She worked on the letter for days, pouring out her heart and asking for his advice and comfort. She brought the letter down to breakfast one Saturday morning and asked Pa to mail it when he went into town. He looked at the letter, then at Lydia, and stuffed it down into his overall pocket without a word.
It was about two months later that Pa tossed a folded letter down on the supper table.
“Lydia, this came for you a while back. I know you have been upset and I didn’t want you to feel any worse, so I opened it. I’m afraid it’s bad news, but you need to know.”
Lydia braced herself and picked up the letter. There was no envelope and the writing was not familiar. It was very brief.
My dear Lydia,
You don’t know me but I am Duncan’s brother-in-law. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but
