Chapter Nine

 

 

News of another battle arrived—this time, from Cold Harbor, Virginia. It was a major victory for the Confederacy. Knowledge of a Union defeat lifted David’s hopes tremendously, but he kept his feelings to himself and spent most of his time outside with his horse or in the fields.

Noticing one afternoon how the flower garden near the farmhouse had exploded with blooms, he asked Sarah about their variety.

“Those are English roses,” she explained. “Helen loved roses, and she nurtured her rose garden. I believe Anna takes after her in that respect.”

“Helen?” David repeated.

Sarah nodded.

“What was Anna’s father’s name?”

“Quinn. Why all of the questions?”

David glanced back at the flowers. “Jist curious is all.”

He walked over to the blossoming bushes, knelt down, and inhaled their perfumed fragrance. Floyd and Colby noticed him from their dugout rut at the side of the house. They bounded over and sniffed around in the flowerbed. He chased them out before they could cause any damage. The back porch door slammed. He looked up to see Abigail marching toward him.

“You said we were going fishing,” she whined.

He straightened and smiled at her. “Not till tomorrow mornin’. Tonight we have to go huntin’ for bait.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Oh,” she replied. “Should we make a net?”

“Naw. We can grab those li’l critters before they git away. But we’ll need a tin can with some dirt in it. How’s about you go fetch one and make ready.”

“Okay!”

She ran back into the house. He heard her holler through the open windows.

“Anna! I need a tin can.”

After evening chores and supper, David and Abigail sat on the back porch, patiently waiting for the sun to go down. When it finally set, he lit a kerosene lantern and went into the yard. Abigail followed close at his heels with the tin can. Colby and Floyd sniffed around them, curious to find out what they were doing.

“Now, these li’l buggers are fast, so git ready to grab ‘em quick!” he instructed. He glanced at Abigail, who nodded her head.

“Oh! There’s one,” she said and pointed.

“Git it.”

He laughed while she chased the night crawler through the damp grass.

“Oh! It got away.” She stomped her foot.

With a chuckle, he said, “That’s all right. Let’s keep lookin’.”

Hunched over, they made their way around the yard and gazed into the damp grass. Abigail sprang after another one. She held the wriggling worm up proudly.

“I got one.”

“Good. Put it in the can.”

She obeyed, and they resumed their search. Half an hour later, they had captured nearly two dozen night crawlers. Deciding they had enough big, fat, juicy ones to land a trot-line full of fish, they retired early. David knew he would have to be up by at least four o’clock in order to finish feeding the livestock before Abigail was awake. Once everyone was asleep, he lay awake in bed listening to the crickets, and recalled the last time he went fishing. It was with Jake, the month before they joined up.

By five-thirty, he had finished his chores. As he walked up onto the back porch, he overheard Maggie and Anna talking in the kitchen.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Maggie. “Anna, do you really want that Rebel to be alone with our little sister?”

“Oh, Maggie, don’t be silly,” Anna replied. “David would never do anything to harm Abigail. Besides, he’s been alone with her before.”

He entered the kitchen, cast a smile at them, and indulged in a piece of bread slathered with strawberry jam. Abigail came down the steps, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“Are you ready?” he asked her.

She nodded in response.

They walked out onto the back porch. Collecting their tackle, a kerosene lantern, and the tin can, they set out on a dark path through the pasture toward Conewago Creek. The sun was just beginning to light up the sky.

“Watch out for cow pies,” David joked.

Abigail giggled. “Did you go fishing in Alabama?” she asked.

He grinned at her. “Every chance I got. Jake and I used to go fishin’ every Sunday after church, and then we’d explore the caves.”

“You have caves where you live?” Abigail asked in awestruck fascination.

“Yup. Sure do.”

“Did you ever see any bats?”

“A few,” he responded.

“Tell me a story.” She took his hand.

He glanced down at her. “Hmm. Well, there once was a hound dog named Daisy, who met up with a skunk.

“Daisy said, ‘You smell awful bad.’

“And the skunk replied, ‘Well, you’ve got a mighty big nose.’”

