The Sound of Distant Thunder

by Jan Drexler

  “Have you been to Farmerstown? Is there a letter?”

  Levi pulled the envelope from inside his coat and handed it to Jonas’s father. “It isn’t from Jonas.”

  Abraham’s face paled. He took the letter, then glanced at the kitchen door. Lydia had opened it with a welcoming smile, but it disappeared when she saw her husband’s expression.

  Abraham ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter. He read it silently, then looked at Lydia. “He isn’t coming home. The letter says he was buried at Fredericksburg.”

  Lydia closed her eyes and leaned against the doorframe.

  “Denki, Levi, for bringing the letter.” Abraham took a step toward his wife, then looked back. “If you could spread the word, I would appreciate it. We need the support of our church at a time like this.”

  “For sure,” Levi said. “I’ll tell your family first, then Father.”

  Abraham nodded, then took Lydia inside the house.

  Levi did as Abraham asked, making the rounds to Samuel’s house, then to Elizabeth and Ruby at the top of the hill. Next were Jonas’s married sisters, and by the time Levi left Miriam and Jacob Blank’s home, he was exhausted. His news had been met with grief from Jonas’s sisters, but Samuel had looked angry, and then frightened. It would be a sad evening in the Weavers’ home tonight.

  As he reached the crossroads after leaving the Blanks’ farm, he pulled Champ to a stop. The next person to tell was Father. As the minister, he would take the news to the rest of the congregation. But Katie needed to hear the news from Levi, not anyone else. He turned Champ toward Weaver’s Creek again, and the Stuckey farm.

  Levi knocked on the door, waited, then knocked again when there was no answer. Finally, the door opened, and Katie invited him in.

  “What brings you back?” she said as he hung his coat and hat next to the door. Gustav’s coat and hat still hung on their hook.

  “There was a letter.”

  Her eyes widened, and her fingers flew to her mouth. “From Jonas?”

  He shook his head and sat at the kitchen table. Katie took the chair next to his. “It was from the army.”

  “Why would the army—” Her voice broke as she realized the truth. “Jonas is dead, isn’t he?” Her voice was flat. Strained.

  “Abraham said it told that he was buried at Fredericksburg.”

  Katie sat, silent and still.

  Levi had expected her to cry. To become angry with him. To deny that the news he brought could be true. But her silence broke his heart. He took her hand in his. “We will always remember him.”

  She turned toward him. “For sure.” She stood, pushing her chair back. “I haven’t offered you anything to eat. I can make some tea . . .” Her voice drifted off as she stared at the stove.

  “Katie, are you all right?” He rose and stood behind her, not knowing what to do. He should comfort her, but how? What did she need?

  Suddenly, as if he had thrown an icicle on the fire, her knees gave way and he caught her in his arms. She was as light as a child. He turned her toward him, and she buried her face in his chest, trembling, but making no sound.

  “I can’t do this,” she whispered after a long minute. “I . . . I can’t.”

  “Do you want me to take you to the Weavers’? It’s good to grieve together, don’t you think?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t leave Mama.”

  “I can get someone to stay with her.”

  Katie shook her head again. “I’ll be all right.”

  Levi looked around the kitchen. A pot of soup stood on the stove and a partial loaf of bread was on the table. A row of dead geraniums filled the windowsill. “Have any of your sisters-in-law been here to help you with your mother?”

  “Mary and Esther have sick children, so they can’t come. And Lena is busy with her children . . .”

  “And you told them you didn’t need them.”

  Katie pushed away from him and sat at the table again. “I don’t need them. Only Mama and I are here, and Mama doesn’t eat much.”

  She didn’t look at him. Any other time, he would leave now, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave her like this. He pressed on.

  “How much does Margaretta eat? What did she have for dinner today?”

  Katie looked at him. “I made some soup, but she didn’t want any.”

  “Did she eat breakfast?”

  Katie shook her head, still not looking at him.

  “Do you have any bread in the house?”

