Love for Sale

him Rick Taughton.“
    “Oh, I didn’t even notice that. It’s addressed to you by the name Taughton as well.“
    “You see, I don’t know if this is my own husband or not. They might have made a mistake. This may not even be my husband.“
    “When did you last hear from him?“ Mr. Prinney asked.
    “A year and a half ago when he was leaving on the train.“
    “He hasn’t written you?“
    “He can’t read or write,“ Mary admitted.
    Mr. Prinney steepled his fingers and thought for a while. “Is it possible that when he gave his name, whoever wrote it down misunderstood what he said and he wasn’t equipped to correct it?“
    “I’ve wondered if that was the case. I need your advice. It isn’t the burial that’s important right now. I suppose it’s already been taken care of. It’s whether I’m a widow or a wife. What can I do?“
    “Leave it to me,“ Mr. Prinney said. “As your attorney, I’ll send a telegram back pointing out the error in spelling and saying I’m sending a picture of him to see if it matches the man who died. You do have a photograph of him, don’t you?“
    “Only our wedding picture. Would I get it back?“
    “I regret to say I couldn’t promise that. Could you describe him?”
    Mary thought for a moment. “He’s about six inches taller than I. Dark brown hair, brown eyes. He has a crooked nose and a bad scar on his mouth from an accident on his old tractor.”
    Mr. Prinney wrote this down, but didn’t say what he was thinking. If Mrs. Towerton’s husband had been killed in an explosion, instead of dying of pneumonia as the telegram said, his face might not even be recognizable. And if he was so uneducated and had a large enough scar on his lip, he might not have been able to speak clearly enough to be understood well.
    “I’ll send the telegram tomorrow with the description. Bring me the wedding photograph and let me see if someone in Poughkeepsie can make a good copy.“
    “I hate to put you to that trouble. I’ll gladly pay for your time and effort.“
    “Tell me a bit about yourself. How do you support your family? Are all or part of his wages sent to you?“
    “No. My grandfather left me money in a tin hidden beside the fireplace. Not a lot, but enough to live on comfortably. When Richard’s father died, he was the only child and sold the farm. We bought my grandfather’s house with the money. Of course, we expected Grandfather to move out and get his own place closer to town.”
    Mr. Prinney was familiar with old Joe Wyman and figured she meant closer to the town speakeasy in the back room of Mabel’s Cafe, where he’d spent most of his time getting mean drunk.
    “But he stayed on with us,“ Mary said, “saying he wouldn’t spend the money we gave him for the house and it would come back to us. Richard knew that and was going to save all the money he made and bring it back when the dam was finished. I also hand-sew baby clothes. I give some of them away to the less fortunate families and sell the rest to a shop in Philadelphia.“
    “They must be exceptional,“ Mr. Prinney said politely.
    “They are. It’s my only talent. Phoebe Twinkle supplies me with lacy trim and ribbons for the ones I sell.”
    She paused and then said, as if ashamed to ask, “If it is my husband, will I get the money he saved? The telegram doesn’t say. Grandpa’s money won’t last me forever.“
    “I’ll ask about this when I send the photograph. I know very little about the building of this dam, but I’ve heard the working conditions in the tunnels are very dangerous. The dust creates explosions. Since he might have died in an accident at work, you might be entitled to monetary compensation as well. I’m loath to ask you this, but are you absolutely certain that’s where he went?“
    “Of course,“ she said, but there was a hint of doubt in her voice. “I know a lot of women’s husbands have abandoned them, but I don’t think Richard just ran away. Of course, neither of us knew about little Emily being on her way when he left. He was very upset about the tractor being repossessed because Grandpa wouldn’t pay to fix it. And the fact that we had to live in my grandfather’s house with him. Grandpa was a difficult person to live with and was always criticizing Richard. It didn’t bother Richard as much as it did me, but Grandpa was so nasty to him in front of my little boy Joey that it nearly drove me mad.“
    “Emily is your baby?“
    “Yes. It’s