CHAPTER 9

About mid-morning of day two back on the trail, Effie and Sarah rounded a bend and there was Clara Newton’s house, the woman who had invited them to sit on her porch for a spell and who had given them vegetables. They had promised to stop by, and also Effie wanted to ask her if she might have any idea what happened to Mandy Newton. Clara said she didn’t really know the woman, but did hear rumors that the house just burned down one night and with her in it, it was thought. Clara didn’t know if it was true, but no one had seen her since. Effie felt very sad, but figured she was just another casualty in this war situation right now.

Later, as they resumed their walk, they noticed a slight difference in the weather. It had turned a few degrees cooler, although still not cool enough for their sweaters.

Sarah’s spirits had bounced back, rejuvenated just by thinking about her visit with James, but Effie worried that a period of monotony would soon set in because there wasn’t the same excitement this time on the trail. The territory was now familiar and they wouldn’t have the same anticipation of what was ahead.

Often in the evenings, as they sat by the campfire after eating their meal and before crawling into their beds, Sarah would hum or sing lullabies to baby Elisha. She had a nice voice and Effie always enjoyed hearing her sing. Just as it had been their practice all along the trail to keep their voices down so as not to attract any unwanted attention to themselves, Sarah always sang softly.

Little Elisha seemed to enjoy it very much, for he was soon asleep. He had proven to be a good traveler. He rarely ever cried loudly on the trail. But of course, most any baby would have been happy riding along snuggled close to his mother’s breast, listening to her heartbeat as she hiked along.

- * - * - * - * - * -

Effie was thankful each morning when the sun came out because it made the walk so much more enjoyable, seeing it shining through the branches of the trees when they stopped to rest, sparkling on an occasional leaf like a jewel.

They stopped occasionally along the way to look for wild berries and nuts to add to their diet. One day they happened to spot a persimmon tree loaded with ripe fruit. They picked as many as they were able to carry in a small bag, which they expected to enjoy for several days.

One day near a small stream where they rested, they spotted some wild green onions and watercress growing. They picked some of each, which tasted mighty good seasoned with bacon grease. And on one occasion they spotted some bright orange pumpkins growing in a farm field. They were tempted to swipe one, but managed to resist the temptation.

By mid to late afternoon that day, they saw that they were approaching the big river. There appeared to be no change, so they easily crossed over to the other side. The water seemed a little colder, however, so they breathed a sigh of relief when they had that behind them this time. They had removed their shoes to keep them dry, but couldn’t keep the bottoms of their long skirts from getting wet.

* - * - * - * - * -

Their luck ran out the next day. Along about noon there was an abrupt change in the weather. Light winds started to blow, dark clouds appeared in the sky, and soon there was thunder and lightning. They had stopped under some trees earlier and were in the process of having their noon meal, so they quickly grabbed everything and moved further back into the forest for more protection.

Before they could get things completely moved, the rain started falling – at first just drops and then suddenly a downpour – much harder than any they had seen so far. “Well, Sarah, we knew this had to come sooner or later. Everyone kept saying it was time for it. You should cover your head with the oilskin and make sure Elisha doesn’t get wet.”

After sitting under the oilskins for what seemed like hours, but was actually about one half-hour, the rain mercifully stopped. Effie immediately set to work trying to get a fire started, using what dry twigs and limbs she could find. Soon she had a nice blaze going. Partly due to the skill she had acquired on the journey, and with a little luck, in a little while she managed to have some hot water for making a cup of coffee for each of them. She especially wanted this for Sarah, who had been shivering, she noticed.

After drinking her coffee and building up the fire a bit more, Effie told Sarah she was going to scout around and see if she could see a farmhouse close by. “You and Elisha stay close by the fire and I’ll be back soon. I won’t go too far.”

As she walked along the wet trail by the side of the woods, Effie suddenly heard a slight noise and glanced over to see what it could be. She saw a pitiful looking large bird, which looked something like a small fat hen. As she got closer, she could tell it was injured and unable to walk. She finally decided it looked like a quail.

Oh, the poor thing. What should she do? She decided that if she just left it there, it would surely die. So she decided that the best thing to do was put it out of its misery.

Going back out on the trail, carrying the quail, she walked ahead for about a quarter of a mile, hoping to see a house come in view. She was about to give up and go back when she happened to see an old structure of some sort up ahead by the side of the road. Curious, she walked up closer to investigate. What could it be? A deserted house of some kind? A barn? It didn’t appear to be very large, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of life around.

