by Annie Boone
Reclaiming Hope
Annie Boone
A Mail Order Bride Short Story
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are products of the author’s imagination. Any misrepresentation or discrepancies about the places or history are research or interpretation errors by the author.
For more information about the author, Annie Boone, check out her website.
http://www.AnnieBoone.com
Chapter One
Eva Mae Rutledge said her farewells to the Elizabeth P. Hertford Home of Promise, and unlike Lot's wife, she did not look back. The six years she had spent within the walls of the home weren’t horrible, but she had most definitely longed for this day.
The town of Independence, Missouri was never meant to be her home. Her parents had set out on a journey that would lead them to a chance for a better life in the West. So many opportunities awaited those who were bold enough to accept the challenges. Thousands had made the choice to try their luck in the mountains, deserts, and prairies west of the Mississippi River and those western towns were booming.
Henry and Lula Rutledge left all the family they had ever known in Tennessee for a fresh start in Colorado. The war had left the Southern town of Cleveland with few jobs and fewer customers for the businesses that remained. The deprivation was wide spread in Tennessee and recovery from the ravages of war was slow.
The Rutledge family arrived in western Missouri with high hopes for the future. Independence was a stop over point and the final leg of their journey to Colorado was scheduled to start only a few days after Lula fell ill. Henry’s symptoms started the day before Lula passed away and he died two days later. In less than a week, Eva became an orphan. She was spared from the cholera epidemic that had taken her parents from her and never experienced any symptoms of the disease at all.
For Eva Mae, the loss of her parents was almost unbearable. She watched them suffer and was too young to know what to do to help them. The refusal of her father's family to pay her passage back to Tennessee meant young Eva was sent to a local orphanage. She had no family, advocate, or resources to keep this from happening.
The one thing that gave Eva peace was the knowledge that her Heavenly Father was looking out for her when it seemed no one else was. She also took comfort believing that God had welcomed her parents with open arms at the Heaven’s Pearly Gates. She had learned faith from her parents and that was the teaching that she held dearest.
“Eva, wait! Here is something you left behind!”
Eva heard a familiar voice behind her and she stopped and turned. She smiled as she saw plump Josephine hurrying along behind her. From the impish look on her friend's face, she knew Jo was up to some mischief.
Josephine would be watching over the girls in their dormitory now. The Home was not as awful as other orphanages were, but the matron who ran it was a sourpuss. It was now Jo's place to encourage the other girls, teach them to read and sew, and help them find happiness in the little things. These were all changes Eva, as a mere orphan, had managed to bring about in spite of the grumpy matron.
Eva stopped on the muddy street to wait for her friend. April was a time of almost daily showers and balmier weather. This was causing many puddles that needed to be avoided. Today was sunny and bright, but the puddles from overnight rain still remained a hazard.
“What is it, Jo? I thought surely I had brought everything I needed with me. I don’t have much, so certainly everything I own is in here,” Eva said with a laugh. She jokingly pointed to the old, faded valise she carried. “And we handed out all of the butterscotch candies Mr. Stevenson sent last night. Even if any of those are left, I want the others to enjoy them.”
Josephine reached Eva out of breath and with a muddy, wet skirt hem from hitting too many puddles in her haste.
“Eva, this is for your wedding day,” Jo said excitedly as she showed her a beautiful package tied up with blue and silver ribbons. “I've been working on it since Luke Stevenson asked for your hand. Every day during sewing class I added a bit more.”
“Oh, Jo, you shouldn’t have!” Eva cried. But she was smiling broadly as she gently opened the smartly wrapped package. Inside, she found a lovely shawl made of the most delicate ivory fabric Eva had ever seen. It was dotted with sparkles and seed pearls. This lovely accessory was a special addition to her meager wardrobe and much finer than anything she had owned before. Her eyes misted over as her fingers lightly touched the thoughtful gift.
Jo's sweet round face crinkled in laughter as she explained, “Jeannette was my lookout, since the Matron watches us like a hawk, you know. And Bonnie gave me the spangles and pearls from an old gown of her mother’s she had saved. The twins pitched in some of the ribbons and I sneaked a few more ribbons from Matron's Sunday hat this morning. We wanted you to have something to remember us by.”
Eva was in awe as she took in the delicate construction of the beautiful shawl. The sun sparked off the spangles and sent beams of light dancing across Jo's face. She realized how much she was going to miss Josephine. “Oh, you silly thing,” Eva sighed, as she wrapped her arms around Jo in a hug. “It’s gorgeous! And this fabric is so soft and, well, it’s just wonderful! It’s far too pretty for me, though.”
Josephine saw Eva's dark blond hair, twisted into a proper bun under her prim blue bonnet. Then she focused on her wide-set deep blue eyes sparkling like sapphires. Eva patted her clothes back into place after their hug and Josephine put a hand on her arm to get her attention. “You have no idea of your beauty,” Josephine remarked wonderingly. “That plain blue dress you're wearing has been mended and washed to death, yet you wear it with grace.”
