Mail Order Romance Bundle #1 (4 page)

She was taken aback, obviously she was surprised by his request, though she soon recovered with a smile and a nod. “Yes, that would be lovely.”

Making her way to the door, she was stopped by something that caught her eye. In the corner of the room, on the wall, hung a a simply carved cherry book shelf. She walked over to the shelf, and ran a finger along the spines, tilting her head slightly to read them in the dim light from the kerosene lamp.

She stopped her finger on one of the books and then, so softly that Jesse could barely hear her, she said, “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.”

“You know Thoreau?” Jesse asked.

“You sound surprised. I think I'm more surprised that
you
know Thoreau and that a bachelor farmer in Oak Grove, Nebraska has such a collection of books as this. Did these belong to the Dodds?”

Jesse shook his head. “No, those belonged to my mother. I don't have many things that belonged to her; she didn't have all that much to begin with, but my Pa got rid of her clothes, her brush and comb set, her music box, anything that reminded him of her. He said he couldn't bear to look at her things, it was too painful. But my Aunt Clara asked him if she could keep the books. My mother loved to read and as she was growing up, she acquired quite a collection.

Aunt Clara kept them and tried to instill a love of reading in us, too. I probably wouldn't have taken an interest in them at all, school wasn't much my thing, but the fact that they were something that my mother cherished made me feel closer to her. Reading them brought me comfort and knowing I was touching the same pages that she had touched, reading the same words she had read over and over...it made me feel that she was with me.”

He could see Enid's eyes were moist with tears as he went on, “Clara gave them to me, she said she wouldn't trust Thomas with them, he would have sold them the first chance he got. She knew how much they meant to me.”

“What a beautiful way for your mother's legacy to live on, she sounds like someone with a soul like my own.  I'll imagine they will be read to your own children and grandchildren someday.”

“The love of books is in my blood, too, but through my father,” Enid said, her voice steady and clear, drawing him in. Maybe it was because he had shared so much with her, or perhaps it was because she was beginning to trust him, but he was glad to see her opening up to share her story.

“My father had been a teacher and headmaster at a boys academy in Maine. When the war came, it changed him and he felt another calling, and that's when he became a pastor and moved his new bride out to his new church in Milwaukee.

Though he was passionate about his new calling, he never lost his passion for learning and filled our house with books. Despite all his efforts, though, my sister Fanny had little time for books. All of us are given different blessings in life, and as I was blessed with my father's love of learning, Fanny was blessed with my mother's looks- golden curls, long lashed blue eyes and a peaches and cream complexion. One of the prettiest girls I've ever known. But as with most pretty girls, vanity got the best of her and she was more concerned with ribbons and dresses and how many boys she could wrap around her finger. She was a bit flighty and reading, math, any academic endeavor was a great struggle to her. Though I was the younger one, it was often I who tutored her with her homework.

I know that sounds awful to call my own sister vain and dim, but I say it out of love. For even though she was puffed up with pride, she was always sweet and loving to me and we got along better than most sisters. Her heart was bigger than her vanity. She was always looking out for me and standing up to anyone who would dare to tease me. When my feelings were hurt, she felt the pain.

Funny how everything works out for a reason. Fanny had no interest in books but with her beauty, she had no problem finding a husband. She had her choice of men who fought over her.

I, on the other hand, am not one to look at, so finding a husband who would take me as a bride has been a great challenge. But I love books, storybooks and books of history and science and poetry...I love them all. I would not trade my books for Fanny's looks in a hundred lifetimes.

Fanny got married at eighteen and moved away and leaving me to take care of father. But nothing gave me greater pleasure than to look after him; it was one of the happiest times of my life. I did the cooking and housekeeping. In the evenings, I would help him practice his sermons and we would read together, in front of the cozy fire and tell each other stories and discuss great ideas. What a wonderful life it was...

My life went on like that for some years until my father passed away unexpectedly. Suddenly, I realized  that without a husband or father to support me, I needed to find a way to support myself. Naturally, I turned to teaching, but soon found out that I was not meant to be a teacher. Young children come in two different kinds-the kind that are oblivious to physical appearance and can see your soul, and the ones who not only take notice of physical appearance but do so with childlike brutal honesty. I had an abundance of those type of children and the school board decided that I was a distraction to the pupils, 'hindering their learning' is what I believe they said.”

“That's ridiculous! What a wonderful teacher you must have been,” Jesse said. He hadn't meant to interrupt her, but he was indignant at the injustice Enid had suffered for no fault of her own.

“Yes, well, everything happens for a reason, and I realized it was God's way of letting me know that I must have had a different calling in life.

My sister invited me to move in with her family and help out with the children. I did the cooking and tutoring the children and felt like I was earning my keep. And though Fanny thought she had her hands full with them, they were so full of spirit, oh, how I loved them so!

Little Anna was blessed with both her mother's beauty but had none of her vanity, she was so humble and sweet and loved to curl up on my lap. What a sweet one she is!

Next was Toby who not only was given my father's name, but by the grace of the heavens was given the same kind, soulful hazel eyes. It was like seeing my father again every time I looked at him.

Last was little Jack, the most mischievous and rambunctious of all. Oh what a lively spirit he had. He wore out his parents and me, but charmed us with his dimpled, cherubic smile. He would beg me to tell him stories and it was usually the only way to quiet him down.

I loved being there, but I believe that Fanny's husband, Will, thought my visit to be a temporary one and the longer I stayed, the more unwelcome he made me feel. It was only out of his love for Fanny that he tolerated me, though I have no idea what I might have done to make him feel as if I were an intrusion on his family. He made me feel very unwelcome. I decided that it was best for me to leave. Though I know sweet Fanny would have kept me as long as I wanted to stay, I didn't want to cause any problems between her and her husband and thought it the best thing to do.

