Forrest Gump was known for saying that life was like a box of chocolates. You never knew what you were going to get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Pan-American Exposition<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Buffalo, New York<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>September 6, 1901<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joy\nsprang through Clara Lambert\u2019s veins like an exuberant child, out-rivaling even\nthe most excited of voices shouting to be heard just outside the doors of the Temple\nof Music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like\nevery other building and structure at the Pan-American Exposition, the Temple\nof Music was a carefully designed architectural work of art, teeming with color\nand light. Not the least of which rose overhead in a magnificent dome of\nstained glass. Backlit by the remainder of the day\u2019s sunshine, the shades of\nblue and yellow sparkled brilliantly. Clara marveled that mere men were capable\nof creating such beauty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ncamera she clutched under her arm would certainly never replicate what the\nnaked eye could behold, and it definitely couldn\u2019t capture the color. But it\nwould be a lovely reminder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With\nboth hands, she positioned the rectangular wooden box toward the dome. Angled\nsuch as it was, she was unable to look through the viewfinder. She\u2019d just have\nto trust the photograph would record the image in a way that would do justice\nto the beauty overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When\nshe pressed the button, the now familiar whir and click of the camera indicated\nit had indeed performed its job with all of the ease her boss, Mr. Eastman,\npromised. Once processed, the film inside the camera would produce a permanent\nreminder of this most special of days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The day she would\nmeet President William McKinley. <\/em>Not only was she, Clara Lambert, standing\nright next to the platform where President McKinley would officially greet the\nmen and women waiting to fill the giant auditorium, she would be one of the\nfirst to shake his hand. The opportunity to meet him before taking photographs\nas he shook hands with the public had been pre-arranged by Mr. Eastman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\nneeded to be careful not to waste her film. Each spool held six exposures, and\nshe only had one other unused spool in her bag. The others must have spilled\nout of her bag when she replaced the film in the camera after her visit to\nNiagara Falls. This was either the second or third photograph she\u2019d taken on\nthis spool. That left only a few for the president before she had to change the\nfilm\u2014if she had the opportunity to sit down and do so. Not that she could do\nanything about it now. She glanced around the huge room. Once the auditorium\nfilled up, there may not be a spot for her to reload the camera. The police\nofficer who\u2019d escorted her inside told her there were hundreds of people\nwaiting in the heat so they could shake hands with the president. She\u2019d been\never so fortunate not to be one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why\nhad she been foolish enough to snap photos before she met the president? In\ncase she couldn\u2019t change the film, she\u2019d have to take extra care when she\nphotographed him to ensure the pictures wouldn\u2019t be blurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once\nagain, like earlier today, Clara could scarcely believe her good fortune. This\nwas most definitely a day to remember. Though she didn\u2019t get the opportunity\nthen to meet him as she would this evening, Clara did get to photograph President\nMcKinley and his wife earlier today as they took in the sights at Niagara\nFalls. Like many Buffalo residents who\u2019d wanted to be at the Falls at the same\ntime as the president, Clara had taken the train in hopes of seeing the president\nand Ida McKinley. They hadn\u2019t posed, and likely didn\u2019t even know she\u2019d taken\ntheir photo. She\u2019d definitely been blessed to have the opportunity to take more\nthan one photograph of the couple who were so obviously devoted to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of\nthe four photographers led inside the great room by one of Buffalo\u2019s police\nofficers, Clara was the only female. She stood where instructed, just to the\nleft of center stage, which wasn\u2019t actually the stage in this enormous\nbuilding. The elaborate stage was really in back of her. The entire middle\nsection of seating had been removed, effectively creating a large center aisle,\nand at the back of the room was a slightly elevated platform draped with\npatriotic bunting. This struck her as odd since the music room\u2019s fancified\nstage was one of the most intricate she\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nsmall group of crisply-suited officers filed in. They wore uniforms that were specially\ndesigned for the Pan\u2014the shortened nickname local people gave the Pan-American\nExposition. Though their features were schooled to appear stern and official,\nshe could tell by a faint lift to most of their mouths that they were proud to\nwear the uniform and to be here in this room while the public greeted the\npresident. Clara wished she could spare the film to snap their photographs.\nEach man took a spot along the floor at the bottom of the platform and\nestablished themselves in pairs\u2014six on each side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the men, the\none closest to her, glanced her way and her pulse sped up. From beneath the gold\ntrimmed bill of his snug fitting black cap, the dark, inky depths of his eyes\ndrew her gaze, and she couldn\u2019t look away. It had to be the excitement of the\nafternoon. Nothing more. Still Clara offered him a smile, shy at best, meant only\nto assure herself that the increase of her heartbeat was simply in response to\nthe knowledge that the president was about to walk in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When\nthe officer didn\u2019t return Clara\u2019s smile, her heart pounded harder, its sound flooding\nher ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well,\nthen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drawing\nin a quick breath, she hoped the other photographers hadn\u2019t noticed. He might\nnot put forth the friendliest demeanor, but the men protecting the president\nhad to remain focused. True, the president wasn\u2019t in the room yet, but diligence\nwas a must. She grew up hearing about President Lincoln and how devastated the\ncountry was by his assassination. Something like that could never be allowed to\nhappen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Footsteps\nsounded behind her, and Clara turned. Three men were making their way toward\nthe platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>President\nMcKinley.