Eva looked up at Josephine blushing. “Well, you know how it is, Jo. I needed to save money to make this trip. I couldn’t rely completely on the generosity of Mr. Stevenson even if we are betrothed,” said Eva.
“You are thrifty and that is a trait that will serve you well when you get to Colorado,” Jo replied. “You’ve done so well to save all that money from the work you've done sewing for Mrs. Thompson's shop.”
Eva cast her eyes down to look at her well worn dress and sighed. “Maybe I should have bought a new dress, though. This old thing has seen better days.”
“Your sweet spirit, courage, and kindness will make up for a faded dress any day. Luke Stevenson is a fool if he doesn't see what a marvelous asset you will be to his hotel and especially to his life.”
“Mr. Stevenson is a gentleman,” Eva said, although with a hint of unease, thinking about the journey to Colorado that lay ahead. “As such I don't believe he would renege on our arrangement. From his letters, he seems to be warm and good humored. He has no living family and I have none, at least none that cares about me. If it is God's will then together, we can start our own family. If not, I will be disappointed, but I’ll have the money I've saved to see me through for a while.”
Josephine took Eva's arm as they walked to Pigott's Field, the area on the edge of town where wagon trains staged up for a trip out of town. The walk wouldn’t take too long since the street the Home was on ran right into the wide open field.
“I know this isn’t a dreadfully long walk, but it was easier to get to the wagons before they moved the staging location to Pigott’s Field. I know that the Town Center has grown, but I’d rather walk across the square than this far out to the field,” Josephine whined.
“You didn’t have to come with me, Jo,” Eva soothed. “We could have said goodbye at the Home. I can find my way. We’ll be keeping in touch by letter and this isn’t a final farewell, anyway.”
“It’s fine, Eva. I wan
t to come. I just hate walking a long way when I’m wearing a tight corset, but I do need one!” Jo lightly elbowed Eva and they smiled at each other and continued the stroll to the field.
When the girls made it to the staging area, there were about forty wagons in front of them. The sturdy vehicles were designed for the arduous journey before them. They were also known as prairie schooners because they sailed the high grasses of the Great Plains carrying the makings for a fantastic, though possibly difficult, new life.
“Look,” Jo said, as she pointed to the wagons, “you could start twenty general stores with all these supplies. I see countless barrels of bacon, flour, and lard.”
“All of that and more are needed for the journey they’re about to endure,” Eva remarked. “Thank goodness I don’t have to travel in this manner all the way to Colorado. I remember the difficult time in the wagon train from Tennessee when I was a tot. I do not wish to travel that way again unless I must.”
“I know that was a terrible event for you, Eva. Your life is full of promise now and I know you will continue to focus on the happy times that are yet to come for you.”
Eva checked her well worn valise for the ticket Mr. Stevenson had sent for her travel to meet him, as was the typical practice in The Prairie Marriage Catalog she had met him through. She had enough money to pay for her fare herself, but she was thankful that she would not have to dip into her safety fund for the train ticket.
“Well, now if we can just find the wagon master, he can tell me where I need to go for this short trip to Kansas City,” mused Eva.
Along with the train ticket, Luke Stevenson had sent instructions to take a wagon train from Independence, Missouri to Kansas City. It would be a short journey, but a necessary one. There was no train service in or out of Independence yet. Mr. Stevenson had advised Eva to find the wagon master, Robert Spencer, to help her make the trip to the railway depot in Kansas City as easy as possible.
The two men had met several years ago when Spencer stayed at his hotel, The Evergreen Lodge. Mr. Spencer was an adventurer who had been bitten by the same bug that caused so many to venture west. His work as a wagon master suited him because it allowed him to see many places and have time off at the end of each trip to enjoy the destination.
Spotting Mr. Spencer in the crowd, the two girls hurried over. With his enormous black ten-gallon cowboy hat perched on top of his already impressive six-foot tall frame he was easy to locate. Eva was relieved they'd found him. Hundreds of people, men, women, and children, were checking wagon wheels, supplies, and each other, to make sure nothing was left behind. Spencer was talking to his wife, Miriam while he secured some coils of rope to the outside of the wagon.
Eva and Josephine walked up to them to get further information about the upcoming departure.
“Howdy, ladies,” he called, “just putting this rope up. Mighty handy to have if we get caught in a rut or swept down a river. That ain't likely to happen though,” he hurriedly added, chuckling. He saw the worried look that popped out on his wife's face and realized he needed to relieve her fears if possible.
