Fire Over Atlanta (6 page)

“I guess she takes after me,” he murmured. Then he added, “She looks like her mother, though. Same blonde hair and blue eyes.”

He had lost his wife at the birth of this child. Eileen knew he was uncertain how he would do at
raising a small daughter—and even more uncertain because of the battles that lay ahead.

“I just don’t know what would happen to Esther if anything happened to me in battle,” he said.

“Tom and Jeff would take care of her.” Even as she said this, however, Eileen knew that this was not the answer. Both of his sons were also in the army and were subject to the dangers of the war. She smoothed her apron over her lap and said, “The war is almost over. It can’t go on much longer, can it?”

“No, I don’t think it can. The South has just worn itself out. The best of its young men went at the first call, and now we’re down to just a thin line.” He looked out the window thoughtfully, then suddenly turned to her. “Eileen, would you take care of Esther—if anything happens to me before we marry?”

“But Nelson, don’t you have family who would want—”

“No, I didn’t have any brothers or sisters. My wife had one sister, but she’s far away in the North now. There’s really no one.”

Eileen hesitated. “That’s a large thing to promise—to take over a baby. Not that I wouldn’t love to. I still miss my own little girl.” Tears came to her eyes, and she dashed them away quickly. “Of course I will, Nelson. If that’s what you want—but nothing’s going to happen to you. We’ll just pray you through until this war is over.”

“I’ll agree with that.” He leaned back after finishing his breakfast and sighed with satisfaction. “Almost hate to get well,” he said. “Here I am being waited on hand and foot by a handsome woman, getting good food, treated like a baby. Not like it’ll be when I go back to the trenches at Petersburg.”

Eileen did not answer. She was thinking of the dangers that lay ahead for this tall man who had come to mean so much to her. She got up to take the tray. “Do you want anything else?”

“No, this is fine.”

She touched a lock of his glossy, black hair. “You’re getting shaggy. I’ll have to give you another haircut.”

The colonel took her hand, and before she could move he kissed it and said huskily, “Thanks for all you’ve done for the Majors family. For Esther and for me.”

“Come on in, Jeff.”

Leah stepped back from the doorway to let him in. Jeff was wearing his oldest uniform, which was far gone.

“How’s Pa today?”

“You’ll have to ask his nurse. Eileen’s just about taken over.”

Jeff frowned. For a long time he had been jealous of Mrs. Fremont. He had loved his mother deeply and resented the idea of his father’s being interested in another woman. Somehow it had seemed disloyal to him. He still occasionally felt a little strange at the idea. “I thought Tom would be here.”

“I
am
here!” Tom walked in from the kitchen, a piece of pie balanced on one hand. He limped slightly, and the wooden leg that replaced the real one that he’d lost at Gettysburg made an uncertain cadence on the floor. “What are you doing here, Jeff?”

“I came looking for something to eat. We’re about to run shy in camp. What kind of pie is that?”

“It’s apple.”

“My favorite kind!”

“I’m glad to hear it. This is the last piece,” Tom said and winked at Leah.

Jeff groaned. “You didn’t eat it
all!”

“Don’t let him tease you, Jeff,” Leah said. “I made two. We’ll have some after while.”

“How’s Pa?” Jeff asked his brother.

“Real good.” Tom licked his hand and took another bite of pie. “Somehow pie always tastes better if you eat it off your hand. A fork kind of spoils the taste.”

Leah said, “I’ll get you a piece, Jeff, and maybe we have some sassafras tea.”

“That’d be good.” He waited until she was gone and then sat down, looking at his brother. “You think Pa will be able to get back into the fight pretty soon?”

“You know Pa. He’ll get back as quick as he can. As a matter of fact, I wish he’d stay out of the whole thing.”

“It looks pretty grim, Tom. I don’t know how much longer we can keep those Yankees out. We’re spread real thin.”

“And our fellows aren’t doing much better out west of here. Hood’s left Atlanta now, so the word is. But Sherman will catch up with him. Johnston should have stayed in command.”

“Well, he wasn’t doin’ anything much to stop General Sherman!” Jeff protested.

“Sherman’s got too many men. All Hood will do is make some kind of a crazy charge and lose half the army.” Tom finished his pie and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. “I’m going outside and split some wood. After you get through with your
pie, you can come out and help me with the buck-sawing.”