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\npresident wasn\u2019t a tall man. But the way he carried himself, the way he squared\nhis broad shoulders as he walked forward, gave off an air of confidence\u2014not in\nan imposing manner, though. At least not when he was greeting the public. Even\nnow as he continued down the aisle with the organist playing \u201cThe Star Spangled\nBanner,\u201dPresident McKinley smiled\nwith genuine warmth as he nodded to those inside the auditorium who stood at\nattention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ntwo men flanking the president stopped as they neared the platform. The\npresident stepped up, then turned and stepped back down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll\njust stand here. It\u2019s friendlier.\u201d He was closer now, and beneath his bushy\neyebrows Clara could see joy radiating from his blue eyes. He truly enjoyed\nmeeting people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As\nhis men stepped off to one side, they effectively edged aside the closest\npolice officers. This seemed to cause upset among the officers as they looked\nat one another and whispered among themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally,\nthe president spoke up. \u201cGentlemen, don\u2019t be so concerned. There\u2019s no one here\nwho wants to hurt me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After\na few more whispers, they finally stood silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nofficer with the dark brown eyes had his lips pressed together. Annoyed?\nConcerned? Clara couldn\u2019t tell. But while she was watching him, he met her gaze\nonce again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\nflushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Noise\nabruptly filled the auditorium then, as people began to stream from the four\nentrances of the Temple of Music. Thankfully that attracted the officer\u2019s\nattention, and he glanced at the president, then out toward the crowd. Fanning\nfrom either side of the platform, they were all corralled into a line that\neventually wended its way down the center aisle, their backs to the beautiful\nstage, facing the president. The line stopped about twelve feet from where he\nstood. He merely stood there, seemingly unconcerned, hands clasped in front of\nhim, smiling out at the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara\nrather liked that about him. From all she\u2019d read about him, he had a true\nservant\u2019s heart. She considered it an honor to represent Mr. Eastman as she\nshook the president\u2019s hand and took an official photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\npresident looked to the officer closest to him, the man with the brown eyes,\nand nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nofficer stepped toward Clara, never taking his eyes off her. Her pulse\nquickened as he stopped in front of her and held out his arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLadies\nfirst.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now\nwould be a good time for one of those souvenir fans she used to sell when she\nworked in one of the Pan\u2019s many gift stores. She fluttered her hand in front of\nher face, wishing it were possible to wave calmness into one\u2019s essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAre\nyou all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust\na little nervous,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nofficer bent close. \u201cThere\u2019s no need. I had the opportunity to meet him\nearlier. He really is the kindest of men.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One\nhand gripping the officer\u2019s elbow, the other clasping her camera close to her\nside, Clara stepped forward. When they stopped in front of President McKinley and\nthe officer stepped away, her knees wobbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Should\nshe curtsey? She hadn\u2019t given it much thought before now. How did one greet the\npresident of the United States?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGood\nafternoon, young lady.\u201d The president held out his hand to shake hers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead\nof a quick handshake, as she\u2019d expected, Mr. McKinley clasped her hand in both\nof his and covered it in warmth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMr.\nPresident. It is such an honor to meet you.\u201d Nerves made her voice crack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank\nyou, my dear. It is my own privilege and honor to be here.\u201d He tilted his head\ntoward her camera. \u201cAnd you\u2019re here to take my photo as well? A lady\nphotographer. I simply love it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In\nspite of her nerves, she managed to tell him the reason she was photographing\nhim. \u201cYes, sir. I\u2019m a Kodak Girl. We take snapshots at different fairs and\nevents for Mr. Eastman. He wanted me to be certain to take one of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\nwould be delighted.\u201d The president stepped back and posed for her. At first his\nexpression was stern, but then he raised the corners of his lips into a barely\nperceptible smile that softened his features. It was perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Steadying\nher hands, Clara held the box at her waist and looked down at the viewfinder.\nShe adjusted the height of the camera until she could clearly see Mr. McKinley.\nThen she pressed the button, comforted by the sound of the gears as they turned\ninside the camera box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank\nyou, sir.\u201d She smiled at him and stepped back toward her designated spot so she\ncould snap a couple more photos as he shook hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By\nnow, people packed the enormous room. The line was long, winding all the way\nout the main doors, but no one made use of the seats. She would undoubtedly be\nable to sit down to change the film. She chided herself for her earlier worry.\nHer mother had always told her things had a way of working out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After\ntaking a couple more photographs, the counter on the top of the camera turned\nred. She sat down in one of the nearby aisle seats and slid the thin wooden\nplate off the back of the camera, revealing the inner workings. She carefully\nlifted out the wooden spool of wound film and placed it inside her bag. Then\nshe threaded the sharp end of the smooth and shiny new film through the\nmechanism before replacing the cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\nstood and brushed out the folds of her skirt. After straightening her hat, she\nadjusted the camera at her waist and stepped forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President\nMcKinley was greeting a young gentleman with brown hair whose left hand was\nwrapped in some sort of bandage. As he reached out to shake the man\u2019s hand, the\nman shoved his injured hand toward the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nloud crack sounded in the air and the president\u2019s smile faded. He glanced\naround at the people nearby, seemingly bewildered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another\ncrack filled the air, and this time the president staggered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Officers\nfrom all directions sprang into motion, running toward the president at the\nsame moment the man turned toward the crowd. Weak-kneed with horror, Clara\nrealized his hand wasn\u2019t injured after all. He was using the bandage to hide a\ngun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several\nmen from the crowd rushed forward and knocked the gunman to the ground. They\njumped on top of him, shouting and pummeling their fists in an effort to\nactually strike the man. Women screamed as people rushed toward the exit doors\nonly to find them blocked by armed officers and soldiers who had taken\nimmediate action to secure the building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not\nfar from where she stood, officers had helped the president to the ground. He\nlay with a folded jacket under his head, cushioning him from the hard floor.