“No, he hasn’t asked me to. I would have if he’d asked, “ Laura replied.
“You love him that much?”
“I do.” Laura said.
“Okay, no Paris,” her mother said. Can we at least go to Dallas and shop?”
“Yes, we can do Dallas.” Laura said, with a smile. “Thanks, Mama.”
* * *
The headline of the Daily Enterprise, Beaumont’s only newspaper screamed, “1903’s Wedding Of The Year.” The accompanying article was composed by the society editor of the Dallas newspaper, under the direction of Elizabeth Ingram. It read:
Laura Ingram, Jonathon Thomas
Laura Elizabeth Ingram and Jonathon Clinton Thomas were married June 25, 1903, in the main sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Beaumont. The Rev. Paul Haynes performed the double-ring ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Ingram of Beaumont. The groom is the son of Clinton and Sarah Thomas of Marshall, Texas.
Presented in marriage by her father, the bride was attended by the sisters of Jonathon, Rebecca Hutchison and Cassandra Thomas, as maids of honor.
Bridesmaids were Helen Richardson, Mary Penrod, Judith Barbe and Caroline Yoder of Boston, Massachusetts..
William Barnes of Beaumont was the best man.
Ushers were Matthew Henderson, Daniel Pinkerton, Joshua Manning and Raymond Kauffman, former classmates of the groom..
The junior usher was Jordan Singer of Beaumont.
Susannah Fullerton of Beaumont was the flower girl.
Kenneth Tyler of Beaumont was the ring bearer.
Two violinists and a cellist from Dallas provided the music.
A reception was held at the Ingram Ranch, home of the bride.
After a wedding trip to Paris, France, the couple will make their home in Beaumont.
As the couple left the church, they passed by their waiting carriage. Laura turned, and tossed her bouquet over her shoulder. When she turned back to see who had caught it, a smiling Rebecca held it aloft. “You’re next, Becky,” Laura said.
“I’m ready. Do you have anyone in mind?” Rebecca asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Laura said.
Laura’s bedroom, Ingram Ranch…
“That was a beautiful wedding, and you were radiant. You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen,” Rebecca said. “Our brother is one lucky man.”
Cassie said, “I agree completely. Because of you, he’s almost tolerable now.”
The girls loved their brother, and laughed heartily at Cassie’s joke.
Just before midnight, Laura and Jonathon ducked out of the reception and went to their bedroom. After a night of tender lovemaking, punctuated by many declarations of love and eternal devotion, each to the other, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Bleary eyed from lack of sleep, their appearance drew laughter from her parents. “We have a long train ride and then the entire Atlantic Ocean to rest,” Laura said. “Thank goodness for makeup.”
“Easy for you to say,” retorted Jonathon.
Hank said, “You have the resilience of youth. You’ll bounce back in a hurry.
“Jonathon, can you give me a few minutes before we have to leave for the train?”
In Hank’s office, he said, “Jonathon, she’s the most precious thing in my life. I’d spend everything I have or will have to keep her safe. Take care of her for me, will you.” His voice choked and his eyes became misty. “Look at me, I’m blubbering like a baby.”
“Sir, my one goal in life is to make her happy. I will not let her, or you down.”
Hank clasped Jonathon’s hand in both of his and said, “I don’t think you will. If you need anything, let us know. The undersea cable can get messages to us quickly. We’ve used it at work for several years now.”
“Someday, we’ll be able to make overseas telephone calls. Until then, telegraph will do. We’ll be all right, sir, and we’ll keep you posted.”
“Thank you, son. I know I can count on you. Now, let’s get you on the train.”
Her mother’s bedroom…
“I’m going to miss you, baby. I know Jonathon will take care of you, but you have to take care of him too. One last piece of advice from your mother.
“You know I want grandbabies, but don’t be in too much of a hurry. Enjoy each other before you get in the family way. You’re young and you have plenty of time.”
“Jonathon and I have talked about it. We would like to wait a year or two, but if it happens, that’s all right too. It will be the most loved child since… Well, since me. Thank you Mama, and thank you for my wedding. It was wonderful.”
“It was my pleasure, Darling. Now, we’d better go. Your husband and Papa are waiting.” Impulsively, Laura hugged her mother hard, and said, I love you Mama.”
“I love you too, Darling”
And they left, Laura, to meet her future, and Elizabeth to see her daughter board a train for distant places, here-to-fore only dreamed about.
Epilogue
Three months after the wedding…
The ringing phone interrupted Jonathon and Laura as they worked to iron out some bars in their blowout preventer.
“Hello, this is Jonathon…
“It hit, Johnny,” his father’s excited voice came over the phone. “It’s a gusher, but they cranked down on the tool, and stopped it almost completely.
“You brought in, son. I’m so proud of you, I’m about to bust.”
“Hold on, Pop. I want to tell, Laura.
“Thomas 1 blew out, and the preventer stopped it. We did it honey, we did it.”
“Pop, is the driller there? Let me talk to him.”
“Findley, what do you think? How big is it?” Jonathon asked.
