The Sad and Dreary Tale of Eleonor Wingarten

By John J. Law

Claude Wingarten was a trapper, and a darn good one. Life for him was good, with one exception: his first-born, and only, child, was a girl. Eleonor 'Leo' was raised as the son her father never had but always wanted.
Life during the Civil War and mass migration to settle the south was hard enough, but even more so if you were a young woman being raised in the middle of nowhere. Young Eleonor thought she'd never find a suitable husband in the midst of the wilds.
Likewise, Bruce Hennig, Sr, who became Claude's best friend when he saved Claude from being attacked and killed by a bear during a trapping escapade, thought his son, Bruce, Jr, would never find a suitable wife. Even though Bruce Hennig, Jr was raised the same as Eleonor Wingarten, he, too, was what his father considered as a little odd. The young Hennig showed more of an aptitude at carpentry, rather than the skills needed to be a trapper.
When the two youngsters were finally brought together, a love that neither of their fathers ever thought would happen, came into full bloom. Before long, the two were married, and their union was blissful, at least for a while. Bruce, Jr found himself with a strong urge to go hunting for the first time in his life, and his mood toward life, his home and his wife changed, and not for the better. Eleonor found herself wondering if the choice she made was the right one after all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Dec 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223484486

Book preview

Prologue

Proceed with Caution!

A cautionary tale this is. I write this as a stern warning, of sorts, to all ye ladies that wish to look for love and their fortunes. These are strange and dangerous times that we live in, and anything can happen. There are many men out there prospecting, exploring, and blazing trails to settle this great land of ours. Whether they succeed or fail is utterly up to the fickle winds of fate that could blow on either side, at any time. They would have to endure with bears, mountain lions, savage Indians, and just about anything that the frontier will throw at them. Such daring men are looking for suitable wives to start generations of families with. 

The tug of the heart is quite strong on both sides, and there is nary a shortage of women who are ready and willing to answer to the men's needs. Call it a reverse siren song of sorts, but I guess this is what a Civil War and a mass migration to settle the south will do. Suffice to say that there will always be a steady supply of ladies ready to gamble it all and find true love and happiness with said men. Such times have given rise to these ladies who are now known as mail-order brides.

This is, indeed, a cautionary tale meant for such ladies. Ladies who go out into the unknown, starry-eyed and very hopeful that they will find bliss, true love and good fortune. Ladies who will risk it all for such dreams of a better future. Such ladies are to be admired for their courage and fortitude. It takes a special soul to be able to risk everything on the off-chance that true love, or at least a better future, will conquer all. I still believe that such free spirits will make this country great again someday, someday when we all will not be around. However, that day has not yet come, and it would be best for the ladies to take heed. Many obstacles and tragic tales stand between you and your wonderful dreams. Take the example of poor Eleonor Wingarten, whose tale follows in these pages.

Chapter One

The Hunt

You could say that Eleonor was an unusual mail-order bride of sorts. Her tale does not begin with love letters exchanged, or an ad in the local paper extolling her virtues, and describing the man of her dreams. No, it begins in, of all things, a hunt. A hunt gone terribly wrong.

Claude Wingarten was a good trapper. His family traced their origins from Europe. His grandfather, Yves, settled with many of the pilgrims to our fair land, and began a new life. Yves was a stocky and well-built man, who was at home with the wild and all the dangers it brought. He taught his son, Yohan, everything he knew. Yohan inherited his father's good looks, sturdy physical build, and aptitude for the wilds. You could say that