by Zina Abbott
If Etta was going to pray about this Eddie Joe in order to get an idea if he was the right one for her, she knew she sure could not expect any kind of answer if she did not tell him the truth about herself. If he didn’t like the idea of being married to a widow, he needed the chance to make the decision before he paid good money for a train ticket and sent for her.
Etta debated how to go about it. She decided to ease into it. She began her letter by telling him about how she was helping her brother get the harvest in. She mentioned how big her niece was getting, and that her sisters were doing well in school. After she got through the newsy information, she decided it was time to get down to the hard part of the letter.
Mrs. Millard said we should tell the truth about ourselves, it’s only fair and right. I’ve been holding some things back because my kin thinks you may think less of me for it and decide against me. I’m a widow. My pa married me off to Buford Crabtree when I was sixteen. He was a mean drunk and always accused of cheating at cards which I figure is true since so many folks said so, but not much of his winnings, honest or not, made its way home. He was found stabbed to death behind the saloon and his money took, which is why I found myself back home with my ma and brother and family. I don’t have no young ones, but I know I can because Buford got a baby on me, but I lost it at three months after Buford kicked me good. But if you don’t want to marry no widow, I understand.
I can’t bring much to a marriage but me. I can cook and do all the women’s work in the house, plus I don’t have no problem helping with animals and crops and such. My kin said to write I’m 20, but I won’t be until the end of the month.
Now I ask you to be honest with me. I’m all healed up from Buford, even the two fingers he broke, except for the two teeth he knocked out of my head and the baby he cost me, but I don’t think I can live through it again. If you like your beer and whiskey and figure it’s your right after a long day working, I won’t say nothing, it not being my place to judge. Even if you aren’t one to do it all the time like Buford did, I don’t want to be married to no drinking man. I’m not asking for no confession. Just please don’t write no more and don’t send for me.
Etta stopped and reread what she wrote. If she had another paper with her, she would have been tempted to rewrite it. But, she had only brought one paper, and she had no intention of letting Annalee try to snatch it away from her and start harping about what she had written. Instead, she would send it off with Ma and a prayer. All she could do after that was hope this Eddie Joe who sounded too good to be true would be truthful with her.
Etta looked at the sky and wondered if God was up there and could see her. She put a prayer in her heart. If this Eddie Joe was a good man, let him accept her the way she was and send for her. If he wasn’t, let him decide against her and not answer her letter.
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MONARCH BEND, COLORADO – SEPTEMBER, 1881
CHAPTER 9
~o0o~
Eddie Joe shook his head as he read Etta’s letter. The first part had been nice and newsy, although he didn’t know the people she talked about so it didn’t really mean much to him. Then he got to the part where she felt like she had to tell the truth. After reading through it twice, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
She was just turning twenty and a widow. Lots of girls married at sixteen. He had left home at seventeen, but it had been his own choice. She had been forced to marry, and, assuming what she said was true, to a real scoundrel at that.
As for the part about being a drinking man, that sort of stabbed at Eddie Joe. He had been known to stop by a saloon for a beer or two, although it wasn’t something all that important to him. Zeb seemed to keep him busy enough that his time off ended up having strings attached that kept him from lounging around a saloon killing time or getting involved in the card games. He sure didn’t go to Monarch Bend with the idea in mind of drinking himself under the table as he waited for a turn with Sulky Sally. In fact, he avoided putting himself in that position. For some reason, he had never liked the idea of following after a bunch of the hands who had already had their time with Sally.
Yet, here he was considering following after a mean drunk of a husband whom he guessed used his fists fairly regularly on her. The louse had probably used her pretty bad in other ways, too. What kind of a wife would a woman be after being forced for years to live with a man like that? Did he really want to take the chance and tie himself to someone who had been damaged by another man?
What decided Eddie Joe in the end was her honesty. She wanted him to know about her so he could go into a marriage with her with his eyes open. She didn’t try to hide it from him only to take the chance he might decide he got stuck with a pig in a poke. Having a wife who wouldn’t lie or keep things from him was important. He could trust a woman like that.
As for his own honesty, even though Eddie Joe enjoyed a drink on occasion, he had never considered himself a drinking man. He could go without it, especially if that was what it took to have a good wife.
Would Etta Crabtree be a good wife? The fact she liked living on a farm or ranch where living conditions were fairly isolated was a plus. Not having female companionship available on the ranch had been the one thing Mrs. Millard had worried over.
Plus, Etta was used to hard work. What man who worked hard himself could not appreciate a woman who was diligent completing her own tasks, plus was willing to pitch in and do “men’s work” like she had been doing to help her brother?
Just like he did with his foreman job, Eddie Joe considered the factors and quickly came to a decision. He would send for Etta Crabtree. He would tell her the truth about him and offer to send her back home if once she met him she didn’t like what she saw.
The next day, Eddie Joe lined the men out with their chores. Fortunately, he had one crew that was already out finishing up the last of the round-up, and another crew of men was sent to the mountains to bring back a wagonload of wood to be chopped into firewood for the coming winter. He told Rusty to hitch up the buckboard and prepare to come with him to the Springs. If his windows were in and the extra lumber for the lean-to was ready, he would bring that home with him in addition to running any errands the boss wanted done.
