Bargain Bessie Read online

“Hmm. It doesn’t sound like it. I don’t know if Jude needs kitchen help. As far as I know, he sends his laundry to Hackett Laundry like most of the businesses in town. As for the laundry, I think his wife and oldest daughter help Otto Hackett, so I doubt they need additional help there. On the other hand, Brinks Mercantile could sure use another employee.”

  “Are you sure, Uncle? With both Desi and Andrea working here, are you positive you need to hire me? I don’t want to take away from Andrea.”

  By this time Desi had finished with her customer and joined them. “Bessie, I want you to meet Catherine Calloway, Andrea’s good friend who brought her to Jubilee Springs. She married another miner and lives out close to Aaron and Andrea.”

  The thin, blonde woman offered a big smile. “Call me Cat. All my friends call me that.”

  Bessie assured Cat she would. As they chatted, Bessie noted Andrea’s friend acted far more outgoing and confident than Andrea. It was probably a good thing the two were friends. Bessie also suspected she would enjoy getting to know Cat better. Soon Cat waved goodbye and left the store.

  Desi turned to Bessie. “I heard you tell my husband you don’t want to take a job away from Andrea. Andrea doesn’t really have a regular job here. She only worked here when we need someone to fill in because Simon went back east to see you and Emeline, plus she worked a few hours here and there straightening and cleaning shelves in exchange for some things she wanted for her new house. We take a little off hers and Aaron’s bill when she does that. Besides, she’s so shy, she doesn’t feel comfortable talking to most customers. The only thing she likes doing is sorting and preparing the mail. And remember, she has a husband to support her and home to take care of. Once she’s in the family way, she won’t feel like working here at all unless we desperately need her.”

  Bessie fought back a sense of deprivation that gripped her insides like a vice as her aunt pointed out Andrea had a husband and a home, and would soon be expecting children. She had no idea why that sensation took hold of her, for she had accepted years earlier she would live her life as a spinster. Why did it hit her so hard to have her aunt verbalize the obvious about her cousin and his wife?

  Bessie forced her feelings to the back of her awareness as she answered her aunt. “If you’re sure you wish to employ an additional clerk, and I’m not taking work away from Andrea, I would love to work here.”

  Simon offered her a toothy grin. “Good. I’m glad that’s settled. This way, you and Desi can take turns working down here so the other can prepare dinner and supper without it being such a haphazard affair. Today you are free to wander around the store, or up and down Main Street to get a feel for your new town. Tomorrow we’ll officially put you to work.”

  Bessie’s face blossomed with the happiness she felt over her new situation. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to not disappoint you. I’ll look around a little while, and then Aunt Desi can tell me what she wants me to prepare for supper. I can hardly wait to see Aaron again.”

  ~o0o~

  That night when Aaron and Andrea arrived for supper, Bessie felt overwhelmed at the site of her cousin. Any doubts she had still been harboring about the wisdom of leaving Terra Haute, the city she had been born in and lived all her life, behind were gone. She had done the right thing by listening to her mother and uncle when they persuaded her to move to Jubilee Springs. Living near her uncle’s family was more like coming home than she would have experienced if she had tried to move close to either Martha or Benjamin.

  As the five of them finished eating, Aaron turned to Bessie. “You’re arrival has caused quite a stir, dear cousin.”

  Askance, Bessie looked at Aaron with a question written on her expression. “What are you talking about? No one knows I’m even here or who I am.”

  Aaron laughed and shook his head. “You’re going to have to get used to living in a small town, Bessie. Word got around fast once you and Pa stepped off the train, and folks figured out who you came to town with. As I was coming off work, I was besieged by several of the single miners on the evening shift. They wanted to know my cousin’s name, if you were married, how long you plan to stay in Jubilee Springs and how they can meet you.”

  Bessie’s mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe it. I was only on the platform at the train depot for a few minutes before I came home with Uncle Simon and Aunt Desi. I only saw a couple of women customers in the store.”

