George stared down at the letter in his hand. When the women from church announced they’d raised the money for a mail order bride for him, he hadn’t known what to think. Yes, he knew he was a burden on them, but his oldest daughter, Patience, just wasn’t old enough to help out much. At six, her mother had just started to teach her to cook before her untimely death. He closed his eyes. He missed Martha with everything inside him. She’d been a good wife and a good mother.
He flipped the letter over in his hand. Maybe the ladies were right. He needed a wife who would do the cooking and cleaning and tend the children. Patience wasn’t able to take care of the others for long periods, and he was going to put them all in the poor house if he didn’t find more time to devote to the farm chores.
He opened the letter and read it slowly. Her name was Millie. She hadn’t included a picture, but he didn’t really care what she looked like. He just needed someone to help with the children and cook decent meals. She’d do.
He put his pen to paper. “You sound like you’re exactly what we need. I will ask the agency to forward your fare and some extra for some new clothes for you. We will see you soon, I hope.”