Hannah's Journey Read Free Page B

Hannah. We’re going with Papa in the carriage.” The child tiptoed into the room and whirled around on her toes.
    “We’re going to have ice cream, strawberry ice cream,” she chanted.
    Hannah laughed and reached out to stop Caroline before she bumped into the four poster bed.
    “Hurry up, slowpoke. Get dressed so we can go.”
    “I can’t believe I’ve been asleep since yesterday afternoon.” Hannah caught the enthusiasm that swirled around Caroline. She dressed quickly and followed the child downstairs.
    “Good morning, sleepy head,” said Margaret Logan. “Did Caroline tell you about our plans for the day?”
    “I heard something about ice cream,” Hannah said, smiling.
    Mrs. Logan rolled her eyes. “You can see what’s important to Caroline. Yes, that’s true. We’ll have ice cream, but how about a shopping trip for some new clothes first?”
    “That sounds wonderful,” Hannah agreed.
    As soon as they finished breakfast, the family got into the carriage and Mr. Logan drove into Lafitte. On the way, he described the various sights and gave Hannah a little history of the town. Hannah’s eyes widened when she learned how the town got its name.
    “Jean Lafitte, a notorious pirate known primarily in New Orleans, is said to have also come to Texas and stirred up a lot of trouble. Perhaps we can take a trip to Galveston and find some of the gold they say he buried there.” David Logan’s eyes twinkled as he told the story. “Would you girls like that?”
    Both Hannah and Caroline said, “Oh, yes,” at the same time, and laughed at themselves.
    “Well, that’s settled then. We’ll try to plan a trip for early summer. Now, as soon as we reach town, I have some business to take care of. Will you ladies do all right alone?”
    “We’ll be just fine, David,” Margaret Logan said. She smiled at her husband. “Let’s meet at the Crystal Tea Room for lunch, shall we?”
    “Only if I don’t have to eat those tiny finger sandwiches.”
    Tying up the horses when they reached town, Mr. Logan set off to the building where he practiced law. Mrs. Logan led the girls to the next block and entered a small but lovely shop filled with clothes to delight any child’s heart.
    Two hours later, Hannah stood surrounded by boxes filled with school dresses, cool summer outfits and two pairs of shoes with shiny buckles. The Logans attended the large white church that Mr. Logan pointed out to Hannah, so two beautiful frocks for wearing to services had gone into the growing pile. One of the dresses was pink with white lace, the other a soft, green organdy with small flowers around the hem of the skirt. The large brimmed straw hat with an emerald green band went perfectly with either of the dresses.
    Caroline wasn’t left out. She wanted a hat just like Hannah’s and a new pair of shoes. Her mother laughed and said, “Your father will probably have to build a new closet after today, Caroline.”
    With the shopping over, Margaret Logan suggested they walk to the Tea Room to meet Mr. Logan. They left the numerous packages at the shop to be picked up later. Halfway there, they spotted him coming from the other direction. David hurried to meet them.
    “I didn’t expect to see all of you empty handed. Was nothing found that suited you, Hannah?”
    Margaret Logan smiled at the girls. “Oh, we found a few things we’ll collect later.”
    The Crystal Tea Room looked unlike anything Hannah had ever seen. As they stepped through the doorway, Hannah felt a magical change. The room was quiet except for the soft, tinkling notes of a piano out of their sight. The tables sparkled with white linen cloths and napkins. Gold-rimmed crystal matched the china and each table held a small bouquet of spring flowers.
    Hannah breathed in the whole setting. What would Teddy think of all this? She smiled, thinking how surprised he’d look to see a Tea Room rather that a corral full of horses in Texas. She must remember to ask Mr. Logan