As she got closer she could see that it was just a deserted shack. She pushed the door open and found nothing inside except one old dilapidated bench, and lots of leaves and twigs. It obviously hadn’t been used for some time, but at least was dry inside.

Right away Effie decided she would go back and bring Sarah and Elisha there. The place could be made comfortable as soon as they got a fire going, and they could stay at least overnight or until the sun came out again and dried things up a bit.

Hiking back down the road, she told Sarah of her find and suggested they leave at once for the dry shack.

A half-hour later, they had scooped all the dry dead leaves into one corner for a bed and had a warm fire blazing away in the other, the quail roasting on a spit. It was quite cozy.

While Effie prepared their supper, Sarah spread out their bedrolls to dry along with anything else that had gotten wet. They were both feeling much better about the situation now, and agreed that they should stay right there until they were sure the rain was completely over. Effie was also hoping that the nice hot meal coming up would do wonders for Sarah. She was certainly looking forward to it herself.

That night while they slept, Effie lay in the dark with only a half moon and a little glow from the coals and ashes left from the fire. Her mind was filled with thoughts of their situation. They had made it pretty well so far. She and Sarah had both lost some weight, no doubt from all the walking and mostly eating smaller meals.

Although the return trip was not as exciting, the days much longer, and the weather not as nice, they hated for it to end. They would miss the closeness they had enjoyed and the break from the humdrum lives back at the farm most of the time, especially for Effie. It was a little different for Sarah who had her young child to care for. They didn’t talk as much now as they plodded along, each with her own thoughts.

On of their biggest problems was their sore aching feet every night, which they soaked in warm water whenever possible. They worried whether their shoes would last until they got home.

Effie also worried whether the food supply would hold out. In spite of her efforts to use sparingly, their precious supply of coffee, tea, sugar, salt, and lard was dwindling.

She made a mental note that in the morning, whether raining or not, she should take her rifle and go foraging in the nearby woods to see if she could have any luck in catching a rabbit, squirrel, or even a bird or two, as much as she hated killing them. She would also look for wild blueberries, nuts, or anything else she could find to help sustain them.

- * - * - * - * - * -

Back on the farm, there was just Nellie, young Sam who was now eleven, and Emma living there. Caleb and Harriett were in and out, Harriett helping as much as possible with the care of their mother. Emma now sat up in bed a lot and sometimes in a chair. Her facial wounds were somewhat cleared up, but mentally she was not the same. She just sat and stared into space a lot and rarely talked, and then to say such things as, “When will James and Sarah be back?”

A few close friends had stopped by, but such visits were not encouraged because it was impossible to carry on a conversation with her. The doctor had stopped by a couple of times; always saying she was healing nicely physically, but that mentally there was not a lot anyone could do, and that only time would tell whether she returned to her old self again.

It was an especially difficult time for young Sam. He had lost his father Samuel, both his brothers were away in the war, and now it seemed as though his mother was lost to him. He was at a loss to understand it all, especially when he tried talking to Emma and got no response.

The sheriff had reported no luck in finding out anything about the men who had abused Emma and stole all the food. The characters that did that sort of thing just swooped in on a certain farm and just as rapidly left. And in this case, with Emma still unable to give any descriptions, it was almost impossible to do anything about it.

The family was upset over losing the food supplies taken by the intruders, especially the jars of freshly canned vegetables and fruits. But they thought they would be able to make it through the winter with the late growing root vegetables, the pumpkins in the field, and a few other things overlooked in the cellar by the thieves, such as the big crock of sauerkraut.

That is, if the robbers didn’t return. This was one of their biggest fears, so they started trying to find ways to hide as much of their food supplies as possible -- for instance, digging places deep in the ground in back of the cellar, which they filled with potatoes, beets, turnips, etc., and then covering with dirt and straw. They also hid filled jars under beds – anything they could think of.

Nell really missed her mother’s help in doing all the household chores. The task was a bit easier, however, since there were fewer living on the farm. But even so, it was a chore just keeping up with everything.

In addition, she and Harriett sometimes pitched in and helped Caleb with all the farm work he was left to do practically alone except for Sam – the care and feeding of all the animals, preparation of the land for winter; and taking care of the tools and equipment, patching up old pieces to make them last. Some things were impossible to replace because of shortages, even if one had the money to buy them.

