Hannah_Bride of Iowa

by P. A. Estelle

  “Yes, sir.”

  He surveyed Maddie from head to toe and back again. Muttering under his breath, he looked up what she needed.

  “What a disagreeable man,” Maddie thought, fuming.

  When he told her the price of the train ticket, she gasped. She didn’t have enough money. Tears stung her eyes.

  “I have other matters to attend to. Do you want the ticket or not?”

  “That’s so much more than I anticipated. I don’t have enough money.”

  “Well please step aside. Others are waiting.”

  Maddie ran to her wagon. She put her arms around the mule and cried into her dusty, raggedy mane. “Sal, what am I going to do?” She climbed up on the buckboard, wiping her eyes. She turned toward the other end of town. She had seen a livery there.

  The man who greeted her was fairly short in stature with gray sideburns and an upper lip and chin covered with stubble. He wore a dirty floppy-brimmed hat and his body was lean and muscular for an older man. His arms and face were dark and leathery from the sun. His clothes looked clean, though they were ripped in a few areas, but the distasteful smell that so many men had, was absent from this man.

  “Howdy. What can I do for you, ma’am?’

  Maddie jumped down from the wagon and approached the man. “Mr.?”

  “Slim.”

  “Mr. Slim, I…”

  “No Mr., just Slim.”

  “Slim, I need to get a train ticket to Pennsylvania. The ticket was more than I had anticipated. I find I must sell my mule and wagon.”

  The man stepped to one side looking passed her at the rickety wagon and old white mule. “Can’t use ‘em.” He turned to walk back into the livery, dismissing her.

  “Sir, please!” She ran in front of him, blocking his way. “I have no family left and no place to turn. I’m supposed to go stay with cousins I’ve never met and I can’t even get there.” Tears welled up in her eyes and her lower lip quivered. Maddie swallowed a lump of emotion so she could speak. “Sal is all I have left in this world. I can’t just leave her uncared for.”

  Surprise, or maybe fear, registered on the old man’s face. He held up his hands and took a step backwards. “Now, little lady, there ain’t no need to take on so. You need to calm yourself right down. Thing is I just ain’t got no money for that old bag of bones.”

  Tears slipped from her eyes, making dirty paths down her cheeks from the dust of the night’s ride to Jamestown. She didn’t care. “Mr. ...I mean, Slim, you don’t have to pay me. Sal doesn’t have much time left on this earth and she doesn’t eat much. She wouldn’t be any bother at all.” The last few words were muttered as a fresh wave of tears fell.

  She covered her face and sobbed. With everything that Maddie had been through, this was the final straw. Her heart was broken and she just couldn’t stop crying.

  Slim muttered string of colorful oaths and clumsily patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “I can’t abide no female a blubbering. I’ll keep your dang mule.”

  Maddie heard that. Her hands dropped. Her face was smudged with dirt, eyes rimmed with red and her nose was runny. The corners of her mouth started to turn up but the quivering of her lip stopped the smile from forming.

  Slim almost squealed when Maddie pushed to hug the man that was no taller than herself. “Thank you, Slim. Thank you with all my heart!”

  He pried her arms loose from his neck. “Now dry up those tears. You don’t have to worry none about your mule.”

  Maddie wiped her nose with her sleeve and smiled, making her look like a child. She went and stroked Sal’s velvety nose. “This nice man is going to take care of you, Sal. You be good for him.” Maddie kissed her nose and gave her a fierce hug.

  “Here,” Slim said gruffly, stuffing some money in her hand. I’ll buy your dang wagon. Someone’s always looking for a buckboard.”

  She stuffed the money into her reticule. “Thank you, Slim. I will never forget your kindness.”

  His face turned bright red. “Well, it ain’t much. You take care of yourself, ya hear, and I’ll take care of this old mule.”

  She went to the back of the wagon and pulled out her bag and guitar and without looking back, hurried down the street to buy her ticket.

