Chapter 9, State Capitol
As Garrett had predicted, the Brown vs. Board of Education Historical Site was about ten minutes away.
Cathee walked slowly along the sidewalk heading to the school, imagining what it was like for the black students. She didn’t think she would be that brave. Even though the Topeka high schools were integrated at that time, it must have been scary for the elementary students attending a white school.
She wondered how it had felt for the white students being forced into allowing blacks at the schools. How had they felt?
It must have been strange for all the kids being thrown into the middle of the racial divide their parents and grandparents had created. Now students of all colors mix in daily life. Restaurants, schools, work. The hope is that we are a nation united and color blind. But the continued illegal immigrant problem reveals the cracks in that thought. Cathee shook her head slightly, as if to clear her thoughts. Juan colors the whole issue in my mind. I don’t think I can think about it logically.
A dark-haired Ranger met them at the door. Her name badge read “Wren.” She greeted Christina warmly. “Would you like to earn your Junior Ranger Badge?”
Christina nodded.
“Here is a coloring booklet and pencil. If you answer all the questions by the end of your self-guided tour, you can get a badge from me.”
“What does ‘self-guided’ mean?”
Wren smiled. “It means you get to go to all the exhibits by yourself. Your mom and dad can help you find the answers.”
Christina’s brows furrowed. “I don’t have a dad.”
Flustered and obviously embarrassed, Wren tried to fix her mistake, “Oh, um, I’m sorry. The adults with you can help.”
Pink with embarrassment, Cathee reached for Christina’s hand. “Come on, Sweetie. I’ll help you.” They walked with Garrett, who had once again reached for Cathee’s hand – seemingly unruffled by Wren’s faux pas, toward the first exhibit. Cathee dropped Garrett’s hand and reached for Christina’s booklet. She flipped through it to see what kinds of questions needed answered. It didn’t look too difficult, but the first requirement was to watch a video which the ranger would have to start. She closed the booklet and walked back to the ranger’s office. “Would you mind turning on the video for us?”
Wren smiled warmly, apparently trying hard to forget she’d just made a false assumption about them. “I’d be happy to. It only takes a few minutes to watch.”
“Thanks.” Cathee smiled back, as eager to forget as Wren was.
They spent the next hour going through all the exhibits. The booklet helped keep Christina focused. At the end of their tour, Christina approached Wren. “I finished my book.”
Wren smiled. “That’s awesome.” She opened the booklet to the last page, signed the certificate, then reached into her desk for a silver plastic badge. “Here is your badge. I hope you have a wonderful time here in Topeka.”
“Thanks.” Christina looked down to admire the badge, then ran over to Garrett and Cathee. “Look. I’m a ranger now.”
Garrett seemed enthusiastic. “Cool. I can tell you’ll be an awesome one.”
Christina stared up at him with a puzzled expression. “What does a Ranger do?”
“What do you think a Ranger does?”
She pondered a moment. “Hand out coloring booklets and pencils?”
Garrett laughed. “Sounds about right. Do you think you can do that?”
Christina frowned slightly. “Can I stay with you instead?”
Garrett ruffled her curls. “You can certainly stay with your mom.”
Cathee was glad he wasn’t forcing any kind of commitments out of her. She wasn’t going to give any.
As they headed out of the air conditioned building, the heat hit them like a wall. They hurried to the car where Garrett quickly turned on the air conditioning before they climbed in. Cathee looked over at Garrett as he buckled his seat belt. “Do you ever wonder what they did before air conditioning?”
He shook his head. “But now you mention it, I can only imagine everything would have to shut down in midday. An afternoon nap is about all I could do in this heat.”
“Maybe we’ve just grown soft, but I can’t imagine doing any work in heat like this.” Cathee shuddered.
“When I’m home with Mommy, she won’t let me play outside in the middle of the day.”
Cathee turned to look at her daughter. “I would hope not. You’d get heat stroke.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s when you get way too hot, and your body can’t get cool.” Cathee informed her.
“Your Mommy is wise to keep you inside. You can play outside in the morning or evening when it isn’t so hot.”
“Mommy lets me watch TV when I can’t play outside.”