  “Even though they knew you came with Pa, I’m still trying to work out how they knew you’re my cousin.”

  Bessie looked down and picked at a hangnail on her thumb. “Oh. I’m sorry, Aaron. Some strange man approached me and asked if I was one of the brides for the miners. I told him no. I also mentioned my cousin married recently. Then he asked who my cousin is. I realized then I shouldn’t have said anything. However, he figured I was with Uncle Simon, and I guess he put two and two together.”

  Aaron glanced at Andrea and caught her eye. Bessie realized an understanding passed between them. Then Aaron leaned back in his chair and faced Bessie with a grin. “That was all it took. I thought they’d never stop questioning me so I could go home. Thank goodness the bell rang warning the night crew to report to work. It was escaping the day crew and their curious questions that was tough.”

  Bessie’s forehead wrinkled with confusion. “Why on earth would they care about me being here, Aaron? Men don’t pay attention to me.” Bessie sat up straight in her chair, her spine stiff with annoyance as her aunt and uncle joined in the laughter.

  Aaron shook his head. “It will take you awhile to get used to it, Bessie. The truth is, when Clive and Royce Bainbridge who own the Prosperity Mine came up with their idea to recruit ten miners who wanted to marry by making connections with potential brides through an agency, most of the men thought it was a joke. Those of us who signed up put up with a lot of teasing and hassle for a couple of months. But the tables turned once they saw the houses the Bainbridges built for the married miners and they watched the first few brides come to Jubilee Springs and marry some of us. They see how much better we have it living in a house with a woman at our side than sharing a bunk with a bunch of men in the single men’s housing.”

  “Single men’s housing? Is that like a boarding house?”

  Aaron shook his head. “It’s more like an army barracks, although the three miners we have that used to be in the Army said the barracks were cleaner. At least in the Army, the officers made their men keep their quarters clean. In the single men’s housing, each man is responsible for keeping his own area clean, which means it’s like a pigsty in there most of the time unless they know one of the Bainbridge brothers is scheduled to come for an inspection.”

  Bessie shuddered. “That’s sounds disgusting.” A realization struck her that the room she had shared with her mother probably seemed like a palace compared to the living quarters for the single men.

  “Believe me, I felt grateful I could live above the store in the room you now have rather than live under those conditions.” He stopped and grinned. “I don’t know how Ma and Pa felt about it, but I tried to help them as much as I could so they wouldn’t kick me out.”

  “Oh, we were more than ready to kick you out once you met Andrea. Beyond that, I never could have lived with myself if you had been forced to live like that when we could provide something a little better.”

  “I suppose. At least the housing they have now is better than the tents many of us lived in when the mine first started.” Aaron turned to Bessie. “But getting back to your question, now that some of us have married and have our own houses, many of those who used to heckle us are eating crow. They are starting to realize the benefits of settling down and meeting a nice woman so they can start a family. Some of those who weren’t interested in signing up for brides are now trying to figure out how they can get married and get a company house. Some will even settle for having to pay for a room in a boarding house here in town for a while as long as they can find a nice woman to marry. So, of cour
se when you showed up, they want to know if you are unattached and available to be courted.”

  Her mouth open, Bessie shook her head. “They won’t be interested once they find out how old I am. Besides, Aaron, I’m not free to marry. Not only do I need to work to pay back Uncle Simon and Aunt Desi for them covering some of mine and Ma’s debt, I have other debts back in Terre Haute I still need to pay off—some due to Ma being so ill and some dating back before then when things got really rough for her. I’m not interested in being courted.”

  Puzzled, Aaron looked at her. “Why do you have to pay off all your ma’s debts? What’s wrong with your brother and sister helping?”

  Bessie looked at her lap and muttered. “That’s a sore subject.” She looked Aaron full in the face. “I don’t expect any help from them, Aaron. But that still doesn’t mean the people I owe money to don’t deserve to be repaid.”

  Simon leaned over and rested his hand on Bessie’s shoulder. “I’ve told you, Niece, you don’t need to worry about repaying me for anything. Emeline was my sister.”

