Cheyenne Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides Book 13) (5 page)

chapter Eleven

My Name Is Jennie

Dear Number 6208,

It has always been my belief the good Lord never sends you more than you can handle, so Chris and I take what comes our way, and we handle it the best we can. You will note I used my son’s name. He was named for my late hu
sband, Christopher.

I have
written the editor of the newspaper to give you my address. So I will tell you, my name is Jennie Simpson. I live on a farm outside the small town of Yorkville, South Carolina. We are only a few miles from the border with North Carolina. I have lived in this house my entire married life and on my parents farm prior to that. I mentioned in my first letter that my travels would fit in a twenty mile circle. I may have been generous in that estimate.

You
also asked my favorite colors. Since my hair is red, and my eyes are green, then green or yellow would be my best colors for clothes. I’m also partial to blue.

My favorite time of the year
is spring because everything is starts all over. It renews my hopes for a better tomorrow.

I belong to a ladies sewing circle in
a church. In case you are unfamiliar with the workings of a sewing circle, it is a gathering of women who sit around a table with a pretense of sewing. On a few occasions, a few stitches were cast, but mostly we gossip… about men. Since no one knows about you, you have not been the subject of a discussion yet.

Most of the ladies in my Circle are widows, and many of us were widowed on the same day, May 6, 1864 in Spotsy
lvania, Virginia. Yorkville lost more than a few young men that day.

I
have told Chris I was writing to a man that lived on a ranch and raised cattle for profit. He found it strange I would write to someone without knowing their name and had never seen

Now that you have my address and name
, you know all there is to know about me, the time for communications can be reduced to one half of the previous time between letters that were mailed to the newspaper.

I have just made a beautiful blue dress for a lady in
Yorkville and was sorely tempted to keep it. The ladies bring me the fabric and the pattern. It’s fun to make fine clothes, even though I will never wear them, I will see them in church, and on the street.

I would like to hear about the area where you live. Do you have mountains? There are mountains in North Carol
ina, but I haven’t seen them. Kings Mountain is not too far from Yorkville, but it isn’t a mountain, more of a tall hill. In school, we learned it had been the location of a battle in our war for independence against the British. I don’t like to think of war. It seems a terrible way to settle a dispute.

In closing, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your le
tter. When I told Chris about the writing, I let him read your letter. Apparently you passed muster. He said you seemed nice enough in the letter. High praise indeed.

Please
write soon.

Sincerely, Jennie Simpson

Two weeks later, Cheyenne, Wyoming…

“Mr. Pierce, you have some mail, I’ll get it for you.” A
rnold Burke, the owner of the general store and the postmaster said.

He gave Cal the plain envelope. A quick glance told Cal it was from Kansas City. He stuffed it in his shirt to be read later. He gave Burke the order of supplies he, Clay Terwi
lliger and the cook had determined were needed.

“Arnold, are you getting any demand for that new barbed wire?” Cal asked the storekeeper.

“Some. What with the squatters and everything, some of the ranchers say it helps keep them out. It would be a big expense for a spread like yours.”

“If it cut down on the number of hands I need, it might pay for itself. We probably wouldn’t lose as many strays as we do now. My foreman was a trail boss and didn’t like it because it blocked the drive, but he said they mostly cut the wire and went through it. He said on several occasions it led to some hard feelings and gun play. That shouldn’t be a problem here, since we don’t have much in the way of drives, except when we’re going to market. Can you look into the pricing for me? I’ll stand for the expense of tel
egrams if you need to do that.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Pierce.
I’ll see what I can find out. I’ll get your order together. Should be ready in an hour or so.”

“Good, I’m going to have a bite, and stop by the land o
ffice. See you after a bit.”

At the land office…

“Mr. Pierce, I’ve taken care of the little matter we discussed the other day. When I totaled up the ones you looked at, it came to just over 11,000 acres, so I submitted the bid for all of the parcels. I would expect approval within two weeks. I believe the railroad is going to shut their program down pretty soon and leave just the government land available.”

“I appreciate your initiative. When you get the total, I’ll get a bank draft for it and a little something for you, Jim.” Cal told

“I appreciate it. Glad I could help,” Logan said.

At home…

Cal sank back into the cushions of his sofa, and opened the letter. He smiled.
Her name is Jennie. It’s a pretty name. Jennie Simpson and she’s from South Carolina. She told her son about writing, and even let him read my letter. I like her. Wonder what she looks like? She sure has a great outlook on life. Take what comes your way and do the best you can with it. We could all do better if we lived our lives that way I’m going to have to let them release my name. Wonder what she will think about Wyoming.

chapter Twelve

Hello Jennie, I’m Cal

Dear Jennie, I received your letter today, and of course I wanted to answer immediately. It is nice to have a name, although I thought 4694 was a nice number. So you’re from one of the Carolinas!