\nSeveral men were bent over him, and in one horrible moment, Clara knew at least\none of the gunman\u2019s bullets had found its mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t\nhurt him.\u201d The president\u2019s tone was weak, but Clara stood close enough to hear\nhis voice as it drifted near. Was he actually begging mercy for the man who\u2019d\njust shot him? Instead of worrying about himself? This was the kind of caring\nattitude that separated good men from great men. President McKinley was one of\nthe great ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPlease,\nGod, please let him be all right.\u201d Unable to look away as the men tended to\nhim, she whispered the prayer over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally\na group of men rushed toward the president. Between them, they carried a white\nlitter. Before long, they had President McKinley bundled on to it. With a swift\ngentleness, they lifted him from the floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\nlooked over at one of the men and reached out for his hand. \u201cBe careful how you\ntell my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tears\nfilled Clara\u2019s eyes. She quickly dashed them away with the back of her hand,\nher heart aching for Ida McKinley and the news she was about to receive. But he\nwas alive, and talking, and filled with concern for his wife. That had to be a\ngood sign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With\nexpert care and practiced efficiency, the men hurried past dozens of armed men\nand through the doors as if they carried precious cargo. Once the president was\non his way to a hospital, the soldiers, in uniforms of various styles and\ncolors, no doubt representing different services, continued to block the exits.\nStepping back toward the outer aisle of seats, she was struck with an\noverwhelming desire to collapse into a chair and process what she\u2019d just\nwitnessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead\nshe did what Mr. Eastman hired her to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\ntook pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPlease,\neveryone. Stay calm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara\nhad her camera aimed at the men piled haphazardly on top of the man who\u2019d shot\nPresident McKinley. She was in the process of framing their image in the viewfinder\nfor what would be her final photograph. Instead, she turned toward the\nplatform, and to the man calling for attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\nwas him. The officer with the brown eyes. And he was slipping his arms into the\nsleeves of his jacket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So\nhe\u2019d been the one to place his jacket on the floor for the president. In spite\nof the situation, her heart warmed as she watched him smooth his hands over the\nfront of his jacket before fastening each shiny brass button. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGentlemen.\u201d\nThe handsome officer\u2019s glance focused on Clara. \u201cAnd ladies.\u201d His tone brought\na sudden heat to her cheeks. \u201cMy name is James Brinton. I\u2019m an officer with the\nBuffalo Police Department. We need you to be calm. The president is alive and,\nas you\u2019ve just seen, has been taken to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While\nhe spoke he tugged on a pair of white gloves, taking great care to make sure\nthe cuffs were tucked under the sleeves of his jacket. \u201cWe need your prayers\nfor his recovery. But we also need to ask each of you some questions. So for\nnow, no one can leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much\nof the crowd groaned, but he ignored them, his gaze staying with Clara. \u201cWe\njust need to know what you saw and when you saw it, as well as if you are\nfamiliar with the man who shot the president. Do you know him? Do you recognize\nhim?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara\nlooked over at the angry mob of men still piled on top of one another, their\nfists still hammering at whatever they met\u2014usually each other since the man\nwith the gun was underneath them all. More than one of them would come out of\nthis with blackened eyes. Several policemen, all dressed in the same\nresplendent uniform as Officer Brinton, were in the process of pulling men out\nof the way in order to get to the man who shot the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPlease,\ngentlemen. Let us do our job. There\u2019s no need for more than one man to end up\nin jail tonight.\u201d Some of the men backed off, and Officer Brinton tipped his cap\ntoward them in thanks. He started to step off the platform but stopped and\nturned back, his gaze sweeping over Clara once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll\ntry to be as fast and orderly as possible. After we\u2019ve talked with you, you\u2019ll\nbe free to go. Until then, please remain here in the auditorium. There are\nplenty of seats for the ladies among you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\nmotioned to the rows of seats filling each aisle to the side of the platform.\nAnd as he did, dozens of women made their way in that direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank\nyou.\u201d Officer Brinton turned and left the podium. He headed toward one of\nseveral small groups of officers clustered about the room. Unlike the crowd,\nthese men were calm as they spoke to one another, likely coming up with their\nplan to question the unruly men and women who shouted and tried to force their\nway past the military soldiers who lined the walls and barred the exits with\ntheir rifles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So\nmany men to watch over one president, and still someone managed to shoot him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara\u2019s\nheart sank and once again she whispered a prayer for President McKinley and his\nwife. Yesterday, after they\u2019d toured the fair and the president had given a\nspeech to thousands of the men and women eager to hear him, the first lady had\nbeen overcome with the heat. And again this morning, after their excursion to\nNiagara Falls, she\u2019d been overcome and was unable to be here for the reception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nblessing in disguise, perhaps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\nwould be devastating for the frail woman to receive such news about her husband,\nbut probably worse had she actually been witness to it. Thankfully he was alive\nand speaking, and Mrs. McKinley would be able to sit by his bedside as he\nrecovered\u2014instead of burying him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nseats around her rapidly filled with women, many of them appearing faint.