The Storm And The Miracle

Grandma Lu continued to tell the story about Nell and the wagon train she was traveling with to Iowa. Lightning had struck a tree causing the tree to catch on fire. It had been very very dry and the travelers were extremely low on water. They were rationing the amount of water that they could cook and wash with just so the oxen and horses had water to drink.

Scouts had ridden into camp declaring that just a few hours away there was fresh water for them to fill up their water barrels. Everyone was very happy, but the older lady that Nell was traveling with had seen the storm clouds and had told Nell to make sure that anything that was precious to her to make water tight inside the wagon. She just had a feeling that they were going to have a terrible rain storm. Nell had forced the precious thimble that her mother had given to her when she was just a child inside the crack on the sewing machine leg. She had reinforced it with an old rag to make it even more secure.
Grandma Lu said, "You know in those days you just couldn't up and move a team of oxen and heavy wagons like we do nowadays by getting in our car, putting a key in the ignition and head down the road. There were no roads in those days. Often the pioneers considered themselves very fortunate if there was a trail to follow that had been made by other wagon trains.
Oxen are very strong but move very slowly. Ethel and Nell got up on the seat of the wagon and urged their oxen to follow the other wagons. They were going to try to find some kind of shelter from the oncoming storm, for now they all had seen the signs in the skies that a fierce storm was on the way.

The land they were traveling on was flat with few to no trees. They wanted to stay away from trees because of the lightning, of course.
Soon the trail boss came riding towards their wagon and yelled above the wind and the thunder, "Ladies, we are going to make a large circle with all of the wagons. That will help us be safer if the storm gets worse. We will make the circle as small as possible. I will send a man back here to help you if you need it. Nell looked to Ethel for an answer. Ethel said "We can do this. These animals are slow, but smart. Go tell the rest of the folks about the plan, we will follow the wagon up ahead. And that's what they did. For many hours it seemed to Nell the rain blew into the side of the wagon, but it held steady on all four wheels. The rocking of the wagon and the cracks of thunder kept her and her friend awake and very frightened. She and Ethel had gone to the back to try to keep as dry as possible. There were ties that when they pulled on them really tight closed the canvas on the ends so that the majority of the rain stayed out. They were called drawstrings. Suddenly it was very quiet. Too quiet. Nell said, "I am going to go look to see what's happening. In a flash she yelled, "Ethel come quick! Look! It's a miracle, Ethel!" There in the sky was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen.

"What was it?" asked, Spencer. Grandma Lu grinned and said, "Well, the storm had actually lasted through the night into the morning. It was still raining, but not very hard and the sun was shining. When that happens it makes a beautiful rainbow. In this case it was a double rainbow or two rainbows. It was so beautiful it took their breath away.

People were getting out of their wagons and looking around to see if there had been any damage to the wagons or animals. One little dog could be heard yipping and barking. After much searching they found him hiding in the prairie grass. He was all wet, but safe.

The folks on the wagon train did have some damage to their wagons and had lost some of their possessions, so they would stay where they were for that day. The storm had delayed their trip by at least one day. The rain had caused the ground to become very muddy. So muddy that even the oxen had to strain to pull some of the wagons onto higher ground. One wagon had a broken wheel that needed to be fixed. That took time and the use of a spare wheel. Those were always on a wagon just like we always have a spare tire in case one of our tires go flat. Some folks were asked to take some of their heavier things out of their wagons and leave them on the trail so the oxen could pull the wagons through the thick mud. Nell was so afraid that they would ask her to leave her precious sewing machine.
One good thing had happened. The men folks had gotten together and gathered up the water barrels during the storm. They now had plenty of water to cook and wash with.  However, winter would be coming soon. They needed to get to Iowa as soon as they could.
                                                                           *******
This is just one picture that Grandma Lu  may have shown the folks listening to her story at Marleewood. As you can see they were moving very heavy things. This particular family was moving a cast iron cook stove along with many many other things. How many things can you name in this picture? Are there some things that you don't know the name of? What can you think of that is missing in the wagon?

Nell's Most Prized Possession

Nell's sewing machine was very precious to her of course, but before she left St. Louis she had sewn in a little pocket on the inside of her coat. Her mother's picture was in it. Along with the picture was her very first thimble. She put her hand to her chest and thought about life without a picture of her mother. She had loved her so much. The little thimble was the very first gift that she could remember her mother giving her when she was just a small child.

