Pip finished the last of her sandwich as she glanced out the window of the
train. It was flat and dry, but that didn't bother her. She was excited,
for the first time in her life she was going away from her brothers, all
four of them. It would be heaven, sure she was going to have to survive in
a house full of more guys and even a few girls but it wasn't as if there
weren't any single men around the area. She was young and healthy she would
find herself a husband just fine.
She pulled out the letter that had arrived so unexpectedly a month ago. After figuring out the code a much better letter had emerged. "
"/Dear Miss Donnelly/,
To the best pickpocket in Brooklyn:
If I'm right you weren't expecting this letter what so ever. Your wonderful brothers there have decided to sell you to some desperate soul in Texas to be a wife. Fortunately they
/I was touched when I read that your brothers had suggested that you write to me. I am/
sent the letter to me, so you don't have to worry, no one-eyed, drooling old codger here well at least not living on this farm. It's Conlon if you haven't figured it out yet. How
/looking forward to meeting you in person./
you doing Pipsqueak? Yes your brothers, at least the older ones, I don't think Max or Charlie would do this to you, answered a mail-order bride ad for you. Not that I needed
/I hope you are as good of a cook as you claim. But even if you are not there is no use/
to place an ad mind you I have the women falling at my feet. But the other guys just aren't having the luck I've been having. I saw the return address on the envelope and
/crying over spilled MILK. I am sure we can make lemonade out of such LEMONS./
decided the least I could do was to give you a heads up. Now you're a sister to me, so I am not going to marry you but I was figuring since your brothers, I'm putting my money
/And one would hope that the cold winter will fan the FLAME of love, or allow us to/
on Verge and Ronny, have their hearts set on you getting married you just as well come out. There are plenty of single guys around just itching to get married to anything female,
/IRON out our differences./
and I'm sure you'll do. So if you decide to join me in my adventure out west go to the New York Sun Offices in Manhattan and talk to Brian Denton. Tell him that I sent you and see if he'll spot you some money. If not wire me and I'll tell you where to find some,
/Hope to SEE you soon/
though I am sure you could get your own ticket money real quick. So send a response, and bring some books when you come out.
/Sincerely,/
Lots of love to the pipsqueak, your black sheep.
/Jack Frances./
Baaa"
Pip smiled, it was just like Ben to write such a funny letter and one that took her so long to figure out the real way to read it. She had to scrounge up the lemons and then stand with the paper just barely on a warm iron to get his real letter to come up. But she knew if either Ron or Verge had even an inkling that she and Ben stayed in contact they would have locked her up and thrown away the key.
She figured it would be fun to write them in a couple of months and just rub it in that she had made it away and was now living with the family black sheep. Ben Conlon Donnelly was more than just a black sheep though, the older boys hated that he had such a free life, being a newsie, then getting to go live in Texas. The younger ones idolized their missing brother, Pip well she just missed seeing her twin every once in a while. But now she would get to see him. Heck she was going to live with him, and six of his closest friends.
"Excuse me is this seat taken?" Pip looked up to see a red haired girl in the aisle. Pip looked at the seat across from her.
"No, you're welcome to sit down." Pip took her feet off the seat and began rearranging herself.
"Hi I'm Hazel." The girl said as she sat down.
"Penelope, you by yourself?" Pip asked curious as to why a girl in such nice clothing would be on a rickety train headed west.
"Yes, I'm going out to meet my fiancée." Hazel explained. "Are you on your own?"
Pip nodded, "I'm meeting up with my brother in Bloomington though."
"Oh that is where I am headed." Hazel said with a smile.
"So your meeting your fiancée? What is he like?" Pip asked.
"Actually I don't know, I answered an ad in the newspaper back home and he sent me the money to send for me." Hazel's smile faltered.
"That sounds exciting. My brother is always writing about how there aren't enough women in Texas to go around. I am going to be really surprised if I don't get married with in the next year. I did not come out here with plans to get married to anyone." Pip said with a shrug.
"Have you ever been to Bloomington before?" Hazel asked, her confidence back.
"Oh no, I'm from Brooklyn, New York. This is actually my first time out of the city." Pip said as she scooted against the window and put her feet up on the bench next to her.
"New York, as in New York City?"
"Yep, born and raised there." Pip said with a proud smile.
"That is so cool, I'm from Queens." Hazel said excitedly, "I can't believe we haven't met earlier."
Pip nodded and pushed her hat over her eyes, "I don't mean to be rude, but I didn't get much sleep last night, and I want to be as fresh as possible when we pull into Bloomington."
"Oh that is fine, I didn't mean to keep you up." Hazel apologized as she pulled out a letter from her bag.
