“Oh, yes, ma’am.” Helen’s enthusiasm was quite genuine. “Everybody in Rochester knows Frederick Douglass.”
The little lady sat back, a smile on her face.
“I knew him when he was a boy.”
Jack Haley chuckled. He turned to Helen, and his tired eyes smiled.
“Hold on to your hat, Miss Pitts. You’re going to hear a story.”
Everybody laughed. They all knew Miss Amelia’s favorite story.
“You’ll get the room!” whispered Elsie.
She was right, of course. The next day Helen Pitts moved into Jessie Payne’s room.
They met just outside the gate. He saw that the lady was about to turn in and so, lifting his hat, he stepped back. She smiled and said, “How do you do, Mr. Douglass?”