  “Lena brought some last week, and Lydia brought a loaf yesterday. I was going to make some more tomorrow.”

  “Do you have any eggs?”

  “The chickens aren’t laying in this cold weather.”

  Levi sat, listening to the dry cough that came from the downstairs bedroom. “You’ve told everyone you’re doing all right, haven’t you?”

  “For sure.” Katie ran her finger along the edge of the table. “Mama was doing fine until she got sick a couple days ago. It’s been hard . . .” She looked at him again, her eyes wide, as if she suddenly remembered why he was there. “Ach, Levi, what will we do? Jonas—”

  “I’ll take care of you. Don’t worry.” He stood up and took his hat and coat from the hook. “I’m going home to fetch Mother. She will know how to fix meals Margaretta needs to eat, and you won’t be alone.”

  Katie nodded, still sitting at the table. Levi untied Champ and started toward home. Filled with awe and sorrow at the news about Jonas and the grief that filled the Stuckey home, he still had to admit that he felt a little bit of satisfaction. Katie needed him. Finally, she needed him.

  FEBRUARY 19

  The first signs of spring creeping into northern Virginia brought new life to Major MacGregor. He had been the victim of an infection through January and into the first days of February, but as the middle of February had approached, he regained his strength.

  “I reckon it’s your good cooking that has helped the major,” Jonas told Hiram one day as they cleaned up from the noon meal. Major MacGregor rested on his bed, reading a book. “You’ve provided him with plenty of good chicken broth and spring greens, although I don’t know where you have found such items.”

  Hiram scrubbed the plate in the dishpan. “Victuals are always available for those as know where to look, Billy Yank.”

  “Where did you find the greens, though? The weather is still chilly, although the sun is growing warmer.”

  “That’s a secret my granny taught me years ago.” Hiram looked up at him, squinting his eyes. “I’m not sure she’d be wanting me to share it with any blue-belly.”

  Jonas shrugged, knowing Hiram couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. “It’s up to you, for sure. But for all I know, you might have purchased those greens from some other fellow.”

  Hiram glared at him as he thrust the plate into the tub of rinse water. “The secret is knowin’ where to look. Cow pastures is good places, on the south side of trees and fenceposts. That’s where the first dandelions will grow. Waterleaf and nettles too. There’s plenty of food if you know what you’re looking for.”

  “And the chicken for the broth? I thought all the chickens in the area were gone by the end of December.”

  “It ain’t chicken.”

  “Do I want to know what it is?”

  Hiram grunted. “It’s edible. That’s all you need to know.”

  “Whatever it was, it has helped the major gain his strength back.”

  Captain Meredith came into the cabin. “I have your papers, sir. We can leave as soon as you are able.”

  “Leave?” Hiram asked. “Where are we going?”

  Major MacGregor looked up from the book he had been reading. “You are staying here, Private. The three of us are going to Manassas.” He put down his book. “I didn’t want to say anything about the situation earlier, since I didn’t want to raise false hopes, but now that everything is arranged, there is no need to keep things quiet.” He looked at Jonas. “You’re g
oing home.”

  Jonas wiped the last dish dry as the major’s words sunk in. Home? “How did this happen?”

  “I had word that my brother-in-law was taken captive at the battle of Stones River, near Nashville. The officer who captured him requested a ransom, and I asked if we could effect an exchange.” He chuckled. “He wasn’t willing to exchange a captain for a private, but I was able to persuade him with some cash thrown in. We will leave in the morning. Once you’re exchanged, the Yankees will decide what to do with you.”

  Jonas swallowed down the rush of emotions. If he teared up, Hiram wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. “Thank you, sir. You are most kind.”

  The major shook his hand. “I’m glad to do it. Now, pack my things.”

  “For how long of a trip?”

  “Four or five days, depending on the weather. We are to meet with the Yankees two days from now.”

  The next morning was overcast and dreary, but the weather didn’t dampen Jonas’s spirits. He rode a fine gray horse, one of the major’s own animals, and the three of them made good time. Captain Meredith reckoned that they had covered twenty-five miles by nightfall, when they reached an inn near the crossroads where they would turn north toward Manassas in the morning.

