In Search Of Love: The Story of A Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Bride Series)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  “It’s always good to be cautious,” the doctor said. Unless you have any problems, I won’t need to see you for two months. Once you are past six months, I would like to see you every month.”

  * * *

  Katerina showed increasing signs of her condition. Her morning sickness had long since ended and now she was contending with a growing belly. As she entered her seventh month, she said, “I feel like a big old cow walking around, bumping into things.”

  “That’s where we’re different. I see you getting more beautiful every day,” he said. The doctor says you’re in great health, and with just six weeks to go, it will pass before you know it.

  “I don’t like that we can’t make love like we always did. I miss that,” she said.

  “I miss it too,” he said, “But I’ll just have to show you how much I care in other ways,”

  Patrick had always been demonstrative, touching her as he passed, kissing her on the neck, and by running his hands through her hair.

  School was out and Katerina busied herself around the house. She had bought fabric and sewed baby blankets, and gowns.

  Mama Murphy was a frequent visitor, doing anything about the house to make things easier for Katerina. She was as anxious for the baby to arrive as her daughter-in-law. Katerina felt closer to her than she had ever felt toward her stern mother. She had guilt feelings about it, but never addressed them with anyone other than herself.

  Patrick felt the bed move and was instantly awake. “Are you all right, honey?”

  She was sitting on the side of the bed, her back arched. “I’m okay. I just can’t get comfortable. You go on back to sleep. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” She got up and started to use the chamber pot. She felt something strange and looked. There was a dark, slimy looking mass. She screamed, and Patrick came hurrying over.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. It didn’t hurt or anything.” More fluid came out. “Maybe you should get the doctor. I’m scared, honey.”

  Patrick woke Karl. “I’m going to get the doctor. Will you go watch Katerina?”

  “Yes, I do that,” Karl said and began to get dressed.

  “Honey, I’m going to get Doctor Carmichael. Your Papa is going to look after you. I’ll stop and tell Mama They’ll be here before I get back. You’re going to be all right. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that, he tore out of the house, buttoning his shirt as he ran.

  “Liebchen, are you in pain? I will stay here with you. Patrick will be as quick as he can.”

  Doctor Carmichael had told Katerina, “It will be better if you can walk around early in labor. She tried this, but it made no noticeable difference. Feeling contractions, she went back to the bedroom, just as Patrick’s mother and Mary Margaret came through the door.

  Having had five babies, Mama Murphy immediately took charge, allowing a relieved Karl to give up the immediate responsibility. Timing the pains, showed them to be twenty minutes apart. “It’s going to be some time yet, dear,” she assured Katerina. “The doctor will be here well before things really begin to get active. Mary Margaret, get me a wet washcloth, please.”

  When she had it in hand, she began wiping Katerina’s brow, talking softly, and holding her hands when a pain seized her.

  A commotion outside hinted at Patrick’s return. He burst into the room. “How are you doing, Honey?” he asked.

  “I’m being a big baby,” she gasped out. “Where’s the doctor?”

  “He’s about five, maybe ten minutes behind me. He’ll be here, don’t worry.”

  “I wish he’d hurry… Ohhhhhhhhh,” as another pain hit. That was a big one,” she panted.

  “I hear him now,” Patrick said. “I’ll go get him.” He left, to return shortly with the doctor in tow.

  Dr. Carmichael asked a few questions, and asked them to heat some water. Mary Margaret said, “There is some on the stove already.”

  “Let me get washed up and we’ll see where we are. Patrick, you’ll want to wait in the other room, please.”

  Reluctantly, Patrick let go of the hand he was holding and returned to the other room to keep his father-in-law company. For the next three hours, they alternated between pacing, talking and worrying.

  There was an agonizing cry from the bedroom. Then the sound of a baby crying penetrated the silence. Patrick’s mother came out of the room, a tired look on her face. Over the tired look was a big smile. “Patrick, you have a son, just as your father said. Congratulations, darling.”

  “Mama, is Katerina all right?” he asked.

  “She is worn out, but she is okay. She did well, and worked hard at it the entire time. I was so proud of her. She was a trooper.

  “Mr. Hauser, you should be very proud of your Katerina. She is a terrific girl. It is a nice, healthy boy with a robust set of lungs. It looks as if he will have blond hair, but with the Irish mix, it may well turn out to be red.

  “I have to go back in and clean her and the baby up and then you can both go in for a few minutes. Dr. Carmichael is finishing the delivery.”

  Michael and James came in, and Michael asked, “Is it over?” Receiving a nod as the answer, he said, “I was right wasn’t I? It’s a boy.”

  Patrick and Karl came into the bedroom. Katerina’s freshly washed face was glowing. Her hair had been combed. She was radiant. When he took her hand, Katerina said, “We have a son, Patrick. We have a son. Papa, did you see your grandson yet?”

