Breathing a sigh of relief, Benjamin nodded a little before realizing that he hadn’t answered the sheriff’s question. “I was here to see about a job,” he said candidly. “I just got finished telling this fine gentleman about my experience.”
“And I’m sorry to say that I was just about to tell him that we have no need of a feller like him here,” Thomas replied.
Franklin raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I think you do. I can vouch for Benjamin myself. He is strong and hard-working. A job like this would be the perfect fit to get him back on his feet again. You can trust me fully when I say that he is dependable. Why, I don’t know what I would have done without him…”
Thomas didn’t quite know what he was talking about, but he guessed that it was a good idea not to argue with the sheriff. Even if the sheriff was a friend. “Very well,” Thomas conceded. “I will give you a chance then.” He shook hands with Benjamin. “But think well on this and don’t let Sheriff McQueen or me down.”
Benjamin broke out into a wide grin. “Oh, I won’t, sir. Thank you. Thank you very much.” He looked to Franklin. “And thank you, sir.”
“You start tomorrow morning,” Thomas informed him. “Five o’clock. Sharp. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”
****
Benjamin didn’t have any place to stay, but thankfully, there was an inn in town for weary travelers who might be passing through. He decided that no place was better, so he took a room there. Soon, he thought with a smile on his face. Soon I will be able to build my own place and start a family.
He didn’t want to get his hopes up or get too far ahead of himself, but there was something to be said for being excited. Benjamin Pickett hadn’t had much to look forward to of late. It was hard to keep your spirits up, while locked away in a jail cell. Still, he had persevered, and he was now determined more than ever to keep on persevering until he had built a good life for himself. He wasn’t asking for anything spectacular or even great. Good would do just fine.
Weeks passed pleasantly enough for Benjamin. He noticed that the initial wariness that Thomas and the other mill workers had towards him initially, was slowly eroding. He imagined that they weren’t completely letting their guard down just yet, but he was grateful to be given a chance to prove himself worthy of their trust.
“Are your carpentry skills really all you make them out to be?” Thomas asked him one day as Benjamin was sawing up some pine that had just come in.
Benjamin nodded and smiled a bit. “Yes, sir. I reckon they haven’t worsened much in the time since I left my apprenticeship.”
Thomas regarded him curiously. “You’re still living in that old inn, aren’t you?”
Nodding again, Benjamin wondered where this was going. He worried that he was about to be told to vacate, though he didn’t believe he had done anything to warrant such a decision.
“Listen,” Thomas went on. “What do you say this coming weekend you and I and a couple of the other fellers get together and build you a place? I can’t guarantee much, but I reckon we could fix you up with a few decent rooms and a small kitchen to boot. What do you say?”
Benjamin looked at Thomas, amazed at the man’s sheer generosity. He didn’t know how or why he had earned this opportunity, but he certainly wasn’t going to turn it down! “Wow! Thank you, sir! That would be very kind of you. Of course, I can’t complain about staying in the inn, but it sure would be great to have a home of my own so I could set up roots in town.”
Thomas clapped him on the back and smiled at him. “I’m glad to hear it. This town needs good men, and I do believe that Franklin wasn’t lying when he told me that you were a hard, honest worker. I am awfully sorry for the way I treated you before I knew you.”
Benjamin shook his head and smiled at his boss. “Apology accepted, but it’s not needed. I cannot rightly blame anyone for distrusting me. I brought it on myself. But I assure you that I mean to make up for it for the rest of my days.”
“You’re doing a good job of it so far,” Thomas told him brightly. “Now get back to work. I’ll see to it that some men and I are there to greet you this weekend, to welcome you officially to Coloma.”
Benjamin wondered if this was too good to be true. He grinned and continued grinning as he worked and even as he went home that late afternoon. He was finally getting the reprieve that he had so hoped for!
Bolstered by Thomas’s kind offer, Benjamin decided that it was a good time for him to look into placing an advertisement in the newspaper. He wanted a wife, and he knew from other people’s experience that it was something that often took time, not least of all because of the way the pony express worked. He had been there to witness Sheriff McQueen’s letter writing back and forth with Mrs. McQueen. Benjamin knew that, though he didn’t have a whole lot to offer a woman yet, he was well on his way to being a worthy husband-to-be.
He just had to find the right sort of woman. Benjamin knew that, whomever he married, she would need to be kind, understanding and patient with him. He didn’t plan on lying to her about his past, though he certainly planned to ease it into the conversation rather than informing her immediately of his past indiscretions.
He sat down at his small desk in his room at the inn and carefully jotted down an advertisement. Twenty-seven-year-old carpenter seeks a bride to join him in Coloma, California. Must be kind, understanding and patient. Women who have their own trade need not give that up. Please write to Benjamin Pickett.
Benjamin read it over a few times once he was done. He wasn’t sure about the wording. He wanted so badly to make it as perfect as he could; to convey precisely what he was hoping to find in a wife. He wasn’t good with words. But just then, he realized that he knew someone who was.
