Mail Order Bride

Chapter 2 - The Woman

Emily Grinshaw sat on her front porch, rocking back and forth in her white porch swing. It was a hot day in Nevada, but Emily loved the sunshine. On any given evening, one could see the young woman sitting comfortably in her swing, reading a recent novel, drawing in her thick sketchbook, or listening to the opera on her gramophone. Emily was a talented, creative young lady. She had been born and raised in Spring City, Nebraska, and had only left her small town a few times throughout her life. Emily was content to work as a seamstress in her mother's shop, and cared for the business as much as her mother Edna did. Her father, Thomas Grinshaw, worked with the B and T Express line, building tracks for the ever-increasing railway business. The company had been good to him, and had given him several wage increases and supervisory opportunities.

Emily's sister, Mary, was four years older than she, and drastically different from her younger sister. Everyone said that Emily and Mary could pass for complete strangers; as they were so unlike one another. Mary had beautiful, flawless golden skin with dark, thick masses of walnut-colored hair. Her sea-green eyes glittered with excitement, and, at times, a hint of rebellion. She had had the opportunity to go to Boston at the tender age of fifteen, and on her return, people noticed a rather unpleasant change in the young Grinshaw. Her greek nose would wrinkle at the sight of anyone or anything she thought to be below her, and constantly fretted about her clothes, shoes, and even their humble but pleasant home. She became dissatisfied with her family's life, and would do everything she could to avoid choring and pass them on to her younger sister Emily.

Not long after Mary's sixteenth birthday, she left home to marry a young man by the name of Mr. Jonas Bennett II, who was the son of a wealthy lawyer. They had met while Mary was in Boston, and had corresponded with one another via mail and telephone. The Boston lifestyle seemed to suit her, as she had only written a few letters and visited twice in the twenty years she had been away.

Emily, on the other hand, was fair skinned, slightly freckled, and had an abundance of flowing, flaxen hair. Her eyes were blue like her father's, and reflected genuine kindness and care. She had grown at a rapid pace during her childhood, and had always stood nearly half a head taller than her older sister. Emily was sweet, intelligent, and family-oriented, and, aside from her business, had assisted several friends with their ever-growing families. Everyone in Spring City loved her, and everyone also wondered why the thirty-two year old had never been married. All of her friends were married with children, and a few even had grandchildren on the way. Emily felt that the time had never been right for her to marry, despite the endless marriage proposals she had received after her father passed away. 

Her father had been dead nearly five years. Her mother had passed away not long afterwards. Her mother had always been weak, and Emily honestly believed that her mother had died of a broken heart. She saw her sister Mary during that time, but Mary chose to stay in the local hotel with her three children rather than stay with her sister. Emily had never seen her nieces and nephew before, and the children were badly behaved and barely knew who she was. It was all very awkward and disappointing for Emily.

When Emily was thirty-one, she happened to see an advertisement in the newspaper, asking for a mail order bride. She had inwardly laughed at the proposition, and had actually thrown the newspaper away when one of her friends mentioned the advertisement to her. "Maybe it would do you some good, Em," her friend Abigail had said. "You just need to get out of Spring City and see some new things. You've been here your entire life, and still haven't met someone who's right for you."

Emily scoffed, "what if he is disrespectful and distasteful? I would be stuck in a marriage that I hate with a man that I hated even more."

"Write him and find out! Agree to staying there for a trial basis. You'll know more about him once you've lived with him for 6 months."

Emily agreed, and soon correspondence between her and Patrick Miller began. The letters came slowly at first, but as time went on, the two of them began receiving letters from each other every week. Emily learned all about Patrick's farm, his young daughter Janessa, and his love for life in general. In turn, Patrick found that Emily loved being a seamstress, missed her parents dearly, and had a passion for family and family life.

After corresponding for nearly six months, plans were made for Emily to come and spend six months with Patrick and Janessa. Patrick had warned Emily that Janessa would resent her coming. "Janessa's a stubborn little girl, a real firecracker, but in reality, she's hurting so much inside," he wrote. She misses her mother. She doesn't want someone to come as a replacement. She doesn't realize that she needs a woman in her life to help her learn how to grow and be a strong woman someday. I'm afraid that she will probably give you a hard time, Emily. Are you sure you're ready for that?" Emily had responded in the affirmative. "Although I do not know what it is like to loose a mother at such a young age, I have also lost my mother. I know the loss and confusion she feels. I can relate to her. I can do this."

And on August 1st, 1912, Emily Jane Elizabeth Diana Grinshaw boarded the train to Nova Valley, Colorado: her new journey, and perhaps, her new life.