Angie's Hope (Valentine Mail Order Bride 7)

by Lorena Dove

  Eva swallowed hard, then nodded. “It’s agreed then?”

  “Agreed,” the other girls said as one.

  They stood up to leave, each girl wondering who God would lead her to through the chance of answering a letter.

  She returned home and was grateful the family had gone to bed. She felt numb, partially due to the cold and partially due to the strange question she had been asked. She was confused; first the unconventional proposal, and secondly the absurd notion to marry a man she had never met. Neither one was how she had imagined her marriage. She had expected to meet a gentleman through church, or by being introduced through someone who knew her father, or even marry Elmer.

  Whoever he was, he would look at her with eyes full of admiration. She had imagined small talk leading to a much deep conversation with that man within the first few meetings, a conversation about love, life and fears. She had imagined knowing in her heart she had met her soul-mate, and marrying him, bearing his children and fifty years later still being irrevocably and unconditionally in love with him.

  She fell asleep praying for a sign on whether to where Elmer’s ring in the morning and tell her parents she was engaged.

  ~*~*~*~

  Instead of peace, in the morning Angie’s heart was more troubled than the night before. She got up and knelt next to her bed to pray even more earnestly. Please, God. I don’t want to lie. But I want to help Elmer. And please, if it’s not too much to ask, I want to find love and marry according to my family’s wishes and Your word. Amen.

  She straightened up and looked at the ring box on her night table. Quickly she dressed and left the house before anyone could find her missing.

  She pulled on her shawl and walked to the newsstand on the corner. Looking around to see if anyone noticed her, she flipped through the pamphlets and papers spread out before her.

  “Anything in mind, Miss?” asked the newsman. “A fashion magazine, perhaps?”

  “Yes, please,” Angie started, and then felt the ring box in her pocket. “I mean, no, thank you. Do you by chance have a recent copy of The Matrimonial Times?”

  The newsman laughed out loud. Angie wanted to quiet him and throw him off her scent. “It’s for my cousin, of course.”

  “Of course!” The man laughed again. “Only cousins read such things. Here you are, miss. That’ll be fifteen cents.”

  Angie paid the man and folded the paper in half, holding it tightly against her body as she returned home. Once up in her room, she flung on the bed to read through it. If it was God’s will, maybe her answer lay right here in front of her.

  On the top of the page was an address where any man or woman could send a letter to have published in the matrimonial section. Following that, Angie read several advertisements posted by men of all ages. One of them was rather interesting:

  #12 – A gentleman of 35 years old, 5 feet 4 inches, owns a guns shop in Austin, desires marriage with a short, fair and plump woman aged between 25 and 30, someone who could make home a paradise. Warning: I don’t have a moustache and am unable to grow one.

  Angie laughed at the strange way of this man. She tried picturing every man whose advertisement she read. Some appeared dull, while some extremely attractive. Then one caught her eye. The advertisement seemed average but it was from a man in Kansas. It said:

  112 – A gentleman of 27 years old, 5 feet 11 inches, jack-of-all-trades in Kansas City, desires the companionship of a woman with some means who can make life at home interesting! She must be between aged between 20 and 25. Being fit, attractive, and organized will be a bonus.”

  Kansas! Her brother, Henry, was in Kansas. Going there would mean she could still be near her family. Her heart pumped faster. It was just any advertisement, but her head started spinning with a plan. Something that could satisfy Elmer’s need to buy time before he could marry Maribelle, and her desire to not be left behind in the dust of New York until she was too old to find a man who loved her as much as Elmer did Maribelle.

  The thought of going west terrified her, but as she heard her mother calling to Nancy to bring her morning tea and remembered that she could not go downstairs this morning without wearing Elmer’s ring, she made her decision.

  With no time to lose, she started writing. She was polite and circumspect, but the urgency of her situation flowed out in her words. With longing, she replied that she would be coming to Kansas City to visit her brother. If he was so inclined, she would like to meet, although it would have to be in secret at first. If all went well, she would explain the need for secrecy and felt sure she would be free to marry. She included Henry’s address as the return address. She meant to make it to Kansas City before a reply could be received.