\nEither from the heat or the shock of what they\u2019d just witnessed. Clara stepped\nback to be seated herself. She had yet to make eye contact with any other\nofficer, so she sincerely hoped Officer Brinton would be the one to ask her\nquestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because\nthe seats faced the elaborate stage at the front of the auditorium, Clara found\nherself turned sideways in her seat so she could watch the proceedings as the\nofficers wrestled the shooter to his feet and hauled him toward the door. She\nstood, once again, and aimed her camera. As officers escorted him through the\nexit angry men struck out from all sides, pummeling him about the head and\nshoulders. They kicked at his legs, hitting more than one policeman in the\nprocess. When they were finally able to get the man through a wall of armed\nguards and out of the building, his ears burned a bright shade of red. Really,\nhe would be lucky if that was the least that happened to him as a result of his\ndespicable actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Satisfied\nthat she\u2019d captured the event for her final photograph, Clara sat back down. Around\nher, the women\u2019s conversations were filled with idle gossip and chit-chat. It\nseemed so out of place under these circumstances. She thought again of the\nfirst lady and the message she was about to receive. It should be delivered\ngently. Was it even possible to tell such news in a gentle manner?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who\nwas this man who\u2019d shot the president? He looked young, about her age. What kind\nof anger would prompt him to perform such an evil act? It was hard to fathom.\nPresident McKinley was wildly popular, as evidenced by the number of people in\nthis auditorium. One of the things that made people love him so much was his\nmanner with the public. It was the way he would greet them, and go out of his\nway to shake hands and listen to what people had to say. He cared. He truly\ncared. And above it all, the gregarious, ever smiling man always tended\nlovingly to his wife. And after he was shot, his first concern was for his wife\nand how she would receive this news. Clara prayed Ida McKinley would not be\nstricken ill when she heard of the attack on her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vaguely,\nshe became aware of someone standing in front of her. She blinked and shifted\nher focus to Officer Brinton. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d Clara looked up at him. Seated as she\nwas, he towered over her. But his expression was gentle. \u201cDid you say\nsomething?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\nasked if you were all right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biting\ndown on her lower lip, Clara nodded. \u201cThank you. Yes. I\u2019m just\u2014\u201d She broke off\nand shook her head. \u201cIt\u2019s so sad. I don\u2019t understand why someone would do\nthis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Officer\nBrinton tipped his head, as if he agreed. As he did so, the cap he wore hid his\nbrown eyes. \u201cMay I get you anything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.\nThank you. But do you know how long it will be before I can leave?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re\nconducting interviews as quickly as possible. In the meantime please let one of\nus know if you need anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before\nClara could thank him, he walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Too\nlate, she knew there was indeed something she needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cExcuse\nme, Officer Brinton?\u201d She called out to him, but he continued to walk away,\nobviously having not heard her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\nsat for another minute, trying to appear calm on the outside. But the inside\nwas a different matter altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why\nhad she stopped by the refreshment stand on the Midway? Why had she been\ntempted by the icy cold bottle of Coca-Cola? After walking around in the hot\nsun, it had seemed like the perfect idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now,\nthough, it was becoming a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally,\nClara stood and headed toward the exit of the auditorium, where both soldiers\nand policemen attempted to control a crowd of traumatized people who\u2019d come to\nsee the president. Instead they\u2019d witnessed the unthinkable. Now they just\nwanted to leave. Beyond them, just outside of the auditorium, on the wall in\nthe lobby of the Temple of Music, she saw what she was looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\ncrush of people managed to force their way through the exit door on her right.\nAnd while the officers were duly distracted, Clara headed into the lobby and\ntoward the sign depicting an arrow with three very simple, but relieving words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Ladies\u2019 Comfort\nStations.<\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n<div data-block-name=\"woocommerce\/handpicked-products\" data-edit-mode=\"false\" data-products=\"[630]\" class=\"wc-block-grid wp-block-handpicked-products wp-block-woocommerce-handpicked-products wc-block-handpicked-products has-3-columns has-multiple-rows wp-block-woocommerce-handpicked-products\"><ul class=\"wc-block-grid__products\"><li class=\"wc-block-grid__product\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/product\/a-fair-to-remember\/\" class=\"wc-block-grid__product-link\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wc-block-grid__product-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-300x300.png\" class=\"attachment-woocommerce_thumbnail size-woocommerce_thumbnail\" alt=\"A Fair to Remember\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wc-block-grid__product-title\">A Fair to Remember<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wc-block-grid__product-price price\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#036;<\/span>9.99<\/span> <span aria-hidden=\"true\">&ndash;<\/span> <span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#036;<\/span>15.99<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Price range: &#036;9.99 through &#036;15.99<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-button wc-block-grid__product-add-to-cart\"><a href=\"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/product\/a-fair-to-remember\/\" aria-label=\"Select options for &ldquo;A Fair to Remember&rdquo;\" data-quantity=\"1\" data-product_id=\"630\" data-product_sku=\"\" data-price=\"9.99\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"wp-block-button__link  add_to_cart_button\">Select options<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Chapter 2<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where does a twenty-something go when she\u2019s lost faith not only in God, but in mankind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m\nsorry, miss. No one gets back inside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In\none swift move, two soldiers dropped their rifles and extended them toward each\nother like an iron bar that would keep her from passing through. Did she really\nappear as a threat?