“All right, Tom.”

Jeff met Leah coming out of the kitchen with his pie. “I can just eat it out here in the kitchen,” he said. “It’ll save you bringin’ me another piece.” He grinned at her, took the plate and fork, and said, “Tom, he’s a glutton. He gobbles pie down like a pig. Now me, I got taste.” He took a small bite, put it in his mouth, then lifted his eyes toward the ceiling with appreciation. “Now, that is pie!”

Leah smiled. “Do you really like it?”

“I never saw an apple pie I didn’t like—especially yours.”

They sat at the kitchen table, talking and laughing, until finally Jeff said, “Go take off that dress and put your old overalls on. It’s time to go fishin’.”

“Why, Jeff, you didn’t say anything about us going fishing.”

“I thought you knew,” he said in surprise.

“I can’t go with you, Jeff.”

“Why not?”

“Because—I’ve got somebody coming.”

Jeff stared at her. He suddenly realized she was wearing her silk Sunday dress. It was a peach color and old, but she still looked good in it. “What do you mean, somebody’s coming?”

Leah hesitated, then smiled roguishly. “Cecil is coming by.”

“Cecil Taylor? Why’s
he
coming here?”

Leah’s eyes gleamed. “He’s coming to see me!”

“Why’s he coming to see you?”

“Does it come as a complete shock to you, Jeff,” she asked demurely, “that a young man would like to come and spend some time with me?”

He felt foolish. “Well …” He floundered for a time. “Well, of course not, but how does he have time to come out here and see you?”

“How do you have time?” she asked quickly.

Jeff saw that he was trapped and somehow felt put out. “Well, I planned to go fishing with you …”

“We can do that tomorrow—unless Cecil comes back.”

“Oh, I’m good enough to go fishing with if there’s nothing better to do.”

Moving around the table to where Jeff now stood rigidly, she put a hand on his arm and looked up into his face. She said sweetly, “I’m sorry, Jeff. I didn’t mean to say it like that. You know how much I like to go fishing with you. I always have. But Cecil wanted to come over, and he gets lonesome sometimes.”

“Well, I get lonesome too.”

“Do you, Jeff?”

“Of course I do. Do you think I like being in trenches with those dirty, smelly soldiers? I’d much rather be here with you.”

“I guess
that’s
a left-handed compliment.” But Leah again smiled. “You like me better than dirty, smelly soldiers.”

Jeff felt he was in over his head. “I can’t say anything right today,” he said finally. “So what are you two going to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I thought we would look at some picture albums. Maybe we’ll sing some. Cecil has a beautiful singing voice. And I need to give him some more dancing lessons. He’s not very good at dancing, but he’s getting better.”

At that moment, a knock sounded on the door, and Leah said, “That must be Cecil now. He’ll be glad to see you.”

As it happened, Cecil seemed not particularly happy to see Jeff. And Jeff was rather grumpy as he said, “Hello, Cecil.”

“Well, hello, Jeff. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here either!” He saw that Cecil had on his best uniform, and he asked rather wickedly, “Are you going to another ball?”

“No, I just came to call on Leah.”

She said, “Why don’t both of you come into the sitting room? Jeff, you’ve already seen all the pictures, but Cecil would like to see them.”

Jeff said stubbornly, “No, I’m going fishing.”

He left the house, slamming the door slightly harder than was necessary.

Immediately he heard his father’s voice. “Jeff, come here!”

Jeff lifted his head and saw the colonel leaning out a window. He stomped over to him and said, “What is it, Pa?”

“Where you going?”

“I’m going to get a pole and go fishing.”

“Why don’t you take Leah with you?”

“I came to do that, but instead Cecil Taylor came to call on her.”

Nelson grinned. “You better watch out. That young fellow’s gonna to beat your time.”

Jeff flushed. “Who needs an old girl anyway?”

Tom leaned over the windowsill beside his father and studied Jeff. “I reckon most of us do.”

Jeff and his father both glanced at Tom. Jeff knew his brother was thinking of Sarah, Leah’s older sister. Tom had been deeply in love with Sarah before
the war. Now Tom’s face was sad, and his thoughts seemed to be a million miles away.

“I guess most of us do need a lady to make our lives bright,” their father said.

Jeff stared at the colonel. He knew that the object of
his
thoughts was Eileen Fremont.

