Minnesota Bride

by Lisa Prysock

  “Excellent news. I hope more governors follow your example forthwith.” Lincoln leaned forward, and her father shook hands with him. “I’m glad to be able to count upon your support in this endeavor.”

  Her father turned to cue her. “I’ll need that document, dear, for the War Department.”

  Melody, mesmerized by the man they called Honest Abe, returned to her senses and nodded. Finally, it was her chance to say something.

  She opened the leather case and retrieved the document with the seal, handing it to her father, who gave it to Lincoln. The document stated in Ramsey’s own handwriting what her father had promised verbally. “Here it is, and may I say what a shameful thing it is for the state of Virginia and other rebel states to dare to withdraw from the Union or attempt to organize under Jefferson Davis. ‘Tis treason of the worst kind.” She bit her lower lip then to close her mouth, fearing she’d said too much.

  Lincoln looked oddly relieved to have heard her words, almost visibly relaxing as he turned toward her to reply. It was as if she’d poured a balm of ointment upon his ears. Perhaps he’d needed affirmation from a regular citizen such as herself. “You are loyal and wise beyond your years, young lady.”

  “They won’t win this fight. I shall do whatever I can to help the Union, and so shall thousands upon thousands of others. We’ll send our men, we’ll supply them with food, warm clothing, and letters of comfort. We shall pray for our army, our leaders, and especially for wisdom for you. We will raise up support, we shall speak out, we shall spy on their plans, and we’ll generally do whatever it takes, but they won’t win, Mr. President. We stand with you. God stands with you.” Melody clamped her mouth shut again, having no idea where her words had come from, but she felt he’d needed to hear them after having read about the miserable debate Lincoln had endured with the disloyal Virginians and the treasonous militia of South Carolina.

  She didn’t dare look at her father. She would rather endure a week long lecture later than one glance of reprimand while she was speaking to the leader of the nation. However, her father surprised her just then.

  “My daughter Melody is right,” Ramsey affirmed, surprising her with his remark. “We stand with you, and many, many more with us.”

  At that moment, the three of them noticed the sunshine streaming through the long windows over the White House lawn. It was as if the Lord had heard her words, too. There was an uncanny feeling in the room that the Union would prevail.

  “Ramsey, you have indeed brought an angel with you. I am glad to hear her words. Coming from a citizen a little closer to the people than we are, it is refreshing to hear her perspective, and especially knowing she is somewhat outside the walls of D.C. politics. Your commitment to the Union on behalf of the state of Minnesota is commendable. Your visit has encouraged and strengthened me at a time when I surely need it as we face this crisis.” Lincoln paused, but neither Melody nor her father dared to interrupt him as he leaned back into a more comfortable position.

  “I confess I am already weary of hearing of what the rebels are saying or doing, and yet I fear, this is merely the beginning. I cannot emphasize enough how good ‘tis to hear what the citizens think, and what the Union majority believes and intends.” Lincoln turned to Melody then, reaching out for her hand. “Now Miss Ramsey, a gentle word of caution if I may. Please don’t become entangled with such notions as spying. It could prove to be more dangerous than you might think. Our government has its ears and eyes open.”

  “Well, if I hear of anything, anything at all that might help you to hold this nation together, rest assured, I will personally write to you at once,” she assured as he patted her hand.

  “I don’t doubt it, not one little bit,” Lincoln replied, laughing a great laugh with a wink and a good-natured smile as they followed Ramsey’s lead when he stood.

  They turned to return to the reception room where they’d waited to see him, but the President prevented them from starting for the door. “There’s a door right through here to the family library where I’m sure your wife is having tea with my Mary and our son, Tad, if he hasn’t fallen asleep. I think I’m ready for a cup of tea myself, if you’ll follow me.”

  Father grinned as Lincoln motioned them toward the door he now held open, revealing a hall leading to his private family quarters. “Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.”

  Melody Ramsey smoothed her dark purple skirts as they rustled over the oilcloth carpet while they followed Lincoln through the hall.

  Melody sighed with relief and whispered, “I think our meeting went well, Father, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I agree,” he replied in a low voice, appearing lost in thought. She figured he was likely mulling over every word they’d exchanged with Honest Abe.

