Not Quite A Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  “There was a holdup!” the man said. “The bank guard was shot and the robbers rode out of town headed northwest.”

  “Clara was going to the bank,” Luke said as he began elbowing his way through the crowd. Gradually, he made his way to the plank sidewalk that ran the full length of the business district. He stepped up on the walkway and went to the door of the bank. The door was locked. He peered through the dirty glass and could make out the boots of a man lying on the floor. He rapped on the glass in the door. A man in a white shirt and tie looked up. He waved his arms and mouthed, “We’re closed.” Luke rapped harder. The same man looked up and held his hands up, the black bands he wore on his shirt sleeves waving back and forth. Luke pounded on the door.

  The man came to the door along with a man Luke recognized as the president of the bank. He came to the door, but didn’t open it. Luke shouted, “Is my wife still in there?”

  The bank president opened the door. “Luke, the clerk didn’t recognize you. Please come on in.”

  Elbowing his way inside, followed by Jed, Luke asked, “Was Clara here?”

  “She is here, Luke. She was shot during the robbery. Come with me.”

  “Shot? Is she okay?”

  “I’m afraid it’s real bad Luke. She was hit in the ah… chest. We have her over here.”

  “Has anybody gone after the doctor?” Luke asked.

  “I don’t know,” said the banker.

  Luke roared, “You don’t know? Good God, man. What’s wrong with you?” He rested his hand on the butt of his gun. “You better get the doctor over here and you had better be damn quick about it.” He turned back and took the two steps to where his wife lay on the carpeted floor, her head resting on a seat cushion from the sofa. He pushed his way to the side of the sofa. A woman was leaning over talking to Clara. “That’s my wife,” Luke said. “Let me in there, please.”

  He slid his hand under her head, and said, “Clara honey. It’s me. You’re going to be all right.” Blood trickled from her nose and mouth. She tried to speak, but only more blood came from her mouth.

  “Jed,” yelled Luke.

  “I’m right here, Luke. What do you need?

  Tears streaming from his worried, anguished face, he said, “Would you make sure the doctor gets here, and would you get John for us please. We need his prayers. It’s bad, Jed. Real bad.”

  “On my way, Luke. I’ll take care of it.” He shoved and pushed his way through the crowd, where he met the young doctor trying to push his way through, with little success. Jed pulled his gun and fired a shot in the air. There was dead silence. “Get out of the way and let the doctor through. She’s inside to the left, doctor. Luke is with her. I’m going to get the preacher.”

  On his way, he met Sarah coming out of the general store. “It’s Clara,” he said as he ran by. “She’s been shot,” he finished over his shoulder.

  He ran all of the way to the church. He found John inside. “John,” he said, winded from his run, “It’s Clara. At the bank. She’s been shot. Luke wants you to come pray for her. It looks bad, John. Is Grace in the house?” John nodded as he stood. Jed said, “I’ll tell her. You go.” He ran out the back door to the Carruthers’ house and relayed the same message. Grace turned to one of the ladies with her and said, “Will you watch Rebecca? I’m going to Clara.”

  With Jed holding her arm, they ran back to the bank, where John had gone on inside. Sarah was standing by the door, unable to gain admittance. Jed pounded on the door. The bank president opened the door. Pushing Sarah and Grace ahead of him, he reentered the bank. “Did the doctor get in?” he demanded.

  “He’s with Miz Hastings now,” said the harried man, fearful of Jed. He had seen Jed pull his gun outside and was afraid of a similar action in his bank.

  The doctor looked at Luke. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Luke. She’s gone.”

  “Gone? She can’t be gone. She was alive a few minutes ago. She can’t be gone, Doc. Do something. You’ve got to do something.”

  “The bullet penetrated her heart, Luke. She didn’t have a chance.”

  Heedless of the blood, Luke pulled the lifeless body of his wife to him. “Don’t leave me Clara. I can’t make it without you. Don’t leave me, please, Clara.”

  To the Doctor, Jed said quietly, “What do we need to do now, Doctor?”

  “I think it will make less of a scene if we take her to my office,” the doctor said.

  “No! You’re not taking her anywhere. I’m taking her home. She’s going to be all right, when I get her home,” Luke said.

  “Can we do that, Doc?” asked Jed.

  “I don’t see why not,” the Doctor said. “I don’t think he will bury her here in town.”

  “Luke? I’m going to get the wagon. We’ll take her home, okay?” Jed asked.

  Raising his head, tears still pouring from his eyes, Luke nodded. “Thanks, Jed.”

  “I’ll bring the wagon to the back,” Jed said.

  Luke simply nodded.

  Jed pulled John aside. “We’re going to take Clara home. I’m going to get the wagon and get a coffin from the undertaker. Can you and Grace come?”

  “Of course, Jed.”

  Running once more to the livery stable where they had left the horse and wagon, Jed paid the stable hand, hitched the wagon and drove to the undertaker’s place. Rousing the owner from his nap, he said, “I’m in a hurry. I want the best coffin you have and I want it now.”