  The line at the train depot had several people waiting so Maddie took a seat on a long wooden bench. With the money Slim gave her, she would have just enough to buy the ticket. “I should get in line,” she thought, but she was just so tired. She’d never been so exhausted in her life. She laid her head back against the wall, shutting her eyes. Had anybody found her home, burned to the ground? Had anybody noticed a new grave up on the hill? Maddie pictured her mother during happier times. Was the smile back on her face? Was she looking down on her right now? Would Slim treat Sal with kindness? For the millionth time in three days, her eyes burned with fresh tears.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a ruckus at the counter. “Listen to me you beef-witted little man. I cannot use this ticket.” A young woman with light blonde hair, curls escaping from a wide-brimmed hat with white and gold flowers and several white feathers, held her train ticket up under the little man’s nose. “I was to go to Iowa, but my plans, thank the Lord above, have been changed and I am going to Louisiana. I have no need for this and I demand a refund.”

  The same little man who had waited on Maddie, pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. “As you can see by the rules that are clearly posted on the wall, there are no refunds. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?”

  The woman turned and flounced over to where Maddie was sitting. She wore a skirt and matching coat that was dark green and trimmed in gold. A whit, long-sleeved blouse was tucked into her tiny waist. Pearl buttons ran all the up to her neck. Maddie had never seen anything so exquisite and the young lady was beautiful.

  “What an odious little man!” She dropped down on the bench and removed her hat. “Apparently simple-minded people are hired for that job.” She sat back in a huff and crossed her arms. “Just wait till Thomas gets here. That detestable little man will be sorry.”

  Maddie hadn’t said one word, only stared.

  “Are you okay?” the woman asked, her bright blue eyes scanning Maddie.

  Maddie’s answer was a quick nod.

  “If you don’t mind me saying so, you look a little bit done in.”

  Maddie sighed, finally finding her voice. “I need to go to Pennsylvania and the ticket will take most of the money I possess.”

  The young woman snorted. “Does not surprise me at all!” She sneered at the man behind the counter. “Just don’t go, or wait for a while. Maybe prices will come down for the holidays.”

  “I have no choice. My mother just recently passed away and I have nobody left.” Her nose and eyes burned. She blinked quickly to keep the tears at bay, but failed. She clasped her hands tightly together in her lap and kept her head down. “I have cousins in Pennsylvania but I’ve never even met any of them. What if I get there and they don’t live there anymore or what if they don’t want me living there?”

  The woman studied Maddie. After long minutes of uncomfortable silence, she sat up on the edge of her seat and turned to face Maddie. “Until about two months ago I worked at the Brown Textile Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts. There were about a hundred women there, both single and married. I always felt the old married biddies looked down their holier than thou noses at me. I tried to keep to myself because even the single women bored me to death with their simpering, inane stories. Anyway, the mill burned down.”

  Maddie gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “Oh my! Was anybody hurt?”

  “Hurt? No,” she said with nonchalance, “everyone got out, I think. Anyway, Roberta McDaniel was the manager. She called a meeting with all the single women. I was hoping she had a lead on another job, but that wasn’t the case. She met a woman who arranges marriages for men in other states who are looking for wives.” She leaned back, resting her head against the wall. “We
all really had no choice. There were no jobs for us in Massachusetts. We all signed up, selling ourselves to who knows what?” Her voice was bitter.

  “I boarded the train in Boston and was on my way to become the wife of Samuel Morrison who has a small farm outside of West Liberty.” She chuckled, wiping imaginary dust from her sleeve. “Can you see someone like me living in a small, dreary town on a farm? Plain truth is, I’m not cut out to be some dirt farmer’s wife. I’m too young. I need much more than that!”

  She stood setting her hat back on her head. “Luckily, on the train, and soon after leaving Boston, I met Thomas Bentley. We talked and found we have so much in common. He could see I was not meant for that kind of life. We are going to Louisiana and will be married.”

  “Hannah!”

  Maddie saw a tall, thin man with slicked back black hair and a thin mustache standing at the door. He wore a gray suit and a dark colored fedora. His expression held a trace of impatience.

