Lillian's journey to her new life was anything but comfortable. She sat in the rattling train car, right next to the roaring engine, which was noisy and spewed soot everywhere. It covered her dress and face with a fine black dust. Each time the train pulled away from a station or struggled up a hill, the engine screamed like a banshee, making it difficult for her to rest or even think clearly. The bathroom was tiny. I guess that's what's paying a minimal fare, gets you, she thought.

Determined to press on, she rubbed a hand across the grimy window and watched the sprawling landscape whisk by outside, each passing mile filling her with both anticipation and anxiety about the life she was heading toward. The flat plains turned to dusty hills, and threads of smoke curled from distant ranches and little clapboard towns.

She was on her way to a logger living in Northern California, who had a homestead and was seeking a wife to help him build a better life and hopefully, a family. The trouble was, Lillian didn't know much about anything, including childbirth, love, and chores that would keep a home running. How would he greet her?