I have nothing to say! Love your reviews keep em comin! This is Emily's chapter.

Philadelphia

When the girls woke up they were pulled up to the depot in Philadelphia. Emily shook Louise. "Louise, look where here!"

Louise who was still a little sleepy yawned and said, "I see."

The girls got off the train when the car man came down the aisle. "All for Philadelphia get off here." he said.

The girls stood and smoothed their skirts and went out on to the platform. Emily looked for her bags and was suprised to see that Louise only had one. "Lou, you only have one bag?"

"That's all they would let me leave with." the girl said. "It's ok. I'll make do."

Emily was gathering her four bags up when an older woman who looked like her mother came running up to her. "Emily? Little Emily Munch?"

"Aunt Mary Anne!" Emily cried as she opened her arms wide to the older woman. "How are you?"

"I'm fine dear. The question is how are you after that dreadful ride from Rock Springs?"

"Oh it was wonderful Auntie. Auntie I have someone I would like for you to meet." Emily said, grabing Louise's hand and pulling her forward. "This is Louise, my friend. She needed to get away after her husband passed away."

"Oh I didn't realize that you had friends that were already married dear." Aunt Mary Anne said.

"Yes, Louise married young, her husband planned to farm in Rock Springs but then he came down with the fever." Emily said. Her aunt had a soft heart and Emily knew that that story would get to her the fastest.

"Why you poor dear!" Mary Anne exclaimed. "Well I'm glad that you came with Emily here. You need to get away from those horrid memories."

"There's more Auntie." Emily said, looking down.

"What dear?" Mary Anne said, looking concerned.

Emily moved closer to her aunt so that no one would over hear. "Louise is with child as well. She didn't find out until after her husband passed on."

Mary Anne covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. "Oh my dear heavens! Then she must come with us. Emily, we must help this girl!"

Emily hugged her aunt then, "I knew you would see things my way Auntie."

"Well it's just terrible." Aunt Mary Anne said. "Oh, Emily dear, a letter came for you. It's waiting for you at the house."

"Really?" Emily said. Then she saw her aunt's driver come up to them so she said, "Hello Howard. Our bags are there."

"Hello Miss Emily." Howard said.

"Howard," Emily said while he gathered their bags. "This is Louise, she's coming with us."

"Oh, its nice to meet you Miss Louise." Howard said.

"It's very nice to meet you Howard." Louise said, giving a small curtsey.

They arrived at her Aunt's house about twenty minutes later and Emily heard Louise give a small gasp. Each girl was given a room that was close together so that they could get settled. Once Louise unpacked her small bag she went into Emily's room. "This is the biggest house I've ever been in." She said.

"I thought you were in awe when we pulled up." Emily said. She sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "Auntie never married and she never had children. She had a serious beau once but when he found out how independent she was he backed off. So she opened her ladies dress shop. She started out making all the dresses on her own but now she employees several women that now sew the dresses for her."

"So what will we be doing for her?" Louise asked.

"We won't be sewing. No Auntie hires uhm, I hate saying this Louise, she hires lower class women to sew the dresses. No, we'll be working in the shop, helping doing the fitting, picking out styles with the shoppers." Emily said. She hated using the terms lower class and upper class because she felt that she was no better than a farmers wife or the wife of the president of the United States.

"Goodness that sounds like quite a job!" Louise said.

"It is. Like I said, Auntie was starting this dress shop when it was very uncommon for women to be working let alone business owners. Now she has prospered, has this beautiful house, a maid and butler and her driver, Howard."

"This is such a beautiful house, Emily." Louise said. Then remembering what she had come into the room for, "Was your letter from your beau?"

"Louise!" Emily exclaimed. "I don't have a beau. No the letter was from my friend Ethan."

"What did it say?" Louise asked.

So Emily read the letter to her new friend.

Dear Emily,

Gosh you aren't even gone yet and I already miss you. I am writing this now because once Pa and I start roundup I may not have time to write to you and you said everyday.

I hope that you are having fun working with your aunt. What do you do there anyway? Tell me what you can, I would hate for either of us to be embarrassed.

Everyone here is good. Will and Caleb are still the twin terrors and Katie is still Miss Katie. Ma and Pa are both busy with the ranch well Pa and I are and Ma is busy doin' what ever it is you females do. I just know that she is busy.

I guess that is all for now. Please write to me soon.

Forever thinking of you,

Ethan

"Sounds to me like he is more than a friend Em." Louise said.

"Em." Emily said. "He's been the only one to ever call me that."

"Really?" Louise said. "You my dear, I believe have a beau and don't know it."

"Oh Lou! You are so silly. I think Ethan would have said something if he wanted to be my beau! I mean I went with plenty of boys back home and he never once came around. We're just friends!"

"Ok, so tell me about this friend." Louise asked. She kew that she didn't have anything to brag about she was just a seventeen year old pregnant girl so she would live through her friend.

"Well his name is Ethan Elliot Stabler. He's tall and he has the most beautiful blue eyes and dark hair. I have his picture in my handbag if you would like to see it."

"Well of course get it out!" Louise said.

Emily retireved her hand bag from the top of the bureua and took out Ethan's picture. She held it out to Louise. "That's him."

"Oh, he's very handsome. Solemn looking though." Louise said.

"Yes he is at that." Emily said. " His letter makes me sad though."

"Do you miss him?" Louise asked.

"Yes. He was my best friend."

"Girls!" Mary Anne called up the stairs. "Dinner is ready."

