125 years ago when electricity was in its infancy two young women, CeCe Cole and Nichola Souter, from prominent Boston families, decided to continue their rebellion against what they considered the stuffiness of the society in which they lived which had cause the suppression of opportunities for women.
CeCe’s first shocked her family when she decided to follow into her father’s profession and become a lawyer. Her father, George Adams Cole blamed her friendship with Nichola for her obstinacy in joining a profession where women were not wanted. Likewise, did Nichola’s father Doctor John Hancock Souter blame CeCe for Nichola’s decision to follow him and enter the medical profession.
CeCe passed the bar but found most doors closed to her; Nichola graduated from medical school but found herself unable to be looked upon as other than a nurse. Each one went into practice by herself working among the immigrant population. Nichola became admired for her work in the emergency room of Boston’s City Hospital; CeCe took up trial work representing the indigent Irish in the Boston Municipal Court.
Their families became used to their involvement in these male-only professions aided by the grudging admiration of others for their work. They could not quite accept that although each woman was beautiful and ardently sought after by the best young men in the city they seemed only to enjoy the company of each other.
It was hoped that having achieved their professional goals they would tire of their roles as working women and settle down and raise a family. That hope was dashed when they announced their decision to take a sabbatical together in Europe of an unknown duration. To top it off their first stop was to the French Alps. They planned to do the most unwomanly of all things:mountain climbing and skiing.
Off they went to minimal fanfare. Both families were engaged in figuring how to disinherit or at least put as much distance between themselves and their errant, rebellious and prodigal daughter. They let them go without a goodbye. This produced much consternation and recriminations as time passed because no word ever came back about the young women.
The best the Burns Detective Agency could figure out was that they were last seen heading off by themselves on a climb of the 13,500-foot-high summit before planning to ski down the face of the mountain Mont Blanc. It was always hoped that they had done that and went off to other parts of Europe but not trace was found of them. That was unitl 2014 when both were found frozen into the side of the mountain apparently victims of an avalanche.
Now here’s the marvelous thing about this. The manner in which the women were caught by the great snow slide and the depth at which they were buried and the constant deep freeze not only preserved their bodies as they were on the date but maintained them in a state that allowed certain French scientists who had advanced knowledge in the study of cryonics to bring them back to life.
Little publicity has attended this happening because of the newness of the procedure and the unique and special circumstances of the women. The scientists do not want at this time to give hope to others of prolonged life until further study has been done.
Both CeCe and Nichola were brought back into the world they did not know. It was difficult uniting with their family since they were one-third the age of their great, great grand nieces and nephews. They were astonished at such things as automobiles, planes, the internet, the widespread use of electricity, atomic power and on and on. It seemed to them as if they had landed on a different planet.
Nichola quickly learned that the medical profession had made such advances in the time she was imprisoned in the ice that it would be impossible for her to resume her medical practice. You may imagine how much it had changed in 125 years.
CeCe after being backed a few weeks quickly went back into the practice of law. She felt right at home going back into court and handling cases. Nothing had changed in the 125 years since she had left.
Mr. C., I know you’ve been dabbling in fiction as of late, yet you don’t present this post as such. Nor does my calendar tell me that today is April 1.
I can only assume, then, that your sources for this post are impeccable.
A fine story. Looking forward to follow-ups.
GOK:
Absolutely impeccable sources for the story. Guaranteed.