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\nwas in there waiting to be questioned, but I needed to\u2026\u201d She tipped her head\nback toward the sign on the wall so they\u2019d understand where she\u2019d been without\nhaving to actually say it. Heat climbed up her neck as they glanced at the\nsign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nolder of the two men looked back to her through narrowed eyes, the lines of his\nface hard. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where you went. You weren\u2019t supposed to leave the\nauditorium. No one gets back in.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut\nOfficer Brinton said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll\nhave to wait here in the lobby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\nwere a few benches, but they were already filled with men in suits and women in\nfancy afternoon dresses fanning themselves against the stuffiness of the air.\nIn fact, men and women were seated on every available surface\u2014including the\nwindow sills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut\nhe won\u2019t know I\u2019m out here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nguard gave her a look of disdain then turned to the younger man. \u201cKeep her out\nhere. I\u2019ll see if I can find Brinton.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once\nthe gruff man disappeared inside the auditorium the young soldier turned to\nClara. \u201cHe probably won\u2019t be long, miss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank\nyou.\u201d Clara offered the man a smile. He didn\u2019t seem old enough to be a soldier\nin the army. She peered at his uniform. At least, she <em>thought<\/em> it was an army uniform. But it really could belong to some\nother service she didn\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nofficer nodded then glanced around. \u201cI\u2019m sorry there\u2019s nowhere for you to sit while\nyou wait.\u201d He looked pointedly at two gentlemen seated on a nearby bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Uncomfortable\nwith the thought that he was about to shame the men into giving up their seat,\nClara stepped toward the exit\u2014which was also being protected by men in uniform.\nSoldiers, policemen, private guards. It was difficult to keep them all\nstraight. She moved toward a tall, narrow window that had no ledge and leaned\nagainst it. \u201cI\u2019m happy to wait here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVery\nwell. I\u2019m sure your officer will be here as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Her officer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara\nflushed at the implication. \u201cNo he\u2019s just\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Intent\non controlling passage between the auditorium and lobby, the man was no longer\nlistening. His gaze continuously shifted from the auditorium to the lobby and\nback to Clara. She turned back to the window, hoping no one around her was\npaying attention to the exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though\nit was growing late into the evening, tens of thousands of bulbs illuminated\nthe buildings and walkways outside. It was bright enough to fool people into\nthinking it was daylight, were it not for the colors of the bulbs themselves.\nThe ones shining down from the Temple of Music bathed the grounds below in a\nbright shade of yellow that couldn\u2019t begin to match the golden rays of the sun.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lights\nof varying colors shined from all directions, the brightest coming from farther\ndown the esplanade. Clara craned her head so she could see part of the Electric\nTower. It rose beyond the scope of this tall window. But the light coming off\nit was brilliant, piercing, and one that was said could be seen all the way\nfrom Canada. She knew it was probably true, because she could see it from her\nbedroom window all the way across town. The newspaper said its nearly\nfifty-thousand lights paled in comparison to the tower\u2019s crowning masterpiece\u2014an\nenormous searchlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nlights and color of the fair were specifically designed by the Pan-American\nExposition\u2019s Board of Architects. Where the World\u2019s Columbian Exposition of\n1893 was known as the White City because of its stucco buildings and electric\nlights, the Buffalo group wanted the buildings and grounds of the 1901 Expo bathed\nin exquisite color and to be known as the Rainbow City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\nwas beautiful, that much was certain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As\nClara stared out the window, trying to identify which buildings were lit up\nwith which color, a boy of ten or so tried to spill through the door from\noutside. He was stopped of course, by armed men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSorry,\nson, you can\u2019t come in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut\nthe lady\u2014\u201d He shouted and squirmed against their resistance. \u201cThere\u2019s a man\noutside who wants to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara\nturned to stare. Surely he didn\u2019t mean her?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before\nshe could ask, one of the men bent toward the boy. \u201cYou can give me the message\nand I\u2019ll tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sighing,\nthe boy nodded. \u201cTell her Officer Brinton is out there waiting to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Certain\nnow that he did mean her, Clara stepped away from the window and closer to the\ndoorway where the boy stood. \u201cHe\u2019s outside? Where?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOver\nthere.\u201d The boy pointed and Clara stepped past the guards to get a better look.\nAir that was cooler than the stagnant discomfort of the music building brushed\nagainst her neck. Now that she was outside, she wouldn\u2019t be able to go back in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However,\nonce she spoke to Officer Brinton and he asked her his questions, there would\nbe no need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhere\nis he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOver\nthere.\u201d The boy pointed toward one of the bandstands near the entrance of the esplanade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nman stood off to the side of the bandstand. It wasn\u2019t Officer Brinton. He\nwasn\u2019t wearing a police uniform, or a uniform of any type. He wore a dark\ncolored suit and a bowler hat. \u201cThat\u2019s not him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d\nThe boy shook his head. \u201cHe\u2019s the man who said you were looking for Officer\nBrinton. He said he knows where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank\nyou. But I think I\u2019ll wait here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe\nsaid you\u2019d say that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDid\nhe?\u201d That was a curious thing to say. And one that gave her caution. \u201cEven so,\nI\u2019m still waiting here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nboy shrugged. \u201cI gotta go find my parents.