Savage Spring

by Constance O'Banyon

  Johnny studied the money in her hand and then looked back to her face. “I’d surely like to help you, and not just for the money. I don’t think it’s right what they’re doing to you, but they’re keeping too close an eye on you.”

  Alexandria took his hand and held it tightly. “You are the only one I can turn to, Johnny. There is no one else I can ask. Please say you will help me.”

  Johnny stood up and stared down at the toe of his scuffed brown shoes. “It ain’t the money that I’m wanting. I’ll help you for nothing. What can I do?”

  Alexandria reached out, raised his chin, and smiled. “I don’t know. Perhaps you have some ideas.”

  Johnny’s face brightened. Alexandria had won the little boy’s heart with her smile. He found himself willing to do anything that would save her from his Aunt Barbara and Cousin Rodney. “We could sneak you out of the house tonight, and you could run away…no, that wouldn’t do no good. Dressed in those fancy trappings you’re bound to get into trouble.” Johnny was quiet for a moment, and then he smiled. “I betcha you could fit into some of my britches and shirt, then everyone would think you was a boy!”

  “I don’t think that would be a very practical idea,” Alexandria said laughingly. “I doubt that anyone would believe I was a boy.”

  “Yeh, I reckon you’re right. I’d better go now—Ma’s sure to give me a licking if she finds me in here with you. I’ll try to come back tonight.”

  Alexandria nodded, watching helplessly as Johnny left. Getting to her feet, she walked over to the window and gazed out at the setting sun. It was a dismal landscape, and Alexandria could feel the hopelessness of her situation. If young Johnny had been telling the truth and Barbara had found an unscrupulous minister to perform the marriage, there would be nothing she could do to save herself.

  She turned around, facing the door. When Johnny left he hadn’t locked the door! What would stop her from just walking down the stairs and out the front door? But then where would she go, and what would she do? She didn’t have much money, and Johnny had been correct when he said she couldn’t go about dressed as she was.

  Turning back to the window, she stood watching the last dying rays of the sun reflect off the windows of the house across the street. Was it possible in this day and age for a young woman to be forced into marrying someone she detested? Couldn’t she just tell the preacher when she saw him that she didn’t want to marry Rodney? No, evidently Barbara had been very selective in the minister she had chosen to perform the ceremony, knowing she would meet with resistance from Alexandria.

  Walking over to the door, Alexandria opened it quietly, went out into the hallway, and looked about cautiously. Seeing no one in sight, she moved quickly to the stairs. Her foot had barely touched the top step when Johnny’s mother appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her face was grim, and she motioned for Alexandria to return to the bedroom. Knowing it would be of little use to rebel, Alexandria did as she was told.

  An hour passed, and Alexandria could hear the sound of laughter coming from below. Again she started the restless pacing. The door opened, and Alexandria turned to face Rodney, who carried a tray of food.

  “You may as well take that back to the kitchen, Rodney. I am not hungry.”

  He placed the tray on a chair and walked over to her. “Your uppity ways won’t get you anywhere with me. I was told by my mother that you have eaten nothing today. It doesn’t serve my purpose for you to starve yourself. I want a bride who is strong and able on my wedding night.”

  “I’ll never be your bride, Rodney! Never!

  He advanced toward her and reached out to touch her face. “Oh, you will be my wife, like it or not. I think you will like it, though. I know how to treat a woman.”

  “I will never allow you to touch me. You are disgusting!”

  His gray eyes clouded, and he pulled her against him tightly. “I think I’ll just give you a sample of what’s in store for you right now, Alexandria.”

  She twisted and turned, trying to get free, but his grip only tightened. “Squirm all you want to, Alexandria, you will never be free of me. I think you and I will celebrate our wedding tonight instead of tomorrow night.”

