I’m awaiting your answer,
Love,
Jameson
Constance ran downstairs and nearly plowed over her father who was standing at the bottom landing. “Is it true?”
“It’s true,” Richard chuckled. “I gave Jameson my blessing to bring you out to San Jacinto. Your mother and I will follow in a few months, once things settle down at the office.”
“Oh thank you, daddy!” Constance squealed. “Can you believe it? I’m going to be our family’s first mail-order bride!”
“Well, he hasn’t asked yet,” Richard said, grinning. “Although I don’t expect it to be much longer, once you arrive. Regardless, I’m thankful that Jameson didn’t have to advertise for you.”
“When do I leave?”
“This afternoon,” Richard said, holding out an envelope. “This envelope contains the inheritance, as well as some spending money to keep you until you can establish yourself in San Jacinto.”
“When will you and mother come to visit?”
“When we hear that our daughter is planning her wedding, we’ll be on the next train.”
Later that day Constance stood in Grand Central Station, waiting for her train to come. When it pulled up she tearfully love her parents and then stepped onto the train, feeling as if she was finally heading toward her future. Having graduated the month before with her nursing degree and a follow-up degree in library sciences, she was well suited to find employment in either field. Truth be told she wasn’t sure she would work at all, it would all depend on what Jameson thought and where his ranch went.
Two days later, Constance stepped of the train at the San Jacinto depot and all but flew into Jameson’s embrace. Smiling broadly, she giggled, “I’ve missed you.”
“I could tell,” he grinned, tucking her hand into his elbow. “I’ve acquired a room for you at the Hamilton Inn, but I’d like to take you to dinner tonight, if you’re not too tired.”
“I feel like I have all the energy in the world right now.”
“You were able to sleep on the train?”
“For the most part. The closer we came to San Jacinto the harder it became, but I was able to get enough adequate rest. Can we eat at your ranch?”
“If you’d like,” Jameson smiled. “I think you’ll find the new upgrades much to your liking.”
Constance was once again amazed at the beauty of Jameson’s property and could scarcely believe that someday it would be hers as well. But it was when she looked across the expanse and saw Rebekah and Billy Porter running toward her that Constance knew she’d found her home.
“How did you two get here?”
“We was hired by Mr. Smitz,” Rebekah said, her smile broad and beaming. “I’m the cook and he paid me enough that Billy can stay in school.”
“Someone once told me that schooling was very important for young boys,” Jameson chuckled, pulling Constance to his side.
“That it is,” Constance smiled. Dinner was served on the Veranda and Constance told Jameson all about her schooling and graduation. “I was at the top of my class, although I was thankful to not be the school’s valedictorian. I hate public speaking.”
“Really?” Jameson said, truly shocked. “With your flamboyant attitude I’d think public speaking would be right up your alley.”
“Nope,” she smiled. “I can’t stand big crowds and everyone watching me.”
“So I suppose you don’t want a big wedding then?”
“Seeing as no one’s asked me to marry him, I don’t need to worry about it.”
“I’m asking,” Jameson said, his dark hair blowing in the wind. Constance watched as he got down on one knee and pulled out a pretty rose colored, gold ring. “This was my mother’s before she passed and it was always her wish that I would pass it down in our family. So I’m asking you to wear it proudly if you’ll have me?”
Constance couldn’t stop the tears that fell from her eyes as she laughed with joy. “Yes, I’ll have you Jameson Smitz and I will gladly wear your mother’s ring with all the pride my heart can muster.”
Epilogue
True to her word, Constance wore the small golden band with pride from the moment they were engaged to the date of their wedding that summer and throughout their lives together. Their children, a boy and a girl, did all the things Jameson had dreamed of and more. Rebekah stayed on as the cook for their home even after Billy had graduated from college and moved away. She often went to visit him and Jameson and Constance, along with their children attended Billy’s wedding in the spring of 1900. Manuel also stayed on as the foreman for the Triple “S” Ranch, which it eventually came to be named.
Constance’s parents enjoyed many visits to California. So much so, especially when the grandchildren came along, that they moved to the area permanently in 1895 and only spent an occasional trip back to New York, usually for business purposes.
“What will you tell our children when they start to ask how we came to know each other?”
“I’ll be honest,” Jameson smiled. “I’ll tell them that their spitfire mother couldn’t leave well enough alone and that because of that evident fact, I was blessed with the most amazing woman I’m sure God ever created.”
“You’re embellishing.”
“Probably a little bit,” he grinned. “But not for a bad cause. Why, what would you tell them?”
“I’d have to be honest as well mind you. I’d have to tell them about how I found Billy in your factory and that I was all ready to set you straight on the matter. Then I’d have to tell them about how shocked you were and how you not only remedied the situation, you kept your promise to be transparent by corresponding with me. I’d tell them about the times we spent apart and how it seemed as if we’d never be on the same page.
