Titanic: April 1912 Read Free Page B

money up there than in a New York bank.”
    Aunt Rose nodded. “Mr. and Mrs. Straus are onboard. They own Macy’s, you know. It’s the nicest department store I have ever been in. Mr. Guggenheim is up there, too. And of course the Astors—”
    â€œOne of the stewards told me an incredible story,” Emily interrupted her. She shifted her baby again. Davey had let go of his mother’s skirts and was sitting beside them now, playing with his shoe buttons. “He said there’s a fifteen-year-old girl up there who gets seven thousand five hundred dollars’ allowance every year—just for school and her clothes. She’s an heiress of some kind.”
    Karolina looked at the high deck, at the smiling men and women who stood upon it, then back out at the gray water. She didn’t care about the fancy people. And she didn’t care if she ever saw Ireland or England again, either. Maybe back in America she would be able to stop reimagining the automobile accident, stop crying every night. Aunt Rose said it would just take time for her to get over missing her parents so much.
    â€œI’d give anything to see the inside of one of the first-class staterooms,” Emily said, leaning close to Aunt Rose.
    â€œProbably have a better chance of being struck by lightning in a forest,” Aunt Rose answered.
    â€œProbably,” Emily agreed. “But I’d sure love the chance. I’d figure out a way if I didn’t have these two.” She reached down to touch Davey’s dark curly hair.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Karolina asked.
    â€œThere are no iron bars on the stairways, are there? I’d wait for a quiet time, then I’d just go have a look.”
    â€œAnd get thrown out?” Aunt Rose demanded, laughing.
    Karolina walked away from them, glancing upward every few seconds. On the second-class promenade, she noticed a boy standing alone, his back to the railing. When he turned, she recognized him. His face was pale and strained like it had been up on the boat deck.
    Laughter from above drew Karolina’s attention. She saw a girl with windblown auburn hair, her stylish skirts fluttering in the breeze. Was she the heiress? Karolina stared. The girl was only a few years older than she was. Karolina tried to imagine having more than seven thousand dollars every year to spend as she chose. After a few seconds, she shook her head. She couldn’t imagine having that much money. Her father had always said that great wealth was usually a great evil. He had spent his life helping the poor, ministering to the sick. Now he was gone. Karolina looked at the elegant people. Why were all of them alive when her parents were not?

Chapter Three
    Gavin tried to work faster. He had over a hundred pounds of carrots to run through the chopping machines before he could quit for the night. He was looking forward to watching his friends play poker. He looked forward to anything that took his mind off the endless ocean surrounding the Titanic.
    He had been up on deck that morning again, but it wasn’t getting any better. The thought of the Atlantic stretching in every direction made him nearly sick with fear. And now there was the constant lookout for icebergs. Lionel said that even if they struck one, the Titanic had been designed so well it couldn’t possibly sink. But all the talk of icebergs made Gavin nervous anyway. He spent his nighttime hours up on deck; he could barely stand his airless little cabin up in the bow—especially once his three roommates were settled in for the night. Wallace snored. Harry talked in his sleep—sometimes he recited recipes he was memorizing. Lionel was maddeningly tolerant of everyone else’s foibles.
    â€œAre you daydreaming, Reilly?” Startled, Gavin looked up. Harry was grinning at him. “I sure wish you would play poker tonight, Gavin. As asleep as you are, I’d win all your money.”
    Gavin