The Visitors
Prologue
Leah Adler stepped off the train when it reached Springfield, Missouri, with the rest of the passengers. On better days, she was beautiful, dark, almost black hair, tied up in a bun, but hanging loose, was almost down to her ankles. She had bright blue eyes that twinkled when she smiled and a small perfectly formed mouth.
She was very happy no one had recognized her, but then again, why would they? She had been a famous opera singer and actress for three years, but then again, that was only on the New York stage and in the Yiddish theatre at that.
She was tired and hungry, but most of all frightened. Tired and hungry because she was traveling with no money and frightened because she was being chased. All she could think of was to get out of the railroad station. She was looking for someone, someone she knew who lived here or close to Springfield. It was somewhere called Mansfield and the sooner she got out of this crowd, the better off she'd be.
She felt a wave come over her, a sickening feeling as if she were going to pass out, but she ignored it as she had done since she had boarded this a day and a half ago. She had to get to where she was going and quickly before she passed out or before she was found. Quickly, she looked around and smiled as she spied a couple boarding a coach. All she had to do was to find out where the two of them were going. That should be easy enough.
In another car, Tom and Minnie Martin exited the same train with the hopes of surprising Laura and Almanzo Wilder in Mansfield. Tom had arranged a carriage to bring them to the Rocky Ridge. They were coming from Chicago after spending a few weeks with Tom's cousin Brett Martin and his wife Martha. The men played golf and spent time relaxing while Martha and Minnie spent time talking about her new daughter in law Nancy Oleson who had married their son Clarence at least a year ago now.
They had just picked up their carriage at the livery when Minnie noticed a young woman approaching. She asked if they were going to Mansfield and Minnie told her that they were visiting some friends; surprising them was more like it, but yes she and her husband would drop her off and she'd ask her friends if they knew the man she wanted to see.
And so Leah had boarded the carriage and the woman introduced herself as Leah Adler, a woman from New York looking to escape from everything for a while and get reacquainted with the man whom she left four years ago for someone else.
She chatted for a while until another wave of sickness spread over her, although this time she couldn't fight it. Halfway to Mansfield, Leah passed out and the Martin's were stuck with her.
"Do you think that Laura and Mannie would know this man Jacob Rosen?" Minnie asked looking down at the beautiful girl, whose head she cradled in her lap.
Tom shrugged. "I sure hope so, Minnie. If he's as good a tailor as she says he is, then the whole town should know him." Tom urged the single horse faster. "Didn't she mention a tailor in one of her letters? Someone that she worked with by the name of Jack Ross?"
Now it was Minnie's turn to shrug. "I can't tell you, Tom. I only know that we have to get this woman to a doctor pretty soon. I'm sure that Laura will know exactly what to do with her once we get her to their farm."