The Roll of the Drums

by Jan Drexler

  “Ruby knows where the smithy is. We need a new one just like this, and a new handle for this one.”

  Gideon wrapped the scythe blade in an old grain sack and laid it in the back of the wagon. He climbed onto the seat and held the horses still while Ruby got ready to get into the seat next to him, but Roseanna pushed past her.

  “I want to sit by my daed,” she said, not looking at Ruby. “You can sit in the back.”

  Gideon waited until Roseanna sat down. “What did you just do?”

  The ever-present frown was on her face. “I wanted to sit by you.”

  “Did you ask if you could?”

  She shook her head, looking at her feet.

  “You pushed ahead of Ruby. Was that the right thing to do?”

  She shook her head again.

  “You need to take your place in the back. Ruby will sit up here.”

  Roseanna looked at him. “She doesn’t belong here. She isn’t our mamm.”

  Gideon glanced at Ruby, who was sitting in the back of the wagon, quiet and still for once, but listening to every word.

  “She belongs here because she’s our friend. She should sit in front because she is older than you are and must be respected.”

  Roseanna’s frown deepened, and Gideon pushed down the anger rising at his daughter’s disobedience. He didn’t want to leave Roseanna at home to make Lydia’s day miserable, but he couldn’t let this defiance slide, could he?

  “Gideon,” Ruby said. “Is there room for three on the seat?”

  When he nodded, Ruby climbed onto the bench with Roseanna sitting between them.

  “Is this all right?” she asked Roseanna. “Can we share the wagon seat?”

  Roseanna nodded and scooted closer to Gideon. Ruby made sure Ezra and Sophia were comfortable in the back of the wagon, and Gideon jiggled the reins on the horses’ backs. He looked sideways at his daughter who was looking straight ahead and as close to him as she could get on the crowded seat, and then at Ruby, who crowded the edge of the seat on the other side. After they came out of the valley, they reached a crossroad where Ruby indicated that he should turn left.

  He looked into the back of the wagon. Sophia and Ezra had both gone back to sleep, their heads pillowed on some feed sacks in the bottom of the wagon bed. Roseanna yawned, then snuggled against him. Above them, the sky turned from dove gray to a pale blue, then streaks of yellow light covered the sky as the sun rose.

  Ruby turned in her seat to look at it, shading her eyes. “I love to watch the sunrise. Do you?”

  He chuckled. “I’ve rarely seen it. I’m usually in the barn doing chores when it comes up. But I do enjoy the early mornings.”

  They rode quietly for a few minutes, listening to the bird calls around them. The light grew stronger and mist rose from the open fields.

  “I think the children have all gone back to sleep,” Ruby said, her voice quiet.

  “I’m not asleep,” Roseanna said. She sat up and stretched. “How long will it be until we get there?”

  “It will take us a few hours.” Ruby patted her lap. “Do you want to lay your head on my lap so you can sleep for a while? I woke you up very early, and a nap will help the time go by faster.”

  Roseanna snuggled closer to Gideon, then yawned. “I suppose so.”

  She laid her head on Ruby’s lap but sat up again.

  “Isn’t it comfortable?” Ruby asked.

  “I guess it is.” Roseanna yawned again. “But it’s crowded.”

  Gideon tried not to smile. “You could lie down in the back with Sophia and Ezra.”

  She looked at her brother and sister, now sound asleep, and nodded.

  Ruby helped her climb down to the wagon bed, and soon Roseanna was asleep, her arm around Sophia.

  “I’m sorry she acted the way she did,” Gideon said as he and Ruby both moved away from the edges of the wagon seat toward the center. “I don’t know what got into her this morning.”

  “I do.” Ruby straightened her twisted skirts. “She misses her mother, but she doesn’t want anyone else to take her place. I’m here, caring for her and the others, and she doesn’t like it.”

  “She doesn’t have a choice.” Gideon stared at the horses’ ears. None of them had a choice.

  “She’ll learn that I’m not trying to take her mother’s place, and then she’ll be better. I hope we’ll be able to be friends, eventually.”

