Mail Order Barbara
(Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies, Book 14)
By
Elissa Strati
Contents
DEDICATION
MAIL ORDER BARBARA
COPYRIGHT
EDITION LICENSE NOTES
DESCRIPTION
CHAPTER 1 – Nightmare
CHAPTER 2 – Police
CHAPTER 3 – Our Lady of Mercy
CHAPTER 4 – Alice
CHAPTER 5 – Judith
CHAPTER 6 – Emilene
CHAPTER 7 – The Board of Directors
CHAPTER 8 – Sharing Concerns
CHAPTER 9 – Brides Wanted
CHAPTER 10 – Running the Orphanage
CHAPTER 11 – Opportunities
CHAPTER 12 – Westward, Ho?
CHAPTER 13 – Discussions
CHAPTER 14 – Decisions
CHAPTER 15 – Emily
CHAPTER 16 – Preparations
CHAPTER 17 – Wedding Plans
CHAPTER 18 – Love Letters
CHAPTER 19 – Farewells
CHAPTER 20 – Measles
CHAPTER 21 – Goodbye
CHAPTER 22 – The Train
CHAPTER 23 – Kansas
CHAPTER 24 – Welcome to Green River
CHAPTER 25 – Afternoon Tea
Breaking the Ice
Introductions
Giving Thanks
Making Friends
CHAPTER 26 – The Dance
Billy
More Introductions
Getting to Know You
Changing Partners
Making Repairs
Emilene
The Supper Dance
CHAPTER 27 – The Picnic
St. Mary’s on the Hill
Green River Church
Picnic on the Hill
Employment
Advice
Jealousy
CHAPTER 28 – Courtship
First Steps in the Campaign
Lessons
A Celebration
B*O*N*U*S C*O*N*T*E*N*T
PART 1 – Meet the Orphans
Gracie
Clara
Margaret and Elizabeth
Katherine and Maria
Samantha
Bernadette
Christine
Judith
Anna
PART 2 –Gracie’s Wedding
Wedding Invitations
Farewells
A Surprise
Wedding Bells
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ABOUT THIS SERIES
NOTES ON MAIL ORDER BARBARA
(Or, More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About My Upcoming Books)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(Including Contact Links)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AUTHOR’S HISTORICAL NOTE
DEDICATION
For
Barbara Goss
Who encouraged me (and continues to do so),
Provided needed support as I was starting out,
Demonstrated her faith in me,
And moved me forward along the path.
Thank You!
MAIL ORDER BARBARA
(Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 14)
By
Elissa Strati
COPYRIGHT
Mail Order Barbara ©2020 Elissa Strati
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Elissa Strati, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
~~~
EDITION LICENSE NOTES
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
~~~
Cover design and logo inset by Black Widow Books, Virginia McKevitt, cover artist.
Series concept by Cheryl Wright.
DESCRIPTION
Fleeing an abusive stepfather, two sisters find a home with the Sisters of Mercy. But the Board of Governors won't permit girls over sixteen to remain at the orphanage. They are expected to find positions as maids or shopkeeper’s assistants once they are old enough to do so. There are enough charges on any system of charity without keeping able-bodied young women coddled on the public charge, never mind that the Sisters’ asylum is a private institution and the Lord’s work!
Malnourishment in their formative years has kept most of the girls looking smaller and younger than they are and Sister Evangeline maintains deliberately vague records, to allow her charges time to mature to the point of looking out for themselves. Many girls have been successfully placed in good positions, using the training they have received from the Sisters, but Sister Evangeline wants the best for each of her girls.
Learning from her brother, Father Flanagan, of the need for young women of good character out west, she schemes to give her girls their chance.
Can city girls find happiness as Mail Order Brides out west?
CHAPTER 1 – Nightmare
Sister Evangeline opened the door of Our Lady of Mercy Orphans Home and Convent. Looking down, she gasped when she saw the two girls huddled on the doorstep, fresh bruises visible on their arms and faces. She held open the door and, sweeping them into her arms, ushered them to the Infirmary.
CHAPTER 2 – Police
It seemed the noise had been loud enough to actually attract attention in an area used to a great deal of commotion. Someone had called for the police, who arrived not too long after the girls had departed. They found Mrs. Spicer passed out on the corpse of her late husband and drew their own conclusions from the scene. Detective McGarity looked at his sergeant, clearly showing his disgust.
“Good riddance to one bad citizen,” he grumbled under his breath, “but what do we do with this one?” poking his toe at the prone Mrs. Spicer, who grunted, but quickly resumed snoring. They looked around at the rest of the cramped space. Despite the evident poverty, an attempt had been made to keep it clean, but a bowl of blood-stained water sat atop the table and a torn and bloody rag lay next to it. Carefully picking up the rag, McGarity realized it had once been a dress, plain and simple but beautifully sewn.