  “Who’s going to pay for it?” the man asked. “It costs $100.”

  “My best friend’s wife just got shot. Now you either get me the coffin now and I’ll pay you next time I’m in town or you pick one out for yourself because you’re going to need it in about five minutes.”

  “Okay,” the man whined. “Okay.”

  When it was loaded on the wagon, Jed drove back to the rear door of the bank and knocked. The door was opened, and Jed went to Luke. “I’ve got the wagon out back. We can take her home now,” he said.

  His eyes red and swollen from crying, Luke gently lifted his wife and carried her through the back door to the wagon. “I have a coffin for her Luke. It will make for an easier ride.”

  “No,” Luke said fiercely. “I’ll hold her.”

  He held her in his arms, crying softly through the ninety minute ride home. No one said anything during the long ride to the Twin Bar H.

  CHAPTER FOUR LUKE BRINGS CLARA HOME

  When they arrived at the Twin Bar H after the somber ride home, Luke carried Clara’s body into their bedroom and put her in their bed. Jed and Sarah went in with them. “Luke, what about the boys?” Sarah asked.

  “What about them? What do you mean,” he asked, his voice raspy and his eyes red.

  “Aren’t they here in the house?” she asked.

  “Hetty probably has them at her house.” [Author’s note: Hetty, their housekeeper and nanny had a small house near the main house.]

  “Won’t they come back here when they know you’re home?” she asked. “You don’t want them to see their mother like this. You have to tell them, but they can’t see her until after I get her washed and dressed.”

  “Oh God, how can I tell them their mother is dead and they can’t see her?” He completely broke down again.

  “Would you like for me to go over there and tell them?” Sarah asked.

  “No, that is my job to tell them. I’ll go do that in a few minutes,” he said.

  “Luke, you’re not alone in this. We’re your friends. We were her friends too. Let us help. I’d like to wash her and get her dressed in one of her pretty dresses. Would that be all right with you?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes, of course, Sarah, if you would please. First, just give me a few more minutes alone with her.”

  “Any particular dress you would like for her to wear? I was thinking of the blue one with the yellow flowers. Is that okay with you?” she asked.

  “That one will be good. Now if I could…?”

  Sarah
and Jed left the heartbroken and heartsick man alone with the body of his beloved Clara.

  In the other room, Jed embraced Sarah. “I don’t know if I could handle the loss of you. Just so you know, you are my whole life and I could never do without you.”

  “Let’s hope you don’t have to, my darling.” She kissed him. “The hard part is going to be telling the boys. Neither is old enough to understand the concept of death. To be without a mother at their age is going to be extremely difficult.. I don’t envy him the job of telling them.”

  She sat on the sofa, with Jed beside her. She was not looking forward to the job of bathing and dressing Clara. It was just something neighbors and friends did for each other. Life on a ranch was a hardship and there were many deaths to cope with. It eventually became a part of their life.

  Luke came out of the room. He had washed his face, but his eyes were still red. “I’m going to tell my sons about their mother,” he said. “Sarah, would you see to Clara for me, please? I’d appreciate it.” He left the room and the house.

  When Luke returned, he said, “The boys are going to stay with Hetty tonight,”

  “Jimmy is too young to understand, but how is Will?”

  “He cried, but Hetty is comforting him. I don’t think he totally understands. I told him his mother was in heaven now and he wanted to go see her. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do including burying my brother. I just don’t understand the ways of a God that will take the most important thing in mine and my two boys lives. It doesn’t seem right.”

  “Clara is ready now. She looks beautifully serene,” Sarah said. “Do you want us to stay tonight,” she asked.

  “No, that is not necessary. You go on home and hug your children extra tight. You never know what tomorrow will bring. I’ll be all right.”

  “John and Grace will be out tomorrow. I assume you’ll want to have services?” Jed asked.

  “Yes… no… I don’t know what I want. I’m going to put her next to Will. She came out here to marry him and now she’s joining him a lot sooner than we all thought. I will be put next to her and all three of us will be together..”

  “Luke, don’t talk that way. You have to be strong. You have to be both mother and father to your sons,” an alarmed Sarah said.

  “Yes, well, right now, I’m not sure I’m up to the task,” he replied.

  “”Listen to yourself, Luke. You have to go on. It’s what Clara would have wanted. She trusted and loved you and she gave you two sons. Now it’s up to you to take care of them for her,” Jed said, as he embraced him “Luke, even though you’re just a few years older than I am, you’ve been sort of a father figure to me. I’ve modeled myself after you. Lean on us, we’re your friends.

  One or both of us can stay if you want, if not we’ll borrow your wagon and go on home, but we’ll be back in the morning.”

  “Jed, Sarah, thank you for all you’ve done. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate it. I’ll see you in the morning.” He went to Sarah, hugged her and said, “Thanks for taking care of Clara tonight. I know it wasn’t easy for you. I know how much you cared.”