  “And now we get to meet Mary Todd Lincoln. I feel as though we are royalty.” Melody smiled with a contented sigh, excited at the next prospect of their day.

  They stood behind the President, waiting before being introduced to the First Lady while he spoke to a servant, asking them to bring more tea for a few extra guests. Looking to their left, Melody glanced around the family library of the White House. Mother appeared lost in a deep and enjoyable conversation with Mrs. Lincoln, seated comfortably near the fireplace on the opposite wall. Just as Abe Lincoln had said, young Tad was asleep on the floor by the fireplace.

  Chapter 3

  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance. Psalm 33:12

  * * *

  “Frank, may I introduce my dear cousin to you?” Cousin Lavinia tucked her arm around Melody’s elbow, pulling her closer to her circle of friends. “Miss Melody Jane Ramsey, meet my handsome beau, Lieutenant Frank Kilpatrick.”

  “A pleasure, Lieutenant.” Melody extended her gloved hand. They stood clustered in the foyer of the small Philadelphia theater after Lavinia’s fine sinfonia performance. She’d played her violin well in the honored position of first chair.

  Lieutenant Frank Kilpatrick, a handsome officer with brown hair parted to one side, a mustache, and fashionable sideburns, turned her hand and kissed the top of her glove. “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. Any relation of Lavinia’s I consider family.”

  Melody blushed, glad he hadn’t held onto her hand any longer than customary. She was happy for Lavinia, but hadn’t expected her to be so close to wedded bliss when she’d arrived in Pennsylvania a week prior. She noticed the gold bars on his uniform and tried not to laugh, remembering Lavinia had confused her, referring to them as his pumpkin rinds. He’d done a fine job of training militia at Fort Mifflin during peace time, and now, he’d been assigned to a unit headed for D.C. to protect the nation’s capital. No one thought the Confederates would attack that far north, so they worried little for Frank as there was some degree of relief in discovering where his post would be.

  Pumpkin rinds and D.C. or not, Lieutenant Frank Kilpatrick would be going off to fight in the war soon, and consequently, Lavinia’s wedding date had been moved forward. They’d all soon travel to western Virginia for the festivities.

  The simple but elegant nuptials were slated to take place at the base of Rich Mountain. There, her Jenkins cousins of her mother’s family owned a summer retreat they’d aptly named Blue Meadow Farm. Melody had been there dozens of times in her childhood and could hardly wait to return. Two of Lavinia’s brothers, Brent and Carlton, lived there year round in a spacious farmhouse located near the base of the mountain on a hill overlooking fields and meadows, doing their best to work the rich, green land. The soil was dark and rich in appearance, proving Rich Mountain aptly named.

  “Are you enjoying your time in Pennsylvania, Miss Melody?” Mamie asked, fluttering her fan in one hand, still holding a program for the evening’s music in the other. Mamie was one of Lavinia’s local friends, but Melody remembered her from attending private school in Philadelphia.

  Lavinia, Mamie, and Melody had all graduated together three years pri
or. Though she’d never been as close with Mamie as Lavinia, they were well acquainted. At one time or another, they’d all been taught by Miss June Bryce, a beloved teacher who very much opposed slavery. Melody also held many of Miss Bryce’s progressive views, believing women should have the right to vote and the right to be teachers, writers, politicians, doctors, and pursue any other field they desired to pursue. Melody very much agreed with her teacher, as did Lavinia and Mamie.

  “I am, although it’s going by too quickly,” Melody replied, pulling the peach and sage green shawl closer around the shoulders of her peach and white evening gown. “In less than a fortnight, we shall be in Blue Meadow.”

  Mamie smiled. “I wish I could be there in western Virginia when Lavinia exchanges her vows with Frank, but I am needed at home more than ever now that two of my brothers have volunteered to fill Lincoln’s call to arms.”

  “Yes, I would imagine so. How very brave and patriotic of your brothers. We are indebted to them.” Melody offered her a sympathetic look. For once in her life, she was thankful her brothers were not alive to enlist in the brutality of war.