  “You’re much more patient than I am. I was ready to leave her at home this morning.”

  Ruby took a deep breath, watching a pair of pigeons fly up from the dirt road as they approached. “This is better, I think. She learned that you’re willing to compromise and to understand what she’s feeling.”

  “I thought I just gave in to her.”

  She shook her head. “You let her give in a little, and she found out that she hasn’t lost you. She can still be with you.”

  “And that’s important?”

  “A girl’s father is always important.”

  Gideon let her words sink in. He had always felt the girls belonged to Lovinia and the boys belonged to him, but Ruby was right. Children needed both a mother and a father, and if they lost one, then they had double the need for the other. He had asked a lot from Roseanna during her mother’s illness. No more than other children in the same situation, but that didn’t mean she was an adult yet. She still had a child’s need for love and reassurance.

  “Yesterday you said you didn’t think you were the right person to care for the children.” He waited until she looked at him. “But you understand them and what they need better than anyone else, including me.”

  He glanced at the children to make sure they were still sleeping, then leaned closer to the woman next to him.

  “This is what Lovinia saw in you, and why she made us promise what we promised.”

  Ruby’s eyes grew wide, then she blushed and turned away from him.

  Gideon didn’t say anything more. He had already said too much.

  8

  Millersburg was busier than Ruby remembered it from her last trip. Gideon drove to the blacksmith shop first and ordered the new scythe while Ruby and the children waited in the wagon. Ruby held Ezra on her lap while the girls knelt in the wagon bed watching the people go by.

  “Are there any children here?” Sophia asked, tugging on Ruby’s skirt. “I only see grownups.”

  “The children might be in school today.” Ruby wasn’t sure of the Millersburg’s school schedule, but she knew there was at least one in town.

  “We never went to school,” Roseanna said. “We didn’t have one at home.”

  “We have one in Weaver’s Creek, but it doesn’t meet during the summer.”

  “Will we go there?” Roseanna’s face was hopeful.

  “I don’t know why you wouldn’t, but your father will decide.” Ruby watched a shiny black carriage drive by. “Henry and William go there, and the Stuckey children.”

  Gideon climbed into the wagon. “The scythes will be ready by midafternoon. You said there was a place we can park the wagon?”

  “For sure.” Ruby pointed ahead. “Another block farther, then turn left just before we reach the courthouse. The public square has a hitching rail in the shade and a water trough.”

  As they continued down the street, Gideon said, “Do you have Lydia’s list?”

  Ruby held it up. “Did you make one?”

  He shook his head as he turned the team onto Monroe Street at the public square. “I’m not sure what we need. I hoped you would have an idea of how to stock a kitchen.”

  “We’ll start at the store across the street. That’s where Mamm usually buys her things.”

  The store was crowded, and Ruby saw they would need to wait for the clerk’s attention. She read through Mamm’s list.

  “Roseanna, don’t let go of Sophia’s hand.” She looked for Gideon. He had found a place to stand near the door, Ezra in his arms.

  “What do we need to buy?” Rosean
na slipped her right hand into Ruby’s, keeping a tight grip on Sophia with her left.

  Ruby read through the list. “Mamm needs some fabric and thread. Also, some coffee, salt, and cinnamon.” She moved ahead in the line, following the woman in front of them. “And then we need things for your new house.”

  “Why are there so many people here?”

  Roseanna’s face was blotchy, and her lips were dry. Elizabeth was the same way when she had to face strangers.

  “It will be all right.” Ruby smiled at the girl. “Many people live in Millersburg and even more come from their farms, the way we did today.”

  Roseanna tugged at her sleeve and Ruby bent down. “But I don’t know any of them.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “What if they’re bad?”

  Ruby put one arm around Roseanna and drew Sophia closer with her other arm. “Most people aren’t bad, and your daed and I are here to protect you if there is a bad person.”

  She glanced at the woman behind them, who smiled at the girls.