His horse saddled and riding ahead of the buckboard so he didn’t eat the wagon’s dust, Eddie Joe left for Jubilee Springs with two letters in his pocket. One was addressed to Etta Crabtree, telling her briefly he had appreciated her honesty, and that is what decided him on choosing her if she was willing. He briefly mentioned what he was doing to get the house built and ready. He warned her he would leave a lot of things for the inside until she came so she could have a say.
The other letter was addressed to Mrs. Millard. He would send that one after he stopped at the bank to make arrangements for the money the marriage broker needed for the train tickets and to send to Etta.
Eddie Joe grinned as, in his head, he worked out the plan for the next two weeks. He would line up Norbert and a crew to get his house built and his well dug. With a little bit of luck, within a month he would be a married man.
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OUTSIDE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – OCTOBER, 1881
CHAPTER 10
~o0o~
As Etta stepped to enter the house, Mary rushed over and caught her by the arm, turning her so they both ended up outside. Too exhausted to protest, Etta followed her mother as the woman led her to the far side of the barn.
Mary smiled as she pulled two letters from her pocket. “Etta, child, these are both for you. One is from your young man in Monarch Bend. The other is from Denver.”
The excitement that shot through Etta chased away some of her fatigue. She reached for the letters and opened the one from Eddie Joe first. Although it was short, as she read it, Etta’s eyes lit up and a smile graced her face.
Etta turned to her mother. “He’s sending for me, Ma.
He said he likes my honesty. He says he drinks some, but he don’t need it, and he’ll have no reason to go to the saloon with a wife at home. Look! He even sent me a dollar.”
“Honesty? What did you write to him, Etta?”
“I told him about me and Buford. I told him I’m a widow. I told him if he likes his drink to please don’t write no more and don’t send for me. He says that’s okay, and he sent the money for me to Mrs. Millard.”
Mary shook her head as she watched her daughter tear open the second letter. “You took a chance, Etta. He might have turned you down.”
“Best he turn me down now than hate me for not being what he wants. I don’t need another Buford, Ma.” Etta pulled out the letter from Lizett Millard and grabbed for the train tickets and several bills.
Mary held the money and tickets while Etta read the letter. Etta turned her head up to stare at the clouds, her lips moving as she calculated in her head. “I need to be in Denver two Thursdays from now, Ma. She’s taking some brides for the miners up to Jubilee Springs that weekend. The town is having a harvest dance, and she says I can meet Eddie Joe then.”
Mary studied the train tickets. “If I read these right, you’ll be leaving here in less than a week. This must be the money the woman in Denver said you would get to buy food for the trip. Only you need to spend some of it on new boots. You’ve plumb worn yours through helping Cal in the fields like you have.”
Etta nodded. “I better pack a basket of food and leave most of the money to help out here. Sarah’s outgrown her boots, so I’ll take hers and you buy her new. Her boots will fit since my feet are smaller. I’m just sorry I’ll be leaving Cal with some of the work left to do by himself.”
“Don’t you worry none about that. You’ve done plenty to help him. At least he won’t be out bringing in the last of the silage on Christmas day like last year. Now, listen to me about this money. You still got what you brought when you first came, or did the girls find it and squeal to Annalee?”
Etta shook her head. “Far as I know, the girls left my sack alone. I keep it under the quilts you gave me. It’s about the same as what Mrs. Millard sent.”
“If you aim to leave some money behind to help here, here’s what I’d do if I was you. You keep that dollar your young man sent you in the letter and don’t let no one see it. When you show the family the letter from the Denver lady, you split the money in it and give half to me and half to Cal. Let Annalee worry about getting it from Cal instead of hassling you. I’ll shorten that wool petticoat of mine to fit you and buy the wool to make a new one. Seeing as how you don’t have no coat, you leave your shawl behind and take my heavy one. It’s bigger and warmer.” Mary shook her head. “I’ll bet it gets right cold in those mountains. Sure wish we could afford a coat for you. Maybe your husband can help once you get there.”
“He gets me the cloth, I can make one, Ma. I’ll have to see what his money needs to go to first. He might be needing clothes worse than me. Besides, he says it don’t get as cold where he is compared to the rest of the mountains, so I should be all right.”
“All right, daughter, but we need to get you up there without freezing first. You didn’t come here with no hat, did you?”
Etta shook her head. “Buford stomped it to shreds in one of his rages.”
Mary shook her head, knowing it was useless to comment on her late son-in-law’s depravity. “Won’t do to have you travel without no head covering. I’ll wash up that muslin bonnet of mine. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”
Their plan in place, Etta followed her mother into the house. Cal had scrubbed his face and hands and sat at the table. Her letter from Eddie Joe with its dollar Etta kept tucked out of sight in her pocket. The other she held in her hand. “I heard from the lady in Colorado. Eddie Joe Hampton I been writing to sent for me. I got the train tickets right here.”