  “It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t unpleasant.” Sarah said. “I’m afraid I got tears on her dress, but they were tears of love. Good night, Luke. Don’t forget to say your prayers. She’ll be hearing them tonight.”

  The next morning…

  When Jed came over the next morning, Luke wasn’t in the house. Hetty said he was up on the hill. The family cemetery was on the hill. Jed walked up to where Luke was digging the grave into which he would put his beloved Clara later. “Let me spell you, Luke. Take a breather.”

  “No! This is something I have to do myself,” and he continued digging.

  “Luke, she was my friend too,” Jed said.

  “I’ll do it myself,” Luke said angrily.

  Recognizing the outburst for what it was, Jed said no more. He went over and sat under the tree that protected the graves of Luke’s parents and his brother. After awhile the grunts coming from Luke stopped, and he climbed out of the grave. He was sweaty and dirty. He sat down with Jed and said, “I’m sorry, Jed. I had no right to take my anger out on you. It is anger too. Do they know who the men were?”

  “Someone said they were part of the Hole In The Wall Gang. They’ve been responsible for a lot of problems around here recently. What happened, the guard drew his gun and shot at them. I understand he hit one of them too. They began shooting back and Clara was caught in the crossfire. It wouldn’t have happened if the guard hadn’t fired first. It all seems so unnecessary.

  Hand me the shovel and let me dig for a while.”

  Luke handed him the shovel, and said simply, “Thanks, Jed.”

  It was two hours before the grave was deemed suitable. They walked back down the hill and found Sarah in the kitchen. When she looked at her husband, he saw her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were tear stained. “Are you all right, Honey?” he asked.

  “Yes, but it has been a very bad day for me.”

  “I know what you mean,” he said, draping his arm across her shoulders and pulling her in close. “The only consolation is, for us, this will eventually pass.”

  CHAPTER FIVE MARTHA HARDING SANDERS

  At first, it seemed Daniel Sanders had an ordinary cold that wouldn’t go away. His wife, Martha, prepared hot soup and hot tea for him. “I’m so tired, I don’t have the energy to spit,” he said. His sneezing continued and he developed a hacking cough that seemed to shake his whole body.

  Martha placed her hand on his forehead. It was very warm. She wet a small towel and placed it on his brow. “I’m going to get the doctor,” she said. She returned after thirty minutes with the doctor. He took Daniel’s temperature, listened to lungs, then made his diagnosis. “I believe he has pneumonia.” He prescribed a treatment, emphasizing heavily that Martha wear a mask, and take great care in handling his clothes and to not breathe air around him after he had just coughed, lest the disease be transmitted to her. “His room must be kept ventilated and should be exposed to the sun to the fullest extent possible.”

  Two days later, Daniel died in his sleep. Martha was a widow at 28. Her mother came to help her disinfect her house by scrubbing all of the surfaces in the bedroom Daniel had slept in. They burned his clothes and the bed linens and buried the ashes in a pit in the back yard.

  They had not been blessed with children so Martha was alone. She asked her mother, “What should I do, mother? I can’t continue to pay rent for this house, since my library job doesn’t pay well enough.”

  “You have to come live with us,” her mother said. “Your old room isn’t used, and we can get you moved right away.” It was the only solution, so Martha moved back home and continued working in the local library. Her mother told her, “After a proper mourning period, you will begin looking for a new husband. There’s this nice Mr Thielke who would make a good husband.”

  “She’s doing the same thing with me she did with Sarah. She’s going to start playing matchmaker,” thought Martha. That evening Martha composed a letter to her sister Sarah Barnette, in Wyoming. Her sister picked up the letter in the local post office the same day Clara Hastings, her best friend was shot during a holdup of the bank in Laramie. Sarah did not read the letter until two days after she picked it up.

  * * *

  J Bar B ranch…

  Sarah remembered the letters she had picked up, got them out to read. She decided to read the one from her mother first, it was chatty, remembering their visit the past year and looking forward to the next time they would see each other.

  Martha’s was different and much sadder. It deepened the sadness she was feeling over Clara’s death. Jed came in from the corral. “What’s the matter honey? You’re looking sick.”

  “I had a letter from Mother and one from Martha yesterday. I didn’t read them until this morning. Jed, Martha’s husband died from pneumonia. Mother said they had to burn his clothes and everything. Martha is st
aying with Ma and Papa until it’s safe for her to go back into her home. Since they had no children, she’s alone now. She was such a comfort to me and now I can’t help her.” She leaned on Jed’s shoulder, secure in his arms. “She’s staying with Ma and Papa since she has no need for a house any more. She said Ma is already starting to hint about her finding another husband.”

  “Your mother will never forgive me for this, but why don’t we invite her out here?” Jed asked.

  “That would be wonderful, but we’ll have to send her the ticket. I’m sure she can’t afford it,” Sarah said.

  “I agree, but we can, remember?” he said.

  “She had a major part in helping me escape the matchmaker that is our mother. You’re going to love her,” she said.