Garrett laughed. “Sounds like you aren’t hurting too much, then.”
Christina pushed her bottom lip out in a pout. “I don’t like watching TV. I’d rather play outside.”
“I’m sure you would.” He sounded placating, then turned to Cathee. “It’s only 1:30. Did you want to see something else, or do you want to go back to the hotel?”
She bit her lip a moment, trying to decide. Finally, she said, “Let’s go see the capitol building. It’s not far from the hotel, and the tour shouldn’t take long. The last tour is at 2:00.”
“We should make it in plenty of time, as long as we can find a parking spot.”
Cathee held up crossed fingers and smiled. “We can only hope.”
Garrett’s answering smile warmed his eyes. His eyes met hers, then he turned his attention to the road. They were following the one-way road near the capitol building about ten minutes later.
“Ah. Your fingers did the trick. Someone is just leaving.” Garrett stopped behind a car pulling away from a parking meter. “Looks like they left some time on the clock.”
They climbed out of the car into the heat and quickly stepped to the curb. Garrett fed the meter with a couple of quarters, and they headed up to the cream-colored building. “Limestone?” Garrett directed his question to Cathee.
She nodded. “It’s out of local quarries.”
“What’s a quarry?” Christina was curious again.
“That’s a place where they get rock from.”
Christina looked puzzled, but then her attention was drawn to the tall trees decorating the manicured lawn in front of the building. “How come those trees are so tall?”
“They’ve been here a long time, Honey. The building is older than the Governor’s mansion we saw this morning.”
“Does it stink inside?”
Garrett laughed, and Cathee fought to hide her amusement. “I don’t know. Let’s go inside and see.”
A discreet sign directed visitors to a door to the side of the building. Christina’s eyes grew big as they stepped into a dark, stone-lined walkway. She whispered. “This looks like a cave. Do bears live here?”
Once again, Cathee fought her urge to laugh and answered her daughter seriously. “I don’t think bears live in Kansas, Honey, except at the zoo. I’m sure no one would let a bear move into the capitol building.”
Christina held tightly to Cathee’s hand while Garrett opened the heavy door. Two security guards, one with dark hair and dark eyes and the other with red hair and blue eyes, watched expectantly as they approached. “Please put your purse and any contents from your pockets on the conveyor belt.” They obeyed and walked through the metal scanner. As they retrieved their belongings, the red-headed guard seemed apologetic. “Sorry for the inconvenience. There’s a special session today. The House and the Senate are working out a compromise on the Recovery Package.”
“Oh. I didn’t know they met in the summer.”
“Normally, they don’t, but a session can be called for in an emergency.”
Garrett smiled. “I’d call the recovery program an absolute emergency.”
The guard raised his eyebrows, unsure how to
respond. Garrett hadn’t expected a response. He reached for Cathee’s free hand and was heading down the marble hallway without a backward glance. As they emerged from the side hallway, Cathee gasped in delight. “There’s the cage elevator. I’d like to ride that before we leave.”
Garrett turned to her with a puzzled expression. “Can you do that?”
Cathee nodded excitedly. “It’s supposed to be kept in working order. Kind of a working monument to the past.”
Garrett glanced at his watch. “The next tour starts in five minutes. Where does it start?”
“I’m not sure.” She scanned the central area and saw a group of people gathering near one of the other hallways. “Maybe that’s it.”
Garrett dropped Cathee’s hand and pulled his digital camera out of his shirt pocket. “Picture time.” He grinned. He took a picture of Cathee and Christina with the tour group, then tucked the camera away as the guide started her presentation. Her name badge read ‘Martha.’ “Since there is a special session on right now,” she spoke quietly. They had to listen closely. “We ask that you turn off your cell phones. If you need to communicate, please whisper so we won’t distract the lawmakers.” She paused while members of the group checked their phones. Cathee pulled her phone out to make sure it was off then tucked it back into her purse.
When the shuffling had stopped, Martha continued, “In January of 1861, Kansas joined the Union. Construction on this building began five years after statehood shortly after the Civil War ended. It took 37 years to finish the building. However, it wasn’t until 2002 Ad Astra, the statue of a Kansa Warrior, was added to the top of the dome. The statue was created by Richard Bergen and takes its name from the state motto, Ad Astra per Aspera, or ‘to the stars through difficulty.’”