  Margaret brought the baby to Patrick and asked, “Would you like to say hello to your son?” She handed him the baby. He handled it as if he were afraid he might drop it. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He looked at the baby in awe.

  To his wife, he said, “Look what we made, Honey. We did that.” She rewarded him with a tired smile. He turned to her father and said, “Karl, take your grandson. I want to kiss my wife.”

  The tearful grandfather held his grandson, and looked from his face to that of his daughter. “Liebchen, you have made me more proud of you if that is possible.”

  * * *

  Michael’s mother stayed five days to help with the initial care of the baby and with Katerina. On the third day, Katerina took tentative steps into the living room, with Patrick holding her elbow. She sat on the pillow he had thoughtfully provided. “Mama, we’ve sort of decided on a name. Karl Patrick Murphy. What do you think? Papa, what do you think?””

  “I think it is a wonderful name,” Margaret said.

  “You do an old man a great honor,” her father said.

  “A deserved honor, Papa. A much deserved honor.”

  Chapter 22: A Growing Family

  In farming terminology, Karl Patrick grew like a weed. Thriving on his mother’s feeding, he quickly gained weight. He was doted on by all of his grandparents, his aunts and uncles. Fondly recalling her days in her father’s shoe shop, she would leave Karl in the shop with his grandfather while she shopped at the mercantile or one of the new shops for ladies that had opened recently.

  His paternal grandparents kept him at every opportunity and Margaret frequently cared for him while Katerina was at school. Karl started crawling at seven months and in his ninth month, he began standing while holding on to the edge of a table.

  Ignoring his tiredness, after coming in from the fields, Patrick enjoyed a romp with his son. Patrick started walking Karl around while holding both hands to steady him. Next, he stood him against a wall and backed away with his arms extended. “Come to Papa, Karl. Come to Papa.”

  Karl took three tentative steps, arms waving in front of him trying to keep his balance. The smile on his face was almost as big as the one on his Papa’s face. He then went into leaning, quick steps forward into Patrick’s arms.

  “Katerina, did you see that? Karl took his first steps.” He lifted Karl, holding him in front and swinging around. “Papa’s big man can walk. Just wait till your grandma sees that.” Peals of laughter came from the young boy. As he became more steady on his feet, he
became Patrick’s shadow, following Patrick where ever he was in the house.

  Once he became mobile, nothing within reach was safe from Karl. He had an insatiable curiosity that delighted Patrick. Patrick’s mother said this must have been an inherited trait since Patrick had been the same way. Karl dragged pots and pans from the cabinet, he pulled the table cloth from the table, and broke two dishes in the process. This frightened him and he left the table alone for a while. Katerina was not able to discover how he did it, but he managed to get a tin of flour open and then redecorated the floor with it.

  At his wife’s insistence, Patrick put latches on various doors and cabinets in an attempt to keep things in check. “I wonder how long it will be before he can drag a chair over and unlatch things?” Patrick questioned.

  “Shh, he might hear you and get ideas,” his bemused mother said.

  “While he was a Papa’s boy, it was to his Mama he turned when frightened, or hurt. “I love my Papa dearly, but I can’t remember such joy in the house, when I was a little girl,” Katerina said. “Mama was always so serious in those days.

  “Our house is noisy, even when he is asleep,” she said.

  When Karl was two, after getting approval from the parents, Grandpa Murphy gave Karl an Irish Setter puppy. They named him Murphy, but for Karl, he was “Muffy”. It was like having another, but much faster child in the house. Murphy was energetic and playful, frequently nipping at Karl’s pants.. He was clumsy too, frequently bowling Karl over. The two were inseparable companions. Murphy slept in Karl’s bedroom. A frequent phrase heard was, “Mon Muffy.” Off they would go on some new adventure, one sure to cause extra work for Katerina.

  At the breakfast table, Katerina served Patrick’s breakfast. Her father had eaten earlier and gone on to his shop in Oregon City. Karl was sitting in an elevated chair for babies they had found in the mercantile. Murphy was lurking under the table, ready to pounce on any morsel dropped or thrown on the floor, in Karl’s case. “You’re not eating this morning, Honey?,” Patrick asked.

  “No, my stomach is feeling a little queasy and I don’t want to take a chance on it,” Katerina said.

  “You’re not coming down with something, are you?” he asked.

  “I think I might be with child,” she said.

  “You really think so?” he asked.

  “I do. My time is late this month, and that is unusual. My breasts are sensitive too. I should probably stop in to see Dr. Carmichael soon.”

  “It will be nice to have another baby, won’t it?”

  “Yes, it will, as long as it’s just a little less energetic than Karl. It would be nice to have a little girl this time,” she said.

  “Another Katerina. I like the thought,” Patrick said. “Two beautiful girls in one house is my idea of a nice house.”

  “We’ll see what the doctor says. I’ll see him after school today.”

  Confirmation…

  Doctor Carmichael confirmed her suspicions. “Once again, you’re in excellent health. You should have no problems over the full term.”