  She folded the letter and carefully wrote out the address. Slipping it in her pocket, she pulled out the ring box, opened it, and slid the beautiful diamond on to her left ring finger. She had no time to admire it, but opened her door and called downstairs.

  “Mother! Oh, Mother! I have some news…”

  “Eeeeeek!” Mrs. Simmons shrieked in excitement. “I knew it! Come down here immediately and tell me everything!”

  And so Angie Simmons declared herself officially engaged to Elmer Farley in the most unromantic way possible. She smiled as her mother and sister jumped for joy and alternated kissing and hugging her. Rector Simmons came over and gave her a warm hug.

  “If you are happy, my dear, I give you my blessing,” Was all he would say.

  Angie found it easier than she thought to pretend to be happy. The hope she had in the unmailed letter in her pocket made her a bit giddy. Now she had to put the rest of her plan in place.

  Elmer couldn’t wait to learn of her decision until afternoon, and came to the house right before lunch. Angie had been watching out the window for him, an act of interest that her mother took no small delight in commenting on.

  “I just knew you two were perfect for each other! See how eager she is to meet her betrothed. Oh, Nancy, I can turn my attention to finding a prize husband for you now,” Mrs. Simmons repeated.

  Nancy was full of questions. “Tell me everything!” she whispered to Angie so their mother wouldn’t hear.

  “Yes, later,” Angie said. She had to get to Elmer before he could come in the house.

  Soon she saw his carriage pulling up and made an uncharacteristic dash out the door.

  “So in love, look at my darling,” Mrs. Simmons chuckled.

  Elmer was in as much of a rush to speak privately to Angie as she was. His eyes desperately sought her face for a clue, and then quickly focused on her hands. Angie waved to him with her left hand carrying the ring, and his face broke into a wide smile.

  Knowing her mother was watching out the window, Angie reached up to put her hand on Elmer’s shoulder and turned her cheek toward him for a chaste kiss. As he leaned down, she said, “Yes, I’ll do it. But I need something from you in return. There’s no time to tell you, but please, follow along with me. It’s my only chance for as much happiness as I have given you by releasing you to marry Maribelle one day.”

  “Anything, Angie. You’re the best friend a man could ever have.” He smiled at her and presented his arm, which she took as they walked into the house together.

  “Well aren’t they the handsomest couple you ever saw! Congratulations to you, Elmer, my Angie has said yes!”

  “I’m a very happy man,” Elmer stated. “If I could have a word with Rector Simmons, I believe I should ask for his daughter’s hand.”

  “Oh, never mind about that, you consent, don’t you, Harold?” Mrs. Simmons would not be denied or wait for formalities now that her plan was finally coming into place. Rector Simmons nodded and shook Elmer’s hand.

  “If my Angie accepts you, then it’s good enough for me. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and will make you a fine wife,” he said.

  “There’s only one thing you need to know,” Angie said. “Elmer is going to escort me to Henry’s house in Kansas City for a few weeks.
”

  Elmer’s head jerked toward her as he tried to make out what he had agreed to.

  “Yes – he has business there, and I long to see Henry before I am a married woman doing all the wifely and society duties here in New York,” Angie said firmly.

  “Wait, that won’t be possible!” Mrs. Simmons protested. “There are plans to make, and parties to throw, and arrangements and announcements…”

  “I’m afraid I couldn’t deny her,” Elmer played along. “When I told Angie I had business in Kansas City, she determined to go with me to have a chance to travel and see Henry before she is married.”

  “It’s not proper! This won’t do at all!” Mrs. Simmons continued to complain.

  “I’ve thought of everything, Mother. I’d like Nancy to come with us. She will be my chaperone, and I, of course, will chaperone her. It’s only for the trip. As soon as we’re at Henry’s, he will watch out for us.”

  “That is true, my dear,” Rector Simmons spoke up. “Henry is very protective of the girls. He would let no harm come to them.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Elmer said, eager to fulfill his end of the bargain he had made with Angie. “We’ll be leaving…” he struggled with a date and cast his eyes at Angie.

