The first thing Silas noticed when he went back into the house was a letter lying on the kitchen table. “I never saw that before. I reckon Leah must have left it for me.”
He picked up the envelope and saw that with it was a note. He pulled his glasses out, put them on, and read.
Uncle Silas, I feel like I must get word to Jeff about what’s happening. Would you please see that he gets this letter? I’ve written it so that no one who reads it will understand what I’m doing except Jeff.
That was all the note said, and Silas held it in his hand for a moment. “Don’t see how I can get this letter to the boy. I’m not able to go to town.”
He waited all morning for somebody he knew to go by on the road, but no one did. But then he looked out and saw Rufus Prather ambling back toward the Driscoll home. Going to the door, he called, “Rufus, come here!”
Rufus looked up and sauntered over. When he got to the porch, he said, “Yes, sir? What’ll it be?”
“Rufus, I’ve got a very important errand. I’ll pay you five dollars if you’ll go to the camp and see this gets to the right person.”
Rufus took the letter and stared at it. “Well, I can’t read. Who does it go to?”
“Take it to the Stonewall Brigade. Give it to an officer there named Capt. Nelson Majors. It’s for his son Jeff, but he’ll see he gets it.”
“Oh, the soldier boy that went to the party with Leah.”
“That’s right. Will you do it?”
“I guess so.”
The matter was urgent, so Silas hesitated but then said, “There’ll be another five dollars if you can get it done right away. Stop by on your way back, and I’ll give it to you.”
“Why, I’ll do that! I can use ten dollars.”
Rufus left Silas Carter’s house and headed back toward Richmond. He caught a ride in a wagon, but it was not going out to the camp. When he dismounted, he said, “Thanks for the lift,” and then started walking.
He’d not gone far when he saw Lucy Driscoll coming out of a shop. He knew she had little use for him, but he stopped to say, “Howdy, Miss Lucy.”
“Oh, hello, Rufus. What are you doing in town? I thought you were supposed to be on your way home.”
“Well, I was, but Mr. Carter asked me to deliver this letter out to camp.”
Lucy’s eyes sharpened, and Rufus noticed. He had heard about the party from one of the servants. “You didn’t take to the Carter girl, did you? So I heard.”
“You hear too much, Rufus. It’s just that she’s not a true Southerner.”
“Well, she’s a mighty pretty Yankee girl, if that’s what she is. She knows how to catch the good-looking fellers too. Why, I saw her earlier today down at the commissary. She was with a fine-looking young feller. I don’t know who he was, though.” He winked at her and said, “You might take lessons on how to catch a man from that gal.”
Lucy scowled, and a quick answer leaped to her lips. But then a thought came to her. What young man would Leah be riding in a wagon with? She was instantly suspicious. After all, she’s not a true Southern girl. I’d like to know who that man was she was with. If Rufus doesn’t know him, he couldn’t be from around here. Rufus knows everybody.
Brightly she said, “You got to walk all the way out to the camp?”
“Yep, it’s for a soldier there—that young soldier boy you were so sweet on—Jeff. I’m supposed to give it to his daddy.”
Lucy said, “Oh, no point in you walking all that way. I’ll be going out to camp anyway in the buggy. Give it to me.”
Rufus looked at her suspiciously. She’d never done anything nice for him before, but it was a long three-mile walk to the camp, and he was tired. “All right. Be sure you do it.”
“Oh, I will.”
As soon as Rufus turned and headed back out of town, Lucy went to one side and looked at the letter. It was sealed with wax, but she thought, It wouldn’t be wrong to open it if she’s doing something she shouldn’t. She opened the letter and read it.
Dear Jeff,
I know you’ve been worried about me and you think what I’m doing isn’t right. I have to do it. I’ll be leaving Richmond for a while and then I hope our problem will be all solved. I want us to be friends again, like we used to be. Don’t worry about me. Stop by and see my uncle if you can. I’m going to Kentucky, but I’ll be back soon.
It was signed, “Leah,” and there was a P.S.
We’ll be stopping tonight at the Seven Point Creek. That’s where you and I stopped when we first came here. You won’t be with me tonight, but I’ll be thinking of you at the Creek.
Lucy thought hard. She’s leaving town with somebody, and she doesn’t want anybody to know who it is, or she’d have said so.
She’d heard the rumors about the Carter girls, Sarah and Leah, being accused of spying. Sarah had actually been tried for it, and the man that had accused her had been to the Driscoll home several times. She thought for a minute and said, “Captain Lyons! That was his name. I’m going to him with this letter.”
Capt. Wesley Lyons looked surprised when a young lady walked into his office. He stood up at once, recognizing her. “Why, it’s Miss Driscoll, isn’t it?”
“That’s right, Captain Lyons. You were at our house two weeks ago at the ball.”
“Yes, I was. Delightful time I had too. Won’t you sit down?”
“No, I really don’t have time, Captain Lyons. I’m wondering if I should be here at all. You see, I have a problem.”
“Well, anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
“It’s like this. I remember hearing about the trouble you had with those two girls that were staying with Mr. Carter.”
She saw at once that Lyons was still angry over the affair. She knew he had been rebuked by his superiors for bringing charges. True, he had succeeded in getting Sarah evicted from the South, but he had expected to see her imprisoned. He still thought she was guilty. “What about those girls?” he demanded, almost harshly.
“Well, the youngest one, Leah Carter—I know her slightly. She has a friend in the Stonewall Brigade. His name is Jeff Majors.”
“Yes, I know Captain Majors. What about this girl?”
“There’s something wrong about her, I think. She’s not true to the Confederacy.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute,” the captain snapped. “She should have been sent out of Richmond along with her sister.” He peered at her curiously, “Why have you come to me?”
“It’s this letter. Mr. Carter gave it to a boy that works for us. It’s from Leah Carter, and it’s to Captain Majors’s son. I opened it. And I suppose you think that’s wrong.”
“Opened it? Why would you do that?”
Lucy said stubbornly, “I think she’s a spy, just like her sister was.”
This caught the captain’s attention. “May I see the letter?”
“Yes, but you won’t be able to make much out of it. I know this—she’s leaving town with a stranger, and there have been some men who have escaped—some officers, haven’t there? I think it’s one of them she’s trying to get away with.”
Lyons scanned the letter. “This doesn’t say anything that could convict her. I’d have to catch her with the man.”
“Well, I didn’t know what to do, so I came to you.”
“You did the right thing, young lady. You leave this to me. This creek—Seven Point—they’ll be there tonight. I’ll have a patrol out there to intercept them. If she does have a Yankee officer with her, you can rest assured he’ll be captured, and this time Miss Carter won’t get away!”