“I place myself in your competent hands,” Eva assured him, as she embraced Miriam Spencer quickly to comfort her. “We mustn’t fret,” she tried to bolster the older woman's flagging spirits. “This is an adventure you will tell your grandchildren about one day. Think about the great explorers Lewis and Clark. You are following in their footsteps, except,” Eva said with a smile, “it took those poor fellows over two years, so this group of travelers is already luckier than they. This journey will take only weeks.” Miriam managed a small smile, as she watched her sons, Aaron and George, scramble onto the wagon.
“How you cheer me, Miss Eva, I suppose Robert here is like our own Sacagawea,” she laughed, tightening the strings of her bonnet against the wild whipping wind.
Eva giggled, “There you have it.”
Glad to see color on Miriam's cheeks once more, Eva was grateful Luke had set her up to travel even the short distance to Kansas City with the Spencer family. She felt a rare closeness with this small family of four.
Robert and Miriam, along with their tow-headed eight and nine-year-old sons, had stopped by the Home to meet Eva a week ago. She was touched at the consideration they showed her, helping to put her mind at ease about her journey. She wouldn’t be traveling all the way to Denver with the Spencer family, but she was glad to make the start with them.
“And as much as I wish you were coming,” she said, turning to Josephine, “I know you must stay. It is time for you to get back to the Home, or Matron will be very cross, indeed.”
Josephine said brightly, “Perhaps I will find so lucky a match as you did in The Prairie Marriage Catalog, then I will come to Colorado and we will be sisters again.”
“We are sisters always,” Eva promised, as they both began to cry. “Nothing will ever change that.”
With a final hug, she turned to walk away. The wagon train had begun to move and she would need to hurry. Her journey was beginning and her dreams of a happy future lay ahead.
Chapter Two
Upon arriving in Denver, Colorado, Eva found herself in the depot with her small valise not knowing exactly where to go. She was tired from the trip, but thankful she had not made the trip with the Spencer family and the wagon train travelers. It would have been nice to have companions to travel with, but the wagon journey would likely have been a difficult one. She had made it to Denver much sooner than if she had traveled with Robert Spenser, for the wagon train wouldn’t be arriving in Denver for several more weeks.
She looked around her at the people arriving and those who were picking them up. Most of the travelers brought trunks and plenty of baggage with them. Then she looked down at her single bag. Besides her sensible underclothes, a few dresses and some small keepsakes she treasured from her parents, she could claim nothing else in this world. She did have the small stash of cash that she would likely need, but it wasn’t enough to purchase many of the feminine things other women held dear.
More than fancy clothes and jewelry, though, she longed for a place to call her own. Living in the Home for the past six years had taken care of her basic needs, but she wanted to belong and contribute to a household that was truly hers. Luke had assured her that in no time they would be married and running the hotel together. She prayed once again that this would be so.
The depot in Denver was not her final destination. The Evergreen Lodge, owned by her intended, was in the town of Evergreen, Colorado, some thirty miles west of Denver. Someone was to pick her up at the depot and then take her to the lodge.
Eva squared her weary shoulders and walked out to the street. She was headed to find the carriage that was to be waiting for her to take her to meet Mr. Luke Stevenson. This station was quite busy and Denver appeared to be more than a pass through town like most of the other stops on her journey.
As Eva looked down the street she saw carriage after carriage lined up waiting to take arriving train passengers where they needed to go. She knew that the carriage was a black, open air vehicle with two seats which helped her narrow down her search.
Eva approached the first driver she came to who was in charge of a carriage like the one she was looking for. “Hello, sir. Are you here to fetch Miss Rutledge for the Evergreen Lodge?”
“No, Ma’am. You might want to ask the man with the carriage two spots behind me. I think that’s the one you’ll be looking for.”
“The one with the red trim?”
“Aye. That’s it.”
“Thank you, sir. Have a splendid day!”
Eva walked over to the man standing beside the carriage pointed out by the driver she had just spoken to. “Hello, sir. Do you happen to be from the Evergreen Lodge?”
The man nodded. “Yes, I’m here to meet Miss Eva Rutledge. Are you Miss Rutledge?”
Eva gave him a big smile and responded, “Why yes. That’s me!”
“Well, good. G
lad you’ve arrived safely. My name is Charles Fremont. Where are your trunks, Miss Eva? I’ll get them.”
“Oh, well, I don’t have any, Mr. Fremont. This valise is all I have.” Eva cast her eyes down. She was a little embarrassed that she had so few belongings to bring with her. She smoothed her skirt, thankful that she had at least changed into her newest dress. It wasn’t as fine as a ball gown, but at least it hadn’t been patched and repaired many times like her other dresses had been.
At the Home, it wasn’t so important to wear nice clothes, but she was on the way to meet her future husband. She really wished she had bought a new dress with the money she had saved. Now that she was actually here in the situation, she was increasingly less confident. She was out of her element for sure since she hadn’t had suitors before. This wasn’t allowed at the Home, but it was just as likely that there would have been no suitors even if it had been allowed. Not many young men would be interested in courting an orphan.