The girls went down the stairs, after Emily left Ethan's picture on the mirror. She wanted to see him everyday. Mary Anne always put out a wonderful dinner and the girls were happy to see that she was serving her best fare tonight. "Oh Auntie! This smells wonderful!" Emily said. Then she saw the kindly housekeeper that took care of her aunt's home. "Mrs. Quinn! How good to see you!" Emily said.

"Emily, dear!" Mrs. Quinn said. "I'm so glad that your here sweetheart." The elderly woman hugged Emily.

"Mrs. Quinn, this is my friend, Louise. She's going to stay here with us."

"It's very nice to meet you Louise. I'm Emma Quinn."

"It's nice to meet you two Mrs. Quinn." Louise said.

The girls sat down to a wonderful dinner of roast pork, boiled potatoes and fresh green beans. After a good meal and good conversation the girls retired to their rooms. Emily could tell that Louise was tired and when they made it to the top of the stairs Emily said to her, "Get a good night's rest Lou. You have that little one to think about now."

"I will Emily. Oh and thank you. I appreciate all you've done."

Emily hugged her new friend and watched her go to her room. Then she went to her own and took out a piece of paper and the pen that her aunt had in the desk. She needed to write to Ethan, so that he would know that she had reached Philadelphia safely. She sat and looked at the blank page. She had so much that she wanted to say but she didn't know where to start. So she started with Louise.

My dearest Ethan,

I hope this letter finds you well. I had a nice trip to Philadelphia and I made a new friend on the way there. Her name is Louise and she is a young unwed mother. Oh Ethan her story is so sad. She was rapped by a man and her parents turned her away, so I came up with a story that will keep her safe. She was married young and her husband died of the fever before she found out that she was pregnant. She is about four months along Ethan and I am doing all I can to help her out. Please don't say anything about her Ethan. She plans to come back to Rock Springs with me when we are finished here with Auntie so I don't want her cover to be blown.

Auntie is doing well. She has all the fine things that a fine lady would want except a husband. Though I don't think that Auntie really wants a husband. She always says that she is too old now.

You are doing round up now, how exciting! I hope that you are being safe. I will worry about you until I hear from you again.

Please write again soon.

Always,

Emily

The next morning the girls rose early and Emily let Louise borrow one of her dresses to go to the dress shop until they could get her a couple of more. She could no longer wear a corset due to her expanding waist line but Emily's dress kept it covered nicely. They went to breakfast with Emily's aunt and then they all got into the buggy and Howard drove them down to the main street where Mary Anne's shop was located. Louise and Emily got out and were in awe. The window was full of beautiful dresses, hats and shoes. Mary Anne unlocked the door and usherd them in. They weren't to open the shop for another half an hour so they used the time for Mary Anne to show the girls around the shop and explain to them what they would be doing. She would run the till and they would help the customers with fittings, chosing dresses of the rack or selecting dresses that they would like to have made for themselves. When they weren't busy they could tidy up and dust.

Louise and Emily just smiled at each other as they ooed and awed at all the beautiful dresses in the shop. At exactly eight o'clock Mary Anne opened the shop and a few minutes later Louise and Emily got their first customer of the day. From then on it was a steady flow of people. Both girls were suprised at the number of ladies that came in and bought new dresses. They even had a girl come in and ask about a wedding dress! This made Emily's thoughts turn towards Ethan for some reason and she shook her head to make them go away.

Ladies and even little girls came in all day and by the end of the day both girls were very tired. "Oh Auntie! How do you do this every day?" Emily asked her aunt on the way home that evening.

"You'll get used to it my dears." Mary Anne said. "How lucky you were to get that wedding dress order! That girl is from a very wealthy upper class family and I wasn't sure that she would choose my shop."

"Yes, her wedding gown is going to be very beautiful." Louise said. "I remember my wedding gown. It was my most precious possesion but when my husband died of the fever we had to burn everything in our house to get rid of it."

"Oh dear, I am so sorry. I was wondering why you had so few possesions." Mary Anne said.

"Yes." Louise said.

When they returned home both girls ate a light meal and retired to their rooms. Louise said that she was extremely tired and all the standing was hard on her back. So Emily went to her room and sat down to write another letter to Ethan. Her aunt had mailed the one she wrote the night before for her this morning.

Dear Ethan,

Well you asked what I do in the dress shop-- I sell dresses silly boy. Today we had a girl come in and order a beautiful wedding gown. Oh Ethan you should see it! I know that it probably wouldn't mean as much to you as it will this girl or even Louise and I but it really is beautiful. If my own wedding gown is even half as beautiful as her's I will be very happy. It is so pretty.

Along with the dresses we sell hats and ladies unmentionables so I won't mention them. Haha I made a funny. I hope you are laughing and getting over being so solemn my tough guy!

I hope the round up is over and you and your father are just getting things ready for winter. It has been very cold here in Philadelphia and I believe that it is colder here than it is in Kansas. I miss home right now. I have not written to Mama or Papa for fear that I would ask to come home. Louise is making thins easier for me but it is still not the same. I miss you and Oliver and Alexandra and even the twins and Katie.

Please tell your Ma and Pa that I said hello and I will write you again tomorrow. Take care dear Ethan.

Always,

Emily

Emily folded the letter and put it into the addressed envelope and prepared it to be mailed by her aunt the next day. Then she turned down her bed and climbed in. She went to sleep with thoughts of Ethan in her head.