"He's refusing to give information about the enemy…"
"He knows nothing…!" She nearly yelled.
"Then maybe he'll remember something. You must learn to keep your nose where it belongs Mrs. Anderson, this is war."
Outside the noise and the yelling blended as they punched and kept punching George.
But George said nothing.
Chapter Six
Jacob and Hank stumbled up the porch and into the living room flinching at the sharp jab of a soldier with a gun and the sight of George bloodied before them. They glanced at each other as they went inside. Humiliation flushed their cheeks. A sudden, unwelcome chill hung in the air.
"Well now, do you gentlemen know where the Rebel camp is around here?" The captain's voice grew menacingly cold as they stood waiting before him.
Jacob shook his head, his eyes going around the room quickly, as though assessing the situation at hand.
The butt of a gun under his chin urged a vocal answer. "No suh, I don’t."
The blood pounded in Jacob's head, Josey could see a vein throbbing at his temple. Sweat began to roll off him. Not from fear, but from refrain.
A wave of apprehension swept through the room.
"We’re farmers, not soldiers. We don’t get much news of the war. And…I guess we ain’t very interested." Hank's voice held contemplating edge.
Silence loomed.
The captain's voice cut the silence as he turned a thunderous look on Hank and his fist hit the table making everything rattle.
"Ain’t interested in the war?" He mocked them through gritted teeth his head turning so he could look at them. "That’s a serious remark young man. Bring them closer sergeant, so they can see the map and show me where the camp might be."
Rancor sharpened the captain's voice. "You have something against soldiers, son?"
The fact that he called Hank son gave off a false air of his own age. The captain, although well-schooled in soldiering, was not much older than Hank himself, and Josey was sure he had grown the beard to hide his youth.
Annoyed by the sarcasm Hank clenched his jaw and the muscles in his arms flexed. "Haven’t been around many."
The captain's lip thinned with disciplined anger.
"Now look at this map, the both of you, and tell me where you think they might hide. You are bound to know the area. Where are the good hiding places?" He sharpened his gaze on them.
Jacob leaned over the map, as spit drooled from the corner of his mouth. His sweat dripped on the map.
"Don’t do me no good captain, I can’t read." The captain dismissed Jacob's remark and turned his cold eyes on Hank.
"And you?" He said his nostrils flaring. "Can you read?"
"Yes." Hank reddened, his voice filled with exasperation.
"Then show me where you think they might have hid out." He insisted.
Irritated by his annoying sarcasm, Hank shook his head, barely concealing his rage. "I don’t know. I don’t know anything about them."
The captain reached up suddenly and slammed Hank’s head on the map, jarring the table once more, so Hank's cheek was ground into the map and then he pointed. "This is where we are…now where would be a good hiding place?"
When Hank didn't respond at all, he applied pressure to his head, making Hank revolt and buck. The sergeant put a gun to his head, the cold flint stared him down.
"Captain?" Mrs. Anderson came to glare at him in the face.
"Alright, alright…" Hank's voice quivered with pure rage.
The women gasped. "Oh my God!"
Hank seemed to realize that this officer wouldn’t be happy until he pointed to something, so he stared at the map. The pressure on his head eased temporarily.
"Where?"
Hank pointed them in the least likely direction.
But when the sergeant cocked the gun in his face, Hank relented. "Maybe here, it’s got a lot trees and brambles. One might hide there, but I can’t say for certain. I’m no soldier and I don’t know how they think."
Satisfied the captain nodded to the sergeant who moved away from the table. He pressed his lips together, released Hank and folded the map. His irritation reeked. "All right, we’ll try that area first."
Hank sighed with relief. For once Josey’s heart went out to Hank. Despite personal feelings, Hank was family, and at this moment they were bound to each other. Josey knew that one more humiliation and Hank might have bolted and done something drastic, while Jacob stood with bulging eyes and clenched fists.
The room nearly exploded with unspoken rage.
"We may be back this way, and if you have led us astray, you’ll pay for that mistake."
