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“In a field out by the cemetery.”
“Is it usually well attended?”
“Oh, yes, the entire town comes out. It’s quite an event. Of course our side always wins but it’s still a lot of fun.”
Sylvie was right about the number of people. The field where they parked was filled with buggies and carriages and wagons. There were people of all races and ages, walking and carrying quilts and baskets. Well-dressed White women wearing straw hats were escorted by men in suits and bowlers. Little children ran here and there, as did a few dogs. She spied Colored couples making their way, and like their White counterparts, the men were in suits and the women wore straw boaters, too. Eddy, who had no hat, hoped her plain blouse and skirt didn’t make her appear too shabby, but she had no money for special clothes. She was still bent on California. Every extra penny went into her savings.
Sylvie carried the basket while Eddy grabbed the quilts, and they set out for the field. It was a short walk and once they arrived they went to their side. The White Republicans and their supporters were on the other. Sylvie seemed to know everyone and their progress was halted more than once by greetings and Sylvie introducing Eddy to people she wanted her to meet. The Black Republicans were on the field warming up. Jim Dade was at home plate hitting the ball into the outfield while his fellows scurried to catch it or chase it down. She was glad to see him. She spotted Zeke speaking with Sylvie’s beanpole boarder, his cousin August, and Doc Randolph along the sideline. Seeing her, Zeke waved. Smiling and pleased by the recognition, she waved back. Eddy couldn’t remember the last time she’d attended such an event. The air was full of excitement and she looked forward to the fun. Over on the other side, she spotted Rhine talking with a group of people. Beside him stood an extremely beautiful dark-haired, young woman. As if sensing Eddy, he turned and met her eyes across the divide. He sent her an almost imperceptible nod before going back to his friends.
“That’s Rhine’s fiancée he’s standing with,” Sylvie pointed out.
“She’s very pretty.”
“Only on the outside.”
Surprised by that, Eddy turned her way and Sylvie added, “Natalie Greer is as spoiled as a pan of milk set out in the sun. I still can’t believe she’s his choice for a wife.”
Eddy glanced over again, taking in the woman’s fashionable attire. At least she now knew what the fiancée looked like. She found it hard to fathom Rhine being with someone like that, but then maybe he saw something in his fiancée others did not. As Zeke, Jim, and the Black Republicans took the field, she put all thoughts of Rhine and his fiancée aside and joined the applause.
The White Republicans were trounced. Their team, made up of businessmen and bankers, were less fit than the carpenters, bricklayers, and day laborers fielded by their opponents. As the winners celebrated the ten-to-nothing victory and shook hands with the losers, a grinning Doc Randolph raised a bronze bust of President Lincoln high overhead while his side of the field cheered loud enough to be heard back in Denver. “Why’s he holding up that bust?” Eddy asked.
“That’s the trophy,” the applauding Sylvie explained. “The winning team gets to display it until next year’s game. Doc says he’s going to have Zeke build a permanent display for it in his home because the bust will never reside anywhere else.”
As the gathering ending and people began heading home, something made Eddy glance up, and there stood Rhine among a group of people. It was her turn to offer the slight nod. He returned the greeting and Eddy hurried off to catch up with Sylvie.
