by Montana West
Henry was watching Cora and he wondered why she was so silent. Usually she had a lot of questions and comments to make about everything being discussed but today she seemed too quiet, and if he was not wrong, she looked a little bit nervous.
“Cora, is everything alright?” He asked her and she started, flushing deeply for having been caught day dreaming.
“What?” She looked at her brother, noticing that the whole family were watching her. She laughed nervously. “I am fine, Henry, why do you ask?”
“You seem a little bit distracted and nervous, something is going on,” Henry insisted and his sister cleared her throat, her hand going to her heart in a nervous gesture. Mary was surprised to see her daughter’s hands shaking.
“Cora?”
“Yes, Ma?”
“What is going on with you? If there is a problem would you share it with us so we can find a solution?’
Cora twisted her lips and then sighed. “It is not really a problem as such,” she said. “I am sorry I have not been honest with all of you for a long time now.” Her family looked at her in surprise, wondering what she going on about. “Sometime last year I met a man...”
“What?” Mary shot up and sat up straight. “Cora!”
“Ma, I have not actually met him in person but we began writing to each other and through the year we fell in love and would like your blessings so that we can get married.”
To say that the family were shocked would be putting it mildly. All their mouths fell open in astonishment and no one spoke for a while as they digested the news that had just been broken to them.
It was Mary who broke the silence first. “Cora, I cannot believe just how deceitful you have been. And where is this man that you claim to have fallen in love with?”
“He is here in Last Chance, Ma. His name is Louis. Louis Albert.”
Henry shook his head. “I cannot believe it, Cora, one full year and none of us was the wiser. How did you get your letters without Pa finding out and yet he was the one who always got our mail from the post office?”
“I used Mrs. Summers’ postal box. She gave me the key and authority to collect mail on her behalf and that is the address that I gave Louis.”
Walter had a frown on his face. “You say this man is right here in Last Chance?’
“Yes, Pa.”
“And is he a Christian?”
“Yes pa, he is a member of Last Chance Baptist Church.” The family stared at Cora as if she were mad. “This is the third year that Louis has been a member of the church. He sent me a letter from Reverend Williams who gave him a glowing reference.”
“I cannot believe that we have been hoodwinked into moving to Last Chance just so you could meet a man, Cora,” Michael sat down on a three legged stool. “So that is the reason why you kept insisting that we come to Montana and specifically Last Chance.”
“Yes,” Cora said in a small voice. “I did not want to be parted from all of you and I wanted you to have a chance to meet Louis and find out just how wonderful he is.”
“Cora, really this is a real shock to all of us. Does this man work, is he able to provide for a wife?”
“Yes, Pa. Louis is a miner and he has been working hard and saving for us to begin our home together.”
“You say he is a miner, huh?”
“Yes.”
“And that he has been saving?”
“Yes.”
“I see,” Walter looked at his wife. “When will we get the chance to meet this man?”
Cora cleared her throat nervously, shifting her sitting position. “He is calling on us tomorrow afternoon.”
Mary exclaimed loudly. “And you are just telling us this right now? Cora, are you really serious about this being a man who is ready to marry you?’
“He is.”
“Or was he one of the young men who were helping us move in and settle down?” Walter demanded.
“No, Pa,” Cora shook her head.
Henry snickered. “And how would you know, have you met him?”
Cora looked at her brother with a slight frown. “In my last letter to Louis, I asked him to bring along one of the drawings that I sent him as proof of his identity. We also agreed that he would come calling on our fifth day here.”
“Why would you go and do something so dangerous, Cora?” Her mother asked her in exasperation. “How do you know whether this man is truly who he says he is?”
“Ma, Reverend William sent me a reference about Louis.”
“The man could have forged the Reverend’s signature to fool you.”
Cora shook her head. “Reverend William used the same address that he wrote to Pa with when they were making arrangements for our arrival here.” Cora sighed, shaking her head sadly. “Can’t you at least be happy for me? I have tried to be a good daughter and sister and been obedient to you, but you made me do this because Henry and Michael would not let me meet any suitors in any other way. They went around threatening every young man who showed the slightest interest in me. What could I do?” She cried desperately. “Last year alone, my three friends wedded and now have homes of their own. I am eighteen and still in my parents’ home with no prospects for the future, what else was I to do?” She twisted her lips, her head down. She failed to see the swift look that her family exchanged.
“Cora is right, Ma, Pa,” Henry said at last. “At least let us give this man a chance to present himself so that we can get to know what kind of a person he is. Maybe it is time we accepted that our little girl has grown up and begin to allow her to meet suitable men.”
The family went to bed in agreement and Cora slept fitfully, quite nervous about Louis meeting her family the next day.
It was a Friday and the day was cloudy even though it was spring. It looked like there would be some showers but at around noon the sky cleared and the sun shone through brightly. Cora was too nervous to eat and she kept looking down the path from which she expected Louis to appear.