  “We’ll be leaving in a few days. I’ll send a telegraph to Henry today and arrange everything while Elmer tends to his business contacts. You do know Henry can introduce you to the companies he works with in mining, right Elmer?”

  Elmer had not considered this extra incentive that Angie offered. This trip was inconvenient, but he would make it for the sake of the false engagement that would buy him enough time to become independent and declare his love for Maribelle. He only worried that Maribelle would understand this trip was necessary to ensure Angie’s cooperation.

  “Don’t worry,” Angie told him as she walked him to the door. “I’ll write to Maribelle and tell her I have no intention of marrying you. But I won’t sit around New York and pretend to make wedding arrangements that I know I'm going to break. I could never keep up pretenses that long. Also, I won’t have to be the object of everyone’s pity when we do break up.”

  “Angie, maybe we should call it off right now,” Elmer said. “This seems like a lot more to ask of you than I thought. Leaving your home and family to avoid lying and embarrassment? I don’t believe I was thinking just how much this ruse would affect your life.”

  Mindful of her mother’s prying eyes, Angie reached up on her tippy-toes and kissed Elmer on the cheek.

  “It’s ok, Elmer. I feel like maybe this is God’s plan for me. I just need you to get me to Kansas City!”

  Chapter Five

  Cal Jones adjusted the lamp on his head and squinted into the darkness of the coal mine. For six weeks, he had traded his dusty gold-miner’s hat for this outlandish oil-lamp band and the bright sunshine and mountain passes for this devilish darkness underground. By noon, he was ready to quit again, for the tenth time. He took his lunch pail and trudged up the line to the lift that would take him to the surface and a few minutes of light and air.

  He found his ex-partner, Joe Turner, and sat down heavily to eat his sandwich. Joe didn’t speak but wolfed down the lunch his wife had packed.

  “Do you ever get used to this, Joe?” Cal asked as he picked at his food. “I don’t even have a durn appetite, choking on this black dust.”

  “Yeah, you’ll get used to it when you go to the company store and have a credit at the end of the week,” Joe said. “This-here ham I’m eatin’ came from my hard-earned wages. It tastes a might better than those skinny rabbits we caught out while out scrabbling after gold.”

  “Yeah, but how much is left when you’re done buying food and paying rent? I hear most fellas owe more money to the store each week than their wages can pay.”

  Joe shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a living’. The missus says we finally got a decent roof over our heads, and I ain’t-a goin’ back after gold. So, coal it is.”

  Cal wished he could accept his new occupation as easily as Joe seemed to. For two years, the two had scrambled up and down the hillsides of eastern Colorado, staking claims and even proving up a few. But always the chance for more gold in another stream kept them moving. Once Joe had taken a break for two months, and come back the next spring married. He told Joe he was selling his claim to a man in Kansas City, and moving to Osage County, Kansas, to work the coal mines that had sprung up to supply the railroads with fuel.

  Cal had lasted six months after that. Finally at the end of the fall season, he had sold his claims too and come to town. Now in the dead of winter, he’d give anything to be back above ground, even freezing, just to feel the free air on his face instead of squint in the dark mine shaft.

  The whistle blew and the men stood up to return to the mine. “Ella says to bring you buy for dinner tonight. Hasn’t seen you this week. Come on, you enjoy her cooking.”

  “All right, Joe.” Cal never felt more unenthusiastic about anything in his life then walking to the lift and heading into the ground.

  Cal got home and cleaned up for dinner with Joe and Ella. He washed the soot off his hands, and took off his clothes and jeans, beating them against the back door to shake out the coal dust. He returned to the wash basin and added hot water from a kettle on the stove. No time for a full bath, but he could at least shave.

  His green eyes looked back at him from the mirror as he shaved, seeming to mock his predicament. “It’s your problem, too,” he said to his image. “You’re the one who gave up and came to town. And now you’re mad that you’re sitting in a shack in a coal company town.” He smiled at himself. “You got me talking out loud to you, too. That’s quite a feat.” Even in his loneliest days in Colorado, he never regretted being alone in the outdoors. But here, he felt like one of the rabbits in his snares.

