by Ginny Dye
Simon stared at him. “They have only been working for an hour,” he protested.
“The tobacco plants aren’t going anywhere,” Moses responded evenly. “Today is a special day. Let’s go ahead and make it one.”
Simon continued to look at him. “You’re that worried?”
Moses met his eyes. “I felt this same feeling in Memphis. There are a lot of dead people that would still be alive if someone had been willing to step up as a leader and take action to protect them. No one did.” He took a deep breath, thinking about Felicia’s parents. If they had taken heed of the warnings and come to Fort Pickering for refuge, they would still be alive. He doubted anyone had told them how dangerous things were. “I don’t know if anything is going to happen today, but I couldn’t live with myself if it did and I had done nothing to take care of everyone.”
Simon looked out over the fields for a long moment. “I’ll tell everyone we’re starting the party early. They should go home, get their wives and kids, and come back to my place.”
Moses managed a brief smile. “Tell the men to be on the lookout, but I don’t want the wives and children to be worried.”
Simon snorted. “You know Rose and June are going to see right through this, don’t you?”
Moses’s lips twitched. “Probably all the women will see right through it, but they will also let us think we are the big, strong protectors. I mostly just don’t want the children to be scared.”
Simon hesitated. “You really think something is going to happen?”
Moses shrugged. “If it does, we’ll be ready. Make sure all the men bring their pistols and rifles. We don’t have to be afraid. We just need to be prepared.”
Carrie pushed the errant tendrils of hair away from her face impatiently, determined to do more studying before the festivities began for the day. The cacophony of traffic noise flowing in the window, combined with the stifling heat, was making it difficult to concentrate. She glanced at the clock in her room, relieved to see there was still an hour before Matthew was due to arrive. Suddenly the door to her room slammed open. All four of her housemates poured into her room, dressed vibrantly in red, white, and blue.
“You are not going to study anymore today,” Florence announced as she walked over and pulled Carrie’s book from her hands.
“That’s right,” Alice said firmly, as she removed Carrie’s writing pad from her desk and held it aloft over her head. “You’re done.”
Carrie laughed, but she tried to reach for her book. “I just need to—”
“You just need to what?” Elizabeth demanded. “Prove you can be better than number one in the entire school in your studies. I hate to be the one to have to tell you this, but it’s not possible to be better than number one.”
Carrie flushed. “I’m not…”
Janie swooped in and placed a glass of cold lemonade in front of her. “Relax. We know you’re not trying to make us look as bad as you do — it just happens naturally,” she said playfully, her eyes dancing with fun. “But you’re done for today, Carrie. It’s the Fourth of July! Philadelphia is about to host the largest parade in the history of this nation.”
“I know,” Carrie agreed, “but it’s not starting for a couple more hours, and Matthew won’t be here until noon. I still have time to get some work done.”
The amusement died from Janie’s eyes as she stamped her foot. “When did you get like this?” she demanded.
Carrie gaped at her, searching for words, but she couldn’t come up with any.
“Even during the war you found ways to have fun,” Janie scolded.
“Really?” Florence muttered, her voice making it clear she didn’t believe her.
“Suddenly,” Janie continued, “you seem to have forgotten the word ‘fun’ even exists. All you do is study and go to school.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Alice protested. “She eats sometimes, and she even sleeps a little.”
“And then she goes back to studying,” Janie insisted.
“That’s true,” Elizabeth agreed.
“It stops today,” Janie announced. “I know you want to be the best doctor on the planet, and I understand you feel a responsibility to be a leader for all women, but you also have to live your life.”
Carrie stared at her, wondering if what she was saying was true. Had she really changed so much?
Alice settled down on the bench beside her and wrapped her arm around her. “We all admire your dedication, Carrie,” she said gently, “but we’re also worried about you.”
“Worried about me?”
“Yes. When you first got here you used to laugh and talk with us. Now all you do is come in from school and retreat to your room to study. The few minutes you’re not studying you only want to talk about medicine or women’s rights. Obviously we agree with you on all those things, but there is more to life than that. Right now there are thousands of veterans beginning to line up for a parade. Our city is swarming with people eager to celebrate the rebuilding of a reunified country. They want to laugh and celebrate.” Alice took a deep breath. “We want to laugh and celebrate. And we want you to do it with us.”
“But only if you want to,” Elizabeth added, ignoring Janie’s snort. “We know it has to be your choice.”
Carrie closed her eyes, suddenly realizing they were all speaking the truth. After fighting for years to come to medical school, she had been eager to ignore anything that kept her from her studies. But she knew it was more than that. The belief held by male doctors in the city that she was incapable of being a doctor had fueled a determination to prove them wrong. The battle to make her feel less than equal had ignited a fire that threatened to consume her.
Janie read the look on her face. She nudged Alice aside, sat down next to her, and took one of her hands. “Carrie, there is nothing wrong with single-minded determination, but I’ve watched the joy disappear from your eyes in the last month. We really are worried about you.”
Carrie opened her eyes and gazed into Janie’s face. “You’re right,” she admitted slowly. Just saying the words made her feel better. She knew she would never lose her unwavering commitment to medicine and equal rights, but she had indeed lost the balance that gave her joy in living.
