Abigail's Secret

By Montrew Dunham

ABIGAIL’S SECRET is an historical novel for young readers set in the Great Depression. The story turns on the experiences of ten-year-old Abigail. Her whole world seemed to change when all their relatives moved into their house. Well, not quite all of their relatives, but almost. These were the people who used to come for dinner and then went home. Only now, nobody went home!

Uncle Mike was the first one to come to stay when he lost his job. And that was kind of fun because Uncle Mike helped out and he was always glad to join in a card game. Their house had always seemed to have plenty of room with their family, her father and mother, her 18 year old sister, Caroline, her brother Robbie who was 14 and of course with Gram, who was her father’s mother. But it all changed when Uncle George lost his job, and they didn’t have any money and he, Aunt Hester and Gloria moved in! Gloria was Abigail’s age and she was a pain! And worst of all Abigail had to share her room with Gloria!

The story opens with the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the closing of all the banks. With the bank holiday, the family is confronted with the problem of having virtually no cash money. The tale of how they stretch their resources shows a lot of imagination and creativity, though not everyone is always satisfied with the decisions. For example, when they had the telephone taken out, Caroline couldn’t understand how they could get along without a phone! Robbie had a paper route but when he went to make his collections, his customers had no money! Then there were those problems of all the people trying to get along together. The story twists and turns when Abigail promises to keep a secret and was pressured again and again to tell. And the events are further complicated by a confusing mystery involving the secret.

Chapter book for ages 10-13.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Montrew Dunham
• Release date: Nov 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781604144987

Montrew Dunham

Montrew Dunham is the author of a number of historical biographies for young readers in the popular Childhood of Famous Americans series. When she isn’t writing, she loves spending time with her family, children, and grandchildren in Illinois and Texas.

Book preview

Abigail’s Secret

Montrew Dunham

ILLUSTRATED BY CATHY MORRISON

Smashwords ebook edition published by Fideli Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2011, Montrew Dunham

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ISBN: 978-1-60414-498-7

CHAPTER ONE

All of the family remained seated around the dining room table even though dinner was over. Father, at the head of the table, looked very serious. There was no hint of a twinkle in his brown eyes, and his mouth was stern.

Eleven-year-old Abigail looked around at each one of the family. At the other end of the table, Mother sat straight and tall. Her deep blue eyes were clear and bright, but her mouth was drawn firm without a trace of her usual smile. Aunt Hester, Uncle George and Cousin Gloria sat in a tight row together on one side of the table. Gram sat to Father’s right on the other side of the table, and then Abigail, her sister Caroline and her brother Robert.

It was an unusual Friday evening. Usually dinner on Friday evenings was lively, with story telling and laughter. Gram often told stories of the olden days and Father would laugh when she told about him when he was a little boy. Mother would ask Caroline about school, and Robert would talk about the basketball games and who was winning. Uncle George would tell about the people he had talked with when he was looking for a job, and Aunt Hester would tell how she was going to decorate their house when they moved. Sometimes it seemed everyone would talk at once. But they all listened and they all laughed together at each other and at themselves. Tonight there was no laughter.

Almost all week had been unusual. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as President of the United States just last Saturday on March 4, 1933, which had seemed so very special. And then the next day he proclaimed that all the banks in the country were to be closed. A bank holiday!

Abigail frowned as she thought about it. ... A holiday had a good sound ... but for them there was nothing good about this holiday. It meant that they had no money!

Everyone sat in silence for such a long time that it seemed like an eternity, but no one moved to leave the table.

Finally, it was Mother who broke the silence. We have spent the week worrying about money. We know that somehow we will work things out. I don’t know quite how ... but together, we will manage.

We don’t have money to buy groceries, to pay the milkman, or the gas bill. The electric bill is overdue and we are apt to lose the house if we can’t pay at least the interest on the mortgage payment, Father said grimly. He shook his head. I should have put some money aside. I should have made some arrangements!"

What money ... what arrangements! Mother exclaimed. We have needed every cent we had!

I should have taken some money out of the bank and kept it at home, Father said.

Samuel! How could you have known that President Roosevelt would close the banks! Gram interrupted. I knew I made a mistake when I voted for that man!

Uncle George shook his head, Samuel, you have supported us all. I feel terrible that I haven’t been able to help.

Aunt Hester turned to Uncle George and said in a tight voice, You couldn’t help losing your job in this awful depression. Where will it all end?

We need to look at what we have, Mother said in a no-nonsense tone. We have a comfortable house with enough coal in the coal cellar to keep us warm all winter.

"If the winter doesn’t last too long! Father interrupted.

Mother lifted her chin a little higher, And we have plenty of food canned from the garden.

Such as it is, Caroline said under her breath.

Mother’s blue eyes were bright and cold as she looked directly at Caroline. Caroline, Please clear the table. And then she turned to Abigail, and you help your sister.

Abigail looked at Gloria who smiled her sickening sweet smile at Abigail and didn’t move. Gloria’s mother never told her to do anything ... and she never did. Do anything!

Abigail’s heart was pounding. She didn’t know when to share her secret. She put her napkin on the table and quickly slipped the package from under it and put it on her chair behind her as she got up. Gram glanced at her quickly and Abby knew that Gram had seen. Abigail didn’t know what to do next, so she just got up and started to take the dishes from the table.

Caroline took a tray from the sideboard and began to stack the dirty dishes on it to carry to the kitchen. Abigail took what she could carry and placed them on the kitchen sink. Caroline came right behind her with her fully loaded tray. How dumb! Why didn’t you get a tray and bring a full load, instead of making a dozen trips? Caroline was eighteen, going to college at Madame Blaker’s Teachers College, and she thought she was so smart ... like she knew everything!

Abigail felt a little s mug. Just wait until Caroline found out that she didn’t know everything!

As she went back to get more dishes though, she did get a tray and Caroline said, That’s more like it.

Abigail couldn’t help it. She stuck her tongue out at her sister behind her back. Her mother saw her and frowned.

Caroline was the oldest ... and the smartest ... and the prettiest. She had that curly black hair, which always looked just right ... and her eyes were so blue. And when she smiled, which wasn’t often, she had dimples. It just wasn’t fair! Abigail had straight brown hair, and though she smiled a lot, no dimples. Robert and Abigail looked more alike, though he was fourteen and so big, almost as tall as his father.

Even though the table was cleared, no one had yet started to leave. Abigail slipped back into her chair, and carefully put her package on her lap.

Gram cleared her throat as she took an envelope from her lap and laid it on the table. Samuel, this isn’t much but I would like you to take this money from my sugar bowl to help out.

Father said in a sad voice, Oh, Mother, I can’t take that ...

Nonsense! We are a family and we all work together to meet our problems, Gram said quickly.

Everyone knew that Gram saved what little money she could and put it in her sugar bowl for minor emergencies.

And this was no minor emergency! Abigail’s father had not lost his job, but almost everyone else had. Uncle George had lost his job, and could not find another, and when they ran out of money Uncle George, Aunt Hester and Gloria had come to live with them.

Abigail’s friend Mary Margaret’s father had lost his job too and Mary Margaret’s sister Cecilia and her husband had moved back home to help pay the bills.

Samuel Graham was an insurance agent, and though he still had his job, he earned very little because people could not afford to pay for insurance.

Abigail took a deep breath. It was now time. She took the package from her lap and placed it on the table before her. Conversation stopped and everyone looked at her. Carefully she unwrapped the package