Mail Order Millie Read online

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  Boston

  Millie read the letter and smiled. She walked to Mrs. Stanton’s office and knocked briskly, entering at her call. “I’ve found a husband. My fare and money for clothing will be forwarded to me.”

  Mrs. Stanton smiled. “I’m happy for you, Millie. I hate telling you girls you have to leave, but we just can’t afford to keep you. I hope you’ll be very happy.”

  Millie knew that Mrs. Stanton was being sincere. She’d have loved to keep every single child who came through the orphanage forever, but then she’d never be able to help anyone else. “I’m sure I will.” There was a spring in her step as she left Mrs. Stanton’s office. She was going to be a wife and a mother, and treated like a princess. This was the life she always knew she was destined for.

  Two days later a letter came with a train ticket, a stage coach ticket and some money. More money than Millie had ever seen. She immediately purchased some fabric and began making a wedding dress. For George to have sent this much money, he must be well-off. She smiled. Life was going to be so much better for her.

  She sent a letter off immediately with her arrival date and time. She’d be leaving in four days. She bought enough fabric for several dresses and a few books for the trip. She would be a married woman in a few weeks. She couldn’t wait.

  She and Charlotte worked night and day for the next four days on her wedding dress. She already had a few dresses that would serve her well, but nothing to be married in. She’d sew the other dresses with the fabric she’d purchased once she reached Minnesota.

  Eleven days later, early in the morning, Millie sat staring out the window of the train. They would be arriving at her train depot in less than an hour, and then she would have a three hour journey on the stagecoach before she reached her new home outside of the town of Bainsville, Minnesota.

  She clutched her stagecoach ticket in her fist. She’d slept little since getting on the train. She’d had to ride in the common car the whole way, and she’d heard some cuss words that shocked her to the core. She’d had high expectations for her first train ride, and the reality of what it was like shocked her to the core. Yes, the travel was fast, but it was dirty and bumpy. She hoped to never have to ride another train in her life.

  Since she’d switched trains in Chicago, she’d sat with a woman, only a few years older than she was, and her three small children. She’d held the woman’s little boy, Elmer, in her lap most of the day yesterday. He was now sound asleep on the seat beside her, curled into a little ball.

  She was weary from her week-long journey, and hoped she would be able to bathe before she met her new husband. She smelled rank, and knew she must look even worse. She’d been thrown up on twice yesterday as little Elmer had experienced motion sickness.

  She clutched her bag nervously as she got off the train and entered the large depot in St. Paul. Never having left Boston, this journey had been quite an adventure, but not the kind she’d wanted. She’d imagined a much more glamorous time than what she’d had on the cramped train car.

  There were three stagecoaches waiting in front of the train station, and she approached the first driver to see if he was headed to Bainsville. He pointed to the second without saying a word to her.

  She walked in the direction he pointed, stopping to ask the driver, “Are you going to Bainsville?”

  He grunted and held his hand out for her ticket. She climbed into the coach and sat on one of the benches, her both bag in her lap. A woman alone and a young couple joined her in the coach. They all gave her strange looks. They obviously hadn’t been traveling as long as she had. They were all still fresh and clean looking.

  She rested her head against the window beside her, wishing she could sleep. She was almost done with this long journey, and just wanted to be there. She had George pictured in her mind. He would be tall with blond hair and blue eyes. He would take one look at her and know he’d made the best decision of his life by sending for her. He’d hire someone to do all the housework and someone else to farm, so they could spend all their days together, going on long walks and gazing into each other’s eyes. She smiled as she pictured it.

  The hours went by quickly as she stared out the window at the countryside. It was a beautiful land, and she was happy to be able to be a part of it.

  Bainsville was the first stop, and she looked out the window, half hoping to see George and his children waiting for her. The other half of her hoped someone would be waiting to drag her off to a huge tub of water and force her to bathe until she no longer smelled like sweat and vomit. Instead she saw a small group of women who were watching the stagecoach. She got out carrying her bags. She walked to the women and asked, “I’m supposed to be meeting George Stevens here. Do any of you know him?”

