by Emily Woods
“It was as if God had put him on Earth to be my daddy,” Inge always said with tears glistening in her eyes as she reached this part of her story. “He was a good man who unconditionally loved me, a child that was not his by birth.”
Paul and Gerta had married immediately upon Gerta’s arrival in California. Gerta and Inge settled into the Pinecone Inn, Paul’s family business, and the small family soon expanded. Gerta and Paul had many babies, and soon, Inge had more siblings than she had ever imagined.
Anna loved hearing the story of her mother’s childhood in California. She did not quite understand why Inge returned to the east when she was a young woman, but Inge was always matter-of-fact about her journey back to Philadelphia.
“I was never meant to be a country girl. I grew up in Philadelphia with private tutors and music lessons and fine dresses,” Inge first explained to her daughter when Anna first asked about Inge’s girlhood. “I enjoyed California. I loved my brothers and sisters, and I loved making new friends at the little school in town. I wanted more, though, and I knew I would never find the best education in California,” Inge had explained to Anna as they snuggled together in bed. Anna had only been only seven, but she listened attentively to her mother’s tale.
“Why didn’t you ever go home to visit?” Anna had asked her mother, her eyes large as she imagined letting years pass without an embrace or kiss from her mother.
Inge sighed.
“I finished at the boarding school and went to work as a lady in the household of one of Philadelphia’s finest families. Only days after my arrival, I met your father. He was a young, handsome trader, and we fell in love quickly. We were married only three weeks after we met! Only two months into our marriage, I began feeling ill, and it was then I realized my greatest gift would soon be arriving.”
“Me?” Anna asked.
“Yes, you!” Inge had told her daughter.
“I was so sick when I was with child, and after you were born, I was still sick. The doctors did not know if I would make it! Once I regained my strength, your father was gone on business often, and I could not travel to California with only the pair of us.”
“But Grandmother did it!”
Inge rolled her eyes.
“I am not your grandmother, Anna. I did the best I could. I am devastated that I did not make it to California to see your grandparents, my own parents, before they died, but they are in Heaven with our Lord, and I take great comfort in that, as should you.”
Now, Anna remembered her the sadness in her mother’s eyes as Inge recounted her story. She recalled her mother’s downturned lips and sorrowful face, even as Inge urged her daughter to be thankful that her grandparents were in Heaven.
“How did Grandmother become so brave? My own mother wouldn’t travel to California alone, but her mother traveled all by herself when she had lost everything! I’ve lost nearly everything too now: my mother’s trust and my freedom. Maybe I should go west.”
The next morning, Anna rose early. Her sleep had been fitful, and all night, she dreamed of her grandmother and the wild country in Pinecone, California. Not yet hearing her mother’s dainty footsteps in the kitchen, Anna dressed quietly and tiptoed out of the apartment. She and her family lived in a modest, but comfortable building on the edge of a good neighborhood. Anna had never been afraid to come and go in the streets, but this morning, she kept her head down and walked quickly. She did not want to risk her mother’s wrath by being seen out of the house when she was in so much trouble.
Anna hurried to one of the nearby newsstands. A young boy was selling newspapers, and Anna purchased the newest edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Are there marriage advertisements in these newspapers?” Anna asked the boy as she handed him several coins.
The young boy nodded enthusiastically.
“We got ’em all, miss! We got ’em from California, Nevada, Oregon, and even Texas! The marriage advertisements have all sorts of fellas, miss! They got farmers in there, doctors in there, fellas with children, fellas without children! You got your pick in the marriage advertisements, miss!”
Anna grinned. She thought of her grandmother reading the marriage advertisements all of those years ago, and she clutched the newspaper to her chest as she ran through the crowded streets of Philadelphia.
“We’ll see if God will send me a sign,” Anna thought as she sprinted back to the apartment, holding her skirts above her knees in an unladylike fashion.