  Major MacGregor spent a restless night, and Jonas woke often to give him a drink and powders to relieve the pain. He was glad to see there was no fever, however, and the night passed.

  Captain Meredith had brought a white flag with them, and as they neared the old battlefield, he unfurled it. Jonas rode between the two men, and their mood was somber.

  “Did you fight in the battle that was here last year?” Jonas asked the major.

  “I did. I did, and it was a bloody affair. We won the day, but at great cost.” He pointed to a hilltop a half mile away. “The boys of the Virginia Military Institute fought there, and I’ll never forget it. The flower of Southern youth.”

  Ahead of them waited three men on horseback. Major MacGregor halted his horse about fifty feet away. While the captain went through the formalities of the prisoner exchange with the Union lieutenant, Jonas watched the man in the gray uniform opposite him. This was the major’s brother-in-law, returning to his own world. Jonas had learned so much about Major MacGregor and his family that he felt this man was a friend also.

  The major handed him a sack, small, but heavy with clinking coins. “This is for the lieutenant yonder,” he said, then reached to shake Jonas’s hand. “You’ve become a friend. I will always remember our time together.”

  “Yes, sir.” Jonas gripped the major’s hand in his own, glad to feel the strength in it. “I will too. You have taught me much about the South. Whenever I think of Virginia, I will always remember my enemy who became my friend.”

  Major MacGregor smiled. “And when the Yankees lose this war, as they surely will, you know where to turn if you ever need help. But I’m sure you’ll be fine in your Weaver’s Creek valley in Ohio. Give your parents my regards when you see them.”

  Jonas shook the captain’s hand also, then dismounted. Walking across the field toward the man who walked toward him, he looked beyond him to the Union officers waiting on the other side. On the home side. He walked faster. When he reached the lieutenant and his aide, he stopped and saluted, just as if the two months in captivity had never happened.

  “It’s good to see you, Private.”

  The lieutenant reached for the sack and opened it, spilling the coins into his gloved hand. He counted silently, then nodded to his aide. Jonas stood at attention, aware that the three rebel soldiers were riding away, back to Fredericksburg. For some reason he felt as if he was among strangers.

  “Your first duty when we return to Washington will be to report to General Hooker’s staff at headquarters. They will need to be apprised of everything you were able to learn about the enemy during your captivity.”

  “General Hooker, sir? What happened to General Burnside?”

  “He was relieved of command nearly a month ago. General Hooker is our man now.” The lieutenant motioned for him to mount the waiting horse and they started the journey to Washington. “After you meet with them, you can return to your company. Where are they camped, Corporal?”

  “Near Arlington, sir.”

  “Yes, that’s right. I have signed the orders to give you a two-week leave. After you report to your unit, your leave will begin at the pleasure of your commanding officer.”

  Jonas’s horse had lagged behind the others, but now he hurried to catch up. “A leave, sir?”

  The lieutenant smiled. “Yes, Private. You have been the captive of an enemy army, and to me that deserves a few days to return home to see your loved ones.”

  FEBRUARY 20

  Within hours of Salome Beiler entering the Stuckeys’ home, Katie finally felt some hope that Mama might recover from this illness.

  The first thing Salome did was to make Katie a thick butter sandwich and heat up some milk, sweetening it with sugar. Katie ate what was set before her, somewhat afraid to disobey the minister’s wife. Then Salome sent her to bed with orders to not come back downstairs until she didn’t look so pale. So Katie went up to her room and dropped on her bed.

  Salome’s food had helped her feel sleepy and comfortable, but her head still ached. Ever since Levi had brought the news of Jonas’s death, her temples had throbbed. After he had left, Mama had called to her, asking what he had wanted. When Katie told her the news, Mama had patted her hand.

  “It’s just as well that you know now. You have your life ahead of you. You’ll find someone else.” Then Mama had coughed until she could barely breathe.