They especially gave him a hand on the day they decided to butcher a hog to have meat for the month ahead. This was a long process involving the cutting, seasoning, and preparing for preservation, smoking the hams, and grinding the sausage. In turn, he helped them with making molasses and lye soap, both jobs of which were done outside by building a good fire under the big black kettle and keeping it going during the process. With sugar sometimes impossible to get, the molasses made a great substitute.

Life was hard and growing harder in this part of the country as more and more of the young men were pulled off the farms and sent to help with the fighting. Fortunately, because of their young age and good health, Harriett and Nell were able to cope, but some nights it seemed that every bone in their bodies ached. In Caleb’s case, even though he was a few years older, he managed to put in a hard day’s work every day. His devotion to his new family made him determined to do everything possible to keep things running for James and Jessie. For Nell and Harriett, it was just work that had to be done.

Even Caleb’s dog, Bow, got in the act. For a number of years, he had been a familiar sight following Caleb all around the farm. But after baby Nancy was born, he started staying around home during the day as though he felt the need to look after Caleb’s loved ones while Caleb was up at the farm.

However, when Harriet left their home to come up to the farm to help, Bow always trotted along behind; and when they were working outside, Harriett would place Nancy in a large basket nearby where she was closely watched by Bow, who would instantly sound an alert if she started to cry.

With so much of the family away now, Harriett and Nell had become much closer than they used to be. Now happily married and having her own home to look after, Harriett had come to appreciate all the work Nell did in keeping things going at the farm in addition to looking after their mother. This was why she tried to lend a hand as much as she was able. Also, she no longer resented Nell for her good looks. She didn’t give it a moment’s thought. As long as Caleb loved her and thought she was pretty, that was all that mattered.

* - * - * - * - * -

A Calvary regiment out of Rolla composed of a hundred men had been on the move for two days to a destination unknown by most of the men. They had been pursued part of the way, but managed to escape.

They camped one night on the farm of a sympathetic elderly farmer, who offered them all the water they needed for themselves and for their horses.

The next morning they took off, except for four men who were finishing up a few last minute chores. Making sure no debris was left, they expected to catch up shortly.

However, before they got away, they were ambushed by a small Confederate unit passing by and were taken prisoner along with their horses.

One of the men was James Sanders’ friend, George Stanton, who had been recruited into the Army with James at Rolla.

* - * - * - * - * -

Jessie Sanders just couldn’t get used to being a soldier. Everything was so different from the easygoing life on the farm where you worked hard but didn’t have someone telling you when to get up, go to bed, do this, do that. It rankled him a lot, especially in the beginning. He especially didn’t like some of the rough-looking characters he was forced into living quarters with, and even less some of the non-commissioned officers who barked orders in his face day and night. He doubted if he would ever get used to it.

But after a few weeks, he came to realize that he had nothing to gain from his sullen attitude and should just accept what he could do nothing about. After that, it got a bit easier.

He was assigned as just another foot soldier in the infantry. Like James, he was a good shot and was complimented for his skill. By the time he was through with basic training, he had gotten to know one or two fellows who lived about ten or fifteen miles form the Sanders farm, and they became buddies. This also helped.

One day, it suddenly occurred to him how great it would be if he just happened to look up and see James striding by. He had no idea where he was, but thought he had to be somewhere in the area. Of course, James probably didn’t even know that Jessie was now a recruit.

So he gradually began spreading the word that he had a brother somewhere around and asked that anyone let him know if they knew him or had heard his name. He even got up enough nerve to ask his big tough sergeant one day. To his surprise, the guy seemed sympathetic and said that when he had some extra time he would nose round and see what he could find out. Jessie was amazed!

The sergeant surprised him one day by saying, “You know, you just might check the base hospital – just a thought, you know.” This, of course, had never occurred to Jessie, but he realized this could be a possibility. So as soon as he got off duty that day, he walked to the hospital area. Even though he wanted very much to find James, he dreaded to think that he might be seriously wounded there. Realizing that possibility made Jessie more determined than ever to find him.

The hospital was a busy place, so it took a while before he found someone who could tell him where to go to get the information he wanted. As he sat waiting for the person at the desk to have time to talk to him, he was shocked at seeing the rows and rows of wounded men – a depressing sight. He said a silent prayer that James was not among them.

Much to his relief, about fifteen minutes later the orderly assured him that there was no one by the name of Sanders anywhere in the hospital. So he thanked him and left, still determined to find James somewhere.

