Mail Order Madness (4 page)

Susan turned to her sister, and best friend, and hugged her.  “Just be happy for me. 
I’ll write so often, you’ll be sick of my letters.”
 

Elizabeth smiled through her tears.  “You’d better.”  She walked to the table and
looked at their mother.  “I guess you know everything and are willing to help.”

Lucy shrugged.  “Susan’s an adult.  It doesn’t much matter if I agree or not.  I’m
going to help my daughter, though.”
  She made the last cut and moved the scraps together.  “I think we can make you a
nice bonnet to match out of the leftover fabric.”

“That will be wonderful.  I don’t know much about Texas, but I do know it’s supposed
to be hot.  A bonnet will be necessary to keep the sun off my face.”  Susan helped
her mother gather up the pieces they’d cut. 

Lucy quickly spread out the scraps and cut the first piece for a bonnet.  “This will
be perfect for wearing to church.”  She suddenly looked up, startled.  “He does go
to church doesn’t he?”

Susan exchanged a look with Elizabeth.  “Yes, Ma.  He said in his letter that he goes
to church every Sunday.”
  She knew it was important to her mother that she marry a Christian, and it was important
to her as well. 

Lucy sighed, looking relieved.  “Well at least you’re not traveling to the middle
of nowhere to marry a heathen.”

Susan and Elizabeth both giggled.  “I wouldn’t have agreed to marry him if he’d been
a heathen.”

Lucy shrugged.  “You never can tell.  Marrying a man you’ve never met, heathen or
not, is daring enough.”  She finished the last cut on the bonnet.  “Your father isn’t
going to be happy, you know.”

“Pa will understand.  And that’s one less mouth to feed,” Susan pointed out realistically.

“Our children are not a burden,” Lucy said with a serious look. 
“You don’t think you’re a burden, do you?  Is that why you’re doing this?”

“No, of course not!  I just think it’s time for me to have my own life.  I’m finished
with school, and I just watch the neighbor kids and help with my brothers and sisters
all day.  It’s time for me to start my own life.  It was either
marry
or find a full time job somewhere.”

Lucy nodded.  “I do think you’ll do well in marriage.  I just hate the idea of you
moving so far away.  What if he’s not a good man?”

“Then I’ll come back home.  I’m not afraid to admit when I’ve made a mistake.”
  Susan meant it too.  She was strong enough and confident enough that if she found
herself married to a bad man, she’d leave so fast he wouldn’t know what happened.

The words seemed to relieve Lucy’s fears.  The three women worked together to get
the sewing off the table, so they could set it for dinner. 

The family straggled in over the next few minutes to wash their hands and sit down
at the kitchen table for their meal.  They all joined hands as
their father, Norman,
said a prayer over the meal.  “Thank you, Lord, for the meal we’re about to eat. 
Amen.”

As soon as Norman picked up his spoon to eat his first bite of stew, Lucy said, “Norman,
Susan has some big news to share.”

Norman looked at his eldest daughter, cautiously spooning a bite of stew into his
mouth.  The different cooks in the house made things very differently.  Young Mary
would attempt meals that had to be fed to the hogs.  His lined face showed he appreciated
the fact the meal was cooked by someone who know what she was doing.  “What’s your
news, Susan?”

Susan hadn’t expected her mother to immediately put her on the spot and used her spoon
to stir her stew for a second before meeting her father’s eyes.  He was so much harder
to talk to than her mother.  “I’m getting married and moving to Texas, Pa.”
  She kept her voice steady and her eyes on her father’s as she said the words.

Norman looked bewildered for a moment and all talking stopped at the table.  Susan’s
younger siblings stared at her in shock.  After a moment, Norman said, “Who are you
marrying?”

“His name is Jesse Dailey.  He’s a newspaperman in Fort Worth.”  Susan waited for
the negative reaction, but it never came.

“When will you leave?”  Norman looked resigned to the fact he’d lost his oldest daughter. 