By chance as I was returning home from church the day after I had made the decision. It was a windy day and a newspaper blew right up into my face, covering it so I couldn't even see where I was going!

It took me by shock and when I pulled it off, I happened to look down and what do you think I saw? Why, it was an ad for  the Beaumont Mail Order Bride agency for men who were seeking brides, without ever having set eyes on them. What a strange idea, I thought to myself.

I know what you're probably thinking, if I couldn't get a man to marry me for free, how on earth would I get someone to pay money for me, I know it sounds absurd. But these men lived in all parts of the country where women were scarce, the paper said. They needed women to cook and clean for them, help run homes and perhaps bring a bit of civilization with them.

And that's how I ended up here. Though, the agency must have had some sort of mix up that they sent me here to you when you were expecting someone else.”

She was quiet then and Jesse felt his cheeks flush. Her story had moved him, touched him in a way that he felt as if her story were his story. That golden voice of hers could transport him to another time and place. What a divine gift she possessed to breathe life into words. He wondered to himself how he would have felt about this mistake had Enid been a physically beautiful woman. He felt ashamed of himself as how he remembered the initial horror he'd felt at the thought of having to marry Enid. After only spending a few hours with her, he no longer saw the humped back or jutting jaw. He saw her sparkling eyes and could hear her voice that left its memory in his mind, smooth as silk.

She, like him, was an orphan, alone in the world and, also like him, she wanted to find her place and create her own family. It was a need that came from the depths of his soul and he felt connected to her because they shared that need.

He hadn't spoken yet and Enid's face held a trace of worry. “I've said too much,” she said, “I am quite sure I've bored you with my tale.”

“No,” he replied quickly. “On the contrary, you've left me spellbound. Our stories are different yet in some ways, the same. We've shared the same pain.”

Jesse truly hoped that she would find a man who would be worthy of her and give her a happy life.

“Do you still feel like sitting for a spell on the porch?” he asked her, hoping that she'd say yes. He was enjoying her company too much for the night to end.

Enid nodded and followed him out to the porch where the air was cooler  now that the sun had set, with the breeze of night blowing gently over the land. They settled in some well worn rocking chairs, and Jesse thought about mentioning how they came from the Dodds but seeing the grin on Enid's face, he knew she was already thinking it.

It was a beautiful cloudless night that revealed the glory of endless stars. Jesse didn't think of Enid as someone who could ever be speechless, but the stars had proven him wrong. She sat staring with her mouth wide open, only muttering “Oh! Oh!” at the sight of them.

“I never could have imagined!” she finally exclaimed. “There are so many more stars here than in Milwaukee. I imagine you never get tired of this. Look at them all!”

Jesse did have to admit, it was a majestic sight. It made him feel so small and insignificant in the big wide world, just a little speck on this planet.

Enid was in a state of sheer excitement. She was pointing wildly at stars and yelling out names. Names that Jesse had never heard before; he didn't even know that stars had names. But Enid seemed to know them all as if they were old friends.

Jesse looked up at the stars, trying to follow where she was pointing but she was calling them out too fast.

“Do you know them?” she asked.

“The stars?” he asked back with a grin, “No. I have been acquainted with the Big Dipper though I sometimes have a hard time finding him.”

Enid smiled and then pointed. “There's your friend, Mr. Dipper, right there,” she said.

He laughed. “Ah, he hasn't changed a bit.”

“He's part of Ursa Major, you know.”

“Ursa what?”

“Ursa Major, the big bear. Who needs a library full of books when God has given us a sky full of stories. Well, I guess he gave us the stars and man created the stories.

Ursa's story is one of love and jealousy. In ancient times, Zeus was the king of all the gods and he was married to Hera, who was a jealous goddess. When Zeus fell in love with the young and beautiful nymph, Callisto, Hera went into a fit of jealous rage and turned her into a bear. Soon after, Callisto was found by her son, Arcas, who, of course, doesn't recognize his own mother because she's a bear. He's about to shoot her right through the heart with his bow and arrow when Zeus changes him to a bear as well, and he put them both up in the night sky. See over there, that's her son, Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper.”

Jesse looked up at the sky with new eyes and a renewed sense of awe. He was eager for her to tell him more of the stories that were hidden in the stars, but Enid sat in silence, her eyes never wavering from the stars. When she did finally speak, she said softly, “I think Miss Laura Kate will be happy here.”

Laura Kate. Jesse had forgotten about her. He wondered where she was right now and if she had gone by mistake to some other bachelor, that he was treating her well.

“I hope she will be,” he answered Enid.

“With a good husband who will treat her right, a lovely home and this sky,” she said, lifting her hands towards the heavens, “how could she not be?”

He chuckled softly. Enid was full of life. It brought him great pleasure to see her excitement at the star-filled sky, something he had grown to take for granted. He hoped that the stars would bring as much joy to Laura Kate. And secretly, he also hoped that she would have a golden voice like Enid's and that she would love books and be a good cook.

He looked at Enid with her eyes still on the sky and thought that the man she would end up with would be a happy man, too. If only he could get past her physical appearance. But once you got to know Enid, he thought, it was so easy to do that. She had a certain charm about her that was almost, well, captivating.

They sat in silence for a bit, but it was a comfortable silence. Then Enid began to sing a song, a beautiful old hymn that sounded so familiar to him. Then at once he recognized it, for it was the very same hymn that he had been humming to himself in the barn as he did the evening chores. Of all the strange coincidences, he thought to himself. Enid's voice was full of mesmerizing smoothness, and combined with that endless sea of stars and the dark night surrounding them, it was beautifully haunting and took his breath away.