  Bessie glanced at him with a smile, and then took a deep breath. “Thank you, Uncle, I appreciate that. But I still have to live with my conscience. I’ll do what I must to make sure no one loses money because of mine and Ma’s difficulties.”

  ~o0o~

  The following day Desi brought Bessie down to show her around the store. Bessie did her best to first learn where things were located. She suspected many regular customers already knew which part of the store to visit for the items they sought. However, she knew she could not help anyone fully until she learned herself. Her next task would be familiar with brands, quality issues and prices.

  It was while she was studying the fabrics and notions near the west side of the store that she heard male voices on the east side. Two men were hidden from Bessie’s view by a large center island of displays on crates stacked almost the ceiling to display merchandise. At first she wondered why men were shopping in the middle of the day. Then she recalled what Aaron had said about two work shifts at the mine. If these men worked nights, it made sense they had a few hours to come to town to take care of personal business. It was when they walked close enough for her to hear what was being said that Bessie grew upset.

  “I thought you said she was Aaron’s cousin. I figured she’d be stayin’ with his folks, but I ain’t seen her here yet. Figure he has her squirreled away over in his house?”

  “Just because she’s not down here right now doesn’t mean she isn’t staying here. Maybe she’s upstairs.”

  “Sure like to take a gander at her, see if she’s a looker. She might be worth courtin’, dependin’ on if I like what I see.”

  “We’re bound to see her sooner or later. They can’t keep her hidden away for forever.”

  “Druther it be sooner than later. She worth getting’ to know, she’d be a real bargain.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ain’t no mystery. Don’t need to pay no fee to no agency, don’t need to write no letters, don’t need to pay no train fare from Denver to here ‘cause she’s already here. Don’t need to pay no expense fee for her travelin’, once again, ‘cause she’s already here.”

  “Yeah, you have a point. Then again, you’d still have to pay for a house if you don’t go through Bainbridges to get a company house. That will cost you.”

  “Maybe not. Since ol’ Owen Spencer got himself killed, that leaves a house that ain’t claimed now. If I can get to her fast enough, and convince ol’ Royce to let me have that house, I’d call that gettin’ me a right bargain bride.”

  “You don’t even know how old she is or if she’s uglier than a stump.”

  “That’s why I’m tryin’ to get a look-see at her. If she looks like someone I can bear to look at across the table, I’m staking my claim on her.”

  There was a chuckle. “You might want to get her view on the matter. Maybe she won’t think much of looking at your mug across the table. Let’s go around to the other side, see if anyone’s there.”

  Bessie listened to the direction they were walking. She heard steps heading towards the front of the store. She hurried the other direction towards the back of the store and ran up the inside stairs to the living quarters.

  Once inside the living apartment, she stood with her back to the door as her hands gripped the doorknob. She sniffed back a sob and willed her heart to stop thumping inside her chest. It was too soon after her mother’s loss and all the changes in her life to deal with a situation like this.

  A bargain bride indeed. She didn’t know who the man was or what he looked like. She only knew she wanted nothing to do with him. The only way she would ever consider marriage would be if there was love and mutual consideration. She wished to be respected and valued as Elisabeth Carlson, not just as a cook, housekeeper, laundress, and someone to use in bed. She knew there was a reason she had decided there were advantages to staying a spinster.

  Bessie took a deep breath as she attempted to settle her emotions and clear her head. She busied herself sweeping the floor and setting the table for the next meal. Once enough time had passed she felt confident the men had left and it was safe, she returned downstairs to help in the store.

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  monarch bend, colorado – august 1881

  CHAPTER 8

  ~o0o~

  Eddie Joe sat across from his boss as they finished discussing what needed to be done within the next week.

  “Need to check the ponds in the north pasture. We should have enough water for the herds up that way to last us until the first solid rains this fall, but I want to make sure.”