“It’s just one day,” Janie said quietly.
Carrie grinned and jumped up from the bench. “Then I suggest we get on with it!” She turned to her closet and pulled out a bright red dress lined with white piping. Abby had mailed it to her a few weeks earlier. “I wasn’t sure I would ever find an occasion to wear this, but today seems to be perfect.”
“I have a hat for you!” Florence announced, pulling a straw hat from behind her back that was festooned with red, white, and blue streamers.
Carrie laughed and placed it in a cocky position on her head. Suddenly she felt lighter than she had in weeks. Her expression sobered as she gazed around at her housemates. “Thank you.”
Janie grinned and slipped her arm through Carrie’s. “We have a little while before Matthew arrives. Let’s go see what is happening in our city!”
Minutes later the five women were threading their way through the hordes of people lining Arch Street in preparation for the parade. In spite of the intense heat, everyone was in a marvelous mood. Laughter and conversation, peppered with the giggles of playing children, rose up like a cloud around them.
A sudden boom startled Carrie. “What was that?”
Janie looked at her. “That can’t seriously be the first one you have heard today. They have been firing gun salutes from Penn Square all morning.”
Carrie looked at her blankly. “I guess I was a little absorbed,” she admitted. “No more,” she said firmly. “Tell me what is going on.”
“Did you even know when I came in this morning to raise your window higher?” Florence asked.
Carrie shrugged. “I saw you do it. I figured you were just letting more air in because it is so hot.” She had been absorbed in reading the latest inform
ation on the cholera outbreak in Europe that was taking so many lives.
“That would have been reason enough,” Florence agreed, “but the real reason is because we were told to raise every window in the house at least a foot so that the explosions from the cannons wouldn’t break the glass.”
“They have prepared the largest parade America has ever seen,” Elizabeth said enthusiastically. “Last year the nation was still in mourning over President Lincoln. They have promised this year’s celebration is going to be a climactic celebration of the ending of the war. They put out the call for everyone to decorate their homes and businesses.”
Carrie grinned as she looked around. “I’d say everyone responded,” she laughed. “I’ve never seen so much red, white, and blue in my life.”
Flags hung from every pole. Streamers floated in the breeze from every balcony. The front of every business was festooned with red, white, and blue buntings. It didn’t stop there. Every person on the street, children included, wore a hat proudly proclaiming the national colors, and every carriage was decorated to the hilt.
“I’m surprised they haven’t painted the bricks on the road,” Carrie joked. How many veterans will be here?”
“They are projecting at least ten thousand,” Alice said proudly. “General Hancock is going to lead the parade, and then General Meade is going to present the Pennsylvania colors to Governor Curtin to officially signify the ending of the war.”
Carrie felt a surge of energy as the laughter and confidence swirled around her. “This is wonderful!” she cried.
Janie nodded but took hold of her arm. “We have to get back to the house. Matthew should be here any minute. He came in on the train last night, but had meetings this morning. I don’t want the house to be empty when he arrives.”
“One very eligible man and five women,” Alice said teasingly. “I don’t like the odds of my competition.”
“Four women,” Carrie corrected with a laugh. “This one is very happily married. But if one of you gets Matthew, you’ll be very lucky indeed.” She wondered at the flash she saw in Janie’s eyes but decided she would ask her later.
A round of booms from the cannon stationed in the Fairmount Park fortifications on a nearby hill made her forget about it entirely.
Moses exchanged a long look with Simon when he rode into the clearing beside his house, relaxing a little when Simon shook his head to indicate he had seen no evidence of trouble. Rose had not pressed him for information when he went into the kitchen to tell everyone they were starting the party early, but he had known by the look in her eyes that she knew he was hiding something.
It had been his mama that set him straight before he could escape the inquisition. “You think there be stupid women in this kitchen?” she had demanded.
“Of course not,” Moses said quickly.
His mama waved her infamous rolling pin under his nose, her eyes flashing. She had used it to make a point with him ever since he was young. “Ain’t one woman in here don’t recognize trouble when we see it. We been living it long enough to know when it be lurking around the corner. Now you tell us what is going on, son, or this rolling pin is gonna find a place on your backside.”
“And we might just hold you down so she can get you good,” June said mildly, her eyes flashing dangerously. “We don’t need to be protected, big brother. We need to be prepared in case there is trouble.”
How could Moses argue with that when he had said the same thing to Simon? He told them his suspicions, stressing that he had no concrete evidence something was going to happen. That had seemed to satisfy them enough for them put their focus on loading the wagon with all the food they had prepared, but he suspected they only quit pestering him because they wanted to make sure everyone was together as quickly as possible.
Rose eased up to him now and confirmed his suspicions. “We’re all here,” she said firmly. “I want the whole story.”
Moses met her eyes squarely. “There really isn’t a whole story. It’s just a feeling I have.” He knew how inadequate of an answer that was, but it was the best he could do.
Rose gazed at him for a long moment. “When was the last time you had this feeling?”
Moses hesitated, realizing honesty was the only thing that would satisfy his wife. She would see through anything else. “Memphis,” he admitted, trying to push back the memory of corpses and battered bodies.
