Friendly Foe
A/N I put a note in Chapter Four where I apologized when it comes to the speech I am using. I admitted I did not know what the accent would be in the area this story takes place. I also said the ONLY reason I was using it was to have a way to show the two different sides. If anyone wishes not to like it and say so WHEN THEY ARE SIGNED IN AND THEN OFFER ME A SUGGESTION THAT WOULD SHOW THE DIFFERENCE IN ANOTHER WAY, I will be more than glad to listen to the suggestion and see if it works. Anyone doing such a thing WITHOUT SIGNING IN will find their review being deleted. NO, I do not feel I am overreacting to a guest review I deleted . After all, all I am asking is for anyone wishing to leave a negative review to do it with a backbone….meaning be mature enough to sign in, thus giving me a private way to ask for their suggestions. I am always open to suggestions that will make these stories better IF a two way private conversation is allowed to be possible. The accent I am using in this story is NOT intended to be an insult to anyone.
Chapter Ten
Georgia peeked through the "curtain" that hung over the living room window and watched as a group of confederate soldiers stood around a campfire. Thank goodness the unit held nothing but strangers to her. She didn't know what she would have done if it had been a local unit. After all, locals would have recognized her and she them…and that would have created a nightmare she wasn't sure she could have handled. As it was, the commander of the unit had taken more than one step backwards when she'd cracked the door open to ask what was so fired important that he'd risk his men's health by knocking on a house that was under quarantine. She smiled as she remembered the commander's words, proving the signs had did their job.
"I needed a place for ma' men to stay for the rest of today and tonight." He then admitted that, until he saw the signs, he'd been thinking of using the house for himself and a couple of his aides. "Still, I see you have a small barn. We'll use it and pitch our tents in the yard. We won't bother ya, I promise." The commander made the promise after she asked him if he wanted his men deathly sick. He knew he couldn't risk his men catching any form of sickness when it could be prevented.
Georgia had, out of the need to avoid arousing any suspicion, offered the man some coffee beans and apologized that she did not have any food to spare. "We have so little. I haven't been able to get anythin' ta add ta our own provisions, not with ma' husband's condition." It had worked. The commander had taken the cans of coffee beans and no one had bothered them since. Still, she wished something would happen to get the soldiers to leave. Because she was so deep in thought, she almost missed hearing it … the sound of the bedroom window being forced open. She grabbed her rifle that was propped up against the wall and ran inside the room…just in time to see a young man trying to get inside the house.
The moment the young man saw the woman with the rifle in her hands, he froze. Georgia let loose. "What do ya think yer doin'? Do ya have some sort of stupid death wish!" She yelled, infuriated by the young man's actions. Though at that moment, she was glad that the house was small and the only window that could be opened… and was large enough for a man to crawl through was the one the young man was trying to enter the house through.
"PRIVATE!" The commander of the southern unit yelled and cursed, before the young man could answer her question. By the time his commander reached his side, the private was standing outside the window and she was looking out of it.
"I asked ya before," Georgia glared at the young man while speaking to the commander, "do ya really want yer men to be wiped out by the sickness that is in this house?" She then shut the window before the gentleman could say anything, though she had to fight her laughter as she watched as the older man gave the young private the lecture of his life time. Even though she couldn't hear his words clearly, Georgia figured she could pretty well guess a lot of what of what was being said. After making sure the window was completely shut, she pulled the curtain closed. She left enough space between the curtain and the wall to let a smidgen of light into the room.
"He could try again." Jarrod said quietly, as Georgia sat next to the bed using the only chair in the house…another reason she had made sure all the windows were covered with something. If anyone had taken a good look inside, they would have known something was off, as the only furniture in the house were a wobbly table in the kitchen, the bed, the chair she was using and a dresser that looked like it needed to be thrown out. As it was, the fact that Mrs. James had sent plenty of candles with them, along with some kerosene and a lamp was a blessing that Georgia was very grateful for.
"He could, but I don't think he will." Georgia smiled, as she thought on the look the commander had given the young private. To say their commander was highly displeased would have been an understatement. Her smile disappeared through when Jarrod, who in spite of his continuing low grade fever and the fatigue that plagued him, tried once more to sit up.
"As soon as they leave we have to go." Jarrod stopped moving when Georgia sent him a warning glare and placed her hand upon his shoulder. "If they find out I'm a union officer, and that you're helping me, who knows what they'll do to you." Of course, he could imagine a few things. All of the ideas made him sicker than he ever thought possible. Then, thinking on the things Mr. James' had told him about Georgia's father and friends, Jarrod added, "Your father and those men are bound to come by. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't already."
Georgia laid her hand on his forehead once more and appeared to change the subject. "I bet ya by tomorrow mornin' yer fever will be gone." When Jarrod started to repeat what he said, he found Georgia's fingers on his lips. "If yer fever's gone by tomorrow mornin' then, once this confederate unit has left, I'll pack up the wagon and we'll leave tomorrow night." She stood up and, walking into the living room, came back with the map that her neighbors had given her and showed Jarrod the notes Mr. James had made. "We continue east towards Hannibal. However, we'll go around it and then cross the border into Illinois. Hannibal is growing fast, no tellin' who we'd run across. We'll just have to keep an eye out for someplace we can use…even if it's a cave." She didn't like that idea, but what else could they do? It's not like she knew the area they would be going into. Any trapping and hunting she'd ever done was in the opposite direction, a point she'd purposely left out while talking with the James'.
The fact that Georgia was thinking while she was talking, and had started to wonder about the wisdom of following Mr. James' instructions, was something Jarrod could see by the look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked, not wanting to be left in the dark about anything.
Georgia looked at him, took a deep breath and pointed to the map. "I wasn't talkin' about the route Mr. James' gave us. If we follow the plan I just laid out," she said as she moved her finger across the map, "it will be better. Don't ask me why because I don't know, but..." she paused and fidgeted before saying, "I don't feel good about stickin' to the original plan." She stopped speaking and looked at Jarrod, hoping he wouldn't fight her.
Jarrod might have argued with her, but he couldn't; he was getting the same feeling. "Whether or not my fever's completely gone or not," Jarrod said after a moment of silence, "We'll leave tomorrow night and go the alternate route. I don't feel good about staying here." He didn't have to say why he felt that way out loud; his eyes said it for him.
Georgia heard his unspoken words and, while she didn't like the idea of moving him if his fever wasn't totally gone, how could she say no? The fact that three miles away from the James', and close to four miles from her father's home, just wasn't far enough was something she couldn't argue with. Besides, he was agreeing to go along with the change she was making. After securing his promise to simply lie still and rest, Georgia walked out of the room and found something to keep herself busy, while making sure she continued to check the windows every once in awhile…just in case.