  “Good idea, especially since we haven’t had as many summer rainstorms come through this year. There’s something else that needs tending to. When is it you’re planning to go to Denver to buy winter supplies?”

  Zeb stared at Eddie Joe for a couple of seconds before he answered with a tone of exaggerated patience. “In mid-October, Eddie Joe. It’s no mystery. I’ve been making the trip that time of year for as long as I can remember. You’ve been here long enough to know that.”

  “That’s what I figured, Boss. Problem is, we’re going to need a few things sooner. I was talking to Cooksie, and he said we’re running short of flour, salt pork and corn meal, plus we don’t have enough airtights to stock all the line cabins for the winter. Also, we’ll need another couple jugs of maple syrup before the October trip.”

  Zeb shook his head. “You sure are awful interested in the food situation, Eddie Joe.”

  “As much as any, Boss. Maybe more so since I have been hearing about it the past two weeks steady from Cooksie.” Eddie Joe shrugged. “At first I tried to ignore him. Unfortunately, he’s learned I do that if he doesn’t push, so he’s been pushing hard. Claims he can’t make good meals without the wherewithal. Oh, and he says if we’re making camp a couple of days while we’re rounding up, he’ll need another big sack of beans.”

  Zeb shook his head. “We bought the same amount as always last spring. Why are we running short?”

  “We’ve got three more men than we planned on since the last time you shopped. Oh, and another thing, we’ve done a lot of fence repair this year. We could use several more rolls of barbed wire and a half dozen more pairs of gloves. Some of the men, their gloves have worn through, and the Monarch Bend store is out. Says they don’t know when they’ll get any more in. I could probably get some of the foodstuffs from them, but I don’t think the place is doing well enough to handle a big order. I know they don’t have any more wire.”

  “What you told me is not a big order, not big enough to justify a trip to Denver before October. It’s not the money; it’s the time. We got fall round-up coming up, and need to get things ready for that.”

  “What about the mercantile in Jubilee Springs? Think they may have most of what we need? If nothing else, they’re by the rail station. What they don’t have, they can probably get
here in a decent amount of time. I’ll be happy to make the trip over there, see what they can do for us.”

  Zeb narrowed his eyes as he studied his foreman. He knew Eddie Joe by choice seldom volunteered to leave the ranch to run errands. He invariably delegated that kind of thing to one of the more trustworthy men. “What’s really going on, Eddie Joe? It’s not like you to be willing to leave your crew for a trip to the Springs to run errands.”

  Eddie Joe, shrugged, but the slight flush of his face gave him away. “Nothing special’s going on, Boss. Just thought I’d offer, to save you the inconvenience, you know? I don’t mind driving the wagon in. Of course, if you want to go, I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the men.”

  “That’s right considerate of you Eddie Joe, seeing as how keeping an eye on the men is part of your job anyway.” Zeb heaved a sigh of resignation. “I’ll go and I’ll have Rusty drive the wagon. It’ll get him out of that barn for awhile. Him I can spare for a fool errand like this that shouldn’t need to happen.” Zeb raised an eyebrow as he realized Eddie Joe fought down disappointment over not being the one to go into Jubilee Springs. “You want to go into town so bad, you can have this Saturday night and Sunday to go on in. Depending on what you’re up to Saturday night, it might do you some good to go to church before you head back to the ranch.”

  “That’s all right, Boss. It’s not my weekend to go to town. I try to keep it fair among the men, not take advantage of my job, you know. But, since you’re going in, you mind dropping off a couple of letters for me?”

  “Yeah, sure. Go ahead and tell Rusty to get the wagon and my horse ready, then bring them to me. Since I’m going to the mercantile and the post office is right there, it won’t be any trouble.”

  Eddie Joe reached inside his vest to a hidden pocket and pulled out three envelopes. He glanced at them, put the back one on top and handed them to Zeb. “Got them right here, Boss. And here’s the list of what Cooksie says we need. I’ll go tell Rusty. Oh, and Boss, while you’re there, you might want to look up one of the Bainbridge brothers.”