  He arrived at Joe and Ella’s as she was taking bread from the oven. “It sure smells delicious, Miss Ella,” Cal said.

  “Please, Cal, just call me Ella,” she smiled at him. “And come on in and shut the door, it’s freezing out there!”

  The three ate dinner and Joe and Cal talked about the mines. “If only I can save enough money, I’ll be heading out to Colorado again before summer,” Cal said.

  “You wouldn’t think of doing that, would you, Joe?” Ella asked. “Cal, maybe if you could find a nice woman and settle down, it wouldn’t feel so lonely and you’d have something to work for.”

  “I grant you that, but I’ll never build the kind of life I dreamed of for pennies a day mining coal.”

  Joe gave him a harsh look. “It’s a good living, Cal. We’re saving money, aren’t we, Ella? Soon we’ll build ourselves our own house.”

  “You’re right, Joe, I’m sorry. I forgot Ella is bringing in her own money with work in town. Maybe I do need to join forces with the right… partner.” His hesitation as he looked from Joe to Ella made them all burst out laughing.

  “Well, you can’t have Joe back; he’s my partner now!” Ella said as she rose to clear the table. “Look here, have a look at these ads that men in your situation are putting to find a wife from back east.” She handed him a copy of The Matrimonial Times. “I see people reading this every day in town, and plenty have posted ads and found true love.”

  “True love? I thought I was just looking for a partner?” Cal laughed. He intended to ignore the paper, but Joe pushed it his way.

  “Take it, Cal,” Joe said. “I’m tired of worrying about you being all alone. And your complaining at lunchtime every day is gettin’ me down. I don’t miss you since I’ve got my sweet Ella, here. But you need a good woman to help turn your fortunes around. No man can make it on his own in the west anymore.”

  Cal sighed and figured Joe and Ella must be right. The way they smiled and hugged each other as they worked around their small home. The fact that the shanty felt like a home, unlike his broken-down, empty shack. But what did he have to offer a woman?

  He went home and pulled out his
gold mining certificates, worthless now. He spread them on the table and began to write his notice. Maybe somebody back east was as eager to get out of their situation as he was to get out of his. With a wife by his side, they could afford to move to town, and he could get a real job. Maybe go back to carpentry. He thought about all the jobs he had held since leaving home: ferryman, carpenter, gold-miner, and now coal-miner. The towns were still growing, and he could maybe make furniture and not just sling together sidewalks and train platforms as he had done before he quit to find gold.

  Quit. He was a quitter. But then again, as long as he kept getting back up, it wasn’t over yet.

  ~*~*~*~

  The days passed more or less the same after Cal put in his advertisement. Truth be told, he forgot all about it in the sameness of every day getting up before dawn, gathering his tools, putting on his mining lamp, and heading down the lift to the lowest part of the mineshaft. He was getting better at sniffing out coal veins, and the foreman had moved him to a crew that was uncovering more deposits than any other crew on a weekly basis. That led to bonuses at the company store.

  “What’ll you buy with your bonus this week, Cal?” the store owner, Mr. Higgins asked. “We got some mighty fine new items for ye.”

  “Mr. Higgins, I’ll just keep building up the money in my account,” Cal said. “How much can I withdraw now?”

  “Let’s see, you’ve got $37.50 to spend in the store, but if you want to withdraw it outright, I can give you $22.00.”

  The unfairness of the store “exchange” system never ceased to amaze Cal. Still, he kept his mouth shut and played by the rules. He had known when he signed up for this job that the game was rigged. His goal was to work smarter and harder than anyone, and not spend the next 10 years or even 10 months in the mines.

  The exchange rate for gold had done him in as well. He had claims he thought were worth well over two thousand dollars. But when he went to sell them, the rate he could get was only pennies on the dollar. Finally, the last time he did an exchange he found his claims were worthless. That’s when he had hung it up and followed Joe to the coal mines.