Greed in her eyes, Annalee approached. “She send any money?” The woman held out her hand. “If so, give it to me. We can send food with you from here.”
Etta turned away from her sister-in-law as she reached into the envelope. She pulled out half and quickly shoved it into her brother’s hand. “There’s your portion. You work it out with Cal how it gets spent. The rest is for Ma. Sarah needs new boots because I’m taking hers she’s outgrown. Plus Ma gets a little to get what she needs for her and the girls without having to go through Cal first and hear you complain about it.”
Annalee stamped her foot and jammed her fists at the sides of her waist. “Well, ain’t you getting uppity now you’re close to getting out of here.”
Etta kept her response soft. “It’s what you want, Annalee. Maybe you best be grateful you only got a few more days of me.” She turned to her brother. “Sorry I can’t help you finish the harvest, Cal, but maybe with one less mouth to feed, it will make up for it.”
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COLORADO – OCTOBER, 1881
CHAPTER 11
~o0o~
As nerve-wracking as the train ride to Denver had been, nothing had prepared her for seeing the streets of Denver.
On the train, Etta had kept to herself. Fortunately, the one time a man tried to become too friendly with her, the conductor had intervened and suggested he sit in a vacant seat farther up in the parlor car. She passed the time studying the countryside they rolled through, the never-ending sameness of the vast plains region of Kansas and eastern Colorado lulling her into a stupor. When they frequently stopped in a larger city, the railyard, which she suspected was in the worst part of town, was so unappealing she felt grateful she was going to live on a remote ranch. The basket of food her mother had prepared had not been enough to last the entire trip. She skipped a few meals and used the dollar she had received from Eddie Joe the night before the train pulled into Denver.
Mrs. Millard had raised an eyebrow when Etta assured her she had neither trunks nor a valise, but only the canvas gunnysack she kept slung over her shoulder. The drive through the city of Denver left Etta with her mouth gaping open. She had never seen so many big, opulent buildings before. She stared in awe when they reached Mrs. Millard’s mansion with its gray walls and gingerbread trim. Although Etta noticed there were signs of wear, it was still the grandest home she had ever seen.
That sense of awe did not leave Etta when they entered the home itself. Mrs. Millard put her in a room by herself, explaining it was because she was not a bride for the miners in Jubilee Springs, but instead she was meant for a cowboy in the neighboring city. Lizett felt it would be more comfortable for all parties involved.
Lizett. Such a pretty name, Etta decided. When asked by the sophisticated, stylish woman to address her by her first name, Etta was unsure if she would feel comfortable doing so. One thing she knew was the bed in the room given to her for the night looked extremely comfortable, especially since Etta was accustomed to sleeping on the loft floor. Etta wondered what Lizett or her maid would think if she pulled the blankets off the bed and slept on the fancy red, blue and green rug on the floor instead.
Too bad it’s not a braided rag rug. That would be right comfy.
The train the next day both excited and frightened Etta. The Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge railroad often hugged the sides of the mountains and appeared to be a matter of mere feet from plummeting to the canyons below. She had lived where there were hills, but never where there were lofty mountains like the Rockies. After finding her stomach in her throat a few times as she looked down the steep slopes, Etta moved to a vacant seat on the side of the train that seemed to stay closer to the rock walls cut from the mountains. From there she tried to focus on the evergreens and the aspens shooting up from the yellow carpet of the leaves they had shed.
Etta shivered at the sight of patches of snow. A wave of gratitude swept through her that Eddie Joe had sent for her before winter set in for the year. She would have hated to be stuck on the train perched on the side of a cliff because an avalanch
e had buried the track.
All her fears were forgotten once the conductor announced they were approaching Jubilee Springs. Although the town would not be her home, it was where she would be staying the next couple of days. It was where she would be getting married, assuming Eddie Joe didn’t turn tail and run the minute he saw her.
For such a small town, Etta could not believe the commotion on the railroad platform as she and the others stepped off the train. It seemed a lot of the men in town had come to see the newcomers. Not all of them could be there to meet the brides, for there were only a handful of women including Lizett herself. Etta kept her eyes glued to her feet, figuring most of them were just curious. She wondered why there were so many of them not at work. Either way, they were not here for her. She knew from remarks made by the others that in the evening there would be a special dinner sponsored by the mine owners who brought in brides for their employees. That did not involve her. The town was sponsoring a harvest dance for everyone Saturday night. She would meet Eddie Joe for that. Sunday would be church, a picnic afterwards if the weather held, and weddings.
Etta felt her innards clench. Weddings. Would one of them be hers? Yes, she and Eddie Joe had been writing and he had sent for her. However, it remained to be seen if he would go through with marrying her once he saw her.
At the Howard Boarding House where Lizett put all the brides up for the weekend, Etta met another woman who had come to Jubilee Springs two days before. Her name was Sarah, just like Etta’s youngest sister, only she was no farm girl like in her family. Where Etta was short and thin, this woman was tall and thin, and her clothes said she had a lot of money. She asked to speak to Lizett, but Etta had no idea why. When it came time for supper at the boarding house, Sarah was the only other woman besides Mrs. Howard at the table.