That evening as she thought of her most prized possession she whispered, "Well, Mother, I have a feeling you wouldn't approve of what I'm doing, but I need to do this. I need to start a new life and this is the only way I know how to do it. Ethel says I need to hurry and save my most prized possession. It is your love for me that I prize the most. You gave me this little thimble so that I could sew with you when I was just a small child. I have used it countless numbers of times to make my living. It was a priceless gift."

She quickly took the thimble and climbed up into the covered wagon. Towards the back was her sewing machine. She felt around and found the crack in it's leg. It was just large enough that she could wedge her little thimble into it. She then took a tiny piece of rag and wrapped the leg like it was wounded, "Which you are, poor sewing machine. You are wounded. Please make it to Iowa with me." She gave it a pat and started to crawl out of the wagon. She felt the wagon move and heard a deafening noise. It was so loud it made her ears ring. Not twenty feet from her wagon a tree was on fire! Lightning had struck the tree and it was burning! She heard Ethel scream, "Nell, get out of the wagon quick before the sparks catch the wagon on fire. Hurry!"

In Iowa the weather was getting chilly especially at night. Marlee Ada and her brothers and sister had gone through their ma's trunks and found some quilts that her ma and Grandmother Taylor had made. They were getting worn out, but were good enough to keep them warm. She remembered her ma had told her that some of the quilt pieces were made out of old shirts and underwear. She giggled when she thought about it. "Funny to make a quilt out of underwear," she thought, but she quickly snuggled up to one that night as she thought about the strange woman that would soon be there to be their new ma.

When Grandma Lu looked up there were a dozen hands in the air wanting her attention. It seemed some little ones didn't know what a thimble was, some wanted to know if the wagon caught on fire, and some wanted to know the end of the story. Grandma Lu loves a good story and gave them a wink, adjusted her new hat and continued on with her story of Nell, the Mail Order Bride.

Good News And Bad News

Nell was so tired she couldn't even think. She had dirt and dust in her hair, under her fingernails and in her teeth. "I couldn't spit if I had to, she thought. My mouth is so dry. We have already come close to running out of water. It hasn't rained for days. The trail boss has limited the amount of water that we can drink and cook with. The prairie grass is starting to turn brown and the thistles are growing tall along the trail."

 When she said thistle to herself she had to grin in spite of being so thirsty. Mrs. Thistlebloom had seemed so mean, but she really wasn't. She had given Nell the option of making a baby quilt for another thirty days of rent, and made her a lunch to take on her trip.
As Nell looked ahead she saw a cloud of dust and riders riding horseback fast towards the wagon train. There was a lot of whooping and hollering that she could hear. Soon those riders and men folks were running towards the back of the train. "Water! Water up ahead! Soon we can fill our water barrels and canteens."
Nell couldn't believe her ears. Thanks goodness for the scouts. Everyone had been so discouraged. Now they could continue their trip as long as they had water. She thought, "Maybe I can take a bath and wash my hair. It has been weeks. I feel so dirty and grimy. It is starting to get cold in the evenings. I hope we can get there before winter comes. I read that Iowa is a cold state and has lots of snow. Surely it won't be long now."
Nell looked up to the sky and frowned. Far in the distance the sky was dark and she could see lightning. She had always lived in the city so she wasn't always able to see the sky during the stormy weather. Her little room had only one window. She had read in books that lightning in dry weather wasn't good because it could start a fire if it hit trees or dry brush, but rain was good too. The earth was so dry. Many many things were going through Nell's mind; good things and bad things. She was worried.

The lady that she was traveling with also was looking up at the dark clouds. She had a frown on her face as well. "What is it, Ethel, are you worried that there may be a storm?"

Ethel's reply to her new young traveling companion was, "Get everything that you can into the wagon. I'm afraid we are in for it sooner than the menfolk think. Make sure that anything that you have that is precious to you is packed well and is as water tight as you can get it in case the canvas on the wagon gives way. Hurry!"
Grandma Lu took a sip of her coffee and said, "What do you suppose Nell would have, if anything that she would want to protect from the storm?"

The Wagon Train

Nell watched with horror as she saw the careless men load her precious sewing machine onto the wagon. She heard the crack of the leg as they threw it onto the back of the covered wagon that she would be traveling in for many weeks. Her sewing machine was the only thing she had left of her mother's; now it was cracked. How seriously she didn't know. She only hoped it could be repaired once she got to Iowa. She wanted to bury her head in a pillow and cry her heart out, but she was on her own now. She was heading for Iowa to be a wife to a strange man and a step-mother to four children.