  “It is certainly busy in the store today,” she said. She spoke Englisch and the girls stared at her. “You look like you’re the same ages as my granddaughters. What are your names?”

  Ruby translated the woman’s questions, and Roseanna blanched. “Do I have to tell her my name?”

  “It’s the friendly thing to do.”

  Roseanna swallowed, then said, “I’m Roseanna, and this is Sophia.”

  “Well, I didn’t catch everything you said”—the woman laughed and winked at Ruby—“but I think you’re Roseanna and the little one is Sophia.” She turned to Ruby. “Is it all right if I give them some candy? I always carry some for my granddaughters.”

  “For sure.” Ruby switched to Deitsch as she spoke to the girls. “You may have some candy. It’s all right.”

  The woman took a small tin from her reticule and opened it. Inside were little candy balls covered in sugar. Roseanna and Sophia each took one.

  “Denki,” Roseanna said. She smiled at the woman. “Ruby was right. Most people aren’t bad.”

  “Be sure to eat them before the sugar melts.” The woman smiled again and turned to Ruby. “Such sweet girls. You must be so proud of them.”

  Ruby smiled, knowing that the woman wouldn’t understand the sin of pride. Very few Englischers did. “Thank you for giving them the candy. They were quite worried in this crowd of strangers, but your kindness has relieved their fears.”

  Then it was Ruby’s turn at the counter and she gave her order to the clerk. After the goods were packaged and paid for, Gideon carried them to the wagon.

  They ate dinner sitting under a tree near the courthouse, and afterward the children played in the soft, shady grass.

  “Do we need to go anywhere else while we’re in town?” Gideon asked.

  “I was able to find everything we needed at the store, so all we have to do is wait until the scythes are ready.”

  Roseanna came over to them and sat next to Ruby. “That woman in the store was nice.”

  “She liked you and Sophia. She said you reminded her of her granddaughters.”

  “I wasn’t nice to you this morning.” Roseanna picked a blade of grass and twirled it between her fingers. “Am I a bad person?”

  Ruby glanced at Gideon, but he was stretched out in the grass with his hat over his face and hadn’t heard what Roseanna said. “You aren’t a bad person. Sometimes even good people are tired and cross. But I understand how you were feeling this morning.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I was so mean.” Roseanna looked into her face. “I really do like you. I’ve liked you ever since the first day I saw you.”

  “I’ve liked you ever since then too.” Ruby smiled. “I think we can be good friends, don’t you?”

  Roseanna stared at the grass in her hand. “I don’t want to forget my mamm.”

  Ruby leaned down on her elbow, close to Roseanna, and picked her own blade of grass. “You won’t forget your mamm. I know you miss her. I miss her too. She was my best friend.”

  The girl’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “You miss her? I thought—” She stopped, her face turning bright red. “One of the girls at church said you were happy Mamm died because then you could marry Daed.”

  “That girl was wrong.” Ruby grasped Roseanna’s hand in hers. “I loved your mamm, and I will always miss her. I am very sad that she passed away.”

  “Are you and Daed going to get married?”

  Ruby glanced at Gideon. His chest rose and fell in deep, even breaths.

  “I don’t know if your daed and I will get married someday. But I do know that he loves you, and so do I. We will both continue to take care of you and Sophia and your brothers.”

  “I think you would be a nice mother.” The corners of Roseanna’s mouth lifted a little. “You’re a lot of fun to be with.”

  Ruby drew her hand away. Being a mother was too much of a responsibility, and no matter what Gideon said, anyone else would be a better choice.

  “Denki, Roseanna. But for now, we’ll stick with being friends.”

  Shouting from the street nearby woke Gideon up from his nap on the lawn of the public square. A group of men had gathered in front of the courthouse.

  “What is going on?” Ruby asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Gideon rose to his feet and put his hat on. “I’ll go see. Stay here with the children.”

  He walked closer to the crowd, stopping when he reached the edge. A man was standing on the courthouse steps reading from a piece of paper in his hand.