Abigail giggled.

“Daisy the dog said, ‘I’ll jist eat you right here,’

“And the skunk said, ‘Then I’ll squirt you till you stink.’

“‘Well,’ Daisy replied, ‘I can’t have that. What should we do about it?’

“The skunk answered, ‘If you let me go, I won’t squirt you.’

“Daisy said, ‘Reckon I can go along with that.’

“So the two parted as friends, swearin’ to be friends forever till the end. The end.”

She looked up at him. “Just like us,” she said. “Friends till the end.”

“Yes, miss. Friends till the end.”

They came to an embankment and set the tackle down. David noticed the water was high and nearly over its banks.

“What’s in this here creek, anyways?” he asked.

“Water,” she teased.

“Very funny,” he remarked.

She giggled.

“Let me rephrase that. What’re we fishin’ for and don’t say fish.”

She giggled again.

“What I mean is, what kind of fish?” he reiterated.

“Why, the kind with gills, silly.” She laughed. He simpered at her, so she answered, “Sunfish, carp, and catfish.”

With a snicker, he strung a night crawler onto her hook and cast it into the water. The current quickly dragged it downstream. He handed the pole to her, wormed another hook, and threw that one in as well. In only a few moments, she had a bite.

“Oh! It’s a fish,” she screeched, jumping up and down, so excited she nearly dropped the pole.

“Hang on tight,” he said.

Quickly setting his pole down, he came over to assist. He took the pole from her and yanked it backwards, reeling in the line. A long, glistening catfish flopped up onto the bank. He estimated it to be one and a half or two pounds.

“Lookee what you caught, Miss Abigail.”

He pulled the hook from its mouth, attached the fish to the stringer, and set the end stake deep into the soil before releasing the attached fish into the murky water.

“He won’t get away, will he?” she asked.

He grinned and shook his head. “Nope.”

They continued to fish for another hour. Both caught two more. Abigail sat down beside him with her head cocked to one side. She watched closely while he threaded another night crawler.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Would you like to do this?” he invited.

“No, thank you,” she accentuated.

He chuckled.

“When are you going to tell her?”

“Tell who?”

“Anna.”

He glanced at her again, completed his task, and stood. “When am I fixin’ to tell Miss Anna what?”

“That you’re in love with her, of course.”

His mouth dropped open. Quickly concealing his surprise, he snorted. “I don’t know what you’re referrin’ to.” He walked over to the riverbank.

“Yes you do. Everyone can see it, except possibly Maggie, but that’s only because she doesn’t want to. I think you should tell Anna you love her.” She took the fishing pole David handed to her.

“I can’t do that,” he said, intrigued by the little girl’s precociousness.

“Oh? Why not?”

He shrugged.

“Well, if you don’t tell her, then she’ll never know. And I think she deserves to know.”

He looked at her with an arched eyebrow. “What if she don’t feel the same?”

“Well…” She cocked her head again. “At least you told her. It’s better than not knowing and keeping it a secret, don’t you agree?”

He frowned. “I reckon so. Your aunt won’t be too happy about it, though.”

She glared at him. “Whose life is it anyway? Yours or Aunt Sarah’s?”

Amazed her reaction seemed so advanced for her age, he replied, “Mine, I reckon.”

“So what are you waiting for?”

Her persistence began to weaken his resistance. “Well, I’ll tell her then. Do you know how she feels about me?”

Abigail giggled. “Yes, I do, but I’m not telling.” She smirked.

He couldn’t help but chuckle. Turning away, he walked along the bank. He pulled another earthworm from the can, and pushed it onto the hook. A screech and a splash startled him. He whirled around to see her being carried away by the current.

“Abigail!”

He dropped the pole and ran to the edge of the embankment. The exposed earth had collapsed from under her.

“Damnation!”