Looking up he met Sergeant Donnell’s sad eyes with his own bleak stare. “Wonder which of the girls he hurt?”
City or not, there were no strangers in this neighborhood, and Alice Jones had been a good girl, happily married to Tom McKevitt and a loving mother to their two daughters. Then Tom had been killed in an accident at the dock, leaving the family destitute. Alice had fallen in with Owen Spicer who wasn’t a bad sort when he was sober. But he was a mean drunk and had gotten Alice hooked on gin—and perhaps more. Donnell was waving a half-empty laudanum bottle by two fingers.
A few questions of the neighbors revealed the girls had headed for St. Francis and that both had looked the worse for wear.
~~~
“They aren’t in trouble,” Detective McGarity assured Sister Evangeline. “At least not with the law. What trouble that b . . .,” he coughed, “. . . that stepfather of
theirs may have caused is another matter.”
McGarity saw the look of a mother grizzly cross over Sister’s normally serene face, and nearly crossed himself for protection. At least those poor girls have Sister on their side, he thought.
“I have them in the Infirmary,” Sister confirmed. She looked him up and down.
“I think I can trust you not to be hurting them any more than they already have been, young Steven. But unless that mother of theirs turns a new leaf, they'll stay here with me from now on.”
McGarity nodded his agreement. That would absolutely be for the best, considering that Sergeant Donnell had hauled Mrs. Spicer to the drunk tank until she sobered up enough to say what had happened.
Stepping quietly into the room, he saw Emily lying still as a corpse on the cot, covered to the chin with a white sheet and blanket despite the day's heat. Sitting next to her, holding and stroking her hand, was Barbara, who turned a tear-stained face to him. He was shocked at the bruises on both their faces and arms and wondered what further damage had been done to Emily.
“He attacked her,” said Barbara abruptly.
“He hurt her real bad,” she added bitterly. “He's been after me for the last year and I've been able to avoid him but I never thought about him going after a baby. She's not yet twelve years old! I didn't kill him but I'm glad he's dead.”
“No,” agreed McGarity, “you didn't kill him. It was perfectly plain he tripped and killed himself. But if he hadn't, I suspect there are a number of men who would have done it for him.”
Barbara looked at him carefully. She knew he had a daughter of his own at home, and nodded, understanding what he was telling her.
“Our mother?” she asked.
“Locked away for now, until we can find out what went on.”
“She must have been next door with Maisie Smith because she wasn't there when I got back from fetching her another bottle of gin. She let this happen, though. I don't think I ever want to see her again.”
“I've already promised Sister Evangeline I would not be removing you from here,” he assured her solemnly.
CHAPTER 3 – Our Lady of Mercy
While Emily gradually healed physically, her mind was still locked off. Her face maintained a vacant stare although a slight smile would appear when she saw her sister. She became capable of attending to her own needs, dressing herself and eating, and the girls were able to leave the Infirmary for the dormitory. She even attended classes with Barbara, although she either stared into space or, if a pencil were put into her hand, would draw meaningless circles, sometimes straying right off the page. Barbara stopped giving her a pencil and just let her sit. The whole orphanage said prayers for Emily at breakfast and at dinner. And when the group attended Mass on Sundays, she received a special blessing when the rest took communion.
There had been a cake to celebrate Emily’s twelfth birthday. She seemed to smile a bit when the girls sang to her, and enjoyed the treat, but then slipped even deeper into her shell.
~~~
In addition to basic school work, the girls were being trained in needlework, cleaning, cooking, and other skills they would need in order to acquire jobs or, for the lucky ones, to run a home should they get married.
Barbara was able to manage her numbers and had developed exquisite penmanship, but it was her needlework which was outstanding. She loved hats and dresses and contemplated becoming a dressmaker's assistant when she got a little older. But then she would look over at Emily and shake her head, not knowing how she could leave her sister on her own.
~~~
It was almost six months later that it became obvious that Emily was pregnant. Despite the Sisters’ care, she was still frail and non-responsive to questioning, not even capable of simple conversation. She did as she was told and could feed and care for herself on the most basic level, but it was only the shell of a girl who was there. Her soul seemed to have been sucked away from her.
CHAPTER 4 – Alice
Their mother only came by once. She was bleary-eyed, and reeked of gin, but she’d made her way to the Sisters of Mercy, and, in their mercy, she was allowed to sit in the parlor with Sister Benedicta while Sister Evangeline, waiting in her office, had Barbara sent for.
Barbara arrived, a waddling Emily in tow, and agreed to see her mother.
“She needs to see what that pig of a husband did to her daughter,” said Barbara, bitterly.
Sister regarded her thoughtfully.
“It is a hard thing you are doing, confronting the person whom you blame for not protecting you as a mother should have. I am not sure I would be able to forgive her myself, were I in your shoes.”