  Alexandria could smell the whiskey on his breath and knew he was more than a little drunk. Her skin seemed to crawl when she looked into his eyes. “Let me go, or you will regret it,” she told him, jabbing a knee into his groin. He muttered an oath as Alexandria jerked free of him and ran toward the door. She felt the door knob in her hand and was about to wrench the door open when he grabbed her by the shoulder and pinned her against the wall. “Fight all you want to, Alexandria. In the end it won’t get you a damned thing.”

  “Release me this moment, or I’ll scream! I swear I will!”

  “Beautiful Alexandria, no one in this house will care what I do to you. Don’t you know that by now?”

  Alexandria squirmed and struggled and finally managed to get free again. She saw that Rodney was blocking the door and the only way to save herself would be to fight. Picking up the lamp on the nearby table, she raised it over her head.

  “Come one step closer, and I’ll throw this at you! I swear I will!” she threatened. This time Rodney had pushed her too far, and she would do whatever she must to save herself. Her hands were trembling, and she bit her lower lip to stop its quivering.

  Rodney uttered a strangled oath and staggered in her direction. Not pausing to think, Alexandria threw the lamp, and it seemed to explode into a fire. Rodney screamed and grabbed his face as the flames licked at his clothing and spread quickly up to his body.

  Alexandria jerked the coverlet from the bed and tossed it about him, trying to smother the blaze. When the bedroom door burst open, she had extinguished the fire, and her stepmother stood as if paralyzed with a look of horror on her face.

  “Send for the doctor!” she screeched as others came into the room.

  Alexandria stood up, feeling sick as her stepmother removed the charred bedcovering. Rodney’s clothing was still smoking, and his face looked like a cooked piece of meat. He was moaning softly, and she backed away, shaking her head in horror, knowing she was responsible for what had happened to him. Even though she despised Rodney, she hadn’t wanted to harm him in such a horrible manner. She had only wanted to make him leave her alone.

  Alexandria watched as Barbara and her sister lifted Rodney onto the bed. She was horrified that she had been the instrument of so much pain to another human being, but she wasn’t sorry that she had saved herself.

  After Rodney had been made as comfortable as possible, his mother sat beside him, waiting for the doctor, while Alexandria hovered in the corner, not knowing what to do. Suddenly Barbara’s eyes fell on Alexandria, and she started screaming. “Take her below and lock her in the basement! I will see that she is punished for what she did to my son!”

  Alexandria was too stunned to react. She allowed Barbara’s sister to lead her from the room. She was still in a daze when the woman shoved her through a door, and she went stumbling down the wooden steps into the darkened basement. Pain shot through Alexandria’s body as she hit the dirt floor hard and her head slammed against the wall. Moaning, she looked up the steps to see the woman outlined in the dim light coming from the kitchen.

  “You will pay for this night’s work. We will see that you swing from the gallows if my nephew dies,” the woman said before slamming the door and shooting a bolt into place.

  The basement was dark and damp and smelled of rotting potatoes and mildew. Alexandria sat up as pain seemed to course through her body. Her worst pain seemed to come from her knee. Feeling along her leg, she discovered it was bleeding. She must have knelt in the broken glass from the lamp when she was putting out the fire. Alexandria scooted along until she came to the wall, then leaned back against it, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. It was pitch black, and the wall she was leaning against felt damp and moldy.

  Alexandria raised her skirt and ripped off a piece of her p
etticoat. She then wrapped it about the cuts on her knee, hoping to stop the flow of blood. In her mind, she could still see Rodney with his body engulfed in flames. How could anyone survive after being so horribly burned? Would the authorities believe her if she told them the truth? She shook her head. They might have listened to her back in Valley Forge, but she doubted that she could make them believe her here in Philadelphia where no one knew her.

  Alexandria was cold and miserable, and she huddled closer to the wall, trying to keep warm. She tried not to think about the scurrying sounds of little feet she could hear in the dark recesses of the basement, knowing it was probably rats. Her body was trembling from cold and fright. There was no one to care what happened to her. There would be no one to know should she just disappear from the face of the earth.

  In spite of the cold and dark, Alexandria finally cried herself to sleep. She didn’t know how much time had passed when someone shook her by the shoulder, waking her from a fretful sleep.