  “I’ll be right there, Thomas.” She laid a large envelope on the bench beside Maddie. “My name is Hannah Brown and I will never set foot in Iowa. Take this envelope and this train ticket and go to Iowa. You become Mrs. Samuel Morrison. All you need to do, is be me.”

  Chapter THREE

  The train traveled through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and would soon be pulling into Iowa City, the stop where Maddie would meet her future husband. In the envelope Hannah had left for her was a letter of introduction from Samuel Morrison. He was twenty-eight years old and had been married before, but his wife, Martha, died in childbirth three years ago. Lizzy, short for Martha, was the name of his three-year-old daughter.

  Samuel lived in Iowa, near a town called West Liberty. His farm was not one of the largest around, eighty acres, but his crops, along with the hogs and cattle he raised, gave him a comfortable life.

  He wrote about the life to expect in Iowa. Winters were long and it sometimes seemed as if the snow would never stop. Summers were humid — could almost take a drink right out of the air. But the evenings cooled off. Many spent sitting on the porch watching stars twinkle for as far as you could see and fire flies blinking and dancing across the yard.

  In a wife, Samuel expected a partner. Someone to stand and work by his side and be a mother to his daughter. He would protect and keep her safe and hoped love would come in time. Lastly, he wrote life would sometimes be hard but he would do all he could to make his wife happy.

  Maddie re-read his letter for the fifth time. At every train stop, she was ready to get off and find a job to start her new life, but something kept stopping her from doing just that. Expects a partner…work by his side…a mother to his daughter…make her happy. It was everything she wanted.

  The train whistle blew and she saw black smoke from the window. Maggie jolted forward as the train slowed. “Iowa City,” the conductor yelled.

  Mind made up, she waited to disembark. Maddie died that very moment. Hannah Brown gathered her bag and guitar, squared her shoulders, and readied herself to meet her new family.

  * * * *

  She wore the nicest of her three dresses. A dark blue, long-sleeved wool dress, with a white collar and white cuffs adorned her painfully thin body. Her long light brown hair was pulled up on the sides and soft waves flowed down her back, stopping just above her waist.

  The train depot was crowded with people. Women and men, some dragging children behind them, hurried to the ticket windows, or to catch their train. She could see three sets of tracks come into the depot; surprised Iowa City was such a bustling town. Wagons of all sizes were being pulled in the road. One and two-story buildings lined the street. Just from where she stood, she saw a hotel, an attorney’s office, a bank, a hotel and two dining establishments. The smell from the restaurants drifted her way, making her mouth water and stomach growl. When did she eat last?

  A tap on the shoulder made Maddie jump, quickly turning around and bringing her hand to her chest. “Excuse me.” Her shoulders visibly dropped. An older gentleman was standing there grasping a straw hat.

  Though he had a pleasant enough look about him and kind blue eyes, she couldn’t help by wonder how this man could have a three-year-old child?

  He smiled as if reading her thoughts. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you Hannah Brown?”

  She swallowed hard, nodding.

  “I called your name a few times but I guess you didn’t hear me.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes got enormous. “I’m sorry. There is so much noise. Yes sir, I am Hannah Brown.” Maddie looked everywhere but at the man. She was afraid he would see the lie in her eyes.

  “My name is Augustus Morrison, but most folks call me Gus. I am Sam’s father.” He bent over and picked up her bag and guitar. “He’s just about fit to be tied ‘cause he wanted to be here himself, but he’s a finishing up the sale of the rest of his crop so I told him I would meet up with you.”

  He adjusted his load so he could offer Maddie his arm. She smiled and tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow. As they walked to meet her future husband, Gus calmed her nerves by pointing out businesses and the names of the proprietors. He seemed to know every person they passed, stopping to introduce her to them all. “This is Hannah Brown,” he would say, “an afore long, this pretty little peach will be me and Bessie’s daughter-in-law.” Everyone smiled widely and extended their good wishes.

  “You are certainly familiar with all these people,” Maddie said.

  “I should be! Me and Bessie have lived a mile west of here for pert near six years.”

  Maddie cast a surprised look his way. “Oh! Do you also own a farm?”