Garrett bent down to quietly whisper in Cathee’s ear. “That explains all the astronauts who have come from Kansas.” Cathee smiled in response.
Martha glared at his interruption, but continued her presentation. “With the addition of the statue, our capitol building is actually 16 feet higher than the Capitol of the United States.”
“Even though the east wing was completed first, the north wing was meant to be the main entrance. Most of the buildings in Topeka at the time were north of the site. The north doors are carved with the state seal.” Martha spoke quietly while leading the group to the center of the building. “As you can see, the marble floor is set with directional letters. For those of us who are directionally challenged,” she paused while quiet laughter erupted from the group, “we can refer to the first floor to orient ourselves.” She turned and directed their attention to the caged elevator. “You probably noticed the elevator when you entered. It is an actual working elevator that was installed in 1923. During the 1976 bicentennial year, the state legislature voted to maintain the elevator. You might want to take a moment after the tour to ride it.”
Christina looked up at Cathee in excitement. “Can we try it, Mommy?”
Cathee smiled down at her. “I was planning to.”
“The murals on this floor depict various moments in Kansas history. They are painted directly on the plaster and were completed in 1953. The artist is a Topeka native, David H. Overmyer. After the tour, feel free to spend some time examining his work. For those of you who might be wondering, there is a tornado shelter available. The entrance is near the museum store where the tour began.” A few of the tourists craned their necks to view the hallway where they could access the shelter.
Martha moved over to a marble staircase. “We’ll now head on to the second floor. If anyone needs an elevator to the next floor, there is a public elevator in the southwest corner not far from the shelter entrance.” A few people moved toward the elevators, and the remaining members of the group followed the guide up the marble steps.
Cathee hesitantly reached for the bronze metal lining the banister. She wasn’t sure she was supposed to touch the shiny surface, but the smooth marble stairs made her nervous.
As the tour group gathered at the top of the stairs, the guide continued her presentation. “The east and west wings contain murals painted by another Kansas native, John Steuart Curry. His mural, Tragic Prelude, of John Brown before the civil war, is considered one of his best. He had originally planned eight murals for the capitol rotunda. When protests erupted about removing marble panels to accommodate his murals, he didn’t finish the planned work. Since he didn’t consider the murals complete without the entire set, he refused to sign his work.”
Sounds of surprise rose from the group, but Martha continued as if she hadn’t heard. “If you’ll take a moment to look around, you’ll notice the colorful marble throughout the building. Thanks to the advent of the railroad, we were able to import from various areas. The dark red marble was imported from Belgium, the black and white marble came from Georgia, and the brownish marble came from Tennessee. Various marbles also were imported from Italy and Mexico. If you have time, you might want to visit the Overland Station just a few minutes from here.”
Cathee stretched up to whisper to Garrett, “I was planning on visiting the Station later this week.”
Garrett nodded an acknowledgement, still listening to Martha.
“This floor houses the governor’s office. The standing governor chooses what items to display.” She paused a moment near the elaborately carved door. “Let’s move on to the third floor.” The group separated into those riding the elevator and those walking up the steps.
As they moved to the stairway, Cathee whispered to Garrett, “I can tell this building was made before the government figured people had no sense.”
He furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”
“Look at the railing around the stairwell.”
“Yes?”
“It’s only waist high.”
“So?”
“A government building today would have to make it high enough so people couldn’t just lean a little too far and topple over. Can you imagine the lawsuits waiting to happen?”
Garrett snickered. “Since the building was just renovated, I guess the people in charge here figured Kansans are smart enough to know how far to lean over.”
“Yeah. They must.” Cathee held Christina’s hand a little tighter. “Just stay close to me, Christina. I don’t want you near that stairwell.”
“Why not?”
“That’s a long way down, and the floor is marble.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s rock hard, Sweetie. It wouldn’t feel very nice to land on.”
“Oh.”