 She was going to share the wagon with another woman who was traveling alone as well. She was a widow lady. Her husband had died many years ago and she wanted an adventure. She had furniture and trunks. It left little room for sleeping for the women. She was glad that the woman had cooking pots and utensils. She also had wash basins and food that could be cooked over a bonfire.
 There was almost a hundred wagons in the group she was with. The whole group of wagons was called a wagon train. These wagons were pulled by oxen and were very strong. They had to be strong because they had to pull the wagons full of people, furniture, water barrels and dishes for many miles. Oxen were used in wagon trains because they could haul fully loaded wagons up ravines or drag them out of mud holes. They could survive on very poor grass as well, unlike horses and donkeys. The trip would be very dangerous. The oxen would have to pull the wagons across rivers and sometimes very steep hills.

The trail bosses rode horses and so did the scouts. Scouts often rode many miles ahead of the wagon train looking for fresh water, dangerous water crossings after hard rains and of course, Indians that were angry. They were angry that people were not only crossing their land without permission, but killing the animals that they used for food like deer and turkeys. (Nell will see other animals that the Indians treasured along the way.) Scouts were very very brave. They would ride many miles and then ride back to the wagon train with the news that all was well for a certain amount of miles or that there were obstacles to cross or to deal with.

Back in Iowa, a young man was concerned about his sister. She seemed to always be watching for the lady that his pa had sent for. Every once in awhile he watched her hoping that she would accept the new lady. He had talked to his pa about her. He found out that her name was Nell. He was older and understood that his pa needed more help than he and his sisters and brother could give. Still it did bother him that someone new would be cooking in his ma's kitchen. In his mind he could still "see" his ma making apple pies and frying chicken for Sunday dinner. Oh how he missed her.

Will She Even Like Us, Zeke?

Nell's tummy was not feeling good at all. She had never been on a ferry boat or any other kind of river boat before. It seemed like the weather was not cooperating at all. It was cold and raining and so much wind. She only had a thin winter coat. She tried to hunker down closer to the middle of the ferry hoping that soon they would either get to the other side of the river or that the sun would shine. There was so much commotion on the ferry. There were teams of horses and carts full of freight going to the west to be loaded onto wagon trains. Men were yelling at the horses and each other until Nell thought she would hear them in her sleep.  She hopefully could find someplace warm and dry to take a nap.

Some of the other people on the ferry looked at her strangely wondering why she didn't have a man with her to protect her. She had no choice but to travel alone. She was all alone in the world leaving the only friend she had behind her in the city. Needless to say she was frightened and very concerned about the trip that lay ahead. It would take weeks to reach her destination. She patted the thin little coat she was wearing reassuring herself that the money she had stitched inside the lining was still there. Without the money she had hidden she would have no money to eat for the long trip.
The ferry was rocking with the large waves that the wind made. She was so afraid that she was going to be sick. She took a really deep breath and tried to think of pleasant things. "I wonder what Nathan's children are like? Will they accept me as I am or will they only think of their ma and that I can't do the things that she was able to do? Oh dear, I hope I am strong enough to make them all happy."

Marlee Ada and her sister and brothers were very quiet after their pa told them that he had sent for a woman from a really big city to be their new ma. There were so many questions, but their pa seemed like it was not for them to question him. He expected them to accept her and help her in any way that she needed. Marlee knew that it would be a long time before she could expect this new ma, but every day even before she got dressed she would look up the lane to see if anyone strange would be walking towards their home. It made no difference that pa had said he would be picking her up in town, she still wanted to see for herself and continued to watch for her.

Sometimes Zeke would go with her. "What do you think, Zeke? Will she sing songs to us at night so we can sleep good? Will she make mud pies with us? Will she go swimming in the pond with us? Will she smell like cinnamon and vanilla like Ma did? Will she even like us, Zeke?

The Baby Quilt Was Perfect

Nell and her friend had finished the baby quilt for Mrs. Thistlebloom on the twenty-ninth day. She had been very close to being evicted from her little room in the city. She and her friend had spent hours and hours drawing a pattern and cutting tiny pieces of material from the old clothes that Mrs. Thistlebloom had given her. Because the clothes were old they were very soft and the colors were suitable for a baby's bed. Mittie's idea of an alphabet quilt turned out so well that Mrs. Thistlebloom had been very happy. That in turn made the friends very proud of themselves.