Anna was not a particularly pious woman. She had grown up attending the same church that her mother, grandmother, and great-grandparents had attended before the great fire that changed her mother and grandmother’s lives. Anna and her mother sat in the same hard wooden pew each Sunday, made polite conversation with the same group of her mother’s friends each week, and contributed the same food to the pitch-in lunch served in the church basement after each Sunday service. For Anna, church was a comfortable ritual. She did not mind accompanying her mother and spending her Sunday afternoons in the large stone church, but she did not feel connected to the scriptures, sermons, or hymns.
Inge, on the other hand, was devout. Her own parents lived their lives governed by the Word of God, and Inge felt at home in the church. Inge was disappointed that her own child was not moved by the Lord in the way she was, but Inge prayed unfailingly that Anna would eventually mature into a woman of God and marry a man of faith.
Now, as Anna scanned the marriage advertisements after dashing into the apartment, she felt a deep sense of peace in her heart. Despite being on the precipice of a life she did not wish to pursue in the convent, Anna felt an inexplicably wave of comfort settle over her as she traced each sentence and read every word of the advertisements.
“God must be working in my heart!” Anna exclaimed to herself as she read.
She read several marriage advertisements. The men all sounded similar, and Anna was growing frustrated.
“How can I change my destiny if all of them sound alike?” Anna hissed as she tossed away another sheet of newspaper.
Finally, an advertisement caught Anna’s attention. The advertisement was concise and rather vague, but Anna knew without a doubt that God was speaking to her through the newspaper.
Kind, good man seeking wife
Works as rancher
Father of 2 children
Healthy, God-fearing
Seeking wife with love of children and eagerness to learn
Jed Harris, Pinecone, California
Anna’s jaw dropped open.
“Pinecone, California,” Anna whispered aloud to herself as she reread the marriage advertisement.
“My grandmother answered a marriage advertisement from Pinecone, California, all of those years ago, and today, on this very day, I found a marriage advertisement from Pinecone! Oh, Lord! You have heard my prayers! You have heard my heart! This must be a sign!”
Anna left the newspaper open and walked to the small writing desk in her bedroom. She pulled out several sheets of light blue paper and began composing the letter that she knew would lead to her future.
Dear Mr. Harris,
My name is Anna, and I am writing in response to the marriage advertisement you posted in the newspaper. I am sending this letter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it is my sincerest wish to meet you and your family in Pinecone, California.
Mr. Harris, I am nineteen years old, and I am ready to be a wife and mother. I have been raised in the church, and I have good values. I have attended school in Philadelphia, and I am confident that I could help educate your children and be a warm, loving mother to them. I do not have brothers or sisters of my own, but I sometimes care for the little children at my church during service.
Mr. Harris, please know that I am very serious about this inquiry. I am very hopeful about this opportunity, and I have prayed about it, as well as prayed over these words to you. I send you my kindest, warmest regards, and I send good wishes to your children as well.
&n
bsp; Kindly,
Anna
Anna felt unsure about her letter. It felt vague and impersonal, but Mr. Harris’s marriage advertisement itself was vague and impersonal. Anna swallowed her doubts and prayed over the letter. Still feeling the strange, newfound sense of peace deep in her belly, Anna smiled as she finished her prayer. She was firmly convinced that God was pointing her toward Pinecone, and she hoped with all of her heart that Jed Harris and his family would be the answer to her prayers.
2
“Pa! Pa, Gracie ain’t ready to go! I told her fifteen minutes ago that it was near time to fetch Miss Anna from the train station, but she ain’t ready!”
Jed clenched his teeth as the whiny voice of Evana pierced the quiet of the spring morning. His daughters were his greatest blessing, but now, as they neared adolescence, he desperately wished that they had had a woman around the house as they grew from little girls to young women. They were so challenging at this stage in life, and Jed could hardly stand their screams, moans, and quarrels.