  “More folks are joining us, so I’ll read the telegram again,” the man said, his voice quieting the crowd. “It’s a message that has come up the line from Cincinnati.” He cleared his throat. “Morgan’s Raiders in Ohio.”

  Gideon’s knees started shaking. He had heard of Morgan’s Raiders, a band of free-wheeling cavalry soldiers working on the outskirts of the Confederate army. Their presence in Ohio could only mean one thing: the war was coming this way.

  The man continued reading. “Last seen in Jackson, seventy miles south of Columbus on Wednesday evening. Heading north and east. Troops sent to intercept. All citizens should be on alert.”

  “They’re headin’ our way!” A man a few feet away from Gideon shook his hand in the air as he shouted. “We have to stop them!”

  “They tried that in Corydon, Indiana, last week,” the man on the courthouse steps said. “Citizens were killed. We don’t want that kind of bloodbath here.”

  Gideon stepped back as the crowd surged forward, each man shouting his opinion of what should be done. He made his way back to his family, dropping to the ground a little away from where the children were gathered around Ruby. His head pounded as he buried his face in his hands.

  He had to run, take the children and go somewhere . . . anywhere away from the approaching raiders.

  From the depths of his mind came the echo of cannon fire, gunshots, and the cries of the wounded. Screams of agony coming from the boy lying at Gideon’s feet, his face mutilated by gunfire, one arm missing, and his eyes staring at Gideon, pleading with him. Then Gideon’s eyes lowered to the place where his legs should have been . . .

  Someone shook his arm.

  “No, I can’t. I can’t.” He twisted away from—

  “Gideon? What happened?”

  Then Roseanna’s voice. “Daed? Are you all right?”

  He opened his eyes and saw Ruby and the children staring at him. He wasn’t in a forest in the mountains of Virginia. There was no gunfire. He willed his breathing to slow, his trembling limbs to still.

  “Ja.” He tried to smile. “Ja, I’m all right.” He stood. His hat had fallen to the ground, and he picked it up, dusting it off before covering his head again. “We need to go home.”

  “Are the scythes ready?”

  He forced himself to smile at Ruby but felt his chin quiver. “Ja, it’s time to pick them up from the blacksmith and be on our way.”

  The childr
en got into the wagon, but Ruby watched him carefully as he checked the horses’ harnesses and led them to the watering trough.

  “You aren’t all right. What has happened?”

  Gideon glanced at the crowd still gathered in front of the courthouse. “I’ll tell you about it later. I don’t want to risk the children overhearing.”

  “Are we in danger?”

  He swallowed and shook his head. “Not right now, but we need to get home.”

  The children slept as they traveled along the quiet road toward Weaver’s Creek, but Gideon couldn’t relax. Phantom riders followed the wagon, their scabbards rattling against the horses’ saddles, their faces grim and dark, the rolling beat of drums following them. But whenever Gideon turned to look, the road was empty. Peaceful.

  Or maybe that was a deception. The riders could be just over the ridge ahead . . . His hands shook.

  “Gideon.” Ruby leaned closer. “What is wrong?”

  He shook his head like a dog to clear the haunting memories. “There are Confederate soldiers heading this way. We need to get out of Ohio. We need to leave.”

  “How do you know?”

  She laid one hand on his arm and that simple, gentle touch rippled through his consciousness like a pebble in a quiet pool. The phantom riders disappeared.

  He turned toward her. The freckles on her nose stood out against her pale face. “I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “You said soldiers were coming?”

  “That was the news in town.” He pushed at the panic that threatened to rise again. “Morgan’s Raiders are in Ohio, and someone said they were coming this way.”

  She shrugged, letting her hand slide off his arm, and he wished for its calm pressure again. He gathered the reins in one hand and grasped her hand that rested on the seat between them.

  “I don’t understand,” she said. “I thought the war was in the East, and the South, not here in Ohio. So why would you need to leave?”

  Gideon glanced at the sleeping children in the wagon bed, surrounded by boxes and packages of supplies for their new home. If the raiders came to Weaver’s Creek, how could he protect them? What if . . . what if he was taken again?