\u201d He turned and ran in the direction\nof the Electric Tower, which Clara knew was also the direction of the Midway\nwhere there were plenty of attractions for a young boy and his <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/?s=family\" title=\"family\">family<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People\nmilled in every direction, and Clara watched as the boy disappeared into their\nmidst. It was all very odd, and she couldn\u2019t help but wonder how the man knew\nshe was looking for Officer Brinton. And why did he even care? No one patrolled\nthe perimeter, so it made no sense for an officer to be outside when police were\nquestioning people inside. Unless someone left before they were questioned. Considering\nhow easily she\u2019d slipped from the chaos of the auditorium, it could have\nhappened. She leaned against the coolness of the building\u2019s outer wall,\ndebating whether to try and convince the guards to let her back inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unease\ngnawed at her when her gaze wandered back toward the man at the bandstand. If\nOfficer Brinton wanted to talk to her, why would a different man send a boy to\nfetch her? This couldn\u2019t be right. She inched toward the door. If she told them\nshe was concerned about a man outside, surely they would they let her back in.\nIt couldn\u2019t hurt to try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even\nthough they agreed that the situation was strange, they wouldn\u2019t let her back\ninside. But she did finally convince them to let Officer Brinton know she was\noutside. If he didn\u2019t come soon, she\u2019d just leave. No one would know she hadn\u2019t\nanswered any questions. They wouldn\u2019t even know her name unless they checked\nthe list of photographers who had met the president prior to the reception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Officer\nBrinton could track her down that way if he had any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before\nshe started walking, she assured herself that her camera was secure inside the\nleather bag she held close to her side. As she looked up from securing the\nstrap, a movement caught her eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nman in the bowler hat was waving at her. She furrowed her brow. Though she\ncouldn\u2019t quite see his face, his size and stance didn\u2019t match anyone she knew.\nPrickles rose across the back of her neck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\nneeded to leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only\none other time in his life had James Brinton felt this gut-twisting mixture of\nsorrow, horror, and guilt. If he didn\u2019t have an investigation to conduct, a\ncrowd to control, the hollow numbness likely would have driven him to his\nknees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBrinton,\nthere\u2019s a woman looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James\nlooked up as one of the president\u2019s secret service agents approached. A woman?\nFor some reason, he thought of the pretty photographer. He squeezed his eyes\nclosed and huffed out a breath, wishing the action would dispel his guilt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If\nonly it were that easy. He lifted his cap and pushed a hand through his hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank\nyou, Agent Ireland. Did she say what she wanted?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.\nShe was trying to get back in from the lobby, and when we wouldn\u2019t let her\nthrough she asked for you. Said she stepped out there for something before she\ncould be interviewed.\u201d Ireland shrugged as if he couldn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThanks.\nI\u2019ll go find her.\u201d James peered toward the lobby that teemed with people\u2014men\nand women alike. \u201cWhat did she look like?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh\u2014you\nknow her. That woman with the camera. The one who took the picture of the\npresident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since\nhe could so easily picture reddish-brown hair spilling out from under a\ntasteful but obviously expensive white hat, he didn\u2019t bother correcting\nIreland\u2019s statement that he knew her. He didn\u2019t, of course, but he couldn\u2019t\nseem to get her off his mind. And he did know her name. Clara Lambert. Her name\nwas the only female on the official list of those allowed to photograph the\npresident this evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If\nhe hadn\u2019t been watching her, he might have noticed that the man approaching the\npresident wasn\u2019t really injured. If only. . . . <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\nshook his head. Now wasn\u2019t the time for <em>if\nonly<\/em> and <em>what if.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\nwas an investigation to conduct. Way too many people to interview, which was\nthe reason he hadn\u2019t seen Miss Lambert again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not\nthat he\u2019d been looking for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThanks\nagain, Ireland.\u201d James clapped the president\u2019s agent on the shoulder before he\nleft. Of all of the men on the force, Ireland was the only one who regarded him\nwith normalcy\u2014as if nothing had ever happened to cost him the respect of his\nfellow officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before\nhe even approached the lobby, James was looking ahead, trying to spot a glimpse\nof her tasteful but obviously expensive white hat. He spotted several hats\nadorned with feathers, dead birds, and fur. But none were pure white with\npearls and lace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\napproached the young army soldier who was standing watch at the entryway\nbetween the auditorium and the lobby. Some of his fellow officers resented the\npresence of army soldiers and guardsmen, but with nearly a hundred thousand\npeople attending the fair each day, it was a necessity. They\u2019d had to hire\nextra police officers as well. If not for the Pan, he probably wouldn\u2019t even\nhave his job back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s\na woman waiting to talk to me. She has brown hair.\u201d He closed his eyes and\ntried to recall something more than her comely face. \u201cShe\u2019s wearing a white\ndress with pale blue pinstripes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\nknow the one you mean, sir. She was waiting right here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\ndon\u2019t see her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes,\nI know. She was waiting here until a boy told her you were outside waiting to\nspeak to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAre\nyou sure?\u201d It had to be a mistake. It didn\u2019t even make sense. Why would someone\ntell her that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m\nsure, sir. I heard it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James\nrubbed at the whisper of discomfort that brushed along the back of his neck.\n\u201cDid you see which way she went?