"But I’m just guessing," Hank shouted out. "Honest captain, I don’t know nothin’ about the rebel’s camps." Hank protested his innocence in the matter, and the captain stared at him with nothing short of contempt.
"I don’t think I heard you boy." The captain nodded to the sergeant and he gun butted Hank in the stomach. Hank bent his eyes bulging with pain.
The women shrieked and moved toward Hank.
~*~
No one in the room was prepared for the bitter anger raging in Jacob though. His whole body shook, and a tear escaped him, as the pain to restrain nearly killed him. An as Mrs. Anderson glanced outside, the silence was unbearable. Had they killed George?
"Ain’t no call, captain." Jacob’s eyes were wide with rage, as he glanced around the room. Rose watched and tried to move toward him. His fisted hands spoke volumes as the captain eyed him.
"You’re a free man sir, but don’t try my patience," he warned. "You would fight the man that frees you?"
Jacob didn’t respond.
"Now how come big strappin’ boys like you aren’t out fighting?" The acid in the captain's voice spewed at Jacob.
Rose’s watched Jacob with a growing fear. Jacob was compelled to protect everyone on the Anderson farm, since he was the biggest. Knowing what they might have done to George, and still might to the rest of them, she knew Jacob would retaliate.
That was his thinking, and she knew his heart was too big for his body. It was part of what she loved about the man, his protectiveness. His eyes became big and he looked as though he wanted to tear the arrogant captain limb from limb. His chest pumped up and down at the restraint he exercised. A feat Jacob could accomplish. Rose shook her head with tears in her eyes, her fear for him growing by the minute. It obviously took all his strength not to fight them. His eyes bulged and his hands fisted over and over again. Rose feared he might do something and get himself killed. Her eyes pleaded with him not to move.
Jacob stared into Rose’s eyes, and his fists began to relax slowly his chest stopped pumping so hard and one tear fell away from him.
When no one responded, the captain turned around and stared at them. "I ask you a question."
Once again bile gathered in Rose’s throat as her attention flew to Hank, seeing him glare at the floor. Rose felt his helplessness, and frustration. Both of these men meant to protect her family to their death. But Rose could not bear for them to be hurt.
Rose started to make a move toward the captain but. Hank finally lifted his head, the admission sounded as though someone had ripped it from his heart and mind.
"My mama didn’t want me to go. I help manage two farms sir. And someone must remain behind to take care of the ladies."
"And a fine job you're doing!" The captain roared with laughter.
The admission hurled from his lips, like bile. He even bent over as though he might throw up. Stripped of pride, Hank’s stare returned to the floor. A single tear rolled down Rose’s cheek. She knew Hank was fighting his own war to contain himself.
The captain’s arrogant smirk and rolling eyes said it all. He’d victoriously humiliated them, what more did he want? Rose whirled from one to another but halted when the captain blurted.
"Your mama didn’t want you to join and fight for your country? How about you boy? Don’t you have any say ab
out yourself? Are you a man or a boy?"
Hank’s face paled, his hands rolled into two tight balls, but he stood as still as he could, he clinched his teeth, and then yelled, out.
"No sir. I don’t have no say."
Anguish ran down Hank's spine. Humiliation proved his downfall.
The room went quiet for a second before the captain and the sergeant broke out in laughter. "How amusing. We should keep this one around so he can entertain for our boys."
Rose noticed the captain’s smirk labeling Hank a mama's boy. She also saw the fury in Hank's face. Her own hand itched to slap his arrogant face. Obviously the power to rebel was reaching its limits. Much more of this and Hank and Jacob would tear the entire house down. But then he looked to her and a silent understanding began to build between them. There was no derision in Rose's face, only love. Obviously it was the strength Hank needed as he held his head up high once more.
"I see. She wanted you to stay home and suck a tit, huh?" The captain laughed. The sergeant grinned.