Louis Albert’s heart sank as he looked at himself. How could he present himself to his prospective in-laws as he was? Just that morning he had been very excited and nervous about finally meeting the woman he had corresponded with for a full year. On Monday when Cora and her family arrived in Last Chance, he had been out in the mountains on a gold dig with old Reuben and had managed to get a few nuggets to add to his collection. He wished he could have had a glimpse of her, especially when one or two friends from church had told him just how beautiful she was.
Now he was about to present himself to Cora and her family and he looked a mess. He had spent the whole morning getting ready. He had told Mrs. Willows about Cora and she had kindly given him a heavily starched white shirt which she informed him had belonged to her late husband.
“First impressions are very important, Louis Albert, so you need to look like a serious man who is ready to support a wife,” she had said.
“How do I thank you Mrs. Willows?” Louis said, tears in his eyes. “You have been so kind to me all this time that I have lived in your house. And now you are even more gracious by allowing me to borrow Mr. Willows’ shirt. Thank you.”
Naomi Willows looked at the young man in surprise. “I am not lending you the shirt, I am giving it to you because Mr. Willows will never need it again. I was reluctant to part with his clothes but now I realize the time has come to let go. You and Mr. Willows were roughly the same size and so his clothes should fit you. When you get back I will get you some more clothes so that you can always look presentable.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Willows. One day God will bless you for the kindness that you have shown me.”
Apart from the starched shirt, Mrs. Willows also gave Louis a pair of black corduroy trousers with suspenders and a black overcoat to match. She added a cravat and a felt hat. Surprisingly the two men wore the same shoe size and so a very smart Louis had left the boarding house to pay a visit to his prospective in-laws.
All was well with him and he smiled at the
world, but his joy was short lived when he met with Andrew Willard. Andrew had frowned at him.
“The little man has preened himself, what is the occasion?” He had asked mockingly.
Louis cleared his throat. He was already nervous and Andrew’s attitude was not helping. “I am on my way to call on the new family that have arrived. The Richards.”
Andrew nodded. “And so you think you stand a chance with their beautiful daughter?” Andrew nudged his friend and they both laughed at Louis, who just calmly stood, his hat in his hand out of respect even though he was older than both of them. “You are such a deluded fellow, you need to turn back and save yourself a lot of humiliation and embarrassment.”
“I will be taking my leave now if you are finished,” Louis said.
“Oh, so in spite of my advice you insist on going?” Andrew shook his head. “Poor fool,” he whipped his horses and they neighed nervously and raised their front legs and brought them crashing down into a large pool of dirty water that was on the road and unfortunately Louis was in the way and his white shirt was flooded with muddy water. Andrew and his friend went on their way, laughing at him and he stood helplessly beside the road wondering what to do.
“Lord, Your Word says the race is not to the swiftest, nor the battle to the strongest,” he prayed. “Man looks on the outward but you look on the inside of men. I pray that you give me favor before Cora and her family in spite of how I look, and forgive Andrew for his thoughtlessness as I forgive him also. Please give me favor before this family, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
And armed with that prayer, Louis resumed his journey and was soon standing outside the Richards residence which he had helped build. The door was open but he knocked on the panel to draw the attention of those who were inside the house.
Henry walked to the door to welcome their visitor and he sighed inwardly. This was the man that Cora hoped to marry? The man looked dirty like he had been frolicking in the mud. But he kept his thoughts to himself.
“You must be Louis Albert, come right in.” Henry did not bother to shake hands with Louis whose hand was half raised in greeting. He stepped into the temporary living room and found himself face to face with three pairs of eyes that looked quite unwelcoming. He guessed that the three were Cora’s parents and her older brother. He did not immediately see Cora who was seated on a three legged stool near the window.
“Good afternoon to you all,” Louis said in a clear voice, trying his best not to show just how nervous he was feeling.
“Good afternoon,” the three responded.
“Please take a seat, Louis,” Henry motioned to an armchair which Louis sank onto gratefully. And then he noticed the fifth person in the room and looked towards the window and his eyes and Cora’s eyes met and it was as though time stood still for both of them.
Green eyes met with brown eyes and two hearts were knit into one right there in the sitting room of the new cabin. Kindred souls met and wound around each other. Cora and Louis realized that they had each met their soul mate and knew that what they shared would never die. This was stronger than death and it was as though each soul gave a promise to the other.
Walter cleared his throat and the two broke their glance and looked at him.
“So you are Louis Albert,” Walter stated, “Cora has told us about you.” Louis was silent because he had not been asked a question but the older man had been making a statement. “Young man, first of all, how old are you?”
“I am thirty-one years old sir,” Louis turned clear eyes to his prospective father-in-law. Now that he had seen the most beautiful woman in the world and felt her response to him, he was no longer nervous.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Cora, do you think this is the right man for you?” her mother whispered as they prepared tea in the small kitchen that her brothers had constructed right next to their house.