“Then I’d tell them how God moved quickly when the time was right to bring us together. How our love has endured despite the incredible hard times and that all of our blessings are because of Him.”
“I think you’d win that set, love.”
“Oh I know I would,” Constance grinned. “I’d also tell them that their father was so desperate to marry me that he had to order me through the mail.”
Jameson laughed and drew his wife to his side, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as their children read in front of the fire and snow began to fall outside their large picture window. Life was indeed sweet for the Smitz family. And tomorrow, when they held their very first Labor of Love fundraiser, which sought to raise money to stop child labor practices, was just going to add to the sweetness.
THE END.
The Wondering Bride
Mail Order Bride
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL
Chapter 1 – Broken Dreams
“I said it before, and I am going to say it again, but this is the last time! A woman’s place is at home and in the kitchen, and that is where you are going to be!”
“I get my work done, and I make sure everything is ready on time, I just want to go to the library for a few things, then I will be home!”
“Amelia! I will not have this, you are going to stay here, and that is the end of it!”
The door slammed, and Amelia flung herself onto the chair by the table. It wasn’t unusual for her to fight with her step father, for they had never gotten along. Amelia’s mother had married the man when Amelie was eleven years old, and since that time, she had clashed with him and his wishes.
Her mother had passes away when Amelia was fifteen, and it had been just her and her step father ever since. She hoped after her mother had passed that things would be better for her and her dad, but they only seemed to get worse. The older Amelia got, the more he wanted her to be home and working in the kitchen.
When Amelia turned nineteen, she hoped her step father would allow her to attend the academy in town. It was one of the only academies in all of Georgia that allowed women, and Amelia felt it was an opportunity for her to better herself, and maybe get to travel.
But Toby, h
er step father, was clear on his point of view. He wanted her home, at all times. She could go down to the general store and fetch the things they needed for dinner, or she might walk up in the back pasture when her things were done, but she wasn’t going to any academies, she wasn’t going to the library, and she certainly wasn’t going to be out meeting young men in the town.
And so the fights ensued. When she was younger, Amelia’s mother was the one who kept Toby busy. She would often cook and clean, and mind the house while he was down at the saloon passing the day away. She taught Amelia to cook and clean, and how to mind the house, but she never told Amelia when she should find her own house.
At the time, Amelia never gave it a lot of thought. She was happy there with her mother most of the time, as long as she stayed out of Toby’s way. The few times their paths did cross in a day, it was usually short and sweet, and Amelia would get back to her schooling and her chores.
Then Amelia finished her school, but instead of moving on to apprentice with one of the other women in town, she took care of her mother, who had fallen sick with Scarlet Fever. In spite of all the care and tears Amelia cast for her mother, the sickness won out and she was left alone with Toby.
Toby hadn’t been around for her mother when she was ill, and Amelia partially blamed him for her passing. If he had spent more of his money on medicine and more of his time with her mother, she may have been able to recover, but as it happened, her mother had to suffer with the little things Amelia was able to make for her, but never with any real medication.
Amelia had begged Toby to allow her to send for the doctor, but he had refused. Time and time again he told her the doctor wasn’t any good, and he was only going to take the little money they had. There would be no sense in hiring a doctor to do what Amelia was able to do without one, so they never sent for one.
The years after her mother passes were rough for Amelia. She was in the home whenever Toby was home, doing the things that he required of her to do. She would cook and clean, and mend the clothing. If there were errands to run, she would do them, and if a guest were to be coming for dinner, it was Amelia’s job to purchase and make the food.
She had little time to herself, but even the time that she did have Toby controlled. He didn’t allow her to go anywhere. If there was a chance she may meet someone and fall in love, he didn’t allow her to attend, even if he would also be present. She wasn’t allowed to go to any of the parties, and going about town except for errands was strictly forbidden.
Now, as Amelia sat on the chair in the kitchen, she felt as though she had reached her breaking point. Enough was enough, and this was getting to be unbearable. There were times when she considered going to the sheriff, but she knew she couldn’t prove anything, and she felt she would likely get in more trouble with Toby if she did.
She begged him to go to church with her, but as the weeks passed, he not only refused, but he tried to keep her from going as well. Amelia knew it couldn’t go on like this forever. She had to do something.
She had already given up on her dreams, her hopes, and any of the plans she ever had for the future. She forgot what it was like to be happy, and whenever she thought of the things she wanted, an overwhelming sadness fell over her that took hours or even days to shake.
As she sat there with her head in her hands, she let the tears fall. She prayed to God that something would change for her, and soon. She couldn’t stay a prisoner in this house forever, she just couldn’t.
Something had to change, and soon.
Chapter 2 – The Lost Biscuits
“Where are the biscuits? Amelia!”
Amelia jumped at the sudden shout in the kitchen. She had been spending the past few days trying to get on Toby’s good side, but to little avail. She had spent all of the money she saved on his favorite foods… jerky, nuts, and those little dried fruits the general store had every now and then… and she had been certain to get all of the chores done before he got home.
