A few hours into Will’s vigil, he realized that Julia’s breathing had changed. The door to her bedroom was ajar, and he could hear his aunt bustling around, keeping herself busy. “Aunt Margaret,” he said as loudly as he could muster. “I think you should probably come in here.”
Margaret had been present at quite a few deaths over the years. Thankfully, most of them had been the passing of elderly members of her family, such as her grandparents, though she had watched her mother breath her last at the age of fifty-two. She had always regretted not being there for her brother and his wife, Will’s parents, but they had lived such reclusive lives. She didn’t even know they were sick until after they had passed. Entering the room, she could tell immediately that Julia’s time had come. Her breathing was very shallow and uneven. Several seconds passed between breaths. Catching Will’s eye, Margaret nodded solemnly.
He
Carey was furious. “This is my aunt and uncle’s farm!” he was yelling, bringing his horse between the torch men and the shed they had just lit on fire. “You have direct orders from Quantrill not to touch any of our property or our relations’!”“Sorry! We didn’t know!” an older cross-eyed soldier spat back before riding off. Though it was too late for this particular shed, Carey was hopeful that he could save the rest of the farm from a similar fate. He was leading a small band of marauders into town. Quantrill had split his men into smaller groups so that they could enter the city limits a bit more stealthily. They would meet back up at the courthouse directly. Carey had given very specific directions to everyone as to which houses were to be spared, this being one of them, but apparently these outlaws had not listened as closely as he would have liked, and he began to fear for the safety of his father who was likely sleep
The group of men Carey was leading were pyromaniacs, apparently. His understanding was that Quantrill wanted them to converge on the square, take the outpost, and then light the town on fire as they made their escape. These men spent a great deal of time throwing torches through broken windows, and it seemed that they would never make it to the heart of the battle unfolding on the square a few blocks away.At last, Carey gave the order to ride on, and then did so, not caring who followed. He could see that a large contingency of the men had accompanied him, while only a few stayed behind to torch the houses along Tenth Street. He covered the few blocks to the square quickly, hoping to get in on the fight. It had been almost two years since he had tasted battle, and he was eager to feel the rush of assault again. However, once he got to the square, he realized Quantrill and Lewis had not organized their attack as well as he had hoped. The 8thCavalry appeared to be ready
Carey’s plan was working. The cavalry was not prepared for an assault on the munitions, and when they blew, it shook the entire square. Glass shards flew through the air, people went flying, horses darted off, some with riders still holding on. The explosion had caught the wooden steeple and roof of the courthouse on fire, and the structure was going up in flames. Within a few moments, the entire top of the building was burning.The Union troops realized that their focal point was rapidly disappearing. While this was certainly devastating to their purpose, it did suddenly create a sense of mobility to the commanders. No longer tied to a structure to protect, they began to pour out in formation, engaging the enemy where they were, rather than waiting for Quantrill and his men to come to them.Quantrill recognized this problem almost instantly. He had hoped to acquire some of the weapons and munitions that had been stored there, but at least they would no longer be
Carey’s horse ran straight past him, seeing the other riders off in the distance, and Carey knew he was trapped. Will was certainly behind him now. He dropped the derringer to the ground, hoping compliance would be beneficial. His only option was to find a way to get close enough to Cordia to take that gun away and use her body as a shield. “Cordia,” he said as sweetly as he could muster, “you’re not going to shoot me,” he smiled at her, nonchalantly. “Go ahead and step out of the way, darlin’ so I can join my men.”“You and your men shot my daddy,” she replied, her voice filled with hate.Carey swallowed hard. It had never been his intention to physically harm her father. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said quietly. “Your father and I have always been such good friends. I’m sure he would understand why you would let me go.”It was a stretch, and they both knew it
Sunshine peeked through the tops of the elm trees that lined the thoroughfare that was Broadway Street, the warm rays invigorating the sparrows who bounced around from branch to branch without a care in the world. As she passed beneath them, however, Cordia Pike could not help but think of all the worries that may be coming in the not so distant future. She made her way along the brick sidewalk, her long gown swishing back and forth. Occasionally, she waved at a familiar face within one of the wagons or carriages that made its way down the busy street from the town square. Conveniently, Cordia’s family lived only a few blocks from the Lamar Square, the geographical center of the town and the economic and social heart for its residents. So, she could easily walk the short distance between their home and any business she could possibly need to visit. The year was 1860 and Lamar had been settled for less than twenty years. It was the county seat of Barton County, Missouri, and it
The door to Cordia’s father’s office was slightly open so she only rapped her fingers lightly on the glass and peeked her head inside. “Hi, Daddy.” Her father was hunched over a stack of papers, one of which he was examining closely with a magnifying glass. He saw Cordia noticing this and quickly shoved the tool into a drawer. Both his wife and his daughter had been on him for several months saying that he needed to have Dr. Walters check out his eyes and get him a pair of spectacles. He refused. He was only fifty-three and that was no age to have to wear glasses, he insisted.Cordia pretended not to notice, though she mentally noted that she would mention this to her mother when she got home. She sat the basket down on the edge of her father’s desk and opened it up. “Mother has sent you some ham and a few other things.” She began to take the items out of the basket, but her father seemed famished and began to take them out himself.
Your hazel eyes are as bright as the sky, and as vast in their reach, Miss Cordia Pike. Now, please don’t leave me in suspense any longer. What do you say? Please say yes. I don’t know what I will do if you won’t have me.”Cordia continued to look ahead of her, down the little lane that led out into the countryside and past the little town of Lamar, out into the expansive state of Missouri, and beyond. Thoughts of those distant places should have no bearing on whether or not one simple girl in a small town should accept the hand of marriage from a local boy. Yet, in these trying times, how could she not consider all that was going on around them before making such an important decision? She continued to walk, her red and white striped parasol protecting her delicate face from the sun. She had known Jaris Adams her whole life. She had attended church with him every Sunday since what seemed the dawn of religion. She had even run through his father’
Cordia took a deep breath and tried to decide how to explain her feelings about marriage to this man who’d been her friend her entire life. “Jaris, I’m not saying ‘no.’ I’m just saying, I know you, and I know if there is any chance that you can go enlist in an army and fight for what you think is right that you will do it. You’ll do it in a heartbeat, regardless of what I think. And what if we had children? What if we had little ones left at home while you were off fighting? I just don’t think it’s a good idea right now.”He spun to face her. “Cordia, what if we did?” he asked, his arms flailing out in exasperation. “That would be wonderful. You and your family could raise them for a little while. Heaven knows my mama would be there, more than you could ever wish to see her, at the idea of grandchildren. I’m not saying that if there is a war that I won’t go fight. But even if there is&md