~*~
"Captain please." Mrs. Anderson frowned and stood. She seemed to rock on her feet, her fists were at her waist as she faced the officer with all her grit. Her voice not as steady as usual, her eyes were filled with such sorrow. Josey watched her mother pull herself up, and walk over to Hank grasping his hand as though to reassure him. "This gentleman works for me. As I said before, He’s a farmer. I won’t have him humiliated for your pleasure. We’ve done nothing wrong. We invited you to tea. How can you treat us so?"
"Oh you won’t, won’t you?" He mocked her.
Unaffected by his sarcasm she raised her nose into the air. "Captain, this is my home. You will not talk like that in front of my daughters."
Josey couldn’t believe her mother’s strength. She’d never been prouder of her.
Rose moved to stand beside her mother, putting a hand on her shoulder.
The captain's eyes narrowed and hardened as he spoke.
"Madame, this is war, and war isn’t pretty. It has nothing to do with fine china, and tea times. No, instead, it has to do with killing or be killed. Perhaps you should take a good look at the war some time and you might begin to understand. Obviously you've been blinded by this remarkable farm. If you saw your family splayed out there on the lawn, blood soaked, I venture you might begin to understand it. Maybe then the war itself would make you see how serious it can be, and what it costs all of us. You pious people who sit out the war cannot preach nor judge us."
"What has it cost you, Captain?" Their mother asked staunchly. He turned his head and his face turned red.
"My naïve…"
"Indeed. What a pity."
He lent her a smirk. "Very well. We’ll be out by morning. Thank you for the tea, and inform me when supper is ready. My men have not eaten in two days and I expect your girls to serve them. And this is for your trouble."
He dropped a five-dollar gold piece on the floor.
"Is that gallant enough for you, Mrs. Anderson?"
Her mother stared at it, then gently took her shoe and flipped the coin toward him. "I don’t need your money, sir."
"Suit yourself." He glared at her as he bent to pick it up. "Good day…Oh, sergeant, tie the men against those trees outside. That way we won’t be having any problem with them. The big buck there looks like he might try something, and I've no doubt he would succeed. Too bad we have to free these pitiful people. They don’t even know what it means to be free. But, I’ll give him this; I’ve never seen such restrained strength before. I've never been threatened by a silent foe, until now. Every time I speak to the old lady his eyes bug out as if he could kill me with his bare hands. I can't imagine such loyalty to a slave owner. Unfortunately he’s a Negro, or I’d make an example of him.
"I don’t want these people to alert the rebel troops when we leave. Although by the looks of them, they couldn’t give us too much trouble I don’t expect."
"Is it necessary to tie them up?" Mrs. Anderson asked as they moved toward the front porch.
"Yes, very. Despite you good manners, you are Southern sympathizers. We cannot trust nor allow the men any privileges. That black buck looked like he had murder in his eyes, even after I told him he was free. I don’t understand the loyalty some of them have for you ignorant farmers. Plain and simple ignorance, I suppose. And despite the fact you are obviously trying to ride out the war, you are involved and until we leave, a suspect. Unless you’d rather see them dead?"
Then he went outside and spoke over his shoulder at her. "In which case…we could just shoot them…if you like."
"I’ll personally see you hang if you do. These men have committed no crimes against either government."
"You’re a pesky little fly, Mrs. Anderson. Don’t get in my way anymore…understand?" he bleated.
Her mother stood her ground till they were outside, and then she nearly fell to the floor, she was so weak.
Josey watched as the men were tied to the trees. She saw how Jacob’s eyes followed Rose. The interplay between them surprised her but it made sense.
For the first time, she understood Jacob’s fierce protective nature. She understood why her mother insisted these men were family now. And she had to admit; even she loved them for it. The way Jacob sought to protect her mother, made her proud of him. After all, they were his family.
Her mother was right, there was no call for them tying the men up as they did, she grumbled as she watched.
She understood how Jacob felt. Her folks had treated him well through the years, and he repaid that generosity with his loyalty to them. He was willing to die for her family, and that made her extremely proud to call him her friend.
But the tie between Jacob and Rose was stronger than Josey first realized.
