The Newlyweds
When Laura finds two wires on the kitchen table that belong to Eliza Jane, she shows them to Almanzo who goes into his sister's room to talk about them, but Eliza wants to share the story with Laura too. This story covers what happened. Story complete in one chapter.
Almanzo was sitting out on the front porch of the Wilder farm in his favorite chair. He was supposed to be inside getting Laura ready for what Eliza was about to tell her, but he just wasn’t sure how to bring this whole topic up. He was still upset about the entire situation himself. In fact, he knew the minute he saw Beth standing there in front of him, that he was going to lose it.
Well, it was now or never, Almanzo told himself as he stood up. Pull yourself together and go. How hard was this going to be? Eliza Jane told him that she would explain everything.
He hoped.
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How long is he going to be? Laura asked herself as she put away the supper dishes. What the heck could they possibly be talking about? It all sounded pretty clear to her, all you had to do was read those telegrams and you knew what was going on, right?
She walked out of the kitchen into the dining room as she headed for the stairs. She was about to climb them when she heard the front door slam shut.
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“Laura?”
She knew the minute he called her by her real name that there was trouble ahead.
She looked up to find Almanzo staring back at her, his mouth set in a frown, looking as if he was going to cry.
“Manly?” she said, as he ran to her and buried his face in her shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, as she held him in her arms. “What did she say? Tell me.”
Almanzo pulled back and looked in her eyes. “She wants me to wait. She wants to share what she told me with you. She thought you might be upstairs.”
“Wait? Wait for what?” Laura frowned. “Manly, she kept quiet about all this. She didn’t say one word. She sent us out with eight chicken and egg sandwiches and some potato salad only to get stuck in the rain. We ended up sleeping in the barn because it was coming down in torrents so that….”
“Yes, Laura, I’m sorry,” Eliza Jane said, as Laura looked up. Almanzo turned to face her. “I was worried about you two, but I needed the time alone. I had no idea where the two of you were last night and I was worried.”
Laura frowned, looked at Almanzo, then at Eliza Jane and then back to Almanzo.
“Alone? You needed to be alone? Why couldn’t you just tell us, Eliza Jane?”
Almanzo was staring at her. “Just listen to her, Beth. Then we can talk, alright?”
“But Manly, she….”
“Beth, let’s all sit down and get this over with. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
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“Go on, Sis, we’re listening,” Almanzo came out of the kitchen with three china cups and placed them in the center of the table. He took the chair next to Laura, opposite the kitchen. He placed an arm around her. The two of them watched as Eliza brought in a teapot. She placed in the center of the table, took the chair closest to the kitchen and began pouring cups of tea for everyone.
“There are scones in the oven. I made them yesterday while I was waiting…”
Her voice trailed as she slid both cups toward Laura and Almanzo. No one made a move, no one said a word.
“As I told Mannie,” she began, looking at Laura, “There was never anything between Harve and me. I wanted there to be, but I was wrong.” Eliza looked at her brother.
“The lie started the night I came home late, Almanzo. It started when you asked me where I was. I was so angry that I blurted out the first thing that came into my head. There was no Harve, he wasn’t smitten with me and he didn’t invite me to a social because there was none. I did go to Sleepy Eye to tell him that I loved him, but he told me that he was getting married and that he was moving to St. Louis. I was so embarrassed that I left him in the middle of the street. I drove around the prairie for hours until I got tired and fell asleep. “
Laura looked at Manly, but he was already staring at her, his arm still around her shoulders.
Eliza was watching both them. She turned to her brother. “Almanzo, please do me a favor, I think the scones are all warmed up. Can you go get them and put them on the table? “
“Sure, Sis,” Almanzo said and got up from his chair. He wandered into the kitchen.
Eliza Jane turned to Laura and continued. “I thought because Mannie knew the both of us so well, he’d pick up on my lie, but he didn’t. And I was kind of surprised he didn’t. So I kept the lie going. The only time I changed my mind was when you said you were going to stay in Radnor and not come back to visit Walnut Grove. I had to do something to get you two back together. I couldn’t stand to see the two of you apart. You two were meant to be together, everyone could see it. And so I got to thinking. Mannie told me that he thought it was time we lived our lives apart and he was right.”
