The Widow's Mail Order Husband (Mail Order Brides) (3 page)

“Fort Worth, next stop is Fort Worth,” called the conductor in a loud voice that carried to the end of the Pullman Car. Mary began gathering the various items she had brought in her carpet bag. Her trunk was in the baggage car and would be unloaded by the railroad people. Nervous, she stood and peered out the window as she made her way down the aisle toward the exit. She didn’t see anything or anyone she recognized, never having been in Texas before, let alone Fort Worth.

She stepped from the train along with six other passengers leaving the train. Looking around, she saw a man, who appeared to be in his early thirties headed in her direction. He looked to be almost six feet tall, about the right height. As he neared, she could see he was deeply tanned, the result of many hours in the sun. He removed his Stetson hat, and she saw his blond hair and blue eyes.

“Mrs. Cartwright?” he asked in a deep, pleasant voice.

“Yes, I’m Mary Cartwright,” she replied.

“I’m Tom Hartness,” he said. “Welcome to Fort Worth. I’ve been looking forward to your arrival. It’s nice to meet you. Do you mind if I call you Mary?” To himself, he thought, “She is a fine looking woman, a pleasant face and a nice friendly voice.” He smiled as he introduced himself, revealing straight, white teeth.

“Mary is fine. I’m pleased to meet you also. I’m glad to be able to put a face to the person in the letters. It has been a long trip, but interesting. I had never been out of Maryland prior to this.”

“I’m sure you’re tired of traveling and it’s about twenty miles to the Lazy H,” he said. It will take half a day to make the trip, stopping to rest and water the horses. If we leave now, it will be just about dark when we get there.”

“Is Emily with you?” she asked.

“I thought the round trip would be too tiring for her, so she’s with Rosa. Ken Blake, one of the ranch hands is with me, in case we run into any trouble.”

“What type of trouble could we run into?” she asked.

“Oh anything, a broken wheel, or one of the horses comes up lame, things like that,” he said.

“I have the feeling you’re leaving something out,” she said.

“You’re very perceptive. Some Comanches have been seen in these parts. They haven’t caused any trouble in some time, but with Comanches you never know. It’s just a precaution. If you point your baggage out, Ken and I will get it into the carriage,” he said.

As they walked to the baggage car, Tom pointed in the direction they were headed and Mary saw a carriage begin to move toward them. The driver of the carriage came to them, and Tom introduced Mary to Ken Blake.

Blake tipped his hat and said, “Ma’am.”

The trunk was hoisted into the carriage, Ken Blake mounted the horse that had been tied to the back of the carriage. Tom gave Mary a hand up into the carriage. The hand was callused, indicating it belonged to someone who worked with his hands. “Mary, I suggest we get a bite to eat before we leave for the ranch. It will also give us a chance to talk.”

“That would be a nice break from the dining car food. It was good, but a change would be welcome,” she said.

“There’s a pretty good cafe near the stockyards. I’ve eaten there after bringing cattle to the market,” he said.

Tom gave Ken some money, and said something to him, which Mary was unable to hear. “Is Ken going to be joining us?” she asked.

“No, he’s going to eat at the same place, but we’ll have some privacy so we can talk,” he said.

Tom helped her down from the carriage, then held the door for her at the cafe. “He has nice manners,” Mary thought to herself. They found a table in a corner and seated themselves.

Tom pointed to a blackboard filled with writing; “That’s the fare for today,” he said.

A short, gray haired man came to the table; Mary noticed the apron he was wearing was clean. “What’s it gonna be folks?” he said with a pleasant drawl.

After the waiter left, Tom said, “Mary, I don’t know how to go about this, but you’ll find me a plain spoken man. The ranch is near a small community called Grapevine, just a general store, a livery stable, and a post office. There’s a group that meets on Sunday and a traveling preacher who comes once a month to preach. I don’t want to push you into something you’re uncomfortable with, so I’ll just ask straight out, how do you want to go about this?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought since we agreed to meet. I have a home in Hagerstown and have arranged with the bank to manage it for me. Since you have a daughter, I think we should take her feelings into consideration too. I mentioned in my letter, I’ve been teaching in elementary school, but those children are a few years older than Emily. My late husband and I weren’t blessed with children, so my experience with children Emily’s age is limited.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he said. “Emily was three when her mother passed, so her memories of Caroline have faded and Rosa’s been taking care of her. The ranch takes me out of the house most of the daylight hours and I don’t really spend enough time with her.”