My name is Cal Pierce. Actually Calvin, but no one has called me that since my mother, and she only used it when I was in trouble.
Which was fairly often, though.

My address is included here, and I’ve directed the editor to release it.

My ranch is the Circle CP, and it is outside Cheyenne, Wyoming, and not very far from the Kansas and Colorado borders.

You asked about mountains. We do have mountains. We are on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. On a clear day, our views are spectacular. The elevation is a bit over 6,000 feet. It can lead to some really cold winters, and we get plenty of snow. Am I discouraging you yet? I hope not. It isn’t my intention, believe me.
Quite the contrary. We have railroad passenger service, and aren’t that far from the point where the East met the West on the Transcontinental Railroad.

I want to tell you again, I am so pleased to have a name to go with the letters,

I recently bought some additional land for the ranch. With the dry climate, we need more grazing land than many places, so my foreman thought we needed some more acr
eage.

With that, I bid you goodnight, and I hope to hear back from you soon.

Sincerely, Cal Pierce.

With the letter sealed and ready for the mail, Cal looked for Clay to discuss his recent purchases.

“Clay, I just submitted a bid for 11,000 acres. The land agent said there should be no problem and it will be ours in two weeks.

“I talked to Arnold Burke about fencing. I know you don’t really care for it, but he said several of the local folks are going that way to keep the squatters out. He said it cuts the losses on strays, and cuts down the number of men nee
ded to run the herd.

“He’s going to check on prices for me. Be honest with me here. Does your dislike come from your trail driving days or do you not think it would be good for the ranch?”

Clay said, “Truthfully, it’s because the farmers strung it to keep the drives from the water, or so they could charge a toll to pass through. I think open range is going away, myself. If you want to go that way, then we go that way. It would cut down on the amount of time we spend rounding up strays, and it would probably let us cut two cowboys. I would hate to see some of the men lose their job. We’ve got a good crew. Better than any other place around here.”

“If we added land and increased the size of the herd, we wouldn’t have to hire additional help, would we>”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way. You got a point there. One thing we haven’t mentioned is we’d have to ride the fence checking for breaks.”

“Do we r
eally want to increase the herd?” Cal asked.

“Depends on how much money you want,” Clay said.

“Life was so much simpler back when I was a miner. Just scoop a pan full of sand and shake it and let water wash it, and you knew immediately whether it was beans or steak for the next month.”

“I hear you, boss. If the bulls do their job, then we grow. When you get to the root
of it all, it’s a crapshoot.”

York
ville, SC The Simpson Farm…

“I have a
letter, and a name now,” Jennie told her son. “His name is Cal Pierce, and he lives outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It’s on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. In the letter, he says the name of his ranch is the Circle CP. He told me he just bought some more land so he can add more cattle.”

“How much land does he have anyway,” Chris asked. We have 160 acres and it’s as much as I can handle. Mama, something doesn’t sound right.”

“He said the elevation is 6,000 feet, and the grass isn’t very good at that elevation and it takes more land for the cattle. It sounds good to me,” she said.

“I think you should talk to Grandpa. He knows about these kinds of things,” Chris said.

“I plan to,” she said. “I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I promise I’ll talk to him the next time we visit.”

* * *

Grandpa’s house…

“Grandpa, I’m worried about Mama. She’s writing to this man and doesn’t even know him. She says she’s lonely, even though I’m here,” Chris said, to his paternal grandfather.

“She’s still writing?”

“
Yessir. She got his name and address yesterday. His name is Cal Pierce. He says he owns a ranch named the Circle CP in Cheyenne, Wyoming. What kind of name is Circle CP anyway?”

“It’s probably his brand,
I think they use it to mark their cattle to identify them,” Clarence told his grandson.

“She doesn’t even know for sure he has a ranch. Can’t you do something?” Chris asked.

“Let me think about it,” Clarence said.

“Thanks Grandpa.
”

Clarence went to the Western Union office and talked with the telegrapher. They decided together, to send a tel
egram to the Cheyenne Western Union Office. It asked
Name to contact regarding Circle CP Ranch?

The response said “
Cheyenne Land and Cattle Company, James Logan.

Clarence then sent a telegram to Jim Logan that asked,
Need to know contact name for Circle CP Ranch.

Logan contacted Cal, “Mr. Pierce, I received a strange telegram asking who the contact was for the Circle CP. I didn’t answer it. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Where was the telegram from, Jim?”

“It came from a Clarence Simpson in Yorkville, South Carolina. Should I answer it?” Logan asked.

“I’ll take care of it, Jim. Thanks for letting me know.

At the Cheyenne Western Union Office, Cal said, “I want to send a telegram to Clarence Simpson ─
Cal Pierce is owner of Circle CP who you stop why you ask (s) Cal Pierce.

The next day…

“Mr. Pierce, this telegram arrived for you,” the Western Union telegrapher said.