  She walked over to her Papa’s shop on Main Street, and told him the news. “That is wonderful,” he said. “You will need my room. I shall move to Mrs. Mueller’s Boarding house.”

  “You will do nothing of the sort. Patrick and I have talked about it, and we’d like for you to stay right where you are. If you want to move, that is a different story. I can see where Karl is wearing you out, so it’s up to you.”

  “You make the joke, yes?” he asked. “My Karl is the joy of my life.”

  “I’m going by the mercantile and look at some fabric, then I’ll be going on home. I love you, Papa. Be careful.”

  “I will, Liebchen and I love you with all of my being. You take care also.”

  At dinner…

  Patrick said,“I was talking with James today and he asked if I had filed a claim for more land. There is a Timber Culture act that will grant you 160 acres if you plant forty of it in timber over a period of years. After we were married, we could have filed for an additional 160 acres in your name. I didn’t know that until James mentioned it. If we did that, along with what I bought over the years, we’d have over a thousand acres. We would have a lot of good timber and also plant another crop of June wheat and have a crop come in twice during the year instead of one. We could plant some apple trees.

  “I think it would be a good move. I value your opinion, so, what do you think?”

  “I agree with you. Besides, we’re going to need more room if we keep making babies,” she said.

  By the time the pregnancy had run the full term, they had added 320 acres to the size of their holdings, giving them 1,124 acres.

  Dr. Carmichael delivered a baby girl to the happy parents. Patrick’s mother helped out as before. Mary Margaret was not present for the birth because she had married and moved to another part of Clackamas County. When Margaret handed the baby girl to the mother, she said, “She is the prettiest baby I have ever seen. If I were a betting person, I would bet she will look just like her mother.”

  “Thank you, Mama. By the way, Patrick and I had decided on a name if we had a girl.” She looked at Patrick and raised her eyebrows. He nodded to answer her unasked question.

  “We decided to name her Margaret Katerina.” Her smile was as big as all outdoors and lit the room. “You know how much I love and care for you. You’ve truly been a mother to me. Thank you.”

  Margaret Murphy’s eyes filled with tears that flowed down her cheeks. “God bless you and keep you, Katerina. You have brought more joy and pleasure to this family than I would have thought possible. I would be honored to have my first grand daughter carry my name. Now, I need to go dry my eyes.”

  Epilogue

  The young Murphy family continued to be blessed. Their family ultimately included three children, Karl, Margaret, the blue eyed blonde, and Elizabeth, their red haired, green eyed baby.

  The farm prospered, and when a lumber mill opened on the river, they had a ready market for the timber they harvested, being careful not to over cut. With the additional acreage, Patrick was able to bring in two wheat crops each year, and had to hire two additional farmhands to help work the land.

  Katerina was teacher of the year in the Oregon City school system numerous times. She continued to teach until she was fifty. She and Patrick took a year sabbatical from their farm and traveled to their family’s mother countries of Ireland and Germany. Both were able to locate relatives in their homelands.

  Karl Hauser moved into Mrs. Mueller’s boarding house despite Katerina and Patrick’s protests. Six months later, Mrs. Mueller became Betta Hauser. He would continue to operate his prosperous shoe shop.

  Karl Patrick Murphy was a standout student, just as his mother had been. He graduated from Oregon State University. He obtained his doctorate of philosophy and became a department head in the agriculture department at the university.

  Margaret Katerina Murphy also graduated from Oregon State with a law degree. She became a senior partner in Wells, Abercrombie and Murphy, one of the leading law firms in the state, before accepting an appointment as a federal judge.

  Elizabeth Murphy graduated from the University of Oregon and became a widely read author.

  Michael Murphy and his wife lived well into their eighties and died within two months of each other. They are buried side by side in the Murphy family plot in the Catholic Cemetery in Oregon City.

  Katerina and her beloved Patrick lived to the ripe old ages of ninety three and ninety five.

  About Susan Leigh Carlton

  Susan lives in a gated community just outside Tomball, Texas with her husband, two toy poodles and Lissie the cat..

  In Search of Love is her latest book to be published by Amazon. She says, “This is my favorite of all the books I have written. It’s the same with all of them. The latest is the favorite. I tend to be a friend of my characters, talking to them and listening to them. I also tend to be emotional and found m
yself becoming choked up when Katerina told Margaret they were naming their daughter after her.

  She also monitors all of the reviews and comments. She says “I revise my writing process and style accordingly. This is a learning process for me and I love every bit of it.”

  The names of all her books are on the pages following this one.

  She says, “My thanks to you readers. I appreciate your taking the time to read them. As an avid reader myself, I will read several books during the time I am writing. Our kids love to read as does my husband. He takes his iPad with him everywhere and reads during waits for the doctor.

  Thanks again. Now I can begin research on my next effort. If you have suggestions for additional books, I would love to hear them. Email them to me or enter them as comments on the website.”