LOVE LETTERS AND MAIL ORDER BRIDES by CHERYL PIERSON

Ah, those wonderful love letters! Don’t we love reading them? I must admit I have an affinity for love letters because of the insights they give us into the past, and the people who lived then.

With Valentine’s Day just passed and my 42nd wedding anniversary just celebrated on the 10th, love letters are something I’ve been thinking about a lot. Probably because of the time of year, but also because, as authors, we have to use letters and notes in our writing to “get the message” across that perhaps our characters might not be able to speak aloud.

My hubby is, like many men, not sentimental. He wouldn’t care if I never got him another Valentine’s Day or anniversary card, but they mean a lot to me—so we exchange them every year. I suspect that, through the years past right down to the present, most men didn’t and don’t make flowery love speeches from their hearts, or even write their innermost thoughts and feelings in cards and letters.

One of the most poignant love letters I know of is the famous letter written by Union Army Major Sullivan Ballou, just before the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 where he died at the age of 32. Married only 6 years, he left behind two small sons and his wife, Sarah. The letter he wrote to Sarah days before he was killed is one that speaks poignantly of his guilt at having to choose between his duty to country and duty to family. Ken Burns used a shortened version of the letter in his series, The Civil War—and its contents are unforgettable, and so powerful it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.

                                                                          

SULLIVAN BALLOU

In part, it reads:

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grow up to honorable manhood around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar—that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name.

I had to come up with a love letter, of sorts, for my 2017 novel, Sabrina, part of the 4-book set entitled MAIL-ORDER BRIDES FOR SALE: THE REMINGTON SISTERS. Oh, nothing to beautiful as this letter penned by a soldier marching to his inevitable death, but a letter that had to convince Sabrina to leave her wealthy lifestyle in Philadelphia and come West to Indian Territory!

Sabrina and her three older sisters (Lola, written by Celia Yeary; Belle, written by Jacquie Rogers; Lizzy, written by Livia J. Washburn; and Sabrina, my character) have to have mail-order arrangements in order to get out of the fix they’re in with a step-father who plans to sell them to the highest bidder—and they don’t have much time to do it. When Sabrina receives two proposals on the same day, she counts her lucky stars that she’s able to compare the two letters and has a choice between the two men who have written her—something many women of the day did not have.

She’s safely with the man she’s chosen now, Cameron Fraser, but she’s remembering the day she received the letters and why she made the decision she did. Take a look:

She’d answered ads from both Cameron Fraser and David Mason. Ironically, she’d received offers from both men on the same day. That had been a blessing, as she was able to compare their responses immediately.

Mr. Mason had written one page, in sprawling wide script.

“I have need of a wife to help me raise my four children I was left with after my sainted Amelia passed on last year. Your help will be appreciated. And I will do right by you. I hope you are a willing worker and a good cook. Can you make good cornbread? That is a must in our home…”

She’d opened Mr. Mason’s letter first, and tucked it back into the envelope quickly. She’d hoped she’d managed to keep the revulsion from her face when her oldest sister, Lola, had come hurrying through the door. Lola was five years older, and Sabrina could never manage to keep a secret from her, no matter how she tried.

“Well?” Lola had asked, pinning Sabrina with “the look” that Sabrina dreaded.

“I haven’t read them,” Sabrina said defiantly.

“Bree. You know we have to get out of here—the sooner the better. We don’t have much time.”

Here’s the difference, and why she chose Cam. He wanted her for more than making cornbread!

Lola had turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. That’s how Sabrina knew her oldest sister was angry—or hurt. Maybe both.

She’d sighed, and begun to open the letter from Mr. Cameron Fraser. And before she’d read the entire first page of his two-page missive, she knew her decision was made.

  Dear Miss Remington,

Thank you for your very kind response to the ad I placed for a bride. I felt out of place to do such a thing, but your answer made me glad I did so, after all.

I know that Indian Territory may seem uncivilized and wild to a well-bred lady such as yourself, who has grown up in the cultured, genteel society of the East, but I assure you, I will do everything in my power to welcome you. In no time at all, I hope you’ll come to think of the Territory as your home.

My family owns a fairly large cattle ranch in Indian Territory. I wanted to assure you that, although the ranch itself is somewhat isolated, we are close enough to Briartown to travel there frequently for supplies.

You will be safe here, Miss Remington, and cherished. You will be well-treated, and I promise you here and now, I will never raise a hand to you.

If it is your will, and I hope it will be, I am willing to be a good and loving father to any children we may have—and a good and loving husband to you.

The sky here is the bluest you’ve ever seen. The water is the freshest and coldest. And I hope you will come to love the open range as much as we Frasers do.