Sister paused before continuing.
“She punishes herself every day, you know. She, too, suffers.
“But you are also punishing yourself, and your bitterness hurts you, not her. She has made of her life her own private hell. It pains me to see you suffer as well, blaming yourself for what happened. I can understand you may not ever be able to let go of the feeling of abandonment your mother’s actions and inactions have caused you.
“However, you must learn to forgive yourself. Nothing you did, or believe you didn’t do, can be held against you. No one but you believes you to be responsible for what happened. But even if you had been, God would have forgiven you if you asked sincerely.”
Sister Evangeline sighed, seeing the tightly closed facing looking stonily ahead. Barbara was an excellent student, a great help with the other girls, and an absolute angel with her sister, but was as locked within her sister’s tragedy as was Emily herself.
“God forgives you and I forgive you, child, for your thoughts towards your mother. I pray for God’s Mercy to open your heart again and let you heal. Come here for a blessing.”
Barbara stepped forward, leading her sister, and each received Sister’s blessing, before filing out and joining Sister Benedicta and their mother in the parlor.
Alice looked up when the girls walked into the room. Her face made a silent wail and she stuffed her fist into her mouth and bit down to keep from screaming out loud.
“I didn’t know! They never told me he’d hurt her! No one would talk to me and the judge just had me locked away. All I knew was Owen was dead and you were here with the Sisters.”
“But you had to find Dutch courage to come see us?” spat Barbara, aware of the stench of gin emanating from her mother.
Alice turned her face in shame. “Yes,” she mumbled. “I haven’t been a good mother to you of late. She turned her ravaged face back toward Barbara, pleading.
“But you must know I love you girls. You are the best of your father whom I loved most dearly and when he was taken from us it was so hard! I tried to provide for you by marrying Owen, and you know he was good to you at first.”
Barbara gave her mother a considering look, and allowed herself to look backward. He’d never been a true father to them, but at first he had tried. And then he’d lost his job to the boys returning from the war, and had become bitter. It was then, when he started drinking, that things had become bad.
“But why did you have to drink with him?” she cried softly.
“I thought maybe if I went with him I could keep him from drinking as much. Instead I became as addicted to the poison as he was.” Alice buried her face in her hands. “I am so sorry,” she mumbled, sobbing. “So very, very sorry!”
Barbara’s tears fell silently down her cheeks and she looked over at her sister.
Emily had remained still except to cradle her belly and croon softly. Now she got up and walked over to her mother, still humming, and took one of Alice’s hands and placed it on her rounded stomach. Alice looked up at her daughter and then gasped as she felt her grandchild kick.
Reaching up to stroke her mother’s bedraggled hair, Emily smiled softly and then wandered over to Sister Benedicta and sat next to her, cuddling under Sister’s comforting arm.
Eyes still streaming, Barbara took in her mother’s awes
truck face.
“It seems Emily forgives you, Ma. I guess I do, too.” She felt a weight lift off her briefly, only to wrap itself around her again. For despite Sister Evangeline’s words, she could not forgive herself for failing to protect her sister.
~~~
It was several days later that they learned of Alice’s death. Leaving the convent she had headed toward the docks and stumbled into the path of a heavily laden drayage cart while crossing the railroad tracks. Mercifully, death had been instantaneous, as she had struck her head on the cobbles. Her suffering, at least, was over.
~~~
When she went into labor, Emily seemed to return to the present. Her voice rusty from disuse, she whispered, “Barbara!” before crying out as a contraction convulsed her body.
“I'm here Emily, I'm here!” Barbara twisted to face her sister, holding her hands and maintaining eye contact. “Do you understand what's happening, Emily?” she asked.
Emily looks down at her rounded belly and gasped out, “He gave me a baby. Oh! It hurts as much coming out as when he put it in there!” And then she shrieked as another pain ripped through her.
For a long while there were only Emily's eyes staring into hers, her hands gripped tightly, as Emily struggled through labor. Then Barbara heard Sister Evangeline cry out in triumph, “It's a girl! You have a daughter Emily.”
And Emily smiled, a peaceful, serene look flooding her face, and released Barbara’s hands to reach for the baby. Cuddling her, she touched her daughter’s forehead, nose, lips, and chin, then counted all the fingers and toes, stroking the downy head.
CHAPTER 5 – Judith
Judith Müller was almost nine when her mother died in childbirth. After several stillbirths, miscarriages, and two undersized infants who’d died, it was a miracle that the child, a boy, was healthy. Judith was entranced with the baby and immediately took over its care. Young Johann, named for his father, thrived. Johann Sr. had very little use for his children however, so when his childless sister Helga suggested she take the infant, who was fast becoming a charming and dimpled toddler, he shrugged and said, “Warum nicht?” (Why not?)
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