Jed stood taller as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. At thirty-two years old, he was one of the most handsome men in town, but today, as he smoothed his auburn hair, adjusted his plain blue shirt over his muscled chest, and cursed the smattering of freckles on his nose, Jed felt unsettled.
“Please let them like her,” Jed whispered to himself as he straightened his collar and ran a hand through his wavy hair. “Please, God, please, let them like her. We ain’t never needed a woman around the house more than we need one now.”
Jed’s wife had been dead since before the girls could walk, and while Jed had managed to fulfill their basic needs, he knew his girls would benefit from the nurture of a mother. Jed’s options, however, were limited. In his hometown of Pinecone, California, there were hardly any single women, let alone any single women of strong faith and willingness to raise his high-spirited daughters!
“Where will I find her?” Jed had asked the town minister one evening as the two men sat outside of Jed’s house watching the girls play.
“You’ll pray. The right lady will walk into your life, Jed. Just pray about her!”
Jed had grimaced as the minister suggested he pray about someone to help him with the girls. Jed had prayed and prayed to no avail. He had not come close to procuring a suitable mother for his daughters, and he worried that his parenting would turn his beautiful, strong-willed daughters into heathens! They already fought constantly at home, school, and church, and Jed fretted that it was perhaps too late to turn them into proper young ladies.
“I see that look on your face, Jed. It ain’t hopeless, I promise! This is a challenge from God, and He knows you are up to the test, son. Have faith and do not lose heart. You will find a good woman to help you raise them girls.”
Jed continued to pray about someone to complete their family, and one day, just as the minister had suggested, the right lady walked into his life. Jed had half-heartedly posted a marriage advertisement in several papers on the East Coast. several of his friends had done it and made successful matches with city girls, and though Jed was skeptical, he wrote an advertisement.
“I ain’t got a lot of hope, but I hope something comes of this that pleases You, Lord,” Jed grunted to himself as he sent the letter off.
A few weeks passed. Jed heard nothing from the East Coast. His advertisement had been dull and uninteresting, and with some fellows even sending photographs of themselves to accompany their advertisements, Jed did not think he stood a chance amidst the many other descriptive, compelling advertisements that surely outshone his.
“I reckon that ain’t gonna work out, so I best keep praying,” Jed thought on a sunny afternoon as the mail carrier rode into town on his horse.
The residents of Pinecone, California, always gathered outside of the general store when the mail carrier arrived each month. Receiving mail was cause to celebrate. Pinecone was such a small town, and with so few places to shop, or pass the time, gathering for the mail carrier’s visits was one of the town’s social highlights each month.
Jed arrived at the general store just before noon. A small crowd had already gathered, and Jed searched through the group to find Jackson, his best friend.
“Howdy, pal,” Jed heard as he felt the thud of a hand on his back.
Jed turned to see Jackson grinning at him. Jackson was short and stout, but with his charming smile of perfect white teeth, along with his deep dimples, he had no shortage of ladies seeking his attention. Jed could see McKenzie Carr, Ava Pruitt, and Casie Smith staring at Jackson, and he wondered why it was so difficult for him to receive such attention.
“Pa! Gracie hit me!” Evana’s scream cut through the noise of the crowd.
“No! Pa, don’t you listen to her! Evana is wild! I was being good!”
Jed’s shoulders sagged. He remembered why it was so difficult to win over an eligible bachelorette. His two daughters were terrors at times, and they thrived on attention, even if the attention was negative.
Jackson looked up at Jed, who stood nearly a head taller.
“You better pray a letter is coming for you today, Jed,” Jackson said with concern as Jed ignored his daughters’ loud shrieks. “You ain’t gonna be able to marry them two off if they keep being so naughty and noisy, Jed.”
Jed nodded. He knew Jackson was right. His daughters were known for their antics and misbehavior, and Jed sensed that they were the true cause of his perpetual singleness.
Jackson leaned in close to Jed.
