“Well?” he prodded.
“I went to get food,” I informed him.
“With Old Whiskers?”
“I didn’t know he’d be coming along until I already agreed to it,” I said, fidgeting with a button on my coat.
“And?” he persisted. He was looking at me in exasperation.
I wasn’t sure if I should tell him. I did not wish to cause trouble for him, and there was always the possibility he might go after Jack Monroe and either get in trouble for fighting or get in over his head with Jack. The man scared me. I didn’t put anything past him, including killing Sam if given a reason.
“I took care of myself,” I said. It was everything I could do not to blurt it all out, tell him everything. My nerves were raw from what I just experienced, and it would have been wonderful to break down and cry to him about it, but what good would it do?
“So you mean to keep it from me, then?” Sam seemed offended.
His displeasure was more than I could bear. “We found a farm, not far from here,” I began.
“Yes?”
“Felix and me were getting some apples.”
“Alone with Felix?” His mind began to formulate stories revolving around Felix and me and the two of us being alone. Sam’s eyes told me he was jumping to all sorts of conclusions in fast order.
“What did Felix do?” he fumed.
“Felix? Nothing. He didn’t do anything.”
“What then?”
“Let me tell it, Sam,” I complained. He didn’t say anything but nodded and let me continue. “Felix and me picked the apples. And Darby and Old Whiskers decided to go down to the house and see what they might find there. When we came down later, I mean Felix and me, when we came down from the orchard, we find out Darby and Old Whiskers have been causing trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Sam wanted to know.
“I…well, it was awful. I see Darby has killed a pig and then means to take the cow. She was alone there, Sam. With three little ones…”
“What happened?”
“I told Darby we must leave the cow for them. All alone, without a man to care for them and winter coming on shortly. It was the only honest thing to do. And then I notice Old Whiskers, he isn’t anywhere to be seen.” My palms began to sweat, and I felt a revulsion roll over me at the thought of him, at the thought of what he planned to do to that poor woman. “So I went up to the house.”
He looked about, as if he were making sure no one else could hear our conversation.
“Serena,” he whispered. “What did he do?”
“He was upon her, Sam. He had wicked intentions, that was certain. She was doing her best to fight him off. Well, so…I told him to get off of her. I told him to leave her be. What kind of man would do such a thing?” My voice broke with emotion, but I did not cry.
“Oh, Lord,” he mumbled.
“He wouldn’t. There was no remorse! Not a bit. So I put my rifle on him and I told him I would kill him if he didn’t. Oh, that made him plenty mad, Sam, plenty mad.”
“What did the others do?” he questioned. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed and ran both of his hands through his hair. I could tell he was very upset.
“Nothing. They just stood there and watched the whole thing.”
“Cowards!” He paused, waiting for me to continue. When I didn’t, he grew impatient. “And then?”
I jumped a little.
“Then Old Whiskers went outside and took up rocks from the ground and busted out every one of the windows on the front of the house. Every one of them.”
Sam looked as though he could barely control his rage. He pursed his lips and shook his head as I told it to him. He was pacing back and forth in front of me, unable to keep himself still.
“That swag-bellied pansy! I’m gonna have a talk with him! I’m gonna go have a talk with all of them!” he barked.
I stepped in front of him, to keep him from going anywhere.
“No, Sam. You must not say a thing. Please! It will only cause problems. And I don’t want to be the reason for it. You know and I know there is much at stake here. Please do not cause trouble for me.”
“He’s capable of anything,” Sam said. “And what if he should discover…” He shook his head violently. “You are not safe here.”
“He won’t do anything. He’s all bluff,” I argued.
“Like hell he won’t! I trust the man as far as I could throw him. And that ain’t far.” He wagged his finger at me. “You knock down a hornet’s nest, you gotta assume you’re gonna get stung.”
“What can he do?”
“No telling. You shamed him in front of others. He’s not gonna let it go.”
“What should I have done, let him have his way with her?” I raged.
“No, that isn’t what I’m saying. Anybody with any bit of decency would’ve done the same. Just wish it hadn’t been you.” He stopped in his pacing and looked at me hard. “You stay clear of him, Serena. I don’t trust him. Have you noticed how he always has more rations than everyone else, and how he always seems to have his hands in all of the shady dealings? He’s trouble. You stay as far from him as you can manage.”
“That’s just what I planned on doing. You’ll have no argument from me. You can rely on it.”
“For now, you must never be alone. You must always make sure you are in the company of others. Always.”
“You know that’s not possible,” I pointed out. I could not take care of my needs or bathe myself in the company of others. Out of necessity I must be alone at times. There was no getting around it.
“I mean to say whenever you can. If you tell me when you must be alone, I could keep watch for you,” he offered.
I felt a deep flush color my face. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” I said. “I will be fine without your watch.”
“For heaven sakes, Serena, take it seriously, will you! You must guard yourself and give him no opportunity to ambush you.”
“Can’t be any worse than what Vern Stapleton and Rueben Morrell did to me.”
He gave me a confused look. “What are you talking about? You mean Vern’s teasing and giving you a hard time?”