Nell had been deep in thought as she thought of the day that she had said good-bye to her friend and had started out on her journey to Iowa to be a bride to a man that she had never met. She had started her trip by getting on board a wagon that was driven by a team of tired old horses and grouchy old man that told her that he wouldn't load up her sewing machine unless she paid him a dollar more. She paid him the dollar even though that meant that she would be short of money for food. Her sewing machine meant much more to her than a full belly. She needed to get to the waterfront by the river so that she could travel by ferry boat to catch the wagon train that would be heading to Iowa. What she didn't know was that on each different way or mode of traveling she would have to pay a fee. She had to pay a fee on the ferry boat of fifty cents. That doesn't sound like much nowadays, but to Nell it meant the difference of eating or going hungry. The dollar to the driver and the fifty cents to the ferry boat man had already cut her short of her budgeted amount of traveling money. She was thankful that Mrs. Thistlebloom had packed a lunch for her in return for the beautiful quilt she made. The farmer had sent her a passage voucher for the wagon train that was heading northwest so once she got there all she had to do was make sure her belongings including her sewing machine were safe. The driver of the wagon in the wagon train had already been paid.

Back in Iowa, Nathan, or as his children called him, Pa, called the children together one evening and said, "Why don't we go out on the porch and visit a spell? It's a beautiful evenin' and I'd like to tell you all something really important. The children were quiet and followed their pa outside and sat down on the porch.
"Well, you know since your ma died, things haven't been going quite as good as when she was still here. I'm only one man and I just can't do everything. I've been trying really hard and so have you children, but it's just not working. I have sent some money to a lady in St. Louis to come out here and be my wife. Her name is Nell. All I know about her is that she can sew which is a good thing. You all need some new clothes. She isn't going to replace your own ma, but she will be your new ma. Is that understood?"

Whitlee Jo was so little she didn't care, but Marlee Ada's head was spinning. What would she be like? Did she like children? Was she pretty? Can she bake pies and bread pudding like her ma? Would she  take her pa away from her? Would she play with her like her ma did? So many questions. One question she did ask was, "When will she be here, Pa?"

Nell Needed To See The Pattern On Paper

Nell's friend said, "Oh you silly girl. Look, you have all kinds of different colors in these old clothes. Just try to imagine what a little quilt would look like. Here are some blue, green, pink and yellow clothes. We can wash these up and start cutting little squares. What do you think about an alphabet quilt? That might be nice. Come on let's get to work and get a plan ready. Do you have a paper and pencil? Let's draw some patterns on paper so we kind of have an idea of how to piece them together. And we need to decide how big the squares should be. Do you think about three feet long? Bigger? How wide? Come on, Nell, we can do this."

Nell took a deep breath and agreed to see if something pretty could come of all the ugly pieces of material. She had to do something in order to stay in her room until she heard from the farmer that needed a wife. She and her friend worked for hours and hours cutting and sorting and drawing pictures of how they wanted the quilt to look when it was finished.  When she looked at the drawings on paper she began to smile to herself. "This might work out alright after all," she said to her friend. "Thanks for getting me out of my sad place. You are such a good friend."

When Nell sat down at her sewing machine she thought of her mother. Her sewing machine had been her mother's. It was so special to her. She could just see her mother sitting at this same machine and sewing beautiful clothes for her. The sewing machine and a picture of her mother were such a comfort to her in these hard times. She hopefully would be able to take the sewing machine with her to Iowa if the farmer accepted her application and would pay to have the sewing machine shipped with her. Oh how she wished she would hear from him soon. "His ad said that he was a widower, a farmer, weighed one hundred sixty eight pounds,  and was kind of handsome. I wonder if he is telling the truth?"

Grandma Lu said that there were hundreds and thousands of catalogs amd newspapers just specifically advertising for husbands as well as wives because people were so very lonely. This business of mail order brides began long before Nell was ever born. Remember our country was started in the 1600's? Well, those people were lonely and sent ads to churches and family members for women to come to the new country. Now as you know there are computers and people advertise on the computers for folks to have coffee or to go to movies, sometimes even wishing to marry. In fact, I have two very good friends that were both lonely and both of them found husbands on the computer. So Nell, was not something odd, but rather common in those times when the west was just beginning to be settled.

