Mail Order Mama

by Kirsten Osbourne

  June 1884

  Outside of Beckham, Massachusetts

  Susan breathed a sigh of relief as her day with the neighbor children was finally over. It wasn’t that the Jacobs’ kids were bad, because her own siblings made them look like angels, but she was just tired of being around children all the time. Everywhere she looked were kids getting into everything. She thought, not for the first time, that she needed to get married and escape everyone else’s children. She knew without a doubt, that she could make sure her own kids, if God cursed her with them, behaved well.

  She wandered along the dirt road, breathing deeply of the warm summer air. There were flowers in bloom all around her and the trees overhead made a perfect covering protecting her from the hot sun. Summer was her favorite season of the year. She wondered if she’d have time to go for a quick dip in the family’s pond after dinner.

  She walked the quarter of a mile to her family’s farm and went inside, knowing it was time for her to help with dinner. Her sister who was two years younger than her at sixteen had been home with their younger siblings all day, and since there were ten younger siblings, she knew the job would be overwhelming for her sister.

  Their mother worked in town for one of the women there cleaning and doing odd jobs around the house. Ever since her youngest brother had broken his arm the previous month, her mother had needed to work to help make ends meet. Their small dairy farm just wasn’t enough to support all fourteen of them and pay any doctor bills that came along.

  Susan walked through the kitchen and noted the absence of anything cooking. There were egg shells and smashed egg yolks all over the walls and floor. Where was Elizabeth?

  She found her in the small parlor with her head in her hands crying. Sitting beside Elizabeth on the sofa, Susan asked, “What’d they do now?”

  Elizabeth rubbed her eyes. She was small for her age, and not much bigger than some of their younger brothers. She had the same blond hair and green eyes Susan did, but at that moment, her eyes were red-rimmed and her hair was sticking up in every direction. Susan thought she detected a piece of egg shell in her sister’s hair, but didn’t say anything about it. “I cannot do this anymore! They’re hellions!” She threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

  “Egg fight?” Susan knew there’d been a pretty major egg fight in the kitchen, but that was nothing new in their house. Why would Elizabeth be so upset over something like that?

  Elizabeth nodded. “To start with.” She took a deep breath. “Have you seen the outhouse? Or been in the barn yet?”

  “No….” What had the monsters done this time?

  “Well, first they had the egg fight in the kitchen. I walked in and yelled for them to stop before one of the twins beaned me in the side of the head with an egg. I was about to clean it up, but I had to answer nature’s call first.” Susan nodded, waiting for her sister to get to what the kids had done. “They tipped over the outhouse…with me in it!”

  Susan pressed her hand to her mouth to hide the grin that wanted to pop out. It wasn’t funny, and she’d be furious if it had been her, but she couldn’t help the laughter that was trying to bubble up and out of her. In retrospect the things their siblings did were funny, but it took a while to find enough distance to laugh when you’d been the victim of their mischief.

  “Then, when I finally got out and was coming back in the house, I saw Mary’s hands were covered with paint. Lavender paint. You know the paint Ma said we could use to paint our room?” Mary was their ten year old sister. She was the next-oldest girl after Elizabeth and the three of them shared a room.

  “Yes?”

  “Well, she didn’t want a purple room, so she used the paint on Mabel.”

  “Mabel? She actually stood still for that?”

  “She wasn’t happy. I could hear her mooing from across the yard. Apparently, Mary pulled her in from the field where she was grazing and put her in her stall, before painting her lavender.” Elizabeth sighed. “So no pretty room for us. We have to put up with the tic tac toe game on the walls forever.”

  Susan sighed heavily. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’m eighteen. I should be married by now and I wouldn’t have to put up with this nonsense anymore.” She stared off into space for a moment while she thought about it. “Or I guess I could find a job where I could live in. But no kids!”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Then I’d have to deal with them all without you. Ma doesn’t much care what they do, and I can’t do it alone.” Susan’s eyes looked fearful at the very idea of Susan leaving her there with the monsters.