I sighed. “That was only part of it,” I admitted.
“You never told me of it,” he complained.
“I didn’t want to get you involved,” I confessed. “But what I am trying to say is he and Vern are much the same. Notice how they enjoy one another’s company, just as Vern and Rueben did.”
“That may be true. But, well, now, don’t confuse Vern with Old Whiskers, Serena. They are two different sorts of animals. Vern is a pup compared to Jack Monroe. A pup and a wolf. Be on the guard.”
“I will do my best,” I promised.
Chapter 12
THE WEATHER WAS NOT NEAR AS HOT anymore, which helped some with our comfort. You may think there was plenty of idle time in camp. But that wasn’t the case. Upton kept us drilling endlessly. He required perfection, to the degree we drilled all morning, parted long enough to eat, and then returned for more drilling. He also required an inspection of our rifles, gear, and uniforms. It was difficult to try to meet all of his expectations. But somehow Sam managed it easily.
He got a promotion. With our losses being so great after Salem Church, there were many vacancies in the chain of command. He was now a second lieutenant. He told Reed Haney and me about it one evening, after he came from speaking with Upton regarding it.
“Means an increase in pay,” he said with an overly confident grin.
“Yes, and also it means you are accountable for the squad,” I reminded him. Really I was very proud of him.
Besides me and Sam and Vern and Reed, there was now Alden and Leonard Carroll, these two being brothers, Bostwick Tanner, who went by the name of Boss, Felix Newburn, Rowan Darby, and of course, Jack Monroe.
The brothers were, in general, pleasant enough, but kept to themselves. I suppose they had a trust and friendship that satis
fied their needs and didn’t need anyone else. I could understand. I stuck with Sam mostly. He and Reed Haney were the two I trusted most. These were the men I knew to be my true friends.
Boss Tanner’s name made it sound as though he ought to be a large man with bad manners. But he was neither of those things. He was only slightly taller than me, thin and quiet. He mostly didn’t speak unless spoken to. I knew very little about his life outside of his service in the military. He never shared personal information.
There was Darby, who came from Ireland to America when he was ten. His father was a farmer in the old country. When he died, Darby’s mother had five small children and no way of supporting herself. She agreed to serve as a maid to a wealthy family in New York for passage upon a ship, and she made agreements for her children as well. Darby earned his keep serving as a stable boy, living the life of an indentured servant until his master’s name was chosen in the draft. Rather than serve himself, he offered Darby as a substitute. “Old Abe don’t care who it is as long as the boots are filled. A rich man can barter for his life, while a poor man’s life ain’t worth spit,” Darby drolly observed.
Now Darby was on the whole a good fellow, but he also harbored an anger which wasn’t difficult to see. He railed against any injustice, whether to him or anyone else. He saw all things as an affront, took most things as an insult. You always took care what you said and did around him, because he was so easily offended. His cynicism suffused everything he did and said. He was a somewhat miserable fellow, in an irritable mood and looking for a cause to take up much of the time.
Felix Newburn was an apprentice to a man of law before his service. He freely shared his opinion on all topics of conversation. Felix told fascinating stories of people and events he’d had dealings with in court. Some were difficult to believe and seemed outrageous, but he swore up and down it was all true. Sam tended to roll his eyes and openly acknowledged he doubted much of what Felix said. Felix seemed confident enough not to care what Sam thought and mostly ignored his disapproval.
Then there was Old Whiskers. He was a tavern owner in his former life. I don’t know what it was over, but he got himself into legal trouble, and in order to get out of it he opted to serve as a soldier instead of serve time in prison. I had never yet met anyone but Old Whiskers that was a convict, which made me very frightened by him. There was no problem imagining him in vile dealings, doing the sorts of things which would bring the law down on him. So you see he really was the lowest sort.
And now Sam was to be in charge of us all. When I pointed this out he gave me a peculiar grin. His eyes narrowed and he seemed to get great satisfaction from it.
“That means you must do as I tell you, Frank,” he said. “I’m your superior now.”
Mr. Haney was amused. “It gives you no pleasure we see, Sam.” He chuckled. “Don’t go getting too big for your britches, son.”
“Your well-intended advice has come too late, Mr. Haney. The look of glee he wears as he asserts his power over us only proves it,” I joked.
Vern Stapleton and Jack Monroe were not far off from us and must have overheard the particulars of our discussion. They came over, wanting to be included in the talk. I became immediately uncomfortable, as I always did with those two around.
“What is this about?” Vern questioned.
Mr. Haney spoke up, giving Sam a slap on the back as he announced, “Sam here has been promoted to Second Lieutenant.”
“Why Sam?” Vern asked. But I suppose he was really asking, why not me?
“Because he was the best man for the job,” I told him.
“We all have served the same,” he argued.
“It is not for you to say,” I pointed out.
“He’s a sassy little fellow,” Old Whiskers said to Vern with a mocking laugh, as he referred to me. “Uppity gal-boy.”
“Lay off,” Sam injected. “Haven’t you got anything better to do with yourselves?”
“What are you, his wet nurse?” Old Whiskers said to Sam.