Marlee had been playing hard the day that Grandma Lu had started telling the story of the Mail Order Bride and had fallen asleep right there at the table. What the grown-ups didn't know was that Marlee was half listening even though she seemed asleep. In her dream she was Marlee Ada living on a farm in Iowa. She was a little girl that was missing her ma a long long time ago. She sighed, got more comfortable and went back to her dreamworld when she was just a little girl and her mama was still alive.

If Wishes Were Pennies....

It seemed to Marlee Ada that her pa seemed more sad every day. She sometimes felt that he didn't even know she was around. She was helping her pa in every way she knew how. She helped with her baby sister, Whitlee Jo. She weeded in the garden and tried her best. She was still too little to do the things her mama used to do. It seemed like everytime she tried to help she made it even worse. Her brothers were more help than she was. They were older and tried their best to help out in the fields, but even so Pa still had to do things that their mama used to do. Besides his outside work he had to do the majority of  cooking, washing clothes, and helping take care of the house. It seemed like he was always tired.

"My mama planted so many seeds and just look only one little flower came up through these rocks and sticks. I almost wish my pa would find us a new ma. Sometimes I lay in bed at night and think and think so hard, but I can't hardly remember what my mama's face looks like anymore. Wish I had a picture of her.  We need help and some hugs. Pa don't have no time for hugs no more."

            ******
In Nell's cold little room she looked about in complete dismay, "Oh dear! Mrs. Thistlebloom said she would bring me material to make the baby quilt for her friend, but instead she brought me old a whole moldy trunk full of old clothes! She must have had these piles of old cast out clothes in her attic for a hundred years," she sobbed. "She is going to make me move. I won't even have a chance to move to Iowa or anywhere else for that matter. How will I ever ever make these old dresses and petticoats into a quilt for a baby? I might just as well pack my few clothes and get prepared to move. I wish I had never made that deal with Mrs. Thistlebloom."
Nell heard the knocking at the door and opened it to find her friend, Mittie. "Oh what's the matter, Nell? I thought you were so happy about making a quilt for Mrs. Thistlebloom. Oh I see she has already been here. My goodness she brought you just beautiful things to make a quilt out of. Aren't you the lucky one. Do you have an idea of a pattern that you would like to use for the quilt? I have time to help you cut squares and an extra pair of shears." With two of us working together you will get this baby quilt done in plenty of time."

Grandma Lu looked about the room and grinned at all of the familiar faces. "Well, what do you think of this new little bit of news? There were two good friends. One saw ugly and one saw beautiful. One thought of giving up and one thought that being a team would accomplish the goal of finishing the quilt in time. One girl saw Mrs. Thistlebloom as hateful and someone to be afraid of and one thought Mrs. Thistlebloom was kind and generous. One girl was sobbing and one girl was smiling. Is it possible that two friends can be so different, yet help and like each other? Is it possible that people can learn from each other without even realizing it? Let's see what happens."

Mrs. Thistlebloom Makes A Deal With Nell

It seemed like Nell had no more taken off her thin winter coat and hung it on the hook on the wall than there was a loud knock at the door. "Oh, surely it can't be my landlady. I don't have the rent money. All I have is a few coins in my little change purse for some food. Thank goodness I didn't have to pay for the ad in the newspaper, just the men have to pay the lady said. That was good because I didn't have the twenty-five cents that the men were charged. Oh, Mercy, I sure don't want to open the door." Then she heard her landlady's voice. "Open the door, young lady. I need to talk to you."

Nell slowly went to the door and Mrs. Thistlebloom huffed and puffed as she barged through the doorway and said, "Now then, I am going to do you a favor. I need to have you make a quilt as fast as you can. I need it for a friend of mine who is going to have a child in the next month or so. It has to be very special. If you do a good job I will let you live here for another month without making you move."

Nell couldn't believe her ears. "But, Mrs. Thistlebloom, I have no money to buy material to make the quilt. I'm so sorry. Are you really going to make me move out?"
Mrs. Thistlebloom's eyes narrowed as she thought. "I tell you what, Missy. I will provide the material, but it had better be the best baby gift that my friend and her husband receive. I have a reputation in this city to uphold as you well know. Now I will be back as soon as possible and I want you to start on it immediately. No excuses or you are out!"