"Not a problem, just make sure I'm awake when we reach our stop." Pip peeked out from under the brim of her cap, satisfied to see Hazel nod she pulled the cap back down and fell back to sleep.
She pulled out the letter that had arrived so unexpectedly a month ago. After figuring out the code a much better letter had emerged. "
"/Dear Miss Donnelly/,
To the best pickpocket in Brooklyn:
If I'm right you weren't expecting this letter what so ever. Your wonderful brothers there have decided to sell you to some desperate soul in Texas to be a wife. Fortunately they
/I was touched when I read that your brothers had suggested that you write to me. I am/
sent the letter to me, so you don't have to worry, no one-eyed, drooling old codger here well at least not living on this farm. It's Conlon if you haven't figured it out yet. How
/looking forward to meeting you in person./
you doing Pipsqueak? Yes your brothers, at least the older ones, I don't think Max or Charlie would do this to you, answered a mail-order bride ad for you. Not that I needed
/I hope you are as good of a cook as you claim. But even if you are not there is no use/
to place an ad mind you I have the women falling at my feet. But the other guys just aren't having the luck I've been having. I saw the return address on the envelope and
/crying over spilled MILK. I am sure we can make lemonade out of such LEMONS./
decided the least I could do was to give you a heads up. Now you're a sister to me, so I am not going to marry you but I was figuring since your brothers, I'm putting my money
/And one would hope that the cold winter will fan the FLAME of love, or allow us to/
on Verge and Ronny, have their hearts set on you getting married you just as well come out. There are plenty of single guys around just itching to get married to anything female,
/IRON out our differences./
and I'm sure you'll do. So if you decide to join me in my adventure out west go to the New York Sun Offices in Manhattan and talk to Brian Denton. Tell him that I sent you and see if he'll spot you some money. If not wire me and I'll tell you where to find some,
/Hope to SEE you soon/
though I am sure you could get your own ticket money real quick. So send a response, and bring some books when you come out.
/Sincerely,/
Lots of love to the pipsqueak, your black sheep.
/Jack Frances./
Baaa"
Pip smiled, it was just like Ben to write such a funny letter and one that took her so long to figure out the real way to read it. She had to scrounge up the lemons and then stand with the paper just barely on a warm iron to get his real letter to come up. But she knew if either Ron or Verge had even an inkling that she and Ben stayed in contact they would have locked her up and thrown away the key.
She figured it would be fun to write them in a couple of months and just rub it in that she had made it away and was now living with the family black sheep. Ben Conlon Donnelly was more than just a black sheep though, the older boys hated that he had such a free life, being a newsie, then getting to go live in Texas. The younger ones idolized their missing brother, Pip well she just missed seeing her twin every once in a while. But now she would get to see him. Heck she was going to live with him, and six of his closest friends.
"Excuse me is this seat taken?" Pip looked up to see a red haired girl in the aisle. Pip looked at the seat across from her.
"No, you're welcome to sit down." Pip took her feet off the seat and began rearranging herself.
"Hi I'm Hazel." The girl said as she sat down.
"Penelope, you by yourself?" Pip asked curious as to why a girl in such nice clothing would be on a rickety train headed west.
"Yes, I'm going out to meet my fiancée." Hazel explained. "Are you on your own?"
Pip nodded, "I'm meeting up with my brother in Bloomington though."
"Oh that is where I am headed." Hazel said with a smile.
"So your meeting your fiancée? What is he like?" Pip asked.
"Actually I don't know, I answered an ad in the newspaper back home and he sent me the money to send for me." Hazel's smile faltered.
"That sounds exciting. My brother is always writing about how there aren't enough women in Texas to go around. I am going to be really surprised if I don't get married with in the next year. I did not come out here with plans to get married to anyone." Pip said with a shrug.
"Have you ever been to Bloomington before?" Hazel asked, her confidence back.
"Oh no, I'm from Brooklyn, New York. This is actually my first time out of the city." Pip said as she scooted against the window and put her feet up on the bench next to her.
"New York, as in New York City?"
"Yep, born and raised there." Pip said with a proud smile.
"That is so cool, I'm from Queens." Hazel said excitedly, "I can't believe we haven't met earlier."
Pip nodded and pushed her hat over her eyes, "I don't mean to be rude, but I didn't get much sleep last night, and I want to be as fresh as possible when we pull into Bloomington."
"Oh that is fine, I didn't mean to keep you up." Hazel apologized as she pulled out a letter from her bag.
"Not a problem, just make sure I'm awake when we reach our stop." Pip peeked out from under the brim of her cap, satisfied to see Hazel nod she pulled the cap back down and fell back to sleep.