Rose stiffened and then looked around at the field full of laughing, talking people. Simon’s forty acres had included a large field nestled into the woods. They built their home to one side of it. Since the field had not been fenced for animals yet, it was a perfect place for their Fourth of July party. Big tables had been hastily built to hold the mountains of food. Brightly colored blankets were spread everywhere in the shade of the trees bordering the field. Close to one hundred people were already there. The adults were clustered on the blankets, laughing and exchanging gossip, while the children ran wildly through the grasses, their giggles and shouts pealing through the late morning air. “What have you done to prepare?” she asked calmly.
“All the men know my suspicions,” Moses told her. “Everyone is carrying a pistol. There are rifles in the wagons.”
Rose shuddered, horrified of what could happen if there was actually a gunfight. “This is not a battlefield, Moses. These are women and children.”
“I know,” Moses replied heavily, “but I’ve heard stories about vigilantes sweeping into communities shooting everything they see.” His eyes flashed dangerously. “They won’t get away with that here.”
Rose was frightened by the picture he was painting. First, there had been the fire at the school. Then Jeremy had been attacked. Thomas had sent recent news saying her twin was recovering well, but nightmares had haunted her for nights. “Should we cancel the party?”
“I thought about it,” Moses admitted, “but I have nothing except a feeling. I don’t want to spoil everyone’s fun after they have worked so hard. I’ve stationed two men at the intersections about a half mile from here. They know the trail to get through the woods so they can beat anyone on the roads here if they suspect trouble. If we get advance warning, we can get the children and women into the woods where they will be safer.”
Rose took a deep breath. She knew he had done everything possible. Now her husband needed to know she believed in him. “Then I suggest we join the party,” she said quietly.
“Moses! Moses!”
Moses turned just in time to catch Felicia as she hurled herself into his arms. He could hardly believe this was the same terrified child he had brought home from Memphis. Her cheeks had filled out and her eyes shone with vibrant life. She had bloomed on the plantation, just as Rose had predicted she would. He laughed as he swung her high in the air. “Hello, Felicia. Are you having fun?”
“I sure am!” she cried, her eyes glistening with joy. “Did you know the very last foal was born this morning?”
“I didn’t,” Moses replied. That made twenty new foals prancing in the Cromwell fields. He enjoyed watching them every morning when he sat on the porch to drink his coffee. “Are you sure it’s the last one?”
Felicia nodded firmly. “Yes. Robert told me.”
Moses hid his grin. “Well, if Robert says it, I believe it.” Robert had become like a god to Felicia. She had fallen in love with all the horses, but the foals held a special place in her heart. She would sit for hours and watch them in the pasture. He had found her many times curled up in the straw with the foals in their stalls, sound asleep. Robert had already taught her how to ride. Her confidence was growing every day.
“I have a best friend,” Felicia announced solemnly.
“Is that right?”
“Yes. Amber be by best friend.”
“Amber is my best friend,” Rose corrected gently.
“Amber is my best friend,” Felicia repeated, smiling at Rose.
Moses nodded, holding her away so he could gaze in her eyes. “Amber is
a good best friend to have,” he responded. “Did y’all go riding this morning?”
Felicia’s smile exploded on her face. “We sure did! Robert let us go all by ourselves this morning. We had to stay within sight of the barn, but I bet he’ll let us go farther soon,” she said confidently.
“What makes you so sure of that?” Rose asked, not sure how she felt about Felicia and Amber roaming about the plantation on their own.
“Because Amber told me about Robert’s wife, Miss Carrie. She said Miss Carrie used to ride all over this plantation when she was hardly any older than we are. Surely Robert wouldn’t keep us from doing something his own wife did,” she answered with a cocky grin.
Moses choked back his laughter.
Rose sent him a scolding look and took one of Felicia’s hands. “Miss Carrie lived here all her life, sweetie. She knew the plantation like the back of her hand. You have to promise me you won’t go anywhere by yourself until you have been there first with one of us or Robert.”
Felicia nodded quickly. “I promise,” she said brightly. “Will you let me down now? Amber is waiting in the woods for me. We’re building a secret fort,” she said importantly.
Moses smiled and lowered her to the ground, chuckling when she ran off. “Carrie’s independence is legendary.”
Rose rolled her eyes. “And her mother worried about her every minute. I’m beginning to understand how she felt.” Suddenly she laughed. “This is a beautiful day. We are surrounded by wonderful people. I suggest we just focus on having a good time. If trouble comes, we’ll deal with it.”
Moses nodded easily. “Let’s go get some of my mama’s potato salad before the buzzards eat it all.” He had every intention of enjoying the party. He had done all he could to prepare for whatever was coming. He had said it was just a feeling, but it was more than that. Trouble was coming before the day ended. He knew it.
Matthew leaned against the lamp post, enjoying the music, the laughter, and the steady tromp of feet as thousands of veterans filed by. He was also quite sure he was escorting the loveliest women in Philadelphia. He had seen the many envious looks from men as he took his parade position with Carrie, Janie, Alice, Elizabeth, and Florence.