He quickly pulled off his boots and dove in after her. The icy cold water assaulted his senses and tugged him under. He thrashed to the surface, gasping for air. Shaking his wet hair from his face, he frantically looked around. She screamed again. He saw her tiny head bobbing away downstream. Propelling himself, he thrust his body closer until he drew near enough. He reached out and grasped onto her skirt. Tightening his grip, he pulled her to him. Adrenaline rushed through his veins. He held her close and lurched himself back toward the bank, fighting against the strong current. Reaching the bank, he struggled to gain his footing, pulled her up out of the water, and set her down upon the damp, moss-covered ground.

Abigail gasped for breath. “What happened?” she coughed.

He sat down beside her, catching his breath. His lungs felt like they might burst. After a few deep breaths, he said, “You slipped.” The shock of what had happened hit him. He had almost lost her in the capricious creek.

She sat up, panting. Once her breathing had slowed, she stood. “I should go home to change,” she stated, as though she had only been caught in a rainstorm.

He nodded. They walked back to the house. He held onto her hand the entire way. They entered the kitchen. Abigail’s sisters and aunt gaped at them.

“How dare you,” Maggie snarled at him.

Sarah wrapped her arms around Abigail and threw a wary glance his way.

“He saved me,” Abigail proclaimed. “I fell into the creek, and David jumped in and pulled me out.” She went on to describe her harrowing adventure.

Anna asked her, “Are you all right?”

She nodded with a smile.

“Come, Abigail,” Sarah said. “Let’s get you into some dry clothes.” She led her upstairs, and Maggie followed.

David sank onto a kitchen chair. His head started spinning as he thought about what had taken place and how close Abigail had come to drowning under his watch. Biting his lower lip to maintain his composure, he looked up at Anna, who smiled kindheartedly at him.

“Everything is fine, David,” she calmly soothed. “Just tell me what happened.”

Drawing a deep sigh, he said, “I was stringin’ a hook, and I turned around, and there was Miss Abigail, floatin’ away downstream. The bank she was standin’ on gave out from under her.”

Anna glanced over him. “Go put on some dry clothes,” she said.

Realizing he was still wet, he uttered, “Oh,” and awkwardly stood. “I forgot the fish.” He started toward the door.

“And your boots,” she said.

He looked down at his stocking feet, noticing at that moment that he’d walked back without footwear.

“You saved two children in less than a month,” she observed. “My, you’ve been a busy boy, haven’t you?”

He turned to look at her, unsure if she was being sarcastic or not.

She walked up to him and gently kissed his cheek. “You’re my knight in shining armor,” she said.

Feeling his face blush embarrassed him even further. Bashfully smiling at her, he hurried outside and walked back to where he and Abigail had been fishing. He recalled their discussion just before she had fallen in and convinced himself she was right. He would tell Anna how he felt about her. He had to. It was already obvious to everyone, and he couldn’t keep it in any longer. He was in love with her. He had to let her know.

When he returned to the house with the five fish they had caught, he put them in a bucket and set it on the back porch. He left the catch to be scaled and gutted until after he had changed clothes. Once upstairs, he passed the doorway to his room and peered in to check on Abigail. He saw Sarah running a brush through her niece’s long, blonde hair as they sat next to each other on the bed. They looked up and smiled at him. He wanted to smile back, but was too exhausted to muster it, so he sauntered into his room. Opening the top dresser drawer, he noticed the buckeye Jake had given him. He picked it up and took it in to Abigail.

“Miss Abigail,” he said, holding it out to her. “A friend of mine gave this to me for good luck, and I want you to have it.”

Taking it from him, she looked it over. “Thank you,” she replied.

The sound of her young voice made his heart melt.

“I don’t really need a good luck charm, though, because I have you.”

He looked at Sarah, who smiled at him again. Finding himself speechless, he went back to his room to change into dry clothing. Abigail’s words nearly choked him up, and he came to understand how much he adored that little girl; how much he adored them all, even Maggie, to a certain extent. And he realized how he truly felt about Anna. She was the love of his life. He knew he had to profess his feelings to her. It was now or never. If he didn’t, the war might come to an end, giving him no excuse to stay. Then he might risk losing her forever.

I’ll do it, he resolved. I’ll tell her, and soon.