Mary said, “Let me put this question to you, there’s always the possibility she and I simply don’t fit, what then? For that matter, you may find me unsuitable. Do you think we should have a get acquainted time?” As she was talking, she had the feeling, he had cooled somewhat, maybe disappointed. She couldn’t put her finger on it exactly, but it was there, niggling in her mind. At this point, she decided to go on. “If we marry, I intend this to be one that endures. At my age, I can’t consider any other way.”

“Mary, what we are talking about here is unconventional, brought about by the decimation of war. There are no unmarried women in Grapevine. None. Precious few in Fort Worth. I would presume the same situation exists in reverse in Hagerstown. This would be it for me also. Regardless of the lack of companionship, I owe that to Emily. Still, I feel taking a chance is sometimes justified and I think this is one of those times.”

“I agree with all you’ve said. Maybe I’m over thinking it and worried too much about how your daughter might react,” she admitted. “My coming here was taking a big chance. I have a dear friend who married a man she met the same way we met and she is happy and satisfied. In fact, she lives fairly near Fort Worth, outside a community called Bedford.”

“I know Bedford. I think it’s about twelve miles from the Lazy H. Here’s what I propose. We go to the ranch, you have a look around, and meet everyone, and if you find everything agreeable, then we marry. If it doesn’t suit you, I will take you back to Fort Worth and you can return to Hagerstown, at my expense, of course.”

“That certainly sounds reasonable, however, if I return, it will be at my expense,” she said.

He was quiet, and sat there, picking at his food. Mary said, “Tom, this hasn’t gotten off to a good start. I’m acting like an old woman. Well, at thirty two, I guess I am getting there. Can we start over?” she asked.

“You’re certainly not an old woman. In fact, you are a comely looking lady. There aren’t any around fitting that description. I agree. Let’s do start over.”

“Hello, Mary, I’m Tom Hartness. I am pleased to meet you.”

“Tom, it is my pleasure to meet you. Thank you for the compliment. I don’t get many of those any more, and I appreciate it.”

“I’m tired of living alone, Mary. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I will love and respect you for the rest of our lives.”

“Yes,” she said. I will marry you today, and I promise to love, honor and cherish you and Emily.”

And so, in the office of the justice of peace, a marriage license was obtained, and Tom Hartness and Mary Cartwright were united in marriage, with Ken Blake as their witness.

Immediately following the ceremony, Tom kissed his bride lightly on the lips, and they returned to the carriage and set out for the Lazy H ranch as a married couple.

The ride to the Lazy H was for the most part, open prairie land. As
they rode along, Tom pointed out neighboring ranches and the names of the people living there. Mary was surprised when Tom pointed out the small town they were passing through was Bedford. “Why, that’s where Minerva lives,” Mary exclaimed. She married a man named Chase Barlow. He has a ranch outside town.”

“It’s close enough for an occasional visit then,” Tom said. “We’re only about ten miles from the Lazy H right now.”

“I would be nice to have someone from back home to talk to occasionally,” she said.

“I can understand that. During the war, there were a couple of guys from here, in my unit. We used to get together and talk about what we were going to do after the war. At one time, we had quite a few from this area, but we lost them..” He pointed, “You can see the top of the house now. It won’t be too much longer.”

“What will Rosa’s role be in the house, now that I am here?”

“Whatever you want it to be,” he answered. “You’re the lady of the house. She’s taken on a big load since Caroline passed.”

It was about thiry minutes when they turned onto a trail, with an iron arch across the road. In the center of the arch was the word “Lazy” and an “H” tilted to the left. “We’re home,” he said. “Welcome to the Lazy H.”

She laughed. “I just realized where you got the Lazy H name.”

“It’s our brand. It’s how we distinguish our cattle from those from other ranches that might have strayed here and vice-versa,” he said.