  “I hate to leave you in this situation by yourself, but honestly? I’m doing it the first chance I get.” She looked around. “What happened to the newspaper Pa brought home yesterday?”

  “Mary had Mabel stand on it so she wouldn’t get paint on the floor of the barn.”

  That was finally too much for Susan and she felt the laugh rumble up from inside her. “So it’s okay to paint the cow, but not to paint the barn floor? Did she get dropped on her head when she was a baby?”

  “It’s not funny! You don’t have to stay here with them all day every day. At least you get to go to the Jacobs’ farm three days a week. I want to go to the Jacob’s farm.” Elizabeth’s voice was usually calm and serene, but it had deteriorated to a whine.

  “We should walk into town together after supper and get a newspaper. Maybe we can find you a job, too.” Susan had made up her mind during her conversation with her sister. She was going to get out no matter what she had to do.

  “Okay. But what are we going to fix for supper? It’ll be time to eat in an hour.”

  Susan stood up and held her hand out for her sister. “We’ll figure something out. And then we’ll figure out how to get out of here!”

  As they walked into town two hours later, the two sisters talked about their dreams for the future. “I want to be a teacher,” Elizabeth admitted. “I don’t think I ever want to get married.”

  Susan grinned. “Just so you don’t have to teach our brothers and sisters!” Not getting married was a good idea, in a way, because then she would never be saddled with children, but Susan wanted to find a man to love her.

  Elizabeth finally saw the humor in her day and giggled a little. “I want to be a teacher in Oregon. Or California. I hear California is beautiful this time of year.” She stopped walking and looked at Susan with fear in her eyes. “You don’t think Ma and Pa would ever move to California, do you?”

  Susan shook her head, pulling her sister along with her. “That’s a better plan.” She kicked at a clump of dirt along her path as she walked. They were almost to Beckham. “I really wish I could just get married, but where am I going to meet a man? We go to the same country church we’ve gone to our whole lives, and the most eligible bachelor is old James Duncan.”

  Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “He does seem interested in you.” James Duncan was seventy if he was a day, and he’d already buried four wives. He was on the prowl for number five, and Susan seemed to be the object of his affections.

  Susan let out a shudder. “I don’t think so.” They’d reached town and turned to the general store, which was closed, but always set out the “old” newspapers at the end of the day.

  Each sister took one, and they settled themselves onto the bench in front of the store to scan the job advertisements. Susan quickly scanned through and stopped at an advertisement for mail order brides. “Mail Order Bride agency needs women who are looking for the adventure of their lives. Men out West need women to marry. Reply in person at 300 Rock Creek Road. See Mrs. Harriett Long.”

  Elizabeth looked at Susan. “Nothing for me, but did you see the ad for a Mail Order Bride?”

  Susan nodded slowly. “I just read it. Am I really desperate enough to get away to answer it, though?” She bit her lip thinking hard about whether that was something she really wanted to do.

  “I am! If I wanted to get married and get away from ‘the demon horde’ we call brot
hers and sisters I would do it in a heartbeat.”

  Susan made up her mind to do it. What could it hurt to just talk to the woman? “Would you go to see Mrs. Long with me?”

  Elizabeth looked back down at the paper. “Rock Creek Road. Do you know where that is?”

  “I think it’s in the rich part of town.” Susan’s brows drew together. “Why would a rich woman run a mail order bride business?”

  “I have no idea.” She stood and held her hand out for her sister. “Let’s go see if we can find Rock Creek Road.”

  “You mean it?” Susan had expected Elizabeth to try to talk her out of going, but instead she supported her. She was a good sister.

  Elizabeth nodded. “One of us should be able to get out of there!”

  Susan took Elizabeth’s hand and the two of them walked toward the rich side of town, stopping once to get directions. Once they were in front of the house on Rock Creek Road, Susan’s eyes grew wide and she looked at her sister. “This place is huge.”

  Elizabeth was obviously awestruck. “And beautiful.” The two girls stared at the house in awe for a minute.