“In ten days.”

He nodded slowly.  “We’ll have to get you a nice new carpet bag to take with you.”

“I’d really appreciate that, Pa.”
  Her eyes told him she appreciated his support.

Norman met Lucy’s eyes.  “Are you helping her make new clothes?  She can’t go out
there to be a bride with the old clothes she has.”

Lucy nodded, her eyes shining.  “We cut out her Sunday dress before supper.  I’ll
have Susan, Elizabeth, and Mary sew on the dress as soon as the dishes are done, and
I’ll cut out the next dress.  I’d like to get four dresses, bonnets, and underwear
made before she goes.  And a couple of new aprons, too.  She’ll need aprons if she’s
going to be a wife.”

Norman looked at his two oldest boys, both of whom were exhausted from helping him
in the fields all day.  “
Michael
,
Henry
, we’re
going to be watching the children
in the evenings until the sewing is done.”  When
Michael
, who was the oldest brother at fifteen, started to protest, Norman held up a hand. 
“Your sister has made a lot of meals for you and made your beds more times than I
can count.  You’ll do this to help her out.”

Both of the boys nodded reluctantly. 

Once dinner was over, everyone sprang into action.  Elizabeth and Mary took care of
the dinner dishes, while Susan started stitching her Sunday dress.  Lucy quickly cut
out into the fabric
.  Her daughter wasn’t going to Texas looking like a pauper.

That night set a pattern for the days to come.  Every day, Susan, Lucy and Mary sewed
until their fingers ached while Elizabeth helped when she could around taking care
of the Jacobs’ children. 

Sunday night, Susan and Lucy stayed up until the wee hours finishing up Susan’s underwear
and nightgowns.  It was after two in the morning when Susan snipped the thread from
her last nightgown.  It was a plain white gown that went all the way to her feet,
but there were ruffles on the bodice to make it prettier.  Lucy had convinced Susan
to make the nightgowns short sleeved, because the summer weather in Texas would be
stifling.

Susan held it up in front of her to show Lucy.  “What do you think, Ma?”

Lucy nodded, blinking her eyes to try to stay awake as she finished the last of the
underwear.  “Looks good.”

Susan folded it and placed it into the mostly filled new carpet bag her parents had
bought her as a wedding gift. 
She then went to the mantle and took the money that was left from her purchases and
put it into a small string purse she’d purchased.  “Do you think I have everything
I need?”

Lucy thought for a moment.  “I think we’ve covered everything.  In the morning, we’ll
pack several sandwiches for your first day on the train to save you a little money,
but after that, you’ll be paying for your meals.  I’ve heard a
small box of candy
on a train can cost as much as ten cents!
  Of course, I’ve never been on a train, so that could be an exaggeration.”

Susan hadn’t considered the idea she was doing something her mother had never done
by taking the train.  “Have you been to Texas?”

Lucy laughed.  “I’ve never been out of Massachusetts.  Texas sounds like a far-away
land to me.”

“Maybe you and Pa could come visit me in Fort Worth sometime.”  She had known she
was going to miss Elizabeth, but hadn’t really thought about missing her parents. 
The hours and hours of constant sewing she’d spent in the past week and a half had
reminded her how much she would miss her mother. 

“Maybe someday.” 

Susan knew Lucy could make no promises, because she would have children at home for
at least another sixteen years. 
“I hope we can see each other again someday.”

“So do I.”  Lucy bit off the thread and handed the last undergarment to Susan.  “We
both need to get to bed.  I’ll take you into town in the wagon in the morning.”

Susan bit her lip, hating the idea of
asking her mother to do more for her than she already had
.  “You don’t have to, Ma.  It’s only a two mile walk to Mrs. Long’s house.  She’s
going to see me off.”

“I’ll drop you at her house then.  I’ve let things slack around here the last couple
of weeks, so I’ll come straight back.”

“Thanks, Ma.”
  Even though it was unnecessary, Susan appreciated her mother’s insistence on driving
her to Harriett’s house.  It made her feel like her decision to move away was supported
completely by her parents.

