Mail order Bride (standard:romance, 3358 words)
Author: stanley mcqueen kentucky backwoods writer	Added: Apr 09 2007	Views/Reads: 3579/2205	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
tales of the old days

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to kiss it or something, and he stands there like a possum that had 
been struck by summer lighting...say something you fool shouts a red 
face man... and old Melvin acts as if he had lost his voice or 
something...finely he muttered welcome im you new man and the crowd 
busted out chuckling at what the fool just said” I could tell right off 
that this doll of a woman would not cotton to such and hill billy as 
poor old ugly Melvin, when she seen that old leaning party rotten shack 
that he called a home she be on the next stage coach out of these 
sticks...when she got on his corn wagon beside him it made him look 
ugly that before somehow.. This was strange to me he looked even more 
ugly that he did before she come here. Folks parted when the two of 
them left out of town and headed down the wagon road toward there 
prospected homes. Paw drives our team and we headed toward our shack 
and not to many words come from paw lips, maw said that woman will 
leave before night fall when she sees what a pig pen Melvin lives in 
and she get to laughing and can't stop ..I thought she might be losing 
her mind over all this excitement. I would have give a weeks sawmill 
pay to have seen the look on the woman face when Melvin got her to her 
new home... that woman is a city power puff gal for sure Paw said” and 
old Melvin has wasted his corn saving money for sure.. It was something 
strange for the most part to even see Melvin with a woman but I was 
thinking like maw was thinking , she be a short time here, after seeing 
his place and the poor living conditions of moonshine maker, we never 
heard a word about Melvin nor his new bride it was going on two week 
now and no body had see him or his new bride neither, I was standing in 
the yard of our shack when I seen a horse and rider coming down the 
wagon road , it was sheriff Luther Cob, he  was the high sheriff of 
Muddy Fork County, He came up fast and got down off his tall horse and 
asked if Paw or Maw was handy and around, yes Maw is in the shack there 
cooking vitals, run and fetch her boy I have some news.. I went inside 
and told Maw the sheriff was out by the road and was wanting to speak 
to her about some matter. Maw hurried to not keep the sheriff waiting 
and walked to where he was holding his horse beside the road... I just 
come here to tell you that the federal law arrested your Brother Melvin 
for making home made whiskey and they hauled him off to  the federal 
pen in Brownsville, and his new wife is leaf alone with not a bite to 
eat in that old shack of his the sheriff declared” she has no money and 
no way to get back from up north where she come from Added the 
sheriff..I was wondering if you folks might take her in for a spell, 
till she can get some money somehow to leave these parts, ‘he ‘asked” 
well I guess we could keep her for a while till we figure out some way 
to get shed of her maw replied back to the sheriff...., ride over there 
and pick her up son Mam ordered me and hurry paws has some plowing he 
wants you to do directly she adds, I hooked up the mules to the wagon 
and headed off down the road to Melvin place. When I arrived she was 
waiting on the porch and I said howdy and told here to get her things 
and I would take her to our shack to stay , she was agreeable , and she 
pack a small suit case and got up on the wagon seat along my side, she 
was the pretty woman I ever seen anywhere and so nice and hospitable   
, I took a liking to her right off I told her I was Melvin nephew on 
mammy side of the kin, and she told me that she was sorry she had got 
involved in being a mail order bride , that old house of his ant isn't 
a fit place for a rat to live and that he was making old rot gut 
whiskey and that she hated she ever come here under as a mail order 
bride, I was hoping that I find a good stable man with a good roof over 
his head , but that sure never happen, your Uncle is a sot drunk he 
cusses and was mean to me these first few weeks and as soon as I get 
some money to leave im headed out of this God forsaken country..he is 
just as you say I tell her agreeing with her,,,,he don't deserve a 
woman she said?” he don't take baths and the stink of his shack is 
sickening if there ever was a devil he is kin folks to him” she 
declared”, my guess any woman could have eat chicken bones and shit a 
better man she said” and that started me laughing” and here I was 
ordered by that nasty rascal out of a mail order book. She said” well 
miss im just wanting you to know that im not so bad of fellow I have a 
shack built over a little way from paw and mammy and it has too good 
rooms and a good fire chimney, and you be welcome to use it till you 
can do better, maw has some extra things like cook vessels that im sure 
she would lead you I tell the pretty woman.. Bye the way I've been 
looking for a woman for a spell and all the gal are taken around these 
part , and I be willing to pay Uncle Melvin for your order charge if he 
would be willing  and of course you have  to be willing as well I 
added...   Well im only twenty nine and by the way my name is Sara 
Williams and what did you say your name was she asked” im given name is 
Oliver.. We could move in that old shack and make a life of it I tell 
her, and by the way I a church going man and my folks are too, I tell 
here hoping she would be pleased at my words... i'll send Melvin a 
letter and tell him I want to buy his new wife off him I tell her that 