I await your arrival in Ft. Smith. I will meet you there, where we’ll be legally married in a civil ceremony before we travel together to the ranch. Enclosed, you will find a financial draft for your passage and travel expenses.

Sincerely,

Cameron James Fraser

 Something about the underlying feeling of the words Cam had written spoke to Sabrina. That he’d taken time to describe—even briefly—how he felt about his ranch made her know that he cared about her feelings—not just about what skills she might bring to the marriage table.

I see it, too, don’t you? He loves the land and his life, and wants her to share it with him. I wonder if women who were forced to take this route looked for these types of things—I know I would. And Sabrina is a bit of an adventurer, so going to Indian Territory would not hold her back. Adventure awaited!

Have you ever received a love letter that meant the world to you? I’ve had a few in my lifetime, and they’re tucked away in my desk and my heart! If you would like to share, we’d love to hear about your love letters—it’s that time of the year—love is in the air!

Here's the blurb for MAIL ORDER BRIDES FOR SALE: THE REMINGTON SISTERS--buy link below!

Boxed set of four full-length mail order bride novels.

Brought up in the wealth and comfort of Eastern “old money” in staid and proper Philadelphia, the Remington sisters are forced to scatter to the four winds and become mail-order brides. In order to gain a fortune, their sinister step-father, Josiah Bloodworth, has made plans to marry them off in loveless marriages. Time is running out, and no matter what lies ahead in their uncertain futures, it has to be better than the evil they’re running from…

LIZZY: Livia J. Washburn Elizabeth Remington’s world is turned upside down when she is forced to become a mail-order bride. With her cat, Fulton, Lizzy flees to Alaska—only to discover the man she’s to marry is not who she thought he was! Now, she must protect herself from the biggest danger of all—her own heart. Handsome Flint McKinnon has signed his soul away to her step-father, hasn’t he? He’s chased Lizzy across the continent, but can she believe him when he says he loves her?

BELLE: Jacquie Rogers Belle Remington must marry someone before the dangerous Neville Fenster catches up with her. She hightails it out of Philadelphia to the wilds of Idaho Territory to become a bootmaker's bride, but when she arrives in Oreana, she discovers her groom has been murdered! Now, handsome, inebriated rancher Cord Callahan insists on fulfilling the marriage contract himself. Belle is beautiful and smart as a whip. But she has a secret. When Fenster shows up, can Cord protect the woman he wants to love forever?

SABRINA: Cheryl Pierson Impulsive Sabrina Remington, the youngest, weds a man she knows her family would disapprove of. Though Cameron Fraser’s family owns a ranch in lawless Indian Territory, he’s made his way in the world with a gun, living barely on the right side of the law. With everything on the line as Bloodworth and his henchmen close in, will Cam be able to protect Sabrina from the desperate man who means to kidnap her for his own wicked purposes?

LOLA: Celia Yeary Sensible Lola Remington, the eldest of the four sisters, must be certain the others are on their way to safety before she can think of fleeing Philadelphia herself. With the help of a local bridal agency, Lola finds the perfect husband for herself—in the wild countryside of Texas. Jack Rains owns a ranch and he’s in need of a bride—and children, of course! But just when Lola starts to believe there might be a future for them, she discovers a hidden letter from another woman…Jack’s first wife.

Mail Order Brides for Sale: The Remington Sisters is available in print and for Kindle at Amazon. GET YOUR KINDLE COPY NOW FOR ONLY .99! Here’s the link!

http://tinyurl.com/y8cmb4m8

PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS WEBSITE: http://www.prairierosepublications.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cheryl.pierson.92

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Cherokeegirl57

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF...? By Tom Rizzo

Imagine you awaken early one morning, open your eyes, and find you've been transported back in time to a community in the American Old West.

You blink in confusion and shake your head. This can't be real you tell yourself. The street looks like the back lot of a movie set. The few characters out-and-about appear to be straight from central casting.

But, there are no cameras. No microphones. No directors or crew members running around in baseball hats.

"What the heck happened?" you ask yourself. "How did I get here?"

A couple of hours later, after exploring the town in surreptitious fashion, reality sets in. You realize that, for the time being, you have to make the best of it.  

This means finding a job—some means of support in order to survive and socialize.

So, what would you do If you lived in the 1880s? What kind of job, or career, would you pursue? What kind of opportunities could you pursue?

Keep in mind, for the most part, you have an advantage. Your knowledge base would be considerably deeper than most of the folks you meet on the streets of Dry Gulch, Cactus Junction, or any other frontier town.