  The women exchanged looks with one another. One of them stepped forward, holding out her hand to greet Millie. “I’m Agnes Sims. We need to get you to my house and bathed before your wedding. We only have an hour, and you cannot get married smelling the way you do.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

  Millie nodded. She couldn’t agree with Mrs. Sims’s assessment more; she needed to bathe soon as it could possibly be arranged. “I was hoping to bathe before I met him. I held a small child on the train yesterday, and he vomited on me more than once.”

  Agnes smiled. “Well, come along then. You have your wedding dress?”

  “Yes, ma’am. It’s in my bag.” She gripped her bag tighter. It held everything she owned in it. Four dresses, counting her wedding dress, and some fabric to make a few more.

  Agnes sighed. “I’ll get the wrinkles out while you bathe.” It was obvious to Millie that Agnes thought she’d come unprepared.

  Agnes led her to a pretty two-story wood home. She immediately barked out orders. “Get water heating for a bath, and do it quickly!”

  Her daughters jumped to work. Her son went to drag the tin tub into the kitchen. He went outside to get more water from their well. “We’ll have you clean in no time,” Agnes told her.

  As soon as the tub was filled, they left the room and allowed her to undress and get into the tub. She immediately sank back and washed her hair with the soap Agnes had so kindly provided. She knew she had to be quick or be late for her own wedding.

  Just as she wrapped herself in a drying cloth, Agnes returned with her freshly ironed dress. Millie quickly pulled her undergarments on and stepped into the dress. Agnes buttoned it up the back for her. “Sit and I’ll fix your hair for you.”

  Millie sat quietly while Agnes fussed with her long brown hair. “I brought my veil from my own wedding for you to borrow,” Agnes told her. “You look awfully young to be marrying and taking on four kids, but I guess you know what you’re in for.” Agnes talked nonstop, finally pinning the veil in place. She walked around in front of Millie. “There. You look perfect. I left it long, because your hair is so beautiful. There’s plenty of time to pin it up when you start working on that house of yours.” Her eyes went to the clock on the wall. “Just in time, too. Wedding starts in five minutes. It’s a good thing it’s just a short walk.”

  She grabbed Millie’s hand and started pulling her toward the door. “Girls, get on over to the church. James, carry Millie’s bag. We’ve got a wedding to go to.”

  The church was full when they arrived. Millie had expected a quiet affair with only George and the children, but obviously everything had been arranged. The entire town must have been invited. A man stood at the back and offered her his arm. “Don’t run down the aisle, Howard. This is good practice for when our girls get married,” Agnes ordered.

  Ah, thought Millie. This must be Mr. Sims. She wondered when he’d show up. Agnes seemed to have everyone jumping whenever she said a word, and Mr. Sims was obviously no different from the rest of them.

  Slowly they marched up the aisle of the church to slow music. She swallowed hard, ne
rvous about seeing her husband-to-be for the first time. He hadn’t turned around to watch for her like everyone else in the church had done. It was as if he really didn’t care what she looked like.

  His hair was brown and he was wearing a pair of work pants and suspenders. He wore a full beard, which was something she was unaccustomed to in the city. His blue work shirt had the sleeves rolled up. He hadn’t even taken the time to dress up for his own wedding? Millie’s heart fell. He’d advertised for a bride. Why wasn’t he excited now that she was here? Why, she could see the dirt on the back of his shirt. He must have come straight here from the fields.

  She reached the front of the church and he turned to her for the first time. His green eyes were warm, but sad-looking. His hair was brown, and his beard was trimmed short. She smiled up at him through the veil covering her face. Would he see it?

  The preacher started the ceremony then. She repeated her vows as expected and listened as he repeated his. When he was told he could kiss his bride, he lifted her veil and brushed a quick kiss across her lips, dropping the veil back in place. He didn’t even want to see what she looked like.