  “Are Lavinia’s brothers, Brent and Carlton, preparing the farmstead for the ceremony at Blue Meadow?” Mamie inquired.

  She nodded to Mamie as Lavinia was pulled away to greet some other group of friends with her beau. “Yes, they still live there most of the year round. They’ve kept it a successful working farm and enjoy the Appalachian surroundings. I’ve always thought Blue Meadow a lovely name for the farm.”

  “I completely agree, a lovely name. Will Lavinia’s other siblings, Eugenia and Donavan, make the drive with you and Lavinia then, along with her parents and Frank’s family, I assume?” Mamie kept fanning herself.

  The weather and the evenings were growing warmer as May approached, and Melody was thankful for a week of sunshine and spring flowers, but that particular evening, a breeze swept in each time someone opened the foyer entrance to enter or exit. “Yes, I believe that is what I’ve heard. Hopefully, it will be a pleasant excursion. The spring hasn’t been too wet for the journey.”

  “I’ve not met Frank’s family.” Mamie stopped fanning herself. “Have you?”

  “No.” Melody shook her head. “I met Frank this evening, but I’ve heard he has one sister, Lena.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard of Lena, but never met her,” Mamie murmured as Lavinia and Frank began moving toward them through the crowded foyer to return to their side. “Be sure to visit me and we can have tea if you become bored when you return from Blue Meadow Farm.”

  Melody nodded. “Thank you for the invitation, but I haven’t had the chance to grow bored yet.” She was glad to see the couple approaching since Mamie was full of questions.

  Her five Jenkins cousins were a rowdy bunch even when they weren’t all together, compared to her three Ramsey cousins, Marla, Caroline, and Matthew. Marla was a schoolmarm, Caroline one of Marla’s students, and Matthew, a Lutheran minister. The Jenkins female cousins, Lavinia and her sister Eugenie, lived at home, having graduated from private school like herself. However, with Brent and Carlton away in Virginia, only Donavan of the male cousins was around to stir up mischief and fun. When he wasn’t looking after the mercantile, he could be found at home above stairs, telling jokes, devising pranks, singing happy songs to make them laugh, and reading interesting stories from the daily newspapers.

  She continued, “You remember how cantankerous Donavan can be. We haven’t had a dull moment since my arrival from Washington, D.C. last week.” She figured her parents were settled back in St. Paul by now since they’d taken the train home from Washington to Philadelphia, then on toward Minnesota.

  Mamie nodded and rolled her eyes, chuckling. “I certainly do. He can be a no good muggins when he puts his mind to it.”

  Melody nodded in complete agreement. “Sometimes I think Cousin Lavinia or Aunt Ruby will toss him out on his ear.”

  In the days leading up to their departure from Philadelphia to Blue Meadow Farm situated near the base of Rich Mountain, Melody enjoyed a country dance, a visit with her Ramsey cousins for a special dinner in her honor, going to church on Sunday, an outing to another small theater production putting on a play, trips to a museum and the library, and two afternoon tea parties. Then there was the packing to do, and a letter to send off to her parents letting them know of Lavinia’s wedding in the beautiful Appalachians and how they were all transferring there for a while. Packing wasn’t hard for her, since she’d barely had a chance to unpack more than a few dresses.

  Before her departure, her mother sent a letter in response carrying news that the First Minnesota Infantry Regiment had mustered at Fort Snelling in late April. They would train for battle and then be sent on to a location in Virginia, likely Alexandria under Colonel Gorman, information only her father would have known. Her mother implored her to come home, mentioning something too about the riots in Baltimore. Uncle Edward, Lavinia’s father, had read about them in the Philadelphia papers, sharing the disturbing news with his Pennsylvania family. She wrote back, reminding her mother not to worry. Uncle Edward and her cousins wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them, and her prayers for protection counted for something. In any case, Baltimore and Alexandria were still a good distance from Blue Meadow at Rich Mountain.