“I’m going fishing!” Jeff said. He turned around and went toward the barn.

From his window Colonel Majors watched Jeff come out of the barn with a pole over his shoulder and a can of worms dangling from one hand. Then he turned to Tom.

“I guess you think about Sarah a lot.”

“Yes, I do, Pa. I miss her more than I can say.”

“I know about that. It’s the same way I miss your mother.”

When Eileen came into the room, the men were playing checkers.

Tom got up in disgust. “I can’t beat you at this game!”

“You’re too impulsive. You’ve got to think out your moves,” Nelson said.

“I’m going out to chop more wood. It’s more fun than getting beat at checkers.”

After Tom left, Eileen sat down at Nelson’s bidding, and they began another checkers game. She was not very good, and Nelson was an excellent player. Nevertheless, he used the game as an excuse to keep her in his room.

Eventually they began talking about the boys, and Nelson laid out their problems. His brow furrowed as he talked of Tom’s love for Sarah Carter and his recurring uncertainty about marrying her because he had lost a leg. “And now Jeff’s growing
up,” he added, “and you know how hard it is to raise a young boy. I was hard to raise myself.”

Eileen smiled. “They’re both fine boys,” she said. “You have a fine family, Nelson, and they’re all going to turn out well.”

T
he battle for Atlanta had been terrible. Many buildings were destroyed, and their gutted skeletons pointed like ghostly fingers to the sky. Many citizens had lost their homes. The struggle to rebuild the city had begun. Now, however, Atlanta was a Yankee city rather than one that had been the pride of the Confederacy.

Mrs. Grace Holcomb, the aunt of Lori Jenkins, was a frail, silver-haired lady in her late eighties. Although she had many friends from a lifelong residency in Atlanta, she was totally without family there.

Her eyes lit up with gratitude as Lori put her breakfast tray in place. “Lori, I don’t know what I would have done,” she said, and her hands trembled as she reached out to pat Lori’s arm. “You were like an angel from heaven when you suddenly appeared,” she added, smiling up at her.

Lori had heard that her aunt had been a beautiful woman in her youth, and traces of that beauty remained. She returned Mrs. Holcomb’s smile and poured a cup of tea into a dainty china cup. “I’m just glad I could come, Aunt Grace. It’s good to visit with you and hear the stories of the family.”

She sat down beside the elderly woman and talked cheerfully, studying the old lady’s face.
She doesn’t look well
, Lori thought.
Every day she seems to get a
little weaker, but she never is discouraged. She’s really a wonderful woman
.

“Have you heard from your parents, Lori?”

“Oh, yes. They say the Yankees are still holding Tennessee. I suppose there’s no hope for the Confederacy there.”

Aunt Grace sighed. “Such a terrible war. I wish it had never happened. What will happen to the poor South?”

Lori at one time would have said quickly that the South had not lost the war. Now, however, the news was so bad that she no longer felt that way. Sherman was pursuing General Hood’s troops across Tennessee, and it was just a matter of time before the huge Union Army won over the smaller Confederate force.

“I don’t think it can last much longer, Aunt Grace,” she said. “Soon it will all be over, and life can go on again.”

Grace Holcomb’s eyes dimmed as she looked over at her niece. “I hope all goes well for you, Lori.” She nibbled at her toast and then asked, “What about these two young men that you keep talking about? Royal and Drake. Tell me some more about them.”

Lori’s cheeks grew warm, and she laughed slightly. “Oh, you know how it is, Aunt Grace.”

“It’s been a long time since I was a girl. But I still remember two boys that got into a fight over me out in the schoolyard.” She smiled gently. “I wonder where they are now. Probably in their graves, both of them. I think of them still. Have they fought over you yet, these two young men?”

“Oh, yes, but I’m hoping they’ll stop such foolishness.”

The two women talked while Mrs. Holcomb finished her breakfast.

“This was so good, Lori. I don’t know how we’re going to manage for food in the future. I don’t have very much money left.”

“Oh, Daddy gave me plenty of money.” Lori grinned, adding, “It’s all in Confederate money. I don’t know if the Yankees will let us use it or not. And that reminds me—I’ve got to go out and get some groceries.”

“From what I hear from the ladies that come and visit, most of the shops are pretty bare, and it’s still dangerous for a young woman to be out.”