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Chapter One

"Where are you going! Sis ... Where are you going!" From their voices as they rang out, you'd say they wanted to know, were eager to know! Something had pricked their attention. Dressed as she was in what seemed from a distance to be a going away coat.

"I'm going to Holland! Find someone ..." "What .... what! Holland?" But oh maybe yes ... merely kidding though, or was she?

While the younger brothers fully alerted of course rushed on over only to realize their elder sister had fooled them, noticing only now at closer range it wasn't a proper coat at all she wore, but only a coverall sort of coat she'd donned to go and wash down Father's Camion, her assigned task just then.

It seemed then, at merely fifteen – a girl holding a dream though such a fractional bit of a dream, but enough of a filler in her young life that it served just to cross the flimsy boundary of her emotion and spill over a bit, now and then.

Because you see ... at fifteen she had fallen in love with a voice on radio Hilversum, a Dutch radio station. It's that her Father would sometimes switch on the secret radio news during the German occupation. The particular voice and especially the Dutch pronunciation fascinated the girl, and with that extra dash of romanticism, she had begun to form an image somehow to go with the voice, suitable like.

That voice, which sounded so attractive, so just right. When later elaborating, in her striving to get more of an idea what the man behind the voice could look like, she may have been aided or further endorsed in her attempts, from a book in her Mother's dresser she had found there in a drawer. While the title had attracted her initially, from a novel about a forest ranger, in America. It helped endorse in her that image somehow, of the ideal man. Her dream man's image then formed with the more definition, having begotten somewhat more of an outline then. She described him to her Mother from then on, telling her Mother, who'd humor her merely of course and not taking her all that seriously, amid that rush of teenage romanticism. But she insisted, claiming: "Mother the man that I will marry later ... he will be handsome and he will be a Dutch man with dark wavy hair, and wide shoulders. He will be handsome and he will be a Dutchman!" Then her Mother, realizing that daughter dear was quite taken on the subject, even becoming repetitive at times with reminding them all, at intervals. They had occasion later to come to attention and come to attention they did, as it turned out years later. They remembered, and remembered all to well.

One fine day on a Ranch in Canada, on a magical morning filled with sunshiny prospect. They'd just told her that morning a Dutchman was due to arrive; she barely took notice in fact. The calving season was approaching and the several ranch hands were getting organized and readied, each assigned to their horses to ride out into the expanse of wild and native grasslands. Early calving season had begun.

As she looked out now into the sunshiny surrounding, yes it agreed with her, she had instantly loved these beautiful hills from the time the Greyhound bus entered the emerging vistas of ranch lands amid foothills and native grassland. Their very peace and serenity became the more magical as the Greyhound bus gradually approached its destination of Longview, genuine ranch country.

She had taken it all in; the view, these endless stretches of rolling hills, of sparse grasslands. Finally the freedom ... as well.

What contrast, she'd just left the City of Calgary behind not that long ago, what respite! Oh, all these wide stretches of nature now, how good it was, how just right.

She'd muse back awhile to the time they had just arrived from across the Ocean the year before, as the "Empress of Canada" that particular day had docked with them in Halifax. They'd gone on by rail, traversing the Country from the East Coast down its full length up to the West Coast in Vancouver: The whole family, Father, Mother, two brothers, three sisters and herself the eldest. Even the compact heavy furniture and beautiful piano to arrive by rail with them too.

Later they settled instead in Alberta, where a good stretch of land was then purchased.

While none of them spoke English as yet; at times a bit of French was employed apart from their own Flemish.

While later, on some useful advice they'd begun to consider, for two of the girls to better be sent to a family each, the sooner to get acquainted with the Canadian way and language. Although it was to be in the city, and so they went.

Maria and Elsa remained there for three months or thereabouts.

Soon after, the girls felt they needed out, wanted to be out of the city. When they spotted an add in the newspaper: "Wanted help in home on a Ranch" And since it also said, girl over twenty one. And because of that, Elsa would take it on. They replied, and soon Elsa was on her way, out for the unknown in a new directive, away from the busy city.

They were to meet her at the bus stop in the country later, where someone was to pick her up, and she'd be driven the remaining distance through the stretches of ranch lands, on to the home place. Small children, rosy cheeked with sticky little hands greeted her together with their father who, pipe in mouth and with a welcoming grin opened the jeep door, and off they went.

He had introduced himself as Jim, and he got to be known later as a gentle but astute boss and Rancher during her stay.

Her first look at the Ranch house was somewhat of a surprised acknowledging of an older building. Creaking in the wind, this way and that way it seemed.

Nonetheless she having taken it in her stride took it all in, the large kitchen later, the make do spare furnishings, large oval table, already set out for all; ranch hands, children and for one and all.

The Rancher's wife Mary, whom she was to be helping later mainly with the making of desserts and also helping with the children a bit. Mary herself would retain the task and charge of the meals, which she managed on the large kitchen range with the water box on the side, ever with the needed supply of hot water handy.

At the far end of the kitchen stood a milk separator which needed to be washed and reassembled after the milk had been poured through each day.

How strange, how different it all was, but still, quite alright it was – she'd tackle it. When she was shown her room upstairs after going through a dusty passageway and for awhile; yes how quaint she thought, while looking for an appropriate place to put down her suitcase and unpack.

The suitcase that had traveled such distances, the very suitcase she'd had even at boarding school.

The house creaked a few times, it seemed to lean or sway a bit with the winds, while she looked about for a place to unpack. Then at loss as to what to do with these lovely and with care selected clothes, deciding then to leave them as they were and take them out as needed later.

When she came down, they were all gathered around the table and she was invited to take her place as well.

Ranch hands, some of them averting their eyes at times, a bit shy, one in particular, the one she would know later as the Scotchman.

The kids with their cute faces and antics around the table; good humored jovial Jim, and Mary smiling but...