Susan packed the last of her things into the bag and closed it.  She was amazed. 
“I thought this was too big when Pa brought it home, but it’s completely full.  I
had no idea I had so many things!”

Lucy smiled.  “You didn’t two weeks ago.”  She eyed the carpet bag.  “I think you’ll
have plenty to start your marriage.”

“Thanks for all your help, Ma.  I know you have reservations about me marrying this
way, and I appreciate you getting past them to work so hard to help me.”

“You’re my oldest daughter.  I’m going to give you the best send-off I can.  I hope
your marriage is everything you want it to be.”  Lucy pulled Susan into her arms and
held her close for a minute.  “It seems like just yesterday I was looking down into
your face and wondering what kind of woman you’d grow up to be.  I’m proud
of you,
Susie.”

Susan smiled at her mother’s use of the old nickname.  “Thanks, Ma.  That means a
lot to me.”

They climbed the stairs together, each going off to their own room to sleep. 

*****

It was right at seven when Lucy pulled the wagon in front of Harriett Long’s house
the next morning.  “Do you want me to wait and give you both a ride to the station?”

Susan shook her head.  “No, I think we’d both rather walk.  It’s a beautiful morning.”

“Do you have your sandwiches?”

“Yes, Ma.”  She patted the lunch pail she had beside her on the wagon seat.  “I’ll
be fine.  I promise.”

Lucy pulled her in tightly for a hug.  “You be careful on that train, and don’t forget,
you’re welcome to come back home if things don’t work out.”

Susan knew she’d never come home.  She’d find a job if she had to, but she wouldn’t
go back to living with her parents.  This was goodbye.  “Bye, Ma.  I love you.”

“I love you
, too
.”

Susan climbed down and grabbed her things.  Between her bag, purse and lunch pail,
she wasn’t sure how she was going to knock on the door, but she’d be okay.  She was
ready to be on her way.

She set her carpet bag down and waved goodbye, before turning to walk up the sidewalk
toward the Long house.  Harriett must have been watching out the window, because she
had the door open before Susan reached it.  “Are you ready?” Harriett called.

Susan nodded and smiled.  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Harriett held up a package wrapped in brown paper.  “I made you some sandwiches for
the trip.”

Susan laughed.  “I think my Ma made me seven of them.”
  She held her lunch pail up for Harriett to see.

Harriett grinned taking Susan’s lunch pail from her to make her burden lighter.  “We’ll
add my five, and you’ll have an even dozen.  You may be sharing with everyone around
you to get them eaten before they go bad.”

“It’ll be easy to make friends on the train
with so much food to share
!”

They walked toward the station together, Susan having to move slowly to make accommodations
for Harriett’s awkward gait.  The station was only a fifteen minute walk from Harriett’s
house, and they passed the time with Susan explaining how much sewing they’d done
to get ready for her to marry.  “I thought I’d just wear my new green church dress
for the wedding.  Do you think that’ll be okay?”

“Since you’re not having a formal wedding that will be perfect.  And remember, Jesse
said he’d have a sign with your name on it.  That should make him easier to spot.” 

“I remember.”  They’d reached the station and sat down to wait for the train to be
called.

“There’s one thing I like to talk to my brides about before they go,” Harriett began
hesitantly.

“What’s that?”

“I want you to know that once you’re married, you can still leave if you find yourself
in a bad situation.  All you have to do is contact me, and I’ll send train fare for
you to come home.”

Susan made a face.  “My mother keeps telling me not to feel the need to stay if the
situation is bad.  Just come home.  This is your business, and even you think it’s
a bad idea for me to go?”

Harriett shook her head.  “I don’t think it’s a bad idea.  I think this is opening
up marital choices for young women and making it possible for them to see places they
never would have been able to see.  I just worry I’ll send a woman to a bad situation,
and she’ll need to get home and will feel stuck.”