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nkid shook his head. \u201cShe was out by the big window for a little while, but then\nthe next time I looked, she was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wherever\nshe went, he would find her. These entire circumstances left him unsettled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\nwasn\u2019t very much about this night that made sense, but he couldn\u2019t help but\nbelieve the president being shot and someone pretending to be James were\nsomehow connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether\nthey were or not, what could the man possibly want with Miss Lambert?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which\nway should she go? Trying to remain as unnoticeable as possible, Clara quickly\ntook in her surroundings. She could step out onto the walkway and head toward\nthe Electric Tower as the boy had. Or she could go straight ahead toward a\nlarge area of fountains. Either way, she\u2019d eventually get to the train terminal\nat the opposite end of the fairground. And either way, the man at the bandstand\nwould see the direction she went. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At\nthe edge of the Temple of Music, flush with the building, was a colonnade that\nled to the Machinery and Transportation Building\u2014an enormous building, at least\nthree times the size of any other building at the Pan. If she could inch her\nway to the columns, she could slip through to the gardens behind the building\nand make her way to the Midway. Once she was there, even if the man happened to\nfollow her for some reason, she could disappear in the throng of people and\ncome out at the entrance of the train terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nstrong urge to hurry set her feet into motion even as logic told her she was\nbeing silly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But\nwas she really? This evening had been far from ordinary. The proof of that was the\npresident who now lay in a hospital somewhere, quite possibly\u2014most likely\u2014fighting\nfor his life. Simply walking away wouldn\u2019t be good enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With\nher camera bag tucked close to her side with one arm and her hat held firmly\natop her head with the other, Clara increased her steps and began to run.\nImmediately, she stopped short. The flowing skirt of her afternoon dress\nwrapped about her legs in a weighty tangle. But if she lifted it while she ran,\nshe\u2019d lose her hat. She took the hat off and tucked it under her arm, resting\nit gently atop her bag. If she was careful, she wouldn\u2019t crush it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMiss!\nWait!\u201d The man in the bowler was shouting at her, waving, running toward her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\nraced toward the shadows of the colonnade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\nsaid stop! In the name of the president, I order you to stop!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clara\nkept running. The man didn\u2019t work for the president. Of that much she was\ncertain. If he did, he wasn\u2019t dressed like any of the other men she\u2019d seen\ntoday. She\u2019d had ample time this evening to study the different officers,\nsoldiers, and guards. If he belonged to one of these services, wouldn\u2019t he be wearing\na uniform? Believing as her mother did that one\u2019s instincts came from God and\nthey came for a reason, she lifted the hem of her skirt even higher above her\nankles and obeyed the urge to keep moving. As she grew closer to the colonnade,\nshe drew on everything deep within her to go even faster. She needed to get to\nthe Midway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though\nshe was new to her job as a Kodak Girl, demonstrating how easy it was to take\nphotographs\u2014or snapshots, as Mr. Eastman liked to refer to them\u2014Clara had spent\nthe last few days familiarizing herself with the fairgrounds. Certainly she\ncould disappear among the myriad of buildings and gardens. And if not, then in\nthe midst of all the people who still wandered about in spite of the fact that\nthe president had just been shot. How could they carry on as if nothing had\nhappened? Was it possible they didn\u2019t know? Surely if they did, they would head\nhome out of respect for their president. It struck her as obscene\u2014not only that\nthey were still here, but that she hoped to use their presence to her\nadvantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMiss,\nI said to wait!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bathed\nin the reflection of light from the surrounding buildings, Clara realized the\ncolonnade wasn\u2019t as shadowy as she\u2019d first thought. She wasn\u2019t sure how she\ncould possibly hide, but still she ducked between the columns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hedges\nlined the gardens and were used artistically to create a courtyard effect.\nClara dropped to her knees behind those closest to the back of the Machinery\nBuilding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Footsteps\ndrew closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Would\nthis be the first place he\u2019d look?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scooting\ndeeper into the shrubbery, she prayed the leaves wouldn\u2019t rustle enough to\ncatch the man\u2019s notice. Lights weren\u2019t used in the gardens, so they could\nappear in their natural beauty. Clara considered this a blessing. Hopefully she\nwas far enough back that after a cursory glance, he\u2019d just move on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scarcely\nallowing herself to breathe, she listened for the sound of footsteps moving\ncloser. Instead, sounds from all directions of the fairgrounds assaulted her\nears. Shrieks of delight, music, barkers calling out to passersby. In stark\ncontrast, the fresh scent of grass mingled with the fragrance of flowers and\nthe dirt beneath her knees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Closing\nher eyes, she breathed slowly in through her nose and tried to block out the\nperiphery so she could focus only on what was nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At\nthe slight movement of nearby leaves brushing together, Clara held her breath\nand wished she could shrink farther back. She willed the man to give up and\nturn away. Between the branches, she could see him standing near the row of\nhedges. In the shadows, the tall, gaunt man appeared to have olive skin. It was\ndifficult to be sure with the bowler hat casting his face in deeper shadows,\nbut his eyes looked dark and close-set. His lips, pressed together as they\nwere, formed an angry slash that marred a too-thin face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After\na moment where Clara feared her heart would beat out of her chest, the man\nturned and crossed back through the colonnade where he stood glancing in every direction.