Edith and the Mysterious Stranger Read Online Free PDF

I liked what you
were and what you represented.”
    “Well, you were different.”
    “Now, there’s that word again: different. I’m
not much different from other men.”
    “Sorry, but the fact still remains that you were
self-educated.”
    “All right, I’ll accept that. Now, how do you
know if Joe is or not? You don’t know him well enough.”
    “But, Gilbert, he doesn’t seem like her
type.”
    Gilbert chuckled again and it brought a smile to
her lips.
    “Well, he doesn’t, Gilbert.”
    “What is her type, if I may ask?”
    Melinda hesitated. “I’m not sure.”
    “All right, Melinda. How about this? We both
introduce Edith to a man we feel is perfect and see what happens.
What do you think?”
    Melinda’s eyes widened with excitement. This
would be quite interesting, not to mention fun. She didn’t even
have to think about her answer.
    “Agreed.”
    “But, Melinda, there’s one stipulation. You
can’t help her make a choice. You can’t influence her at all. All
right?”
    “Influence her? There’s no problem there. I
already know who she’ll choose.”
    Gilbert laughed once again
as he combed his fingers through his hair. “Oh, you do? How do you know?”
    “I know how a woman thinks.”
    Gilbert slowly shook his head. That was one
thing he could never figure out. How a woman thinks was one of the
great challenges of life, he thought. Women were a great puzzlement
to men, and Gilbert was still surprised at the things Melinda said
and did, even after seven years of marriage.
     
     

Chapter 5
Edith’s Spunk
     
    Edith looked out the window of the train. As
it rapidly passed miles and miles of open plains, she noticed the
tall mountains that surrounded this lush green valley on every
side.
    Bear Lake Valley was situated in the tops of
the Rocky Mountains with pine trees and white quaking aspen
covering the mountainside. This mountainous region was full of
jagged cliffs, steep terrain, rolling hills, and rapid flowing
rivers cascading over the rocks.
    The wispy clouds formed lacy designs in the sky and
made Edith yearn to be in an open field, feeling the breeze sift
through her hair and across her cheeks once again. It was a hot
summer day, and she could see the freshly cut alfalfa and the
golden wheat gently waving in the breeze.
    As she stared out the window at the beloved land she
knew so well, she saw herds of cattle roaming about in pasture
after pasture. How she loved this place! Southern Idaho was where
she grew up and she had many wonderful memories of times gone by.
And now she was home again. The memories came flooding back as she
saw her homeland come into view, making her heart pick up speed and
causing an aching feeling in her chest.
    As the train began to slow down, she leaned forward
and pressed her nose to the window so she could see if her parents
were there, waiting for her. As the train came to a stop, she
quickly got to her feet, grabbed her bag, and headed for the
entrance of the train.
    Edith stood at the steps of the train, lifted her
fluffy dark blue skirts that were lined with petticoats, and
carefully stepped down to the ground and looked around. She put her
hand on her hip and shaded her eyes from the sun as she searched.
Her parents were nowhere in sight.
    This surprised her. They had to be as excited
about her arrival as she was. After all, it had been a while since
she had been home and every letter she had received from her mother
was begging her to come home for a visit.
    The train conductor walked toward her and she
handed him her ticket so he could get her luggage. When she heard
her name called out, Edith snapped her head around and there was
her mother, running toward her.
    Martha was a small-boned attractive woman of
medium height. Her silver-gray hair was placed attractively on her
head in a loose bun. Martha’s high cheekbones were flushed from
running and she had a broad smile on her face. Martha held her
skirts with one hand as she ran and waved the other