Cathee started to feel lightheaded. All these open floors, and they were heading to the third floor. She hated heights. She’d feel better if the stairwell was enclosed, or at least as high as the railings at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. She didn’t feel as unsafe there.
As they gathered at the top of the third flight of stairs, Martha whispered. “This is the floor where the House and Senate meet. They’re in session right now. If you’d like, you can walk to the center and look over the railing to the floors below. There’s also a nice view of the rotunda ceiling there. The flags on display in the rotunda represent the nations who have controlled Kansas territory in the past. They include the United Kingdom, the French Monarchy then the French Republic, Mexico, Spain, and then Texas.” She paused a moment while some of the tourists pulled out their cameras. “There’s a snack bar around the corner. We’ll regroup on the fourth floor in about ten minutes.”
Cathee glanced through the archway and shuddered. The balcony railing was no higher than that around the stairwell. Garrett reached for her hand and they moved together toward the center. Cathee stopped short. “I can see from here.”
Garrett looked down at her, his brow furrowed. “I thought you wanted to see the Capitol Building?” His voice rose in a question.
Cathee was firm. She really didn’t want to stare down at the marble floor three stories below. “I am touring the building, and I’m seeing wh
at I want to see.”
“Okay?” His voice still held a question.
“Can I go with Mr. Garrett, Mommy?”
Cathee nodded hesitantly. “Just hold on to his hand, please.”
“I will. I promise.” She skipped along with Garrett. Apparently, Cathee’s extreme fear of heights hadn’t been inherited. She watched as they leaned over the railing and Garrett pointed out the murals above and the marble floor below.
She wanted to drop to her knees and crawl over to get her daughter, but she controlled the impulse and waited, her heart pounding in fear. The floaty feeling returned, and she touched the cold marble lining the wall as an anchor. She took a deep breath. You can do this. You’ll be fine.
Garrett turned around and caught the fear in Cathee’s eyes. He hurried over with Christina skipping along. “Are you alright?”
Cathee nodded. “I’m fine. Heights just make me nervous.”
“I can see that.” He looked down, tenderness in his eyes. “Do you want to skip the next floor?”
“No. I really want to see the galleries.”
“What are those?”
“Balconies overlooking the Senate and House floors. I’ve always wanted to see a live session. I thought they’d be on break right now.”
“So did I.” He paused again and scrutinized her face. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She nodded determinedly and squared her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Garrett’s warm hand enveloped hers as they headed to another set of marble stairs. Once again, Cathee rested her free hand on the bright metal lining the rails. As they reached the top, Martha was already talking. “You’ll notice the letters ‘K’ and ‘S’ carved into the top newel post on each set of stairs. Also, please take a moment to look at the top of the Corinthian columns. The detail and craftsmanship are astounding.” She glanced up as Garrett, Cathee and Christina arrived while continuing her presentation. “The doors on the west and east lead into the galleries. We will head on up to the dome, but if you’d like to see a session after the tour, you may enter quietly. There are a few seats available in each gallery where you can spend a few moments listening to the session. Please check your cell phones and make sure they are off.” Cathee pulled out her cell phone to re-check that it was off, as did many of the other tourists. After they’d put back their cell phones, Martha led them to the bottom of the next set of stairs.
Cathee clung to Garrett’s hand. She was feeling more lightheaded the higher they went. His brow furrowed in concern. “Are you sure you want to go up?”
Cathee bit her lip, then nodded. “I don’t want to miss the murals.”
Garrett shook his head. “I hope you aren’t disappointed.”
She took a deep breath. “Me, too.”
They walked up the final flight of stairs while Cathee looked determinedly at each riser, terrified to look over the rail she was holding. Christina was hopping lightly from step to step, completely fearless.