“Eliza Jane,” Laura started to say, but her sister in law shook her head.
“No, Laura, let me finish.”
Almanzo walked back in with the scones, which he put on a blue china plate. He placed it in the center next to the teapot and sat down again.
“And that was when I decided to send a wire to Mr. Williams. I asked about a position in Minneapolis. He told me there was nothing, at least not yet, but that there might be one in Currie. Minnie was leaving and they’d need a replacement and there was no one to take the position. Those were the wires that you found. It would be temporary and was I interested in it? I wrote back and told him that I would be. I did wire him back the day you left for Radnor. That was the day I convinced Mannie to go after you. After you left on the stage, Mr. Williams told me that I had the job and that I’d start on Monday. He asked about Radnor and I told him I’d get back to him.”
She turned to Almanzo. “I knew that you’d catch up with her, Mannie. You were so happy when I told you that you could have the house and get married that I wired Mr. Williams and told him to start looking for someone else.”
“So you waited until I went after Laura,” Almanzo said, looking at her.
Eliza Jane nodded her head. “I know how much you love one another and I wanted the two of you to be happy. I wanted you to have the house as my wedding present. I couldn’t bear to watch the two of you not speaking. So I told you that I was marrying Harve. It was the only way I could get you two back together.”
Almanzo turned to find Laura staring at him. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“I didn’t know how I was going to tell either of you the truth, but I had to sooner or later. I just didn’t want people feeling sorry for me anymore. I was thinking about writing, Almanzo, but I wasn’t even sure what I was going to write. I never expected you to find those two telegrams. ”
The silence between the three of them lingered until Laura found it unbearable. She looked over at her husband, who she found was already staring back at her.
Laura stood up, ran to her sister in law and took her in her arms with Almanzo looking on. When they broke apart, she kissed her cheek.
“Thank you for everything, Eliza Jane. Thank you so much. We love you.”
Eliza Jane smiled as Almanzo stood up and walked over to where his wife and his sister stood. He extended his arms and swept them both into a bear hug.
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Almanzo was sitting outside watching the stars shine brightly in the prairie sky. The meeting between the newlyweds and the sister in law was over and everything was straightened out. They would still have the dinner tonight at Nellie’s place, but they would have to stop off at the Ingalls place and explain why and the reason that it was changed. Then tomorrow, it was agreed that Almanzo and Laura would drive her out to Currie to get settled.
He kept looking toward the sky, but the only thing he could see was Laura. She was like no other woman he had ever known. She was outgoing, feisty, smart and witty. She could write, teach, sew and sing. She loved horses, knew about farming and how to make him happy. And she could cook. Boy, could she cook. She was special and so was their relationship. There wasn’t any other woman that he ever met that came close to Beth, none whatsoever.
It was a miracle he found her out here on the prairie. She was everything he could have hoped for and more.
And he was never going to let her go, not again, anyway.
“It’s a clear night, Manly. You can almost see every star up there.”
He heard her voice beside him and stood up. He turned to face her.
“You’re the only star I see on the horizon, Beth.”
He smiled and pulled her close.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Laura smiled as Almanzo released her. “She wanted to do something for herself and for us. She wanted a change and she didn’t want to be alone.”
“She won’t be. She’s got herself a new job and a place to live. So far all is well.” Almanzo smiled. “She even found out what happened with Radnor. “
She nodded. “I guess there was no harm done, after all. Mr. Williams told your sister that he had given the job to the woman who came in second. He said he wanted to be fair to everyone. I wonder something though, Manly, do you think she ‘ll hold on to the Currie assignment?”
But Manly wasn’t listening, he was in a daze. He hadn’t heard a word that she said. All he saw was her face, her beautiful brown eyes in particular.
Laura frowned. She looked into his eyes and watched his face light up. He picked up his hand and caressed her cheek with his thumb.
“Manly?”
“Beth,” he whispered, “My Beth.”
And he brought his lips down to meet hers.
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