  Katie had been so thankful when Salome had arrived an hour later. Levi had brought in boxes of food, and Salome had taken charge.

  “Jonas can’t be dead,” she said as she lay on her bed, whispering to the cold lamp beside her. “He can’t be.” She fell asleep and had strange dreams about thunder and children and Levi. But through them all, she saw Jonas’s face in the background, smiling as he watched her.

  When she woke, the sun was shining as if spring had come. Katie sat up in bed, ready to run downstairs, but then heard voices in the kitchen and remembered that Salome was there. She dressed slowly, putting on a clean dress. She couldn’t remember the last time she had changed her dress. Couldn’t remember the last time she had washed the laundry.

  Salome’s voice drifted up the stairway. “I’m glad you’re doing better today, Margaretta. That cough can get you down, can’t it?”

  “I’m not sure what you gave me last night, but it helped the cough go away. I slept better than I have since . . . since we lost Gustav.”

  That was Mama’s voice. Katie froze with her hair halfway up and a hairpin in her hand. She hadn’t heard Mama mention Papa’s name since the funeral.

  “That elixir is an old family recipe. I’ll write it down for you. It works as well on children as it does on adults too. You just give them less. No more than a teaspoon.”

  Katie finished putting her hair up and tied her shoes.

  “Is it true, what Katie told me yesterday?” Mama said. “About Jonas Weaver?”

  “Ach, ja, for sure and certain. Poor Lydia and Abraham, to lose their son to the war.” Katie could see her in her mind, shaking her head. “And before he joined the church too. I guess that’s what comes of turning away from the teachings of the Good Book.”

  “It is too bad. He was a bright and promising boy. I always thought he would make a good husband for Katie, and I should have told him so.”

  Katie bit her thumbnail. She should go downstairs and join the older women and stop eavesdropping, but she had never heard Mama confiding in anyone like this, not even Lydia. At least, she had never talked like this when Katie was around.

  “Well, now that it has happened, Katie can go on with her life, ja? Maybe she’ll even notice my Levi.”

  With that, Katie knew she had to go down to the kitchen. At least that would stop them from talking about
her.

  Salome had a big smile on her face as Katie joined them. “And here’s our Katie. Sit down, dear. Dinner is almost ready. You must be hungry.”

  As soon as Katie had caught the aroma coming from the oven when she came down the steps, her stomach had started growling. “For sure, I am. What can I help with?”

  “You can slice the bread.” Salome put her hand on Mama’s shoulder as she tried to stand. “Not you, Margaretta. You might be feeling better, but that cough will come back with a vengeance if you try to do too much. As soon as dinner is over, you’re going back to bed for a nice long nap.”

  “All I’ve been doing is sleeping.”

  “And that’s what will cure your ills, both your body and your heart.” Salome opened the oven and took out a chicken pie. “That goes for you too, dear.” She put the pie on the table and wrapped an arm around Katie’s shoulders. “You have a heartache that only time can heal.” She gave her a quick hug, then turned back to the stove. “I remember when my dear Amos lost his first wife, it took nearly two months for him to start thinking about love again.”

  Katie exchanged glances with Mama. Only two months?

  Salome went on, not aware of them. “And his three little boys without a mother.” She tsked her tongue as she took three plates from the shelf. “It was a good thing I was there for all four of them.”

  “This was before you lived in Ohio, wasn’t it?” Mama asked.

  “Ach, for sure. We lived in Pennsylvania. Amos was heartbroken when he lost his wife.” Salome moved around the table, putting a fork and knife at each place. “He hired me to take care of his boys and the house, but it wasn’t long before we knew we were made for each other.” She gave both Katie and Mama a happy smile. “The same can happen for both of you too.”

  By the time dinner was finished and Mama was in bed for her nap, Katie’s headache was back and throbbing. Salome liked to talk and had continued without a pause all through the meal.

  “I’m going for a walk,” she told Salome, “and I’ll hang the dish towels on the line while I’m outside.”