When Grandma Lu stopped to sip her coffee she noticed some faces that looked like they had questions. "Yes, a quilt is like a blanket that you buy at the store, but is made differently and looks much different than a blanket. There is always a quilt on my easy chair in the Sitting Room, remember? I think Kathie, a niece of my husband's made that quilt. I love the colors in it."

"My grandmother made quilts out of old winter coats. When I was just a little girl my mama covered me up with those heavy quilts in the winter time. I could hardly move a muscle. My mother made quilts by stitching them by hand at first because she didn't have a sewing machine.  She would do her quilting at night with just a needle and thread while my father read to her. They were very beautiful.  I made quilts called crazy quilts. I made them out of scraps of material left over from my sewing. They were called crazy because they had no pattern or picture so to speak.
 My mother told me a story one time when I told her I was making a quilt. My father was a very quiet spoken man, but at times he was so funny. She said one day when they were first married he was watching her get her fabric ready to start a quilt. He watched her for awhile and said, "I just don't understand you. You buy material at the store and then you cut it all up and then you sew it back up again." Grandma Lu smiled and said, "My father's mother died at a young age and he never saw her make a quilt. And yes essentially that is what you do. You cut up perfectly good pieces of material and sew them together again and those pieces end up being not only a warm blanket, but beautiful as well. Many of them end up being a family keepsake called heirlooms. Well let's see what happens now with poor Nell."

Pa Gets Company

"Who's that man, Pa? I ain't never seen him afore." Pa looked towards the dust being raised from a team of horses and a wagon coming up his driveway. "Man, it's hot and dirty, Nathan! Ya got somethin' cold to drink around here?" he laughed.
Marlee Ada couldn't believe her ears. Her pa was laughing. He never laughed anymore. He was always tired and sad like. But there he was pounding on that man's back and laughing. "Good to see ya, Floyd. I haven't seen you in a coon's age. What brings you out here anyway?"

"Well sir, I got to thinkin' of ya and thought I'd bring you out a newspaper. I kinda had an idea you probably won't like, but I just want ya to hear me out, alright?"

Pa shooed Marlee Ada into the house to fetch their company a drink of water. "Well, what's this all about?"
Nathan's friend told his boys to go get a drink and visit with Nathan's children then he sat down on a bench and took out a small newspaper from his hind pocket. "Well, it seems as though you need a helpmate with these little ones and the farm and all. They got something new out east. They are sending women out here to marry up with single men and widowers and such. They are calling these women Mail Order Brides. I know, I know now don't go gettin' your dander up. Now just listen to me for a minute. These women are just as hard up as you are. They need to find a home and are willin' to travel all this way to help out on the farms and even in the schools and stores. I think it just might work for ya. You need to write to this one that I circled for ya. It looks like she can sew anyway and she's not that bad lookin'. Says she has no family, but she lives in St. Louis. You would need to send her some money for the stage and train ride. It wouldn't hurt to send a little extra for food and such. It would take her a while to get here though. What do you think? I know you miss your wife somethin' fierce, but you just gotta have some help with these younguns."

Nathan quickly changed the subject and talked about the freight that was loaded on his friend's wagon. The visited about the weather, their children, and news from in town. Nothing else was said about the Mail Order Bride ad in the newspaper.
After Nathan had fixed supper for his children and put them to bed he got to thinking about that woman that was brave or hard up enough to risk coming hundreds of miles to marry a strange man. "How in thunder could something like that work? I can't even imagine marrying someone I didn't love let alone never saw before." He blew out the lantern and went out on his porch looking up at the fiery orange sunset. "What should I do, Catherine? How am I going to care for our little ones and keep the farm going? I miss you so, I just don't think I could marry a stranger. Could I? What should I do?"

Mittie had gone with Nell to the newspaper office to put her name in the Personals saying that she was willing to be considered as a Mail Order Bride in Iowa. She was hoping that she would be safe and not be hurt in any of the Indian wars that she had read about. "I guess I am game for an adventure," she told her friend. "I can't find work here and I'm afraid that my landlady is going to make me move if I don't pay my rent. I really don't have much of a choice. Hopefully I will hear from a nice man that doesn't care if I am a good cook or not. I can sew and that's about it. I wonder if I will have to learn to milk a cow," she giggled. "I sure hope not. That could be a disaster."
                                                                          *****
What Nell didn't know was that the disaster was awaiting her return to her little cold room.