****
Benjamin knocked on the jailhouse door, appreciating how surreal it was to be back there so soon after leaving. He hoped that Mrs. McQueen wouldn’t begrudge him a few moments of her time. He felt an urgency that he had never quite experienced before, and he wanted to make sure he got the wording for his ad just right.
After a few agonizing moments, Mrs. Louise McQueen opened the front door of her home. She was startled to find Benjamin there on her front porch, but then she smiled. “Well, hello!” she said in a friendly manner. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon. Please do come in.”
It was to his credit that she was so welcoming. Not many men would be invited in to chat with the sheriff’s wife, especially after the ordeal she had been through. Still, Louise viewed Benjamin as a loyal friend and not as a former prisoner. She knew that she could trust him, and he greatly appreciated that.
“Would you care for some tea, or maybe sandwiches?” she offered. “Oh, no thank you kindly, ma’am,” he said, “I shouldn’t be here long. I don’t want to trouble you. I have come to ask for…well, for some advice, mainly. You see, I’ve gone ahead and drafted an advertisement for the newspaper with the hope of finding a bride.”
Louise beamed at him. She placed her hand supportively on his. “Oh, how marvelous! Let’s see it.”
He handed over the scrap of paper on which he had written his brief ad and watched in nervous anticipation as Louise read it over several times. The bright smile never left her face, which he considered to be a good sign. “I trust your judgement, seeing as how you and Franklin found each other not so long ago. Surely, you must have some interesting insights.”
Louise was pleased that he had come to her for advice and writing tips. Usually, she was tasked with household chores, so it was a welcome change of pace to be able to think about writing choices and how best to impress someone in a short amount of words. “Thank you for bringing this to me,” she said pleasantly. “The only thing that I think needs altering is the bit about her not needing to give up her career. It might be a bit much; a bit more like a job description and less like a request for a bride. If that makes sense.”
Benjamin nodded right away. “It does make sense…but how do I convey that she need not g
ive up her pursuits? I know that many women – yourself, for example – have other interests or skills which I would in no way wish for them to cast aside on account of our union.”
Mrs. McQueen thought for a moment and quickly arrived at a good solution. “I believe you should maybe make mention of the way that you feel once she has told you of her pursuits in her correspondence. That way, it is less out of place and instead, more complimentary.”
Benjamin appreciated her honesty and was grateful for her opinion. He nodded and carefully took the piece of paper from her and read over it a few times more. He felt more confident about the whole situation now as a result of their brief visit. “I thank you kindly for your help,” he told Louise. “I shall rewrite this and send it off shortly.”
He stood up at that, and Louise rose with him. “Best of luck to you, Benjamin. And thank you again for thinking of me in your time of need. Please, don’t be a stranger to us. We are your friends.”
“Thanks again,” he replied. “I greatly appreciate all of your help and support. And, above all, your friendship. I hope I shall somehow grow to fully deserve it.”
Benjamin kissed Louise’s hand and they parted ways.
As soon as he had returned to his room at the inn, he rewrote his advertisement, leaving out the part about women who have their own trade. He was confident that Mrs. McQueen knew what she was talking about. After all, she was a woman.
****
Benjamin sent off his advertisement to the newspaper printers, hoping that the process wouldn’t take too long. He wasn’t a very patient person, especially because he felt that he was entering all of this rather late compared to other men in town. He didn’t know how he was ever going to fill his days while he waited to receive a reply.
Thankfully, the weekend arrived before he knew it. Thomas and several of the other men from the mill were there to greet him at the inn as scheduled. They gathered some lumber and set to work on building a new home for Benjamin.
“Of course, I’ll deduct some of the cost of the wood and labor from your pay,” Thomas told him with a wink, “but only about twenty percent.”
Benjamin chuckled as he sawed. “That's right fair of you, sir. Seeing as how I was fixing to pay for everything.”
“Nah,” Thomas countered. “This is our gift to you, for being such a diligent worker. We owe you a great big apology, and this the best way we could think of to make it up to you – I hope this new home serves you well for many years to come.”
Over the course of the next few weeks, after putting in long hours at the mill each day, the men gathered at the site of what was to be Benjamin’s new home and toiled until the sun went down. Benjamin ended each long day utterly exhausted but happy and incredibly grateful that Thomas and his coworkers cared enough to sacrifice their time and hard work to help him.
It was thrilling to know that he was soon going to have a real home of his own, and it was doubly rewarding to think that the whole structure was built by him and his coworkers who were now becoming his friends. My my, he thought. A year ago today, I couldn’t have imagined the way my life is now unfolding. God has truly blessed me.
As soon as his new home was completed, Benjamin got straight to work making furniture to fill his empty rooms. The long months of planning and hard work had truly paid off. He was overjoyed and felt fulfilled for the first time in his life that he could remember. There was just one thing missing…
In all of the time that had passed, he never once received any sort of response to his advertisement.
“You must be patient my friend,” Franklin told him one evening. “These sorts of things take time. You never know, the right lady might just now be reading your ad. I know that it seems like it should be instantaneous, but to be fair, it didn’t get written straight away, did it?”
Benjamin sighed a little and shook his head. “No, sir. To tell you the truth, I fretted over every word.”