  “How’s my hair?” Susan asked.

  Elizabeth sighed. “As good as it ever is.” They both knew Susan’s long blond hair hated to be confined in a bun. There were always tendrils popping out of any hairdo she tried to put it in. There was nothing to do about it now, though. “Let’s go up.”

  “Are you coming in with me?”

  “If you want me to.”

  “Oh, I do! I don’t think I could knock on that door without you beside me.” Susan wasn’t shy, but there was something about the mansion in front of them that intimidated her. She didn’t really want to take her sister, but she didn’t feel like she could do it alone.

  “Let’s go then.”

  The two sisters walked slowly up the sidewalk to the front door. Susan reached out and knocked three times, holding her breath as she waited for someone to come to the door.

  It was answered within moments by a tall thin man with dark hair and eyes. “May I help you?”

  Susan stared at him for a moment. He seemed to fit in well with the home and she couldn’t help but wonder if the owners had bought him as part of it. Elizabeth elbowed her in the side to get her to talk. “I’m here to see Mrs. Long, please.”

  The man seemed to take them in all at once. His eyes dropped to the newspapers in their hands and he gave a quick nod. “Of course. Mrs. Long is in her office. If you’d come this way?” He led the way toward the back of a long elegant hallway.

  Susan wanted to pop her head into every room and see what was behind the closed doors. She’d seen houses like this before, but she’d never been inside one, and she found she wanted to know everything about it.

  The man stopped at a door at the end of the hallway, and knocked once, before opening the door. “There are two young ladies here to see you, ma’am.”

  Susan couldn’t see inside the room, but a soft musical voice responded. “Thank you, Higgins. Would you bring some refreshments for us please?”

  “Yes, of course.” He held the door wide while the two girls found their way in and closed it softly behind them.

  Susan looked around the small room they were in. There was a desk with an office chair and a sofa as well as an overstuffed comfortable chair. She felt they were horribly underdressed and wished she had thought to go home and change before they had gone there. She was still wearing the dirty dress she’d watched the children in, and although she’d put her shoes and socks on before leaving the house, she knew her feet were filthy from going barefoot all day even if the pretty lady before her didn’t.

  Mrs. Long slowly got to her feet and limped the few steps toward the girls. “I’m Harriett Long.” When Susan and Elizabeth just stared at her, she smiled and held her hand out. “And you are?”

  Susan cleared her throat with embarrassment. “I’m Susan Miller, and this is my sister, Elizabeth. We’ve come about your advertisement for mail order brides.”

  Harriett looked between the two sisters. “Have a seat. Are both of you interested in becoming brides?”

  Susan shook her head. “No, just me. Elizabeth is just here for moral support.” Susan squeezed her sister’s hand in silent thanks for going with her.

  Harriett smiled as the girls finally sat down on the sofa and she returned to her seat in front of the desk. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself then, Susan? What makes you interested in becoming a mail order bride?”

  “Honestly, it’s our home situation.”

  Harriett’s brows drew together quickly. “Are you mistreated by your parents?”

  Susan let out a slight laugh. “Oh, no. It’s not that at all. In fact, our parents need to find a switch and start using it. Often.” She paused for a moment looking at Elizabeth who was grinning at her. “I’m the oldest of twelve children. The oldest four, Elizabeth and I and our two oldest brothers, Michael and Henry, were all strongly disciplined from the beginning. We were raised to take responsibility for our actions. After the four of us, mother just got tired, I think.”

  “How so?” Harriett’s eyes were on Susan’s and she was taking in every word the younger woman said. It was as if Susan were imparting important knowledge.

  “Well, our younger siblings are….” She didn’t want to use the word hellions, but that and “demon horde” were the only words that came to mind. She bit her lip for a moment.

  “Satan’s spawn.” The words, loud and clear and unashamed, came from Elizabeth.

  Harriett choked back a laugh. “That bad?” She picked up the cup of tea Higgins had brought to them and took a sip.

