Chapter 4

When Dotty came back downstairs, she said, "Well, Daniel, I think we know what we'll be doing this morning."

"Indeed we do, my dear. We'll leave Molly here to listen for our guests and we'll go over and set that house to rights. Bobby, you're about to find out what we in the Navy mean when we say 'sweep down'."

"Yes, sir! I'll just go up and put on my old clothes."

"And I'll go ask Molly for everything we need to clean that house from stem to stern," Dotty said, which earned her a smile and a kiss from Daniel.

Fifteen minutes later, what looked like a trio of ragamuffins crossed the street carrying pails, brushes and cleaning rags. No one, seeing them, would have guessed that the distinguished older gentleman of the group had retired as a senior captain in the United States Navy, or that his lady wife came from an old and very distinguished Vermont family that had been in New England since before Vermont gained statehood status.

Matthew and Amanda started out for her previous residence just after ten o'clock that morning. Although it was flurrying snow, it wasn't sticking to the ground, and they had warm clothes and sturdy boots, so they'd decided to walk rather than ask Curtis to get the horse out of the barn. As they turned the corner onto Amanda's old street and came up the block, Amanda saw smoke rising from the main chimney of the house across the street and said, "Oh, look, Matthew, my friend Louisa Stetson and her son Fred must have come in this morning, and they've already got a fire going. I don't envy them having to clean that place; it must be in terrible shape."

"Perhaps we should go over and offer to help, my love, or at least say hello."

"Oh, yes. It's very sad, really; William Stetson was a classmate of Jim's; when the Mexican War ended in 1848 he was a captain, and in 1861 he was still a captain, just like Jim. His father wanted him to resign during the 1850's, but he stayed in the army all the way through to the end. At the beginning of the war he sent Louisa and Fred to Pittsburgh to stay with his parents, because she had no close family left, and I got the impression it wasn't a good arrangement."

"And then when he was killed at Antietam, it got worse, I suspect."

"Yes. I know it's only been three months since he died, Matthew, but Mrs. Stetson wouldn't let Fred be a normal boy after Will died; if he so much as smiled, she accused him of not loving his father."

"Good God. Do people like that still exist?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Louisa had to get out of that environment for the sake of her own sanity – and Fred's, of course."

"How did she come to move here? Do I detect the compassionate yet practical heart of Amanda Davis at work, perhaps?" he teased, as he leaned over and kissed her lightly.

"Well, yes. I found out that the War Department was hiring respectable widows, preferably soldiers' widows, to work as clerks and copyists, and I told her about it. Louisa has always written a very clear hand, so I knew she'd do well at that job. It took her some time to get the job, and of course she had to fight just to get out of Pittsburgh, but she did it. I told her about the house over there, too."

"Well, we will do all we can to help them, without it seeming like charity. Perhaps Fred might enjoy enrolling in Captain Daniel's School for Boys."

"Oh, Matthew, that's a wonderful idea! It wouldn't cost anything except for the books Fred would need, and Bobby would have a classmate."

"Precisely my thought, my love."

They'd reached the house by this time; Amanda looked at side yard, where the gunman paid to kill Matthew had hidden, and shuddered. Matthew patted the hand on his arm. "Banish such gloomy thoughts from your mind, my love; he missed, or as good as missed, since I don't count that scratch on my arm as anything to worry about, and now your friend is going to make that house into a place of joy and laughter for her son's sake."

"Yes."

They went up the steps and knocked on the door; to their utter surprise, Captain Daniel himself opened the door.

"Come in, come in; we're cleaning this house for your friends, my dear Amanda; they were exhausted when they arrived, so we took them home for breakfast. When they almost fell asleep at the table, your mother sent them up to bed. You're just in time to help us, if you're willing."

"More than willing, Papa Daniel. Oh, my, if I'd known what horrible condition this house was in, I'd never had suggested she look into renting it."

"But the rent is low, and with a good cleaning it will be very warm and welcoming indeed," Daniel pointed out. "Bobby was out playing in the snow when they arrived, and he immediately went over to say hello and offer to help."

"That's our boy," Matthew said with a smile.

Just then, the boy came through from the kitchen, lugging a bucket of hot soapy water. "Miss Manda, did you an' th' major come to help us clean? This place is really, really dirty!"

"We're certainly going to help, Bobby. Papa Daniel said you were the one who met them and helped them first," Amanda replied.

"Yes'm. That driver, the one with th' wagon that had their trunks on it, he charged her way too much money to bring their trunks out from the depot, and she was just goin' to let him dump them in the hall here instead of takin' them upstairs. I like your friend, Miss Manda, but she sure needs someone to look out for her, so folks don't cheat her."

"Well, that's what we're here for, isn't it?" Amanda said. "We won't let anyone else cheat her."