Frank smiled at him. “I did the same,” he replied. “It’s not something that a man usually does except for perhaps once or twice in his life, as the case may be. It’s out of the ordinary. But that makes getting a reply extraordinary. I have a feeling that you’ll receive a response in due time. I just know it.”
It heartened Benjamin to know that the sheriff was still wishing him well. Despite the fact that they had met under non-ideal circumstances, he now thought of Franklin as a true friend. Now that he had served his time, Benjamin felt like he had learned a lot and grown tremendously as a man. Never again would he think of taking up arms against another person, or stealing for that matter. Everything he earned from here on was going to truly be earned with honest hard work.
Day after day passed without a single response to Benjamin’s advertisement. He was grateful to have his beautiful new home, but it felt so empty without anyone to share it with. He was beginning to wonder if his dream would ever become a reality. His focus at work began to suffer as he began to envision that the future he had hoped for was quickly slipping from his grasp.
Thomas understood why Benjamin wasn’t holding up so well and tried his best to encourage him to stay positive. “Today could be the day,” he said each and every morning. “Chin up, friend. In time, a letter will come.”
Benjamin knew that his boss was just trying to be kind and make him feel better, but deep in his heart, he was beginning to give up on the idea that he would ever have a bride of his own.
****
Fortune finally smiled on Benjamin Pickett a few days after his decision to stop hoping for it. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he arrived home to discover that there, waiting for him on his porch, was a yellowed envelope! He held it up to read the inscription on it. It was written in a neat, feminine hand and it had come all the way from Maryland! It was slightly thicker than he had dared dream of as well, and he wondered if perhaps there might be some photographs inside.
Benjamin couldn’t wait to open it. He rushed into his house and sat on the sofa in his living room. Tearing at the letter, he practically ripped it in two in order to get it out of the envelope. His hands were shaking, giddy with excitement.
Dear Mr. Pickett,
I hope that this letter reaches you safely and that you are well. My name is Miss Maybelle Fields. I am twenty-two years of age and I work as a seamstress in a factory in Annapolis, Maryland. I am writing in response to your advertisement which was placed in the newspaper for a new bride. When reading your ad, I was struck by how you emphasized that your future bride be patient. I believe that I am patient enough. Over the years, I have cared for my parents when they were getting on in years. I was working as a seamstress in order to help with their expenses as well as my own. They are no longer with us, sadly, but I do think that I have learned and experienced a lot through working to care for them.
How interesting it must be to be a carpenter in the West! I am not familiar with what the homes and buildings are like out there. I am excited to read more about your experiences in California. I hope that you will write back to me and give me the great honor of getting to know you better…
I have taken the liberty of including a photograph of myself. Please accept it as a token of my esteem, if nothing else.
Regards,
Maybelle Fields
Benjamin smiled down at the letter in his hands. He found Miss Fields to be so very sweet. He was delighted that she had chosen to include a portrait of herself. She had not needed to do that, as he had not requested it. Therefore, it truly was a treat for him. He carefully pulled the daguerreotype from the envelope and gazed upon the image of his lovely correspondent.
She had long, dark hair that cascaded down her shoulders in loose curls, creamy skin, and bright eyes that gazed back at him from the portrait. Benjamin at once thought she was stunning and that she was too good for him. He began to feel shy, almost as though she was right there in the room with him.
Hands still quaking a bit from excitement, Benjamin fetched some paper and a pen from the
desk nearby and began to write back to her at once.
Dear Miss Fields,
I was delighted to receive your kind and thoughtful letter in response to my advertisement. I must confess that I was beginning to doubt that anyone was going to think to write to me. Your letter has exceeded my expectations! You seem like a wonderful young woman and I am pleased to know that you have some experience caring for your aging parents. I am terribly sorry for your loss, but I know that, surely, they felt thankful for all of your help. As it turns out, I also know that there is a need for seamstresses in Coloma. There is a general store in town and the proprietor is also a tailor. He has been making all kinds of clothing for people here, including wedding dresses. I mention this only because I know that you might find a placement there and therefore wouldn’t have to give up your passions or hobbies on account of me.
I thank you for your inclusion of the photograph. You are a breathtaking beauty. Of course, looks do not matter to me as much as your mind and your spirit, but you seem to be quite beautiful in those regards as well.
The buildings in Coloma are mostly made of wood and stone. I work at a lumber mill in town and my home was built with the support of several of my worker friends there. Apart from homes, I am also skilled at making wood furniture and fixtures such as bookshelves and mantelpieces. I would love to show you someday, if ever you were to come here and join me. I appreciate your interest. It is not required, but it is good to know that you care some about what I do.
I have enclosed a portrait of myself as well, so that you may see to whom you are sending your letters. Please write back to me so that I may know you have not changed your mind after seeing me!
Warm regards,
Benjamin Pickett
****
Now that he had written his letter, Benjamin needed to return the favor and enclose a photograph of himself. There was one problem and it was going to cause a bit of a delay…the only photograph of himself that he owned was a wanted poster. That was the last thing he wanted to include in a letter to his prospective bride!
Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3) Page 12