  Susan nodded emphatically. “Worse. Anyway, I’ve got to get out of there. My one stipulation for a husband is he must not have any children. If God curses me with children of my own, I’ll raise them with a strict hand and a long switch.” She needed to get that out of the way to begin with. She was not going to raise some man’s problems.

  Harriett smiled, obviously delighted by the honesty of the young women sitting in front of her. “How old are you, Susan? I won’t send out a woman younger than eighteen.”

  “I was eighteen in March.”

  “Well, let’s see then.” Harriett turned to her desk and flipped through the different letters there. “No, he has children,” she mumbled. She finally found a letter halfway through her stack and read through it quickly. “He’s the one I was looking for. I think Jesse Dailey is just the man you’re looking for.” She handed the letter to Susan for her to read.

  Susan opened the letter and held it to where Elizabeth could read it along with her. It struck her that as much as she wanted to get away from ‘the demon horde’ she would miss Elizabeth just as much. Elizabeth had always been more than a sister. She was her best friend. She made a silent vow to tell her so before she left.

  “Dear potential bride, My name is Jesse Dailey and I’m a newspaperman in Fort Worth, Texas. I hope to be able to buy a ranch in the area soon, so I’m looking for a bride who is willing to save every penny to help me toward that goal. I’m not sure what to tell you about myself, so I’m just going to ramble for a bit. I’m tall with dark hair and brown eyes. I’ve lived in Texas my entire life, and grew up on a ranch here. I enjoy quiet walks in the country and reading. I go to church every Sunday. I’m well-respected in town as a hard-hitting newspaperman who makes sure he always tells the truth, even if it’s not what people want to hear. I’m twenty-three years old and have never married. I enjoy a good home cooked meal, and would request my bride be able to cook. I’d like someone between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two. I’m looking forward to getting married and settling down. All the best, Jesse.”

  Susan smiled as she read he wanted someone who could cook. She’d been cooking for years and knew there would be no trouble there. She certainly matched his requests. She looked up at Harriett. “I’ll take him.”

  Harriett laughed. “He’s not just a man on the shelf that yo
u can choose. You need to write him back and we’ll go from there.” She handed Susan a pen, ink and paper. “Go ahead and write the letter now. All correspondence needs to go through me.”

  Susan took the pen and dipped it into the ink well. What to write? After a moment of thinking, she put the pen to paper. “Dear Jesse, My name is Susan Miller. I live on a small farm outside of Beckham, Massachusetts with my parents and my eleven younger brothers and sisters. I’m eighteen years old and I’m a good cook. I’d love to cook for just two people instead of fourteen. I also enjoy long walks through the country and reading books, although I rarely have free time to do either one. I do not mind living frugally, because it’s the only way I know. I am of medium height and have blond hair and green eyes. I’ve never been to Texas, but I’ve read about it some, and find it fascinating. I’d love to move there to be your bride.” Susan set the pen down and read the letter aloud, making sure Mrs. Long approved of what she’d written.

  Harriett nodded. “That’s perfect. Sign it, and I’ll send it off with the morning’s mail.”

  Susan quickly signed her name to the bottom and handed the unfolded paper to the older woman. “Now what?”

  “Come see me in about a month to see what he says. If he decides you’re the one he wants, he’ll send you some money for the trip to Texas, and a train ticket.”

  “Sounds good.” Susan stood up, realizing she hadn’t touched the tea and cookies Higgins had brought in while she was working on her letter. She grabbed a cookie from the plate. “Thank you so much.” She held her hand out to Mrs. Long. “I’ll see you in about a month, I guess.”

  Harriett got to her feet slowly. “I look forward to it.” She smiled at Elizabeth. “It was nice meeting you, Elizabeth.” She walked the two sisters to the front door and watched them walk away, smiling to herself.

  *****

  One month later, Susan knocked on Harriett’s door. She’d had to sneak away from the farm to come into town, because her younger siblings would have begged to come with her. She could just imagine the mischief they would get into in a house like Mrs. Long’s. There would be nothing left but rubble, she thought.