Uneasily, she moved to the kitchen to begin helping fix the meal. Josey said very little. There were too many undercurrents of fears and problems, growing. She closed her eyes, if only the war would end. How long would it carry on?
When their mother was upset they knew they had to be quiet. For their mother handled this situation.
The soldiers pitched tents along the lawn and settled in for evening. They reloaded their guns, shined them up, but did nothing to clean themselves.
Mrs. Anderson gathered her daughters to her. "You must do exactly as I say. We are at their mercy right now. These men could kill us if they so desired. If we act right, they will be gone by morning. Rose, no matter what you do, don’t flirt with them. Feed them and come straight back here. Do you understand me? I gotta know you are both all right."
"Of course I do Mama. What do you think I would do?" She stared at her mother in disbelief. "I'm just so very proud of Hank, Jacob, and George, Mama. We need to tend to George, doesn't look like they killed him, but he's beat up pretty bad."
“As soon as we can, we'll see about George. I can't believe he didn't tell them anything. Now listen to me Rose. I’ll have none of that innocent talk. I know what you’ve been up to and it must stop here and now. Especially with these men here. I know about you and George, Jacob and Hank. But from this day forward, there will not be another man but Leroy for you, is that understood?"
Rose’s gaze escaped to the soldiers outside. Fear gripped Josey as she realized that Rose was aware of them as men. But she also saw fear in her sister’s eyes and that tempered any temptation.
Ruby Anderson stared at her daughter. "They would kill you Rose. Then laugh at you. You kept Jacob from being killed just now, I know that. And I’m proud of you for it. I’m proud of him. And now, I want to do the same for you, honey. I am so very proud of you all, but especially of Hank and Jacob and George."
Rose nodded.
When they finished preparing the meal, the girls took the plates to the men.
Josey watched Rose take the first batch of food out to the men. She feared for her sister almost as much as her mother. Rose moved with stiff disregard, her glance straying to George, seeing a gash in his forehead and bruises alrea
dy forming on his body. She shot Jacob and Hank a look of love.
Josey wasn’t as lucky, she took the soldiers around the barn their plates, and one of them, a young man, pulled her inside. The plate she gave him flew to the ground. Others laughed knowing what was about to happen. She tried to fight him, but he was much stronger and he threw her down to the soft hay. "Yes sir, she looks ripe for the pickin’. I bet you ain’t never had no man…have you honey?" The soldier chuckled as he bent to kiss her lips.
Josey kicked her feet, and then slapped his face. The soldier was stunned, and he slapped her back. "Oh, you like to play rough do you?"
"I’ll kill you before I let you touch me," she yelled. "Aw now…honey…" He laughed.
Then out of the black depths of the barn came a steel edged voice that stopped the young soldier cold.
"Unhand her or you’re a dead man…"
Chapter Seven
"Who the hell…"
Josey watched in stunned silence as the soldier rolled over and then jumped to his feet. He cocked his gun then jumped in one direction then another, trying to find his intruder through the darkness. Josey saw her chance.
As she sprang up and whirled about, she knocked the gun from the soldier's hand with her arm, a heavy thud sounded. She turned around to see the soldier fall unconscious to the barn floor.
"Leroy?" Josey called quietly through the darkness. She’d have known his voice anywhere. He was here. Her heartbeat quickened.
However, he was hidden before she could spot him, and it made her gasp when he finally called out to her. "Yeah honey, come this way, into the darkness so they can’t see you."
She wandered into the shadows, her heartbeat quickening.
"Now…make a few giggly sounds for the men out there to hear." Josey’s eyes widened.
"Are you serious?" she whispered.
"Very…So they will think the soldier succeeded, honey."
"Oh…okay…" She tried to do as he asked but nothing would come out. She felt a slight brush of his fingers against her ribs, sending goose bumps down her back and a gasp from her lips. How he found her in the darkness she’d never know, but it worked beautifully. She giggled aloud.
Always Remember Page 7