Cal looked at the paper and laughed. It read
,
Jennie Simpson’s concerned father in law. Thanks for response. stop

Someone is watching out for Jennie. I’ll write.

chapter Thirteen

I Got a Telegram

Dear Jennie, I hope this finds you in good health and spirit. I like it better, now our exchanges happen much quicker. Things are going well in Cheyenne as we near the end of spring. A strange thing occurred recently, of which you may not have been aware. I have done considerable business with the Cheyenne Land and Cattle office, and the manager feels some loyalty to me.

He recently came to me and told me about a telegram he had received inquiring about the Circle CP and the owner. The telegram came from Yorkville and one Clarence Sim
pson. It seems a relative of yours was checking to find out if I am legitimate. I will ask my pastor and my banker to provide references if that will put you at ease. I feel sure this was from a concerned relative.

Considering the questions, I will make this short until I hear you are at ease with our correspondence. Until the next time, I remain,
Yours truly, Cal.

Jennie
opened the letter from Cal. Upset by what she read, she hitched the wagon and rode to her in-laws’ farm.

“Papa Clarence, do you know anything about this?” She handed him the letter.

He read it and said, “Now Jennie, Chris was worried about you and what you might be getting into. He was concerned this feller might not be who he said. He asked if there was anything I could do. This is the result of my feeble attempt to put his mind at rest. We love you, Jennie, and we don’t want you getting hurt or taken advantage of by some slick talking stranger.”

“I’m a grown woman, and can take care of myself. So help me, if you’ve messed this up for me, I will… I don’t know what I will do, but it won’t be pleasant.”

“Jennie, it was out of love, you know that.”

“Yes, I do know that, but I wish you hadn’t done it. As for Chris, I…” She gathered her skirt, kissed Clarence on the cheek and went home.

She dished Chris’s dinner, then fixed her own plate and sat opposite him at the table. “What have you been doing lately?” she asked. “Been sneaking to the barn with Amy Lou?” she asked.

“No Mama. She’s a good girl. We don’t do that.”

“What do you do?” she asked.

“We talk, and take walks, you know?”

“Send any telegrams lately?”

“What are you talking about,” he asked.

“You don’t expect me to believe you and your Grandpa haven’t been up to something, do you?”

“You’re talking crazy,” he said.

“Oh come on, Chris. I was born, but it wasn’t yesterday. I know what you did. Your Grandpa owned up to it. You might as well do the same.”

“Mama, it was just you didn’t know he was who he said he was, that’s all. I was worried.”

“How do you know it was him that sent the answer? It could have been anyone and just put his name to it,” she asked.

“You should not have done it. How would you like it if I went to Amy Sue’s papa and told him I was worried about what you two are
doing.”

“Mama, you wouldn’t do that… would you?’

“No dear, I wouldn’t do that and you shouldn’t have done what you did. What if you’ve ruined this for me?”

“Well, he wouldn’t be much of a man if he let something like what we did ruin things.
We love you.”

“I guess he wouldn’t. We’ll see,” she said. “Now eat your dinner. And you can clean the kitchen.”

“Yes, Mama.”

* * *

I got to the bottom of it. My son was worried I was getting a bit feeble in my old age, so he and his Grandpa cooked up this scheme to do some checking. Neither of them mentioned anything to me before or after. I hope it didn’t put you off or anything. They meant well. Said it was because they loved me. It was a nice try, but there’s an expression here, “That dog don’t hunt.”

Our farm is doing well. We got the rain at the right time and the crop looks good. Now, if we can get it in and to the gin, we’ll make the bank some money and a little for us too.

I was looking at an atlas. Wyoming is a long way from Carolina. It’s all the way across the country from us.

In your next letter, tell me about your house. If those two didn’t scare you away, that is. I’ll have to say a prayer about that. Until then, Sincerely, Jennie
..

Cal read the letter and composed his answer.

Dear Jennie, I have just about run out of things to write. Without meaning to scare you or push you, I think it is time to consider meeting. Would you agree? We have been writing for a little over two months. Would you consider coming to Cheyenne? It is a logical next step, and one I am anxious to take. Of course, I will provide transportation, and if you do not find things to your liking, I will provide return transportation.

My feeling is we both started with an idea of marriage being a possibility. I am more than ready to explore that a
venue.

“Let me know your thoughts, and we will go from there.

“You asked about the ranch house. It has three bedrooms; one is downstairs and the other two upstairs. There is a living room, and dining room, and of course a kitchen. Unfortunately, the furnishings reflect a man’s tastes… mine. It is bare of any decorations. The living room has a fireplace as does the bedroom.

The stove in the kitchen is new, and so is the icebox. There is a pump in the kitchen also.

I believe it is a comfortable home and hope you will feel the same way.

I await your answer with great anxiety.

Sincerely, Cal.

* * *