- * - * - * - * - * -

That night when they got into their bedrolls, Effie had a bit of trouble getting to sleep. Suddenly, far off in the distance she could hear a sound like dogs howling – or was it wolves? She didn’t remember hearing anything like that on the way to Rolla. She wondered why. Did it have anything to do with the rain? Or that it was a bit later in the month? She didn’t know, of course, and just wished they would stop. It was an eerie sound.

The next morning when she woke, Effie got the fire going again to warm up the room and to get breakfast ready. She stepped outside and found that the Eastern horizon was red-tinged, which to her meant the sun would be coming up soon. That was good news after so much rain.

They were soon back on the trail and hoping to make up for lost time by taking shorter rest periods. The trail was a bit muddy from the rain, so they tried to walk along the side in grass wherever possible. Their boots were getting more shabby and worn, and they again hoped the boots would last until they got home.

When they stopped for the noon break, Effie was suddenly aware of a faint steady sound in the distance. Alert as always to danger, she listened carefully and as the noise grew louder, she realized it was the pounding of horses’ hoofs. Grasping Lizzie’s reins, she shouted to Sarah, “Quick, get over in the trees where you can’t be seen from the road. We must hide as quickly as possible!”

They just managed to get themselves hidden in a grove of trees when, as Effie had feared, through the branches of the trees they could see a large group of men on horseback coming their way. They had no idea who they were.

“Lie down on the ground, Sarah, and hope to God they don’t notice us – and pray that Lizzie doesn’t bray or panic and bolt out of the trees. Too bad there isn’t time to tie her to a tree.” In their favor was the fact that the sky had become overcast, making it a bit darker in the trees.

The riders came along at a pretty good pace. As far as Effie could tell, there were at least a dozen, maybe more. She assumed it was an Army group of some kind because while a few had on what appeared to be a uniform of sorts, others wore ordinary clothing.

As they got closer, Sarah and Effie, trembling in fear, could smell the sweat of the horses and hear the sloshing of their hoofs in the mud as the horses reached the grove of trees. They were sure the men would spot them, but much to their relief, the horses trotted right on by.

Effie and Sarah stayed in the woods for a while, almost afraid to believe they hadn’t been seen. It was a frightening experience. The men appeared to be Confederates, so Sarah said, “Wonder what would’ve happened if they had seen us and stopped to ask who we were and learned that we had just been visiting Union headquarters?”

Effie replied, “Let’s don’t even think about it.”

After this unsettling experience, they decided they weren’t very hungry after all, and definitely didn’t want to make a fire. As they sat there, Effie suddenly remembered that it shouldn’t be long before they reached the home of Albert and Bess. They were that first nice family they had met on the trail who invited them to eat dinner, let them camp overnight in their barn, and served them breakfast. With that incentive to spur them on, they started off again, hoping they would recognize the place.

The going was slower since they took special care to travel close to the wooded sections so they could again hide if need be; and also because the trail was chopped up from all the horses’ hoofs leaving big ruts on the trail, making walking difficult.

By late afternoon, as they were beginning to grow weary, they thought they recognized their friends’ farm up ahead. “Oh, I do hope so,” Sarah said, who was looking as though she was about all in.

As they plodded up to the front gate, there were Bess and the girls standing waiting for them. One of the girls had spotted them coming up the road. They opened the gate wide and bid them come in.

“We’ve been expectin’ you,” Bess said. “We thought it was about time. Do come in. We certainly want to hear all about everything. Amos will take care of your mule for you. Amos, unpack Lizzy and give her a good drink of water. Mary, where is your father? Go find him and tell him we have visitors. He’ll also want to hear their story.”

Effie and Sarah couldn’t ever remember having a warmer welcome. And they didn’t realize yet how tired they were until after they were refreshed and sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in the living room. By that time Albert had joined them.

Right away, Effie asked Albert if a group of riders had come through their way that morning. She told him of their experience. He replied that they did indeed come through and he was furious about it. He said, “They must have been in a heck of a hurry because to save a few minutes they had taken a short cut right through one of my fields and vegetable patches, leaving the ground a mess.

“But you know, if they hadn’t been in such a dad-blamed hurry and were goin’ at a slower pace, they may have spotted you, so I suppose we can be thankful for that.”

Later, everyone in the Jenkins family, it seemed, had a question. So gradually Effie and Sarah told them all that had happened since they last saw them.