Steamboats, Oxen, And Old Time Grocery Stores

Grandma Lu stopped the story for a minute to sip on her now cold coffee. She was a funny lady. She actually liked cold coffee. The children and grownups that had slowly gathered in the kitchen to listen to Grandma Lu's story were talking among themselves. Grandma Lu sat quietly and listened to some of the conversations. She smiled when she saw Charlie holding a little pup, Jax. It had been awhile since she had seen her. Charlie had been a huge part of Marleewood when it first opened. She had been Marlee's business partner. But now she was older and had some questions. "Why are you talking about Iowa? Isn't that a long ways from here?" she asked.

"Hi, Charlie! That's an excellent question and I have several answers. Yes, Iowa is quite a long distance from here and it was a really long ways away from where the young lady, Nell, lived. She lived in St. Louis. Even years ago it was a big city. It was next to a river where lots of river boats, and steamboats docked and loaded and loaded. The merchandise they carried was called freight. They were so popular that at some times there were more than a thousand of these steamboats on the Mississippi in one day. People loved the steamboats because many of them were used for fun things. They even had circus entertainers such as clowns on some of them. Ministers would preach to the people on the shore in very loud voices. Young boys that had the use of small canoes would row their way close to those huge boats hoping that some of the passengers would throw them coins. Yes, in those days steamships were so exciting. Even for young children that had no parents there were some orphanages that would take them for an outing for fresh air and a bit of fun. That was in the 1800's a very long time ago."

" My great grandfather probably got some of his merchandise from there at one time or another for his grocery store that he owned. If you've got a minute I'll look through my big book and show you a picture of his store. Yes, here it is. It doesn't look much like our grocery stores today does it," she laughed.

"Let's pretend that he ordered some cotton material or what they call 'yard goods' for ladies to make dresses with. Remember that's what our young lady, Nell, did; sewing for other people. The material would be loaded onto the steamboat in Mississippi. Then it would take weeks for the steamboat to get to St. Louis. Then when it docked many men would unload all of the merchandise. Maybe my great grandfather's material would be unloaded onto wagons that were pulled by horses. Then it would be stored in warehouses close by the river until the paperwork would come to the man who filled the orders. The material might sit in those warehouses for weeks or months before anyone came to pick up the order. Why? Because in the west a lot of deliveries were made by oxen. Oxen are very very strong. They are much stronger than horses, so if my grandfather ordered enough provisions and freight to last the winter it would weigh a lot so oxen were used. There was a term in those days called a yoke of oxen. A yoke of oxen consists of two oxen that were paired together by a wooden beam. That beam enabled them to pull great weight as a team. Even though oxen were very strong, they were really slow. They could only travel about ten miles a day because they needed to rest, eat and have drinks of water, just like we do."

Erika was sitting in the back by Charlie and Jax. She was holding her little dog, Chata. She said, "This is so interesting, "I can't wait to see what happens to Nell." Arie, said, "Me too! I hope she will be okay. I feel sorry for her."

"Okay, let's get back to Nell's story. Where were we, oh yes. She was looking at the ads in the paper for women to move west to marry men that they didn't even know. They were called Mail Order Brides. That name has stuck for years and years. Well, she was in a tough spot. She had no money, she was cold and hungry. The orders for sewing were slowing down. The only thing in the world she owned was her sewing machine and just a few dresses, a coat, a hat, and one pair of shoes that were rather worn out. She had to make a very serious decision didn't she?"
                                                             
Grandma Lu smiled to herself because she could hear Marlee's soft little purr as she slept right there at the kitchen table. "Sweet baby, she thought to herself. "She's going to miss the story, but that's alright. If she asks me later I will tell her all about it." She cleared her throat and continued on.
                       

The Personal Ads In The Newspaper

Nell was so very frightened. She had no idea what was going to happen to her. When she heard a knock at her door she was worried that it might be her landlady wanting her rent. She didn't have it. "Oh what shall I do? I have nowhere to turn. If only I had some friends or family that I could live with. I would work very hard to earn my keep. Maybe I won't answer the door. Maybe they will go away. I need to finish this last little garment for Mrs. Peabody before I lose her business altogether." Again she heard the knock at the door. This time it was louder. She could hear, "Nell! Would you like to read my newspaper? I have finished with it. Maybe you can find some folks looking for a seamstress."

Nell took a deep deep breath of relief. "Oh, yes, yes! Thank you so much, perhaps, just perhaps I may find something to help me out in my time of need. You are such a good friend, Mittie, if ever you need something I will help you if I can."