Martha waited patiently for the group to reform, then continued her presentation. “Originally, the murals in the dome were those painted by the Italian artist Jerome Fedeli in 1898. His design included Grecian women who were partially clothed. The murals were considered too risqué at the time, so a Chicago firm was hired to redecorate in 1902. The four allegorical murals you see today were painted by the firm Crossman and Study. The four murals are Knowledge, Peace, Plenty, and Power. Gary Barnes was hired in 1978 to clean and recondition the paintings. If you look closely, you’ll notice he added his portrait to the easel the figure Art is holding.” Cathee kept her eyes on the murals and concentrated on the guide’s words. She didn’t want to think about the marble floor below. Garrett put his arm around her shoulders, and she appreciated his quiet strength. “This concludes the tour of the Capitol Building. There are public elevators at the northeast and southwest corners of the building, or you can walk back down the stairs. I will be in the museum office on the first floor if you have any questions. Feel free to spend some time examining the building, its architecture, and the art here. The building is open until 5:00.”
Garrett leaned down to whisper. “Did you want to take the elevator?”
Cathee nodded, and they headed to the northeast corner. As they stepped in the elevator, Cathee instructed Christina, “Push on number four. I want to stop and listen to a legislative session.”
“OK, Mommy.”
As they stepped out of the elevator, Garrett asked,“Which gallery did you want to see?”
“I’d like to see them both, but I’m not sure how distracting it is to have people in the gallery. I guess I’d like to see the Senate if I have to choose.”
Garrett nodded. “The Senate is on the east.” He reached for Cathee’s hand and headed to the Senate gallery.
“Look at the little window, Mommy.” Christina headed to a small window overlooking the grounds. She sat down and pressed her face to the glass. “I can’t see our car.”
“It’s on the other side of the building. You won’t be able to see it from here.” Cathee walked past the overstuffed settees next to the wall, keeping as far from the waist-high stair railing as she could. She didn’t feel as nervous standing next to the double-paned window overlooking the grounds. The window barely reached her knee, and she knelt beside Christina to share the view. Garrett followed behind, camera in hand.
“I’d like a quick photo, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Cathee was glad Garrett was taking pictures. She hadn’t brought her camera. Her pictures always blurred unless she brought a tripod along.
Cathee and Christina smiled up at the camera, then Garrett reached down to help Cathee stand. “Thanks.” Cathee muttered as she brushed invisible dust from her jeans. She turned to address Christina. “You need to be very quiet, Honey. They are discussing legislation, and we need to be careful not to distract them.”
“What does ‘distract’ mean?”
Cathee sighed.
Garrett ruffled Christina’s curls. “It means they shouldn’t even know we’re in the gallery. We have to pretend to be invisible. Can you pretend to be invisible?”
A crease formed between Christina’s brows. “I don’t know how to be invisible. What do I do?”
Garrett chuckled quietly. “You have to move very quietly and not say a word. Can you do that?”
Christina nodded, then they all moved to the Senate Gallery door. Garrett opened the door slowly, and they quietly entered the gallery. Cathee stifled a gasp as Christina quickly moved to the left. What had looked like a drop off to the floor below was simply a step down to more chairs. Her fluttering heart settled down as they sat together and watched the session. After several minutes of quietly sitting, Christina started to fidget. When the Senate speaker announced a break, Cathee reached for Christina’s hand and signaled she was ready to leave. Garrett rose with them. They quickly exited through the gallery door.
As they approached the center of the building, Cathee asked, “Do you think it’s safe to turn on our cell phones yet? I’ve left mine off all day, and I’m not sure if that lawyer from New York, Alec Mills, wanted to get in touch with me.”
“I don’t see how it can hurt. Martha was mostly concerned about the cell phones in the gallery.” He reached for his own phone to turn it on while Cathee reached for hers.
They were approaching the stairwell as she looked to see if she had messages. “I have one message. Maybe it’s from Mr. Mills.”
Garrett tried to hide his alarm. If it was from New York, the peace he’d been feeling would quickly disappear. He was sure Mr. Mills would tell her about Juan’s escape. “I doubt there’s adequate reception here. Why don’t you wait until we’re outside to check?”
Cathee looked at him doubtfully, but then started to tuck the phone back into her purse. As she eased the phone into its pocket, it started to ring. She pulled it back out. “It looks like a New York area code.”
Garrett stifled a sigh. So
much for trying. “You’ll have to take the call, then.” He prayed it wouldn’t be that lawyer again, but it was a prayer that had little hope.
He watched warily as Cathee answered the phone.