  Alexandria opened her eyes and saw Johnny holding a candle up to her face.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked, with concern written on his young face.

  “Don’t worry about me. How is Rodney?”

  Johnny shook his head. “It don’t look good for him. The doctor don’t think he will live out the week.

  “Johnny, I didn’t mean to do it. He was…I only wanted to…”

  “You don’t have to be explaining to me. I got ears…I know what he was trying to do to you while all the rest of them stood outside the door sniggering and laughing. He don’t deserve to live.”

  “You mustn’t say that, Johnny! It was horrible what I did to him. I will never forgive myself for what happened to Rodney.”

  “My ma always says the good Lord helps those that help themselves. I guess you helped yourself in the only way you could.”

  “What are they going to do with me, Johnny?”

  “I heard my aunt talking to my pa. She said they would have you committed to an institution for the insane. That way she could hold on to your farm, and you’d be locked away for good.”

  Alexandria gasped in horror. “I’m not insane, Johnny! They can’t do such a thing to me!”

  “That’s why I’m here. In the morning, bright and early, some men will be coming to carry you away. If you are going to escape, it will have to be tonight.”

  “What can I do?”

  “I brung you some of my clothes, and my ma’s scissors. I ’spect the best thing will be for you to dress like a boy like we said earlier.”

  “I couldn’t…that wouldn’t be proper.”

  “I don’t think you can worry about what’s proper.” Johnny tossed some clothes in her lap, and Alexandria studied his face.

  “I have nowhere to go,” she said in a small voice.

  “Anywhere will be better than the asylum,” he told her. “Now get into these clothes while I turn my back. Time is against you.”

  That was all the prodding Alexandria needed. She quickly stripped off her clothing and donned Johnny’s britches and shirt. Then she exchanged her leather slippers for his boots.

  “You can turn around now, Johnny. How do I look?”

  He set the candle down and walked around her, studying her critically. “You still look like a girl to me.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his mother’s scissors. “I guess when I’ve cut your hair you’ll look more like a boy.”

  Alexandria nodded her head in agreement, but she couldn’t help cringing when he began snipping off her long tresses. In no time at all, Johnny had snipped off all her curls. Standing back, studying her speculatively, he grinned.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you was a boy.”

  “Now what shall I do?” Alexandria asked, looking to Johnny for guidance.

  “I’m going to bury your gown along with the hair I cut off near the back of the basement. All I can tell you is to light out. I don’t know where you can go. Do you have any friends back in Valley Forge who’ll hide you out until this thing passes?”

  “N…no.”

  “Look, it’s gonna be light before long. You gotta get as far away from here as you can. I done all I can to help you.”

  Alexandria put her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Will you get into trouble for helping me?”

  “I might get a licking from my ma, but that’s nothing compared to what you’ll get if my Aunt Barbara finds you here when it comes daylight.”

  Alexandria picked up her discarded gown and reached into the pocket, pulling out the coins she had offered him earlier. “Here Johnny—I want you to have this money for helping me.”

  He closed his hand over hers. “No, you’ll need it much more than I will. It will be my reward knowing that you escaped my aunt and cousin. Now hurry before the house begins to wake up. I’ll just bury these things,” he said, taking her gown from her.

  Alexandria hastily kissed him on the cheek, then hurried up the basement stairs. The kitchen was dark, and she bumped noisily against a table. Fearing she might have awakened the whole household, she dashed into the hallway and out the front door. She ran down the streets, not daring to look back for fear she was being pursued. Darting around corners and across cobblestone streets, Alexandria ran until she was totally exhausted. Leaning against a tree, she waited to catch her breath. She was in a strange city, and she had no one to turn to for help, but at least she was free!

  Chapter Nine

  Philadelphia, March 1848

  The Fox and Hound Inn was bustling with activity. It was long after the dinner hour, and yet the room was filled with customers since a ship had recently docked and its crew was taking advantage of their first night in port. A cold wind howled outside the tavern, and a light snowfall was drifting earthward. Inside the tavern a warm, cheery fire was crackling in the big open hearth. The sound of merriment and laughter was deafening as a small, insignificant figure huddled in one corner of the taproom, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible.