“Yes, Ma,” Cora smiled, joy filling her heart. Louis Albert was even more handsome than she had expected. He had down played his looks and just looking into his eyes she had realized that he was a very humble man. True he was not as tall as her brothers and he had mentioned that in mining, height was a deterrent especially when one had to go down into the mines. But to Cora he was just the right height because he stood about four inches taller than her.
His dark brown hair was a bit long but he had brushed it neatly, and when he had smiled at her she had felt as though her heart were melting.
“What man presents himself to his prospective bride looking dirty?” Mary asked crossly. “Couldn’t the man even change first before coming to visit us?
“Ma,” Cora protested mildly. “We do not know why Louis showed up looking like he did so let us not be quick to pass judgment on him. Besides, it has been raining and someone could have splashed him with dirty water as they rode.”
“Nevertheless,” Mary shook her head and Cora’s heart sank. Her mother was obviously not impressed with Louis and she knew that what her mother felt would be echoed by her father and brothers. But she held on to hope. She had looked into Louis’s eyes and her heart had recognized its mate. Cora was good at reading people and in Louis she knew she had found a winner. He was an honest man even though he did not look like he had a lot of money.
“Ma, please give Louis a chance and you will find that he is a good man.”
“And how would you know that, having just met the man huh?” Mary arranged scones on a platter. “You are foolishly infatuated with a man that you have just met and yet he does not look like he has any substance.”
“Ma, you and Pa always taught us to look at people’s hearts and not their material things. Why are you talking like this?”
“We agreed to meet the young man and assess him but frankly,” she shook her head and left the kitchen, carrying the platter of scones, leaving Cora to follow her with the metal jug filled with tea.
No one spoke as they partook of the tea and scones but once they were done Mary motioned for Cora to join her in the kitchen once again.
“That is men’s business so we can only wait to hear what your father will say.”
Cora twisted her lips. Her family were behaving politely towards Louis but she had seen the looks they exchanged when they thought she was not watching and she knew that it would take a miracle for her parents to accept Louis’ suit.
And she was not wrong because after about an hour Henry came to call her and her mother back into the sitting room. Cora’s eyes quickly went to Louis who was seated with his head bowed and her heart sank further. This was not a good sign at all.
“Cora?”
“Yes, Pa?”
“I have had a lengthy discussion with this young man and I have made my decision,” Walter was sneering, and the expression shocked Cora.
Her father hated Louis! That much was obvious, and heartbreaking.
There was no way her father would agree to their courtship.
Her father said, “From what I have discovered this young man lives in a boarding house and has no property of his own. Where would you live if I was to give my permission for you to get married?”
Cora bowed her head.
“And what is worse, he is thirty-one years old! Thirteen years older than you! What makes you think he did not leave a family behind somewhere? Probably he ran away from his wife and maybe children to come to this place and fool an innocent girl into marrying him!”
Louis flinched, “No, sir! I’ve never—“
“And even if that isn’t the case,” Walter shook his head. “It is quite obvious that this man is in no position to support and sustain a wife, let alone children. This means that should your mother and I allow this young man to marry you, which is frankly ridiculous, then we would have to support you. What real man relies on his wife’s parents for sustenance?”
“Pa...” Cora began, only to be given a sharp glance by her mother and whatever she wanted to say died before it left her lips.
“I am not asking you to speak or
defend this man. If he had a steady means of income and his own farm and house I might have considered, even with the age difference, if you truly cared for the man, but as it is,” Walter shook his head. “I am afraid this is not a suitable mate for you, Cora.”
Walter turned to Louis. “Young man, I have politely heard you and given you my attention but you are not the right man to marry my daughter. My child has been brought up with comforts of life and I know that given your state you cannot provide for her sufficiently and it would be very humiliating for me to see her suffering in a wrong marriage.” Walter leaned back in his seat. “Thank you for passing by.”
Louis knew that he had been dismissed, and he stood up, his hat in his hands. He looked at Cora and she saw deep sorrow in his eyes, unaware that her own expressed the same sentiments. He turned to Cora’s parents. “Thank you, sir, madam for having me in your house. I will take my leave now.”
The family watched as Louis walked out of the door and Cora looked at her family and then stood up.
“Where do you think you are going?” Her mother asked.
“To begin preparing supper,” Cora said in a quiet, defeated voice. Her parents felt her pain but hardened their hearts. Cora was young and young people made mistakes. Their job as parents was to keep her mistakes from ruining her life. She needed a husband who would provide all the comforts of life. Better she face a brief disappointment now than a life of squalor and misery chained by marriage to a pauper who probably already had run away from another wife.
Cora did not cry, neither did she speak when her mother joined her in the kitchen. She ate her supper with her head bowed, only answering when spoken to. Her mother was shocked at her daughter’s silence. Shocked and dismayed. As much as her daughter’s temper troubled her, this silence was worse. How could losing a future with this stranger have so easily broken Cora’s spirit? And imagine how much worse it would have been if her husband had allowed the courtship, and Cora been disappointed after weeks or even months in this man’s company? Or even worse, if she had somehow married him?