Toby liked it best when the work was done when he wasn’t around. He wanted to wake up to breakfast on the table, and leave the work at home as he went about town. When he returned, he expected dinner to be waiting for him, with all of the other chores in the house done.
Amelia remembered how her mother had always worked so hard to make it happen, and how many nights she had failed. There was simply too much to do in their large house. There were the chickens in the back of the house to tend to, the milk cow and the horse in the stable, and there was the cooking and the cleaning to do inside.
Back in the olden days, there had been a handful of servants that did all the work for the master of the house, or at least that is what Toby had told them. Amelia often wondered how old Toby had managed to get such a fine house when he didn’t work much.
As a child she had foolishly asked him how it had happened, and he had become very angry with her. He told her that it was his house and she ought to be grateful she got to live in it, and never mind asking the questions of where it came from. Amelia never asked another question after that.
Her mother never mentioned whether or not she knew, nor would she answer if Amelia asked her why she married such a hard man. All in all, Amelia had to live her life as it was, and never wonder if there was something better out there.
Now, her heart pounded in her chest as she hurried down the hall to the kitchen. She had been certain she had made the biscuits. That was the first thing she had done the afternoon before. Where could they have gone?
“I made a whole mess of them and left them in the basket on the window.”
Amelia was already explaining herself before she got to the kitchen. She knew if she didn’t start early, he would do all of the yelling, and she wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise. Toby’s face was red, and he had bulges in his forehead and neck from where his veins were.
Amelia looked around the kitchen, trying to remember what she had done with the biscuits.
“You left them on the window did you? On the window?! How many times must I tell you never to leave the things on the window!? There are way too many quick fingers in this neighborhood for that, you stupid girl! Look there!”
Toby pointed out the window, and Amelia leaned over the sill to look out into the yard. There, on the ground, was the basket. There were a couple of biscuits on the grass where the thief had dropped them in his haste, but the rest of them were gone.
“I’m sorry, I thought that since I was home I would hear someone coming over the fence.”
Amelia’s voice was small. It was true, he had told her not to leave the food there on more than once occasion, but Amelia never thought that this would really happen. She was now backing to the door, hoping to avoid the lecture she knew was about to come down on her.
“You get out of this house right now, and you go straight down to the bakers! I want you to get one… no… two dozen biscuits! You go down there and you purchase those biscuits with your own money, and you get back here by four o’clock, do you understand me?!”
Toby was still yelling, and the louder he got, the redder his face got. Amelia nodded, her own face pale, and she hurried out into the street. She was in such a hurry she didn’t even put on her bonnet, and the sun beat down on her head. The dust was blowing the dry ground, and it settled in her eyes.
Amelia was always a young woman of pride, she never wanted to be seen by anyone in anything less than her best, and she now felt more embarrassed than she could describe. Her face was red with shame, feeling the stares of the other people on the street.
They all knew her step father, and many of them respected the man. They were ashamed of her for his sake, and this sight only solidified in their minds how she was. Amelia wanted to hide in the trees she passed, but she was on a mission. The time she had to be home was fast approaching, and she didn’t want to endure the wrath of Toby for being late on top of losing the biscuits.
Amelia hurried at the baker’s, and tapped her foot impatiently as the ba
ker went to the back to fill a basket with biscuits for her.
There’s got to be more to life than all of this. This can’t be it. I’m too young for this sort of thing. I just know it.
A flood of emotions swept over her, and she felt tight in her chest. For the first time in a long time, Amelia felt something different than resignation. As she stood there, watching the doors gently swing back and forth from the baker passing through them, she realized if something was going to happen, she had to do it herself.
Life wasn’t a pile of flowers blown by the wind, and she didn’t want to end up the same way her mother had. She wasn’t going to stand for this any longer. She was going to make a change.
Amelia decided she was going to run away.
Chapter 3 – The Paper on the Wall
The baker seemed to take an eternity to get the biscuits in the basket and bring them out to her. It was getting to the point Amelia was about ready to leave without them. The only thing that kept her there was the fact she would have to deal with Toby when she got home.
He is going to be mad enough I was gone so long, I hardly dare show up again without his biscuits, or I will really be in for it.
Finally, the baker reappeared, with the basket heaping over with hot biscuits.
“I thought I would wait a few minutes to pull the fresh ones out of the fire. What do you think?”
Amelia wanted to just leave, but she couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the biscuits were on basket, and they did indeed smell quite fresh.
“Thanks so much, Mr. Cartwheel. My father is going to appreciate it more than you know.”
She always felt odd calling Toby her father. He was only that relation because he married her mother. Her real father had been gone a long time. She paid the baker and left, walking as quickly as she could with the basket full of biscuits. Although the streets were crowded, Amelia was able to walk quickly through the skirts and boots on her way back home.
[2016] Widowed and Pregnant Page 11