is if you was minded to take me up on my offer... he will need money in 
that pen for sure and I thinking he will be glad to trade you off I 
tell her, well that would be good if he would because whether he does 
or not im not living with a human pig she added im going to be real 
honest with you I tell her you're a pretty site to a man eyes and when 
I seen you get off that stage coach I fell head long in love with you 
at first site, I was going to try and take you away from my old sorry 
uncle and make you mine, and now I want have to take you a way from 
him...... the sheriff said he got six years in the pen for being caught 
six times making whiskey..so what I was figuring is that we could get 
married and live in the shack that I have already got built I explain” 
well what got me in this mess in the first place is when I got into the 
mail ordering bride business, she explained” What I done was sigh up on 
a contact that I would allow my name posted in a newspaper and be 
available to be ordered like a peace of merchandise, how stupid I was 
in the first place to have gotten mixed up in such foulness” she 
admitted” Well Sara I built my own shack because I was thinking I would 
be getting me a woman in the future to marry. And I know it's a sudden 
thing, but I would like to have you as mine ..so what do you say would 
you take me as your man and get rid of the contract that uncle Melvin 
had drew up we can have a good life  here in these parts, and I will 
work like a dog to make you happy I promises her.. Well-let me think on 
this a while she Replied” we don't want to jump in to fast she advised” 
but I will think on it she added” when we arrived at the shack Mammy 
made the pretty Sara welcome. She was a saint from muddy forks and 
muddy fork saints are good caring folks and even Paw was friendly and 
all to her so thing was looking good for now .. I went and hitched up 
the mule to the corn plow and went off to plow corn, and when I was 
finished , I asked Sara to take a walk down to my shack and she agreed 
and we walked down the hollow and I showed her my cabin, it was made 
good and sturdy and she said “ that it was a good looking cabin which 
pleased me mightily, we set on the porch stoop in the home made swing 
together and was talking and enjoying the afternoon and before I could 
help my self my lips meet hers with a wet tender kiss , seems like 
lighting went out the top of my noggin , this gal had the best kissing 
lips my lips has ever embraced, I would have plowed two acres of rough 
corn ground for a few of her kisses,, I was hooked on her from the 
first time my eyes settled on seeing her , and like the old mountain 
saying I had been what folks call love struck... She seemed to enjoy my 
company and we talked on and set there on the porch of my cabin for 
quiet a spell, then she said” something that gives me some hope 
considering us being joined as man and wife. Its” good to be out here 
with a decent man she said” I guess you're probably the best gent that 
I have ever met she added” and before I make any decision on marrying 
you I want you to know more about me..she explained” my past life is 
not a pleasant one, I will tell you the truth I use to work in a saloon 
as a bar maid, and I was more that a whiskey and beer toter, I was a 
harlot a no good harlot, I was a orphan my folk just threw me away and 
I was raised by a old saloon man who was cruel to me , he was greedy 
and watered down whiskey and just a no good man.. And this is why I got 
into this mail order business, I thought just maybe a decent man would 
order me and I could make a good life with a decent man , so there you 
have it about me my past has many shadows linked to it and I just 
wanted you to know im not pure by any means she admitted” What you done 
yesterday do not make any difference to me it's what a person does 
today that makes for what the past has taken away. She smiled and we 
kiss again there before the porch post I was drawn to her like slim to 
a galvanized bucket, she was so pretty and all I guess any old clod 
hopper like me would have been taken by her looks and charm. We made it 
back up the hollow and mammy had the evening grub set and we eat and 
took a setting spell on the porch and enjoyed the rest of the evening , 
Mammy was pleased we she agreed to attend the little goose chapel 
church meeting on church night, that next week I rode down to the 
preacher house and had him to write a letter to Melvin and I had him 
put in words that I would pay Melvin whatever he paid for the Sara plus 
a young heftier that I had raised from one of paw milk cows.. He had 
the warren of the pen to write me back and said it was a done deal and 
that I was to send him some money every month while he was in the pen.. 
Sometime happiness is just bound to visit a man, after Sara read the 
letter she agreed to be my wife , we got joined soon after that and now 
we are happier than two coon in a log. Every month I sent poor old 
Melvin a hundred dollars he paid five hundred dollars for Sara and got 
and for good measure I threw in a find young milk cow, I have heard 
from gossip that I have the prettiest gal this side of the little paw 
paw river, one thing I have learned nothing is free in this big old 
world not even a good pretty wife..like I heard  a man quote once every 
thing has a price....and I expect that be so , I'm having to work extra 
hours at the muddy fork saw mill to pay for Sara,, Some folks around 
here made light of me buying me a wife but im thinking they will get 
over that gossip after time passes.  Guess ever man should take a wife 
and raised a mess of  kids like the good book says” it not good that 
man should be alone.....the end 


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