As they drew closer, she could see a large white, two story house. Behind the house and just to the side was a barn that appeared to be enormous. “It certainly is impressive.”

“My parents did it right, then Caroline and I added to it, anticipating the big family I mentioned to you,” he responded. “Ken, can you give me a hand getting the trunk into the house?”

“Sure thing, Boss. I’ll put the horses and carriage away too” Ken replied.

“Good. Thanks for riding shotgun today. I know it was a tiring day for you,” Tom said.

“It beats rounding up strays,” Ken laughed. “Nice to have met you, Miss Mary. You’ll like living on the Lazy H.”

“Well, thank you, I’m sure I will.” She followed them into the house.

“Rosa, Emily, we’re home,” he called out.

A large woman with Hispanic origin came into the room, wiping her hands on the most colorful apron Mary had ever seen. “Emilia is coming, Senor Tomas,” she said.

“Rosa, es mi esposa, Mary. Mary, this is Rosa. She has been on the Lazy H almost as long as I have,” Tom said.

Rosa curtsied, “Senora Maria, I am pleased to meet you.”

“Don’t let her fool you, Mary, she speaks English better than I do,” Tom said.

“I don’t know one word of Spanish, Rosa. Do you think you could teach me?” Mary asked.

Before Rosa could answer, a small girl came into the kitchen. Mary immediately thought, “This is the most beautiful child I have ever seen.” Emily had raven black hair nearly to her waist. The hair was her crowning feature, but her flawless skin and green eyes were close behind. Mary knelt down so she could be at eye level with the girl, who was crowding Rosa’s space and holding onto her apron.

Mary had produced a small doll from her carpet bag, bought especially for Emily. “Do you play with dolls, Emily?” she asked. “I brought this all the way from Maryland, just for you.” Emily’s response was to hide her face in Rosa’s apron.

“She’s being shy,” offered Tom.

Rosa had prepared dinner and had it on the stove to keep warm. Tom said, “I don’t know whether you have a sensitive stomach or not, but we have a lot of Mexican dishes here and some of them can run a bit spicy. They are pretty good if I do say so myself. Rosa has been using most of the recipes as long as she’s been here.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. Spicy is better than no taste, and that’s the way a lot of my cooking was. It’s just a lot of trouble to cook for one person,” she said.

After the meal, Mary stayed in the kitchen helping what little bit Rosa would allow. She figured it would be good to get Rosa on her side. While she was in the kitchen, Tom was off tending to chores in the barn.

“Rosa, what is Tom like? He seems pleasant enough, but I think he’s holding something back. It’s almost like he’s protecting me from something.”

“Senor Tomas, he is a good man,” she said. “He was, how you say, very dedicated to Senora Caroline. I think he blames himself. They were coming back from Grapevine and were caught in a storm. When they came home, Senora Caroline was very wet. She got a cold, and then the pneumonia. Senor Tomas thinks he should have taken her to the doctor sooner. It was too late, but it was not his fault. He didn’t make the rain.. He doesn’t not permit Senorita Emily to play in the rain. I think you will be good for him, Senora.”

“Is she buried on the ranch?” Mary asked.

“Si, in the family cemetery,” Rosa answered.

“I’d like for you to show me tomorrow, please,” Mary said.

Tom walked into the kitchen, “What are you two talking about? Me?”

“Well, listen to him,” Mary said. “Were your ears burning?”

“More like someone walked on my grave,” he said. Mary exchanged startled looks with Rosa, who just shrugged her shoulders.

“Mary, let’s tuck Emily in bed, okay?”

She followed him up the stairs to what was obviously a little girl's room. Tom started to enter, but Mary held him back. She knocked on the door frame. There was no response. She knocked again, but still no response. Tom walked into the room, where Emily was in bed. “Sweetheart, didn’t you hear us knocking?” There was still no response. “She’s never done this before, that I know of,” Tom said. He put his hands on Emily’s shoulders, “Stop fooling around. Did you hear us knocking on the door?” A nod, but no words.

“She’s a big girl, Tom. Maybe she doesn’t need to be tucked in any more.”

“If that’s the case, it happened suddenly. I tucked her in yesterday,” he said.