Yankee Mail Order Bride Read Free Page A

asked softly. “Josiah, life is not fair. You are born, you live and you die. Caroline’s time just happened sooner than anyone expected. It wasn’t her fault. It also wasn’t your fault, She’s gone. You have to deal with it. She left you with a piece of herself. Rebecca. You have to cherish that thought, and you have to take extra good care of the legacy she left in your care. That little girl lost the central figure in her life. Don’t take away the last part of her family. You have to be the voice that reminds her of the mother she had. It won’t be easy. That’s another thing life is not. Easy. Now, the big question is, are you man enough to face up to the enormous responsibility of being a father? If not, I know Caroline would be disappointed in you.”
     
    “You’re right, Doc. I need to get home to my little girl,” said Josiah.
     
    “First, let me fix your nose,” the doctor said. “This is going to be painful. I’m going to have to pack it with gauze. I’ll need to see you in three days, to check it and to remove the gauze, Don’t try to do this yourself. You can undo anything I have done. If you can put something cold on it every two or three hours, it will help keep the swelling down, but you are going to look like a raccoon for several days. Any questions?”
     
    “I guess not. Thanks Doc, for the talk and for caring.”
     
    “I’m going to give you some laudanum for the pain, but go easy on it.”
     
    “Okay, Doc.” He walked back to the hitching post in front of the saloon and retrieved his horse and started the painful ride home and where he could begin making amends to those who loved him.

Chapter 4:  Anna Has A Caller
     
    Anna’s eyes blinked open. The darkness of her room hinted at the dreariness outside. It was  Wednesday. The day Anna had dreaded more than any day in her young life. Today was the day the man picked by her father to be her husband was to come calling. He would be here for dinner at seven. Her father had ordered the kitchen staff to prepare the finest of meals.
     
    She burrowed her head beneath the covers as if she could hide before the ordeal came to pass. She lay there, past the breakfast call. Concerned, her mother came into her room and saw the outline of the form beneath the covers and engulfed by the feather mattress. “Anna, you must get up. You shouldn’t remain in bed. It would seem you are lazy and I know that to be far from the truth,” her mother said.
     
    Pushing the quilts back, Anna sat up, her long blond hair falling down her back. “You have a lot to do today, Anna, now brush your teeth and give your hair a good brushing. It is your best feature and you don’t want it to be dull. It’s time to get started.”
     
    “Why is it time? Soon enough it will be time for that old Mr Throckmorton to come. Mother, I’ve asked around. He has children older than I am. I am not going to marry him. I would die first. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but Father has no right to give me away as if I was some piece of chattel.”
     
    “I agree with you, Anna, but you must meet with him. You mustn’t let your true feelings come out. It would only serve to irritate your father. Heaven knows, he is irritable enough as it is. Have you given any thought about what you will do?”
     
    “Yes, I have. A Mrs Barnhurst is holding a meeting today in the Town Hall. It seems there is a dire shortage of brides for the men in Wyoming and it also seems there is an abundance of unmarried women here in Massachusetts. Mrs Barnhurst is recruiting young women to travel to Wyoming and become the brides of these ranchers and miners. Mother, I am going to the meeting,” Anna said with a strong resolve.
     
    “Wyoming? Why that is clear across the country. However would you get there?”
     
    “The paper said the transportation would be paid. They have railroad service by Union Pacific,” said Anna.
     
    “Anna, you have been brought up in one of the nicest homes