  Soon they were making the journey through the mountains and curving roads, traveling by train as far as they could. Then they traveled the rest of the journey by coach with a driver who was an expert at navigating the ridges, hills, mountains, valleys, fields, and dirt roads of Appalachia. The views thrilled her, and Melody spent much of her time sketching scenes along the way during the train portion of their travels. It kept her from falling into a panic when they crossed bridges. On the coach, there was too much rocking to draw. She did her best to read in spite of feeling dizzy at times, as it kept her nerves in tact when inclines felt too steep or carried them too high. Sometimes the declines frightened her as they would pick up a faster pace.

  On the train, sometimes when they stopped, Melody began to notice soldiers traveling to their posts. They weren’t hard to spot as some were equipped with muskets, swords, knapsacks, bedrolls, and canteens. Still, the idea that war had begun to settle upon them seemed surreal and far away in all of their minds, but frequently her mind traveled back to the meeting with Lincoln and his proclamation. Donavan, Frank, Mr. Kilpatrick, and Uncle Edward seemed to take notice, but the swarm of young men rising to the call for a militia appeared almost undetected by Eugenie, Lavinia, Lena, Mrs. Kilpatrick, and Aunt Ruby. They talked of little else but the wedding.

  Somehow, Melody managed to keep her thoughts of Ned at bay, but there were days when it wasn’t easy. She felt somewhat distracted because the groom’s mother complained about her body aches and pains, the location of the wedding, and anything else she found to her disliking, while Eugenie talked incessantly.

  “Why must we travel to a modest farmhouse in the mountains—this primitive summer retreat? Wouldn’t a church wedding at home in Philadelphia surrounded by friends and family be more comfortable and sensible for everyone?” Mrs. Kilpatrick bitterly complained as she clutched her handkerchief once they’d crossed a number of mountains and hills by stage. Her eyes grew wider as the coach became steeper. Frank’s mother was riding in the stagecoach with her husband, Mr. Kilpatrick, Eugenie, Donavan, and Melody. Lavinia, Frank, Aunt Ruby, Lena, and Uncle Edward rode in the other coach.

  “Just don’t look down and the views are most pleasing,” Mr. Kilpatrick said, attempted to soothe his wife.

  “Our sister is quite bent on having her own way, I’m afraid, Mrs. Kilpatrick. We shall have to endure.” Eugenie spoke in a cheerful tone while Melody and Donavan ignored the endless chatter.

  “Do you suppose we shall run into southern militia who will kill us all over this Sumter business?” Mrs. Kilpatrick continued.

  “Not a chance, my dear,” Mr. Kilpatrick reassured her. His wife snapped her fan out and simmered down for a while,
much to everyone’s relief.

  Melody’s eyebrows went up, wondering what Lincoln might be doing and where he might be sending his volunteer militia. Had enough soldiers arrived in Washington yet? Or was Lincoln waiting for them still, like Frank, who had yet to leave for duty? Donavan noticed Mrs. Kilpatrick’s concerns, but for the sake of them all, followed Melody’s lead and wisely said nothing in retort.

  Finally, they passed through the town of Elkins and further south, arrived in the town of Beverly, the county seat of Randolph County, where Brent and Carlton met their party with two spacious wagons to carry them to Blue Meadow.

  “How good it is to see you, Cousin Melody!” Brent Jenkins, nearly a foot taller than when she’d last seen him, bestowed a happy greeting upon her before swinging her down from the coach. Then he set her down on her feet, causing her to laugh with giddiness. “Let me get a look at you. You weigh a feather. I’m sure you’ve a hundred beaus trying to marry you.”

  “You flatter me Brent, but I think I’ve scared them all away with my book knowledge and traipsing about Europe.”

  “I’m sure maidenhood won’t last for long. Pretty soon you’ll have a brood of golden-haired children following you about.” Brent grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with joy to see her.

  “Now Brent, I’m not so sure that is the goal,” she responded, laughing.

  Aunt Ruby sauntered over. “Just wait, Melody Ramsey. You’ll be so happy when you hold your first child in your arms. Believe me when I say, it is indeed the goal.”

  Then a lanky Carlton stepped up beside them after helping his mother, Lena, and Lavinia down from the other coach. “Our Ma was happiest when the good Lord gave her me. Isn’t that so, Mother?”

  Aunt Ruby laughed and embraced her son. “How I’ve missed you, Carlton. You know I love all of you the same.”