“It’s big. Not as big as Spindletop, but it’s a major discovery. We hit gas at 1085 feet and about 100 feet further we hit black gold. I would bet my last dollar, this is going to be a bonanza. Congratulations. You had it nailed. Right where you told us,” said Robert Findley, the lead driller.
“Thanks Bob, I’m buying when I get there. Talk to you later.” He hung up and called Rebecca to give her the news. “Laura and I are going up this weekend. Can you and Bill make it?...
Good. Bring the rest of the lease contracts you drew up and let’s get them executed. This is huge, Becky. We’ll see you Saturday.”.
Thomas 1 was the first oil strike on what would be the Marshal field. It produced 76,000 barrels per day. Thomas 1 was the first of 350 wells punched into the ground in the Thomas field.
Six months later, with forty wells producing oil, Jonathon resigned his position as the Chief Research Engineer of the Texas Fuels Beaumont Office. His wife resigned the same day.
As the sole owner of The Thomas leases, Texas Fuels had increased its market share and changed its name to The Texas Oil Company to reflect its new stature. It was later shortened to Texaco.
Thomas Oil Productions Company, or TOPS as it was called, was the major player in the Marshal Oil Field. The chief executive officer of TOPS was Jonathon Thomas. Its chief research scientist was Laura Thomas, who held the position until she became an expectant mother.
Jonathon and Laura purchased land in the Marshal area where they built a home. One of the momentos on their mantle was a small jar of sheet Texas crude oil, captured and bottled by Robert Findley on the day Thomas 1 came in. Jonathon would be elected to the board of directors of Texaco, and eventually become chairman of the board.
Rebecca would marry Bill Barnes, Chief Engineer of Texaco. They would make their home in Houston. She would be named managing partner of the prestigious Edison and Larkin Law Firm.
Cassie Thomas, returned to Houston as Chief Of Surgery at the new Texas Medical Center in Houston. At this time, she is unmarried, but has recently been seen in the company of one of the prominent surgeons in the Houston area.
When Laura and Jonathon moved back to Marshal, Clint and Sarah Thomas decided to take their first vacation since they w
ere married. They promised to return in time for the birth of their first grandchild. Their trip took them on a month long tour of Europe.
Laura delivered a son, Clinton Henry Thomas on April 17, 1904. He would attend Texas A&M, and would follow in his parent’s footsteps as a research scientist in the oil business.
The Thomas’s purchased the first motor car powered by a gasoline engine seen in Marshal. It could achieve the astonishing speed of 24 miles per hour. Sarah and Clint were nervous at such speeds, preferring their horse and buggy.
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Visit my website Susan Leigh Carlton and see excerpts from my other books.
About Susan Leigh Carlton
Susan lives in a gated community just outside Tomball, Texas with her husband, two toy poodles, Bobby and Charlie, and Lissie, the cat..
Oil Patch Romance is her latest book to be published by Amazon. She says, “Oil Patch marks a complete departure from the style of the previous books in the series. I have backed way down on the descriptive sex acts. I made the hero into a jerk at the beginning, and then struggled to make him into a likeable person. I tend to be a friend of my characters, talking to them and listening to them. I was furious at him as I wrote the passage on the evaluation of Laura.”
Susan’s mother-in-law had an oil well on her property in the Conroe, TX oil field. It began producing in 1934. She has a small glass jar of crude oil from the her mother-in-law’s well. It was from this she drew the idea of the jar of oil in the museum.
She also monitors all of the reviews and comments. She says “I revise my writing process and style accordingly. This is a learning process for me and I love every minute of it.”
The names of all her books are on the pages following this one.
She says, “My thanks to you readers. I appreciate your taking the time to read them. As an avid reader myself, I will read several books during the time I am writing. Our kids love to read as does my husband. He takes his iPad with him everywhere and reads during waits for the doctor.
“I would like to thank those of you who cared enough to email me about the plots and the style. I even had an email from a gentleman who lives in the area I used as the setting for “In Search Of Love..” Since I research the geographical setting of my books, the trails, creeks and towns were familiar to them.
“Thanks again. Now I can begin research on my next effort. If you have suggestions for additional books, I would love to hear them. Email them to me or enter them as comments on the website.”
Susan
[email protected]
http://susanleighcarlton.com
Susan’s Other Books
In Search Of Love
The Widow's Mail Order Husband
Yankee Mail Order Bride
Not Quite A Mail Order Bride
Tainted Mail Order Bride ***Amazon Best Seller Book***
Jedadiah's Mail Order Bride ***Amazon Best Seller Book***
A Reluctant Mail Order Bride
She Found Her Love In Washingron
The Lonely Cowboy
Cake and Pie Recipes From MaMaw's Kitchen
Love On The Brazos
Loving A Firefighter
Loving An Airborne Ranger
Diabetes: You Can Live With It Or Die From It
Bobby and Charlie's Great Adventure
Diabetes: You Can Live With It Or Die From It
Pies From MaMaw's Kitchen
Cakes From MaMaw's Kitchen
Cakes and Pies From MaMaw's Kitchen
Visit Susan’s Website
Visit The Lonely Cowboy Saga Website
Texas OilMan's Bride (Mail Order Bride Series) Page 9