  Alexandria Bradford could feel the hard wooden floor beneath her, and she shifted her weight, removing a splinter that had been prickling her tender skin. She watched as a pretty tavern maid moved from table to table, serving food and ale with a warm smile. Alexandria could smell the mutton pies and leg of lamb, and her stomach growled in hungry protest.

  Pulling the wool cap down lower over her head, she leaned back against the wall and studied the people in the room. The seamen weren’t hard to detect, with their knee-length trousers and colorful shirts. Their faces seemed to be permanently creased from the hours they spent on the decks of ships, exposed to the sun and salt water.

  Alexandria observed the tawny-haired tavern wench laughing while side-stepping one of the sailor’s over-amorous overtures. Alexandria had never been exposed to the kind of people who frequented the Fox and Hound, and she felt fear deep inside. She hoped her disguise was good, and that no one would suspect that she was a female!

  Alexandria shuddered, remembering all she had been told about sailors’ shanghaiing unsuspecting men and boys, forcing them to sail on their ships. She huddled closer to the wall, hoping no one would pay her any attention.

  Alexandria was cold, wet, and hungry, but at least she was free. She didn’t know what she would do or where she would go, but for the moment she had escaped her stepmother. She remembered the sight of Rodney’s charred body and shivered. Surely he would be dead by now, and the authorities were probably searching for her—if they found her, she would more than likely hang for murder.

  She had spent her last coin on food the day before, and her plan was to try and hide until the tavern closed, then sneak over to one of the tables to eat what someone had left on his plate. If she wasn’t discovered, she might even be able to sleep beside the hearth. The night before she had crept into a carriage house and slept in one of the carriages. She had intended to be gone before she could be discovered the next morning, but she had been so tired she hadn’t awakened until someone discovered her an
d tossed her none too gently into the street.

  Alexandria felt herself nodding off, and she fought to stay awake. She warned herself that she must not make the same mistake that she had the night before—if she did, she would surely be thrown out into the cold to freeze.

  She tried to think of happy thoughts to keep her awake, but all she could think of was how hungry she was. Looking across the room, she saw an empty table with the remains of someone’s uneaten food.

  Standing up, she looked about carefully to see if anyone was watching her. The sailors seemed to be distracted by the pretty tavern maid. Now was her chance, she thought. Inching herself along the wall, she kept her eyes on the table nearest her destination where three men were laughing and talking loudly. Taking a cautious step and then another, she finally was in reach of the table. Grabbing a half-eaten leg of lamb, she started to run back to her darkened corner, but before she could move, she was grabbed from behind and swung around to face a huge mountain of a man with a red beard. She squirmed as he lifted her up and dangled her in midair.

  “Look what we got us here, men,” the sailor said in a loud, boisterous voice that seemed to draw everyone’s attention to Alexandria. “If this here lad was a fish, I’d sooner toss him back to sea. He ain’t big enough to keep.” The redheaded man’s laughter was joined by the others’, and Alexandria bit her lip in vexation.

  “What think you, men—should we take the lad here back to ship and present him to the good captain as a cabin boy?”

  “Aye,” came the reply. “The last lad we had died of the fever; this here scrawny lad will take his place.”

  Alexandria began to feel real panic now. She kicked her legs and twisted in the man’s iron grip, but this only served to amuse him. “Ho, men, this lad has spirit!” he laughed loudly, dropping Alexandria to the floor, where she landed hard on her backside.

  Standing up, Alexandria started to inch slowly away from him, only to back into another wall of human flesh. The giant redheaded man reached down for her and lifted her up into the air again. Alexandria realized she still held the leg of lamb in her hand, so she drew her arm back and hit him hard across the face with it. He howled out in pain and immediately dropped her, and she landed atop one of the tables, with her face buried in a plate of food.