Mail Order Barbara
(Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies, Book 14)
By
Elissa Strati
Contents
DEDICATION
MAIL ORDER BARBARA
COPYRIGHT
EDITION LICENSE NOTES
DESCRIPTION
CHAPTER 1 – Nightmare
CHAPTER 2 – Police
CHAPTER 3 – Our Lady of Mercy
CHAPTER 4 – Alice
CHAPTER 5 – Judith
CHAPTER 6 – Emilene
CHAPTER 7 – The Board of Directors
CHAPTER 8 – Sharing Concerns
CHAPTER 9 – Brides Wanted
CHAPTER 10 – Running the Orphanage
CHAPTER 11 – Opportunities
CHAPTER 12 – Westward, Ho?
CHAPTER 13 – Discussions
CHAPTER 14 – Decisions
CHAPTER 15 – Emily
CHAPTER 16 – Preparations
CHAPTER 17 – Wedding Plans
CHAPTER 18 – Love Letters
CHAPTER 19 – Farewells
CHAPTER 20 – Measles
CHAPTER 21 – Goodbye
CHAPTER 22 – The Train
CHAPTER 23 – Kansas
CHAPTER 24 – Welcome to Green River
CHAPTER 25 – Afternoon Tea
Breaking the Ice
Introductions
Giving Thanks
Making Friends
CHAPTER 26 – The Dance
Billy
More Introductions
Getting to Know You
Changing Partners
Making Repairs
Emilene
The Supper Dance
CHAPTER 27 – The Picnic
St. Mary’s on the Hill
Green River Church
Picnic on the Hill
Employment
Advice
Jealousy
CHAPTER 28 – Courtship
First Steps in the Campaign
Lessons
A Celebration
B*O*N*U*S C*O*N*T*E*N*T
PART 1 – Meet the Orphans
Gracie
Clara
Margaret and Elizabeth
Katherine and Maria
Samantha
Bernadette
Christine
Judith
Anna
PART 2 –Gracie’s Wedding
Wedding Invitations
Farewells
A Surprise
Wedding Bells
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ABOUT THIS SERIES
NOTES ON MAIL ORDER BARBARA
(Or, More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About My Upcoming Books)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(Including Contact Links)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AUTHOR’S HISTORICAL NOTE
DEDICATION
For
Barbara Goss
Who encouraged me (and continues to do so),
Provided needed support as I was starting out,
Demonstrated her faith in me,
And moved me forward along the path.
Thank You!
MAIL ORDER BARBARA
(Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 14)
By
Elissa Strati
COPYRIGHT
Mail Order Barbara ©2020 Elissa Strati
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Elissa Strati, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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EDITION LICENSE NOTES
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
~~~
Cover design and logo inset by Black Widow Books, Virginia McKevitt, cover artist.
Series concept by Cheryl Wright.
DESCRIPTION
Fleeing an abusive stepfather, two sisters find a home with the Sisters of Mercy. But the Board of Governors won't permit girls over sixteen to remain at the orphanage. They are expected to find positions as maids or shopkeeper’s assistants once they are old enough to do so. There are enough charges on any system of charity without keeping able-bodied young women coddled on the public charge, never mind that the Sisters’ asylum is a private institution and the Lord’s work!
Malnourishment in their formative years has kept most of the girls looking smaller and younger than they are and Sister Evangeline maintains deliberately vague records, to allow her charges time to mature to the point of looking out for themselves. Many girls have been successfully placed in good positions, using the training they have received from the Sisters, but Sister Evangeline wants the best for each of her girls.
Learning from her brother, Father Flanagan, of the need for young women of good character out west, she schemes to give her girls their chance.
Can city girls find happiness as Mail Order Brides out west?
CHAPTER 1 – Nightmare
Sister Evangeline opened the door of Our Lady of Mercy Orphans Home and Convent. Looking down, she gasped when she saw the two girls huddled on the doorstep, fresh bruises visible on their arms and faces. She held open the door and, sweeping them into her arms, ushered them to the Infirmary.
CHAPTER 2 – Police
It seemed the noise had been loud enough to actually attract attention in an area used to a great deal of commotion. Someone had called for the police, who arrived not too long after the girls had departed. They found Mrs. Spicer passed out on the corpse of her late husband and drew their own conclusions from the scene. Detective McGarity looked at his sergeant, clearly showing his disgust.
“Good riddance to one bad citizen,” he grumbled under his breath, “but what do we do with this one?” poking his toe at the prone Mrs. Spicer, who grunted, but quickly resumed snoring. They looked around at the rest of the cramped space. Despite the evident poverty, an attempt had been made to keep it clean, but a bowl of blood-stained water sat atop the table and a torn and bloody rag lay next to it. Carefully picking up the rag, McGarity realized it had once been a dress, plain and simple but beautifully sewn.
Looking up he met Sergeant Donnell’s sad eyes with his own bleak stare. “Wonder which of the girls he hurt?”
City or not, there were no strangers in this neighborhood, and Alice Jones had been a good girl, happily married to Tom McKevitt and a loving mother to their two daughters. Then Tom had been killed in an accident at the dock,