\nThe lights from the Temple of Music emphasized a rage that seemed to radiate\nfrom his tense stare and clenched fists. Her decision to hide had been the\nright one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When\nthe man finally turned and headed toward the Electric Tower, Clara remained\nwhere she was until he disappeared from sight. Then she waited another few\nminutes that seemed an eternity to the cramping muscles in her legs. Finally\nshe stood and brushed dirt and leaves from the front of her dress before\nscooping it up so she could run through the spongy grass. She didn\u2019t stop until\nshe reached the opposite side of the gardens and a second colonnade that faced\nthe canal and nearby Japanese Village. Only after she stood flush against the\nlast column did she dare look over her shoulder to see if she\u2019d been followed.\nThankfully, the man was nowhere in sight. But to be certain, she stood statue-still\nfor a moment longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ncanal in front of her ran from the Fore Court of the esplanade, down the length\nof the fairgrounds, and to the Electric Tower. Both were widely visible, so\ntaking a gondola wasn\u2019t an option. Her best bet would be to make her way along\nthe Midway and eventually to the exit gate near the railroad platform where she\ncould hopefully catch a streetcar across town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking\ncare that the man hadn\u2019t doubled back, Clara stepped out between the columns\nand ran toward a small bridge. Her footsteps echoed the pounding rhythm of her\nheart as she followed the bridge across the canal, where it opened into a\ngarden that radiated an immediate sense of hushed peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though\nshe couldn\u2019t spare a moment to stop, she did look from left to right and took\nnote of several hanging lanterns that cast a soft glow over perfectly pruned trees\nthat struck her as dainty, lush grass, a waterfall, and flowering plants with\ndelicate white blossoms. Somewhere nearby, someone played a soft tune on a\nflute. Women in pale pink kimonos served tea to a group of elegantly dressed\nwomen who barely glanced up as she ran past them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead\nof her, the lights were bright and the Midway swelled with crowds of people\nclamoring about, talking and shouting as they took in the many rides and\nattractions. She tried to adjust her pace to the people around her and willed\nherself not to panic at the assault on her senses. Surely she would draw more\nattention if she tried to shove past people. Hopefully there was some truth to <em>getting lost in a crowd<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though\nthe sounds here were far louder than when she hid behind the hedges, her ears\ndidn\u2019t take long to adjust. The aroma of sizzling meat reminded her that she\u2019d\nmissed her evening meal with the Martins. Eulalie Martin would forgive her, she\nknew, but Clara hated disappointing the older woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping\na watchful eye out for the man in the bowler, she wondered again why he was\nchasing her. And what did it have to do with Officer Brinton? She\u2019d done\nabsolutely nothing that would cause someone to track her down. Surely he\u2019d\nmistaken her for someone else? Someone who\u2019d obviously made him angry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\ncould only hope that after tonight he wouldn\u2019t come back to the fair, since\nthis was where she\u2019d be spending most of her days. Other than the few mornings\na week spent cleaning rooms at Nowak\u2019s Hotel, Clara would be here at the Pan taking\npictures and demonstrating the camera for anyone interested. Mr. Eastman held\nto the belief that if women knew how easy it was to use his camera, they\u2019d\ndelight in taking snapshots to record memories for their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Glancing\ndown to adjust the camera bag against her side, a sick realization enveloped\nher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Her hat was gone.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\ndrew to a stop in spite of the crowd shuffling around her. Should she retrace\nher steps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No.\n<em>He<\/em> might be waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not\neven the disappointment of losing something so precious would stop her. Above\nall, she had to get away from here and make her way to the railroad terminal.\nLater, when she was safely home, she could mourn the loss of her hat and all it\nmeant to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just\nas Clara stepped forward, a strong arm snaked around her waist. Before she\ncould react or even scream, a rough sweaty hand clapped across her mouth. Alarm\njolted her, and the smell of dirty skin made her gag.<br><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block-name=\"woocommerce\/handpicked-products\" data-edit-mode=\"false\" data-products=\"[630]\" class=\"wc-block-grid wp-block-handpicked-products wp-block-woocommerce-handpicked-products wc-block-handpicked-products has-3-columns has-multiple-rows wp-block-woocommerce-handpicked-products\"><ul class=\"wc-block-grid__products\"><li class=\"wc-block-grid__product\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/product\/a-fair-to-remember\/\" class=\"wc-block-grid__product-link\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wc-block-grid__product-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-300x300.png\" class=\"attachment-woocommerce_thumbnail size-woocommerce_thumbnail\" alt=\"A Fair to Remember\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/readmedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/read\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/23135742\/A-Fair-to-remember-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wc-block-grid__product-title\">A Fair to Remember<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wc-block-grid__product-price price\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#036;<\/span>9.99<\/span> <span aria-hidden=\"true\">&ndash;<\/span> <span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\">&#036;<\/span>15.99<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Price range: &#036;9.99 through &#036;15.99<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-button wc-block-grid__product-add-to-cart\"><a href=\"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/product\/a-fair-to-remember\/\" aria-label=\"Select options for &ldquo;A Fair to Remember&rdquo;\" data-quantity=\"1\" data-product_id=\"630\" data-product_sku=\"\" data-price=\"9.99\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"wp-block-button__link  add_to_cart_button\">Select options<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Fair to Remember by&nbsp;Suzie Johnson Buffalo, New York, Pan-American Exposition Clara Lambert thought being a Kodak girl at the World\u2019s Fair would an adventure\u2013but she never expected to end up photographing the attempted assassination of President McKinley. James Brinton, a disgraced police officer now working as a security officer for the Expo, hopes to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,206,200],"tags":[167],"class_list":["post-991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historical-fiction","category-romance-and-love-stories","category-suspenseful","tag-suzie-johnson"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=991"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4463,"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions\/4463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}