“Hey,” Jackson whispered, standing on his tiptoes to reach his friend’s ears. “You know that it’s real important to find a mother for your girls. It’s also real important that you find someone to satisfy you, Jed. I know it’s been hard since Laura died, but you have to think of yourself, too. I hope that whoever you swindle into marrying someone is a good mother to your daughters, but is also a good wife to you.”
Jed’s eyes filled with tears. He had never been an emotional man, but the sentiments of his dearest friend resonated with him as they waited amidst the crowds.
“Jackson,” Jed said shakily, looking down into his best friend’s eyes. “Thank you.”
Jackson rolled his eyes and pretended to gag.
“Oh no! Now don’t you get all soft on me, Jed,” Jackson said mischievously. “You know that I just care about your satisfaction as a man! Nothing else.”
Jed knew otherwise. Jackson pretended to be tough and callous, but Jed knew that his best friend was a true man of God. Jackson attended church every Sunday, studied the Bible with enthusiasm, and even led an accountability group for the men of Pinecone each Thursday night in the one-room schoolhouse. Jackson was honest and humble, and even though he feigned being hard-nosed, Jed knew that his best friend truly cared for him and his future as a father and a husband.
“There’s the mail carrier now! He’s riding up to town!” Jackson said, pointing to a cloud of dust barely visible in the distance.
The crowd cheered as the mail carrier approached. They clapped and shouted, and finally, the blue-clad mail carrier galloped into town.
“Howdy, y’all!”
The crowd whooped and hollered, and the mail carrier went to his usual place at the top of the general store steps.
“I got about twenty letters this week for you people of Pinecone! I also got two packages!”
The crowd grew quiet, and all eyes were on the mail carrier. Everyone held their breath and ached that their name would be called.
“Mister Joel Phillip!”
Joel Phillip, the town sheriff, stepped up with his arms outstretched. The mail carrier ceremoniously placed a large package in his arms, and everyone looked at Joel with immense curiosity. There was no time to fixate on Joel’s package, however; the mail carrier swiftly moved on to the next lucky townsperson.
“Missus Barbara Smith and Mister Hugh Smith!”
The Smith couple hobbled toward the general store. They were an elderly couple, and Mrs. Smith co
uld hardly mount the stairs. The mail carrier gracious walked down the steps to meet them and bequeathed on them a large, expensive-looking envelope.
“What do you suppose that is?” Jed whispered to Jackson as the crowd murmured.
“It’s a wedding invitation. Their daughter, Cynthia, moved east a few years back. Near broke Missus Smith’s heart, but Cynthia is marrying a doctor in the city.”
“A doctor?”
Jackson nodded.
“Mister and Missus Smith know Cynthia ain’t ever gonna return to Pinecone. It’s real good for her to marry a doctor, but real sad for them.”
Jed tilted his head and looked quizzically at his best friend.
“How do you know all of this, Jackson?” Jed asked.
Jackson winked at Jed.
“I know everything about everyone, Jed,” Jackson replied, a twinkle in his eyes. “Even lower-than-low dirtbag ranchers like you!”
“Hey,” Jed said, taking offense to Jackson’s teasing. “I ain’t no doctor, but I’m a hard worker! I take care of my own, and I work hard to take care of the ranch!”
Jackson patted Jed on the shoulder.
“Oh, you know I’m only teasing! Now, hush yourself, Jed! We’re missing some of the names.”
The mail carrier read names for nearly twenty minutes, and the crowd did not wane. Each person watched attentively as the lucky recipient of an envelope or package strode proudly to the mail carrier, and with each name read, Jed grew more and more doubtful that he would receive any word from the east today.
“Well, folks! That’s all,” the mail carrier said. “Y’all be on the lookout for me next month. I’ll be back, as usual!”
The crowd shifted and began to speak in louder tones as the mail carrier packed up his rucksack. Jed’s heart sank. There had been no mail for him, and he knew he was unlikely to receive a response next month. Jackson sensed Jed’s disappointment and drew Jed close.