 
Nell quickly sat down as close as she could to the little stove to keep warm while she read the paper. She looked in the part of the paper called Personals. There were few available positions available to women. In those days women were seldom seen in the workplace except for teaching, governesses who took care of children, and occasional ladies that worked in offices and restaurants. Then she saw it. A Personal Ad that was advertising for a wife! "What? How could someone ask for a wife in a newspaper? This was unheard of. She found herself reading the ad aloud to herself. This man wanted a woman that would work hard and help him on his farm. He was interested in marriage and wanted children in the future to help with farm work. Talking about having children in a newspaper just was not done!
 Then she saw another ad. He also wanted a woman that was willing to relocate to Iowa. He needed help with his farm animals, cooking, cleaning, and especially with his young children. He stated that he was a widower and needed a woman's help as soon as possible. He would send money for train fare and eating expenses to the right woman.
Nell skipped over the ads for brides and looked and looked for some Help Wanted ads for sewing or cleaning, but found nothing. Her eyes went back to the ads for brides. She had never heard of such a thing. "I couldn't leave the city. I know nothing about farm work. I certainly don't know anything about children. I don't even know how to cook very well. Iowa? "I don't think Iowa is even a state yet. It's only a territory and I have heard it's pretty rough out there. I think there are wars with Indians and little to no law and order.  I can't leave the safety of my home in the city."

Back in Iowa, Nathan was in desperate need of some help. His wife had died only months before of a disease that at that time had no name. He was left to care for four children and a farm. He looked about his home. It was a disaster, his children were dirty and seemed to always be hungry. "How am I going to cook and clean and take care of these children by myself? I will lose everything if I don't do something immediately. The cattle and chickens and gardening all has to be done. I am only one person I just can't do it all."

"Even the critters are against me. They are eating everything in the garden. Soon there will be nothing left to store for the winter. I have to have some help. But where do I find some? The nearest neighbors are miles away."

Young Nathan was not only worried, he was sad and lonely and so discouraged. One of his daughters, Marlee Ada, came running out and said, "Pa, look, here comes a wagon. Who is that man?"

Her Name Was Nell

Marlee had been listening to Grandma Lu tell her Grandma B about the newspaper clipping of her little kids that was in her big photo book. "Grandma Lu, what's a newspaper clipping? How come you saved it? You don't have any little kids. You are too old to have kids."

Oh, Grandma Lu laughed. "You know what? You are absolutely right! I am too old to have little kids, but I used to have some. I had three little kids. Now they are all grown up. To answer your question a newspaper clipping is when people cut something out of the newspaper that they want to save to look at sometimes or to show to other people." Marlee said, "My papa reads the newspaper."
"Newspapers are a very important part of our nation's history." Marlee said, "What's history?" Grandma Lu said, "Why don't we go over to the table and have a snack. I'll tell you a little bit about the history or the past of the old west and how newspapers helped to settle it. I think you might like a story about that. There are so many stories about how the west was settled I'll have to think of a special one that you might like."

A few children and some grown ups had come back to Marleewood. Some were wearing masks some were not. Marlee was wearing a mask, but Whitlee Jo was not a fan of wearing one yet. The people that had come in quietly sat down at some empty tables and listened to Grandma Lu tell the first story she had told in a long time.

People that know her really well know that when Grandma Lu kind of tilts her head to one side and clears her throat she is about to tell a story that she really enjoys. She started this story by saying, "I like nothing better than a beautiful wedding!"
Everyone chuckled and thought, "This has nothing to do with newspapers."

Then the room got quiet when they heard Grandma Lu say, "Once a long long time ago there was a young woman whose name was Nell. She was so very poor. She had no money to pay her rent or to buy food for much longer than a week. Even then she would have to be so very careful not to waste a crumb. She was so cold and lonely. She had only a little coal to put in her little stove in her tiny apartment. It put out so little heat that the water in her water basin had a thin layer of ice on the top.
 She was a very skilled seamstress. She had managed to take in sewing for the rich ladies in her town, but the money was not enough to live on because it seemed that more and more young ladies had found themselves in her shoes. They too were doing laundry, cleaning and sewing for the wealthy folks which meant that she was getting fewer and fewer orders.
                                                                   ***********
Marlee had played hard that morning and she was getting so very tired as she listened to Grandma Lu's story. She soon was fast asleep.