  “Not any more. My sweet Bess married me in eighteen fifty-five. I was a few years older than her and I’d been putting money away. Six months after our marriage we got us a wagon and a couple horses, packed up our meager belongings and bought some land about fifteen miles from here. The land and lumber to put a roof over our heads took about everything we had to our names. The first few years was right hard on both of us.”

  Maddie was intrigued with Gus’s story and listened closely, leaning in to hear every word. “Bessie worked right by my side from early mornings till long after the sun went down. By the time Samuel came along, we had bought more acres and our farm was bigger. Four years after that, Katie, our daughter was born. The years went by and when Sam told us he was getting married, Bessie said it was time to let him take over running the farm and for us to take it easy. That’s when we moved here to Iowa City. Bessie’s—”

  “Pa!” Coming toward them was a taller and stronger version of Gus. He wore a pair of tan pants, a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black suspenders, and boots. His hair was black as night, cut short on the sides and the back curled just above his collar. His smile was genuine and warm with a deep dimple on the right side, but it was his eyes that caught her attention. They were a blue-gray, almost translucent, fringed with long dark lashes.

  “Sam,” Gus said, “this here’s Hannah.”

  Samuel never took his eyes off her. Maddie had to bend her head back as he moved closer. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders. He didn’t say anything, only stared.

  He knows! Somehow he knows I’m not Hannah! For a fleeting moment Maddie thought of turning and running as fast as she could to escape those eyes.

  “If that don’t beat all.” Gus guffawed, “Gal, in five seconds you’ve been able to do something none of the rest of the family has been able to do since he was in cut off britches. He’s speechless! Normally none of us can get a word in because he just keeps jawing.”

  Samuel’s face burned red, but still, he didn’t take his eyes off her. “Hannah Brown,” he finally spoke, his voice deep and smooth, “you’re as pretty as new filly playing in a field of wild prairie roses.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened and she held her breath when Samuel’s face drew closer. His lips closed in and she parted hers, waiting. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed when he onl
y kissed her cheek.

  Gus cleared his throat. “I think I’m done here. I’ll take Hannah’s things to the house and we will expect you both before supper.”

  “Future wife,” Samuel teased, his crevice of a dimple appearing on his cheek, “would you like to get some lemonade?”

  Maddie grinned at him impishly. “I most certainly would, future husband.”

  Samuel took her hand in his and started across the street. This surprised Maddie. Her own parents, who loved each other very much, didn’t show this kind of affection in public. He pulled out her chair then sat across from her and ordered two lemonades.

  “Hannah, I’m so grateful you are here. You said so little about yourself in your letter I didn’t know what to expect. You seemed a little less than jubilant about being a mail order bride.”

  He stopped talking when the waitress brought the drinks. “I realize the fire at the plant you worked at must have been terrifying, leaving you with few options. Did you have any family?”

  Maddie’s hands were clasped tightly together on the table. It felt like her throat was closing up. She knew nothing about the real Hannah except she didn’t want any part of being a mail order bride. She cleared her throat and swallowed hard. “No, I lost both my folks and I was an only child.”

  “I’m sorry for that, Hannah.” Samuel laid his hands over hers. They were large and warm. For just a second she wondered what they would feel like to hold her. “What did your father do? I truly know nothing about you.”

  “There’s really not much to tell.” She removed one of her hands from his and took a long drink of lemonade. “We…uhm…had a small farm. When Pa died, Ma and me tried to keep the farm going but her health started to suffer. When she passed, I got a job at the Textile Mill.”

  Samuel smiled and patted her hand. Breathing a sigh of relief, she said, “Now it’s your turn. Tell me all about you, your daughter, and your farm.”

  He sat back against the chair. His smile was easy and those eyes beamed with what could only be pride. “Ma and Pa started the farm before I was born. It was small, not too many acres. By the time I got out of school, the place had tripled in size. We farm about hundred acres of corn. We have milk cows, chickens, hogs we raise and butcher and a small heard of beef cattle. We also have two horses we use mostly for pulling the wagon. Do you ride?”