Charlie Smith is a Lonely Man
Susan Hart
- In
- the
- rugged
- landscape
- of
- Northern
- California
- during
- the
- mid-19th
- century,
- Charlie
- Smith
- found
- himself
- a
- lonely
- soul.
- At
- forty
- years
- of
- age,
- he
- had
- never
- taken
- a
- wife
- nor
- fathered
- children,
- a
- fact
- that
- weighed
- heavily
- on
- his
- kind
- heart.
- Though
- considered
- a
- respectable
- man
- about
- town
- -
- courteous
- to
- all
- he
- encountered
- and
- a
- tender
- caretaker
- of
- stray
- animals
- -
- his
- daily
- routines
- brought
- him
- little
- joy
- beyond
- the
- simple
- pleasure
- of
- strolling
- along
- the
- beach
- near
- his
- humble
- home.It
- was
- on
- one
- such
- walk
- that
- Charlie's
- yearning
- for
- companionship
- overcame
- him.
- Gazing
- wistfully
- at
- the
- crashing
- waves,
- he
- could
- no
- longer
- deny
- the
- emptiness
- of
- his
- solitary
- existence.
- In
- a
- moment
- of
- uncharacteristic
- boldness,
- he
- decided
- to
- take
- action
- to
- alter
- the
- course
- of
- his
- life
- forever.
- After
- returning
- home,
- Charlie
- sat
- down
- and
- carefully
- penned
- an
- advertisement
- seeking
- a
- mail
- order
- bride
- that
- he
- intended
- to
- submit
- to
- an
- East
- Coast
- newspaper.
- Though
- the
- very
- notion
- made
- his
- heart
- race
- with
- equal
- measures
- of
- hope
- and
- trepidation,
- he
- steeled
- his
- resolve
- and
- promptly
- dispatched
- the
- telegram.Weeks
- passed,
- and
- Charlie
- could
- hardly
- contain
- his
- excitement
- as
- he
- awaited
- a
- response
- to
- his
- earnest
- plea
- for
- companionship.
- Each
- morning,
- he
- would
- rush
- to
- the
- mailbox,
- hoping
- to
- find
- a
- letter
- waiting
- for
- him.
- And
- finally,
- on
- a
- crisp
- autumn
- day,
- his
- patience
- was rewarded.