Let's consider a few options, in no particular order:

• Saloonkeeper, or bartender. The saloon represented the social center in a lot of Old West towns. Usually, there were more saloons than churches. Many stayed open 24-hours a day. So, if you don't mind long hours, loud music, and hair-trigger arguments, you might like owning or working in a saloon.

• Cowboy. Hopefully, you like riding horses and enjoy wide open spaces. Cattle drives often took months, requiring lots of time in the saddle. You wouldn't get much of a chance to change clothes. Bathing was kind of a hit-and-miss situation. Meals were served at a chuck wagon, and you'd have to love drinking java. Lots of it. Don't forget, there would be those times when, during a horrific storm, you'd have to chase the cattle and round them up before the drive could continue.
  

• School Teacher. Frontier schools were usually one-room structures. Inside was a wood or coal-burning stove. Classes varied in size, from three or four and as many as 30 or 40, depending on the size of the community. Teachers usually taught grades one through eight in these one-room schoolhouses.

• Lawman. If you're the law and order type, you might consider working as a sheriff, or deputy. No formal training programs existed back then. You were, however, expected to have some familiarity with guns. Frontier towns, in reality, didn't experience much crime. Most of it centered around corralling town drunks or quelling rowdiness. The sheriff was responsible for enforcing all the town's ordinances. The job description also called for him to collect taxes. 

• Lawyer. There were few barriers to becoming a lawyer in the West. Most of those who became lawyers usually worked as an apprentice under the direction of an established attorney. But, if you've watched enough Perry Mason, Matlock, JAG, Law and Order, or Boston Legal over the years you'd probably have enough of a legal background to get by, at least in the beginning. 

The number of jobs, careers, and opportunities were endless on the American frontier, especially if you embraced any level of entrepreneurial spirit. 

A few members of Western Fictioneers dropped in their two-cents worth.

Jim Meals: "If I suddenly found myself transported back to the old West, I would find Wyatt Earp and have him sign a contract giving me full dime novel rights to his life story."

Jacquie Rogers: "I'm most qualified to operate a dairy farm, which I wouldn't mind doing as long as I didn't have to milk cows.  My quota on that score is filled, believe me. The second choice would be a hunter, the third choice would be a baker."

Dr. Keith Souter: "I like the ‘Outlander’ idea of falling back in time. I suppose I’d be pretty boring and would practice about what I know. I would set up my shingle: Dr. Clay More, Physician, surgeon, phrenologist, and embalmer.

"Doctors back then practiced surgery and medicine and often did their own embalming. I have experience of mortuary work and of preparing and restoring bodies before and after an autopsy, so that would be handy.

"I also have a long-standing interest in the (pseudo-) science of phrenology. Indeed, I would have enjoyed examining the heads of as many of the legends of the Old West, as chanced to come through my consulting room door. There would undoubtedly be a paper or two to write on his and maybe even a book."

J.E.S. Hayes: "I'd be a storyteller. I'd make my living retelling stories from the modern day as science fiction, and selling all the music I know from over the years. I'd make a comfortable living doing this, as I've read and heard and watched so many stories and so much music that I'd never run out of material."

Jerry Guin: "I would most likely work for the railroad. I have extensive experience in loading, routing and transporting heavy freight across America and offshore."

Charlie Steel: "I would find the best springs and a small river flowing through the low mountains of Colorado that are still left to be homesteaded.  I would raise crops on the 160-acre homestead, along with a few steers, a milk cow, chickens, etc. 

"I would hunt in the mountains and live off the plentiful elk through the winter. and shelter my animals the best I could through storms and have plenty of hay (grass) for that. I would live simply, try to get ahead, expand, and live a quiet peaceful life. And, I would search long and hard for a super smart hardworking woman to be by my side.

"I would always go armed (sidearm and rifle) both for game or danger---especially the two-legged kind.

"Oh, and during the winter months and times when it is too cold to work, I would sit in my cabin and write by longhand.  My stories would be about men and women of the West. about animals, the country, and nature.  Back then there were so few writers. Perhaps New York publishers would print my manuscripts."

Depending on the Old West town you found yourself in, other opportunities existed, as well.

These include farming, logging, and mining.

Those who lived in small Old West communities had little access to information, except for periodic mail deliveries. Perhaps owning a print shop or newspaper would be options to consider, provided you had the financial resources.

When I asked a couple of friends what they would do in such a situation, I got a variety of answers.

• "Outlaw," said one. "Or maybe gambler or blackjack dealer."

• "I'd like to own a brothel," said another.

• "Railroad Tycoon," someone else mentioned. 

• "Rich widow lady," was the among the most inventive answers.

• Among the best: "The Man With No Name."

_______

Tom@TomRizzo.com

www.TomRizzo.com

_______