- * - * - * - * - * -

After his visit to the hospital, Jess was about ready to give up ever learning anything about James. But the next day, the sergeant came over, took him aside, and said, “Private Sanders, I think I may have found your brother. I’ve been told that he is in a unit that’s been involved in a battle about fifteen miles east of here under the command of Col. Graves. I hear that things haven’t gone so well and they’re gradually returnin’ to camp for reinforcement and to bring in the wounded. I suggest you keep a close watch, and I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

Jessie couldn’t believe it. He said, “Sergeant, I can’t get over it that you are goin’ to this trouble for me, and want you to know that I’ll never forget it. I didn’t believe such a thing ever happened in the Army.”

“Well, I’ll tell you somethin’, young man. It really is a small world. I’ve been here at this place for about a year, and I’ll never forget the day not too long ago when a pretty young lady came up to me as I was entering the camp and asked me if I knew where she could find Private James Sanders. At first I tried to discourage her until I realized that she had walked for many miles to bring her baby for her husband to see. So at the risk of lettin’ it be known that I’m really just an old softie and spoil my image as a mean SOB – which I know I can count on you not to spread – I made up my mind to help her.

“I sent her back across the road to where she was camped and set to work tryin’ to locate James. As it turned out, he was not in camp but was due to arrive back the next morning. So I was able to find him right away after they got in and sent him over to see her.”

Jessie said, “Oh my goodness, so this means Sarah arrived safely with the baby and she got to spend some time with James. Well, that’s just great to know! We were all pretty worried about her goin’, but she was determined.

“But listen, Sir, I’m afraid your secret is out, ‘cause I’m sure that our whole community knows by now the story about her visit with James and about what a nice guy you are, knowing Sarah as I do.”

“Well, you don’t have to spread it around here, Private, if you don’t mind. Just remember that I’m a tough old guy and expect guys like you to toe the line. Anyway, I have to run now, but will let you know if I hear anything.”

The very next day, after returning from some field exercises and standing in the chow line, Jessie heard someone call his name. He turned around to see James standing there looking at him. His brother! The sergeant had done it again! They embraced, laughing, both talking at the same time.

Except for a few bruises, a few scars here and there and minus a few pounds, James looked pretty much the same. Jessie stepped out of the line and they found a place to sit down. They had so much to talk about, and hardly knew where to start.

James said, “Isn’t this something? In the first place, I didn’t even know you were in the Army, and to be sent here of all places is just unreal.”

Jessie agreed, saying, “Well, I just had a feeling that you were around here someplace and I kept trying to find you. Would you have believed that a sergeant in the Army would go to the trouble that this one has to help us? He told me about running into Sarah and helpin’ her find you. I couldn’t believe it. I had to laugh, though, when he told me that we’re not to tell anyone else about what he’s done, remindin’ me again that he’s a tough SOB and I’m not to forget it – just when I was ready to give him a big hug!

“But gettin’ back to Sarah, tell me more about it. What do you think about your son Elisha? Isn’t he a dandy?”

“Yes, he sure is. Jessie, I can’t wait to get out of this place and back on the farm. I have dozens of questions and need you to bring me up to date.”

“Well, as I said, James, everything was goin’ pretty well when I left the farm. Caleb is one of the greatest things that ever happened to this family. I’d trust him with my life and every possession I had. I just know that he’ll do everything in his power to keep the farm goin’ and keepin’ an eye on all the others.

“And Nell has turned out to be a wonder. You’d have to see her to believe it. And, before I forget to mention it, she and Edward Duffy seem to have developed quite a friendship, possibly a romance. He came by one day before I left to tell her that he had been recruited and was leavin’ the next day. Wanted to say goodbye. I’ve the feelin’ if he comes out of this OK, the two of them will probably marry. She seems to like him a lot.

“And Sam is really pitchin’ in when we can get his head out of a book. I think he’s turnin’ out to be the brain in the family. Maybe a teacher like Pa. Harriett, too, has been a big help when needed at the farm.”

“But,” said James, “what about Ma? You haven’t talked about her very much.”

“Oh, she’s OK. Has just slowed down a bit. A bit worn out with all that’s been goin’ on. This is partly what I meant about Nell doin’ such a good job. She’s practically taken of the day-to-day runnin’ of things in the house, and insisted that Ma take it easier, seein’ that she takes a nap every day, for one thing.”

The brothers sat and talked on until lights out that night, comparing notes about their present situations and other things. As they said goodnight, neither knew when or if they would meet again.