Vern ignored the rest and focused in on me. “Come on, Frank. I thought we was good friends now,” he teased.
Normally I would have done what I could to get out of a confrontation, but it burned me the way he was patronizing me and enjoying it with his new pal Jack Monroe. I looked him right in the eyes with a sneer.
“Some friend! Do you nearly drown all your good friends like you did me?” I said coolly.
“Frank! I told you I was only helping you to take a bath. How was I to know you don’t swim none?”
At this Old Whiskers burst out in loud hooting. I suppose my inadequacy was the best sort of amusement for them. I felt my face burn, and I was too angry to think of any retort. I was completely tongue tied. I found being in their company was too much to stand at the moment, so I turned on my heels and left them there. Sam tried to call after me, but I ignored him and kept on going. I did not look back.
Sam must have gotten himself out of talking with the group and came jogging after me.
“Frank!” he said. He caught up with me and began walking next to me.
“What do you want?” I spat, in a rank mood.
“You shouldn’t let them get to you like that,” he told me.
“What do you care anyway?” I complained.
“You only give them fuel for the fire, you know. Show them where your soft spots are and they will know where to strike. Your best defense is indifference.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“What is the matter with you?” He seemed genuinely perplexed.
“Do you think they would treat me the same if they knew I was a girl? No, sir! The hypocrisy of it makes me sick…rotten, foul men. It makes me boiling mad. Every lady from here to Kalamazoo ought to know what they really are! Be on the alert in case those men should try to snare one of them.”
“We are all of us dogs,” he replied. “Only there are some better trained than others. But it don’t change the fact we are all dogs.”
“You’re no dog,” I argued.
“Just one of the better trained,” he said with a smirk. And then he left me.
“What a curious thing to say,” I yelled after him.
We patrolled nearly every day, looking for the enemy. There was in those parts a certain group which called themselves Mosby’s Raiders. They did all they could to cause trouble for us. Their raiders stole supplies and munitions, anything they could do to be a thorn in our sides. The locals were loyal to Mosby and would do all within their power to shelter him and protect him.
Upton did not like it, but he also didn’t want to have egg on his face. If he made a fuss over it and concentrated all of his energy on bringing Mosby in, well, if he failed, it would make him look awfully bad. So he sent us out regularly to see what information we could gather, and to see if we could find him, without saying too much about it.
“If he becomes impertinent he may get chastised. But I don’t think there will be much trouble,” the Colonel said.
That was until it touched him personally. One day a woman showed up. I saw her come into camp, with such airs you would think she was the queen of England. This woman came to speak directly to the colonel and refused an audience with anyone else. After someone went and informed the colonel what was transpiring, Upton came from his tent and used his most polite manners with her, even bending to kiss her hand. She took his arm and walked with him as they spoke.
She had rich black hair and a waist the size of a teacup. She seemed so harmless, so fragile. It made me envious and hateful all at once. She wasn’t even very beautiful, but all of the men drank her up with their eyes. It was a rare thing to have dealings with a woman. We saw them in town sometimes, or while scaring up food, but these men were sore for lady companionship, which could only be found if one was willing to pay. Many of them longed for affection, for a meaningful intimacy that could not be bought. Someone to love. Someone who would love them in return. After so long without such attentions from a
female, any woman, even one without looks, seemed like Aphrodite. They were men after all. And in the absence of attractiveness, a set of breasts would do. I watched Sam to see if he was paying her attention, but he acted as though he didn’t see her.
“What do you suppose that’s about?” I asked Sam, watching with the same interest as everyone else.
“Couldn’t say,” he answered, as if he were uninterested. But how could he not be?
When she finished speaking with the Colonel he motioned for his own personal aide de camp to come to him.
“This good lady has requested someone to attend her as she travels through to Warrenton. I would like you to accompany her and see to it she comes to no harm,” Upton informed his aide.
The aide nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said.
She climbed daintily back into her carriage, taking the reins in her delicate, gloved hand. All of the men fairly salivated over her as she waited there. I suppose it’s not saying much because, as I have told you before, they salivated over anything wearing a skirt, if it promised female attention. Finally the aide came around, now on horseback, to be her personal escort. She led the way and he took up the rear, giving a wink to the boys as he left, as if he might say, Look at what fun I’ll have. Lucky me! He spurred his horse on and was gone.
The poor fellow never returned. She was only a clever ruse to draw someone away from the fold. Mosby must have been waiting on down the road somewhere in ambush. The next day we discovered the aide’s body dancing merrily upon the breeze as it swung from a thick limb upon the sycamore tree he was hanged from. He was missing his hat and boots. His eyes were bulging, his tongue hanging limp from his mouth so he hardly looked human. Under the warm sun, he had begun to smell. Upton was in the saddle and reined his horse in, looking up at the unfortunate aide thoughtfully. He took his handkerchief from his pocket, pressing it to his nose to block the rank odor. He wore a most unpleasant expression upon his face as though he were both horrified and angry all at once.
“Cut him down!” he roared.
Boss Tanner climbed the sycamore and used his knife to cut the body down. No one spoke. It was a hushed silence as the body fell to the ground, limp and heavy.
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