Dec 28, 1862 Sweetfern Farm Kirkwood, MS

The battle had begun on the twenty-seventh, just two days after Christmas. Rumor had it that Union General Sherman was attempting to take Walnut Hill, by trudging over thirty thousand soldiers through the swamps. Walnut Hill was defended by nine thousand Confederate soldiers, and from their elevated position, they were inflicting a great many casualties on the Yankees.

For Mac and the hands, the gunfire of the battle was sounding in their ears. The sounds were yet some distance off, for which Mac frequently thanked God, but they were constant. On the morning of the twenty-eighth, Mac got a very important message:

There was a knock at the door. Bobbi answered it formally, but with a knowing look in her eyes, "How may I help you, sir?"

The young man, who looked to be about eighteen-years-old, stood waiting at the door. When he saw Bobbi, he removed his hat, revealing a mass of short straw colored curls; he raised his blue eyes to Bobbi's and replied, "I have an urgent message for Miss Sarah Mackenzie."

Bobbi gave the young man a scrutinizing glare before she turned to get Mac. "Ma'am, there's a young man at the door with an urgent message for you."

"Thank you, Bobbi," Mac said, as she had already seen the young man from the library window and had come to greet him. She wrapped her plaid wool shawl around her shoulders and stepped out through the door and onto the porch.

"You take great risk in carrying messages today, Tiner," she said seriously, "I hope it is of great importance."

The young man nodded earnestly. "It is," he said, "The conductor is due here at the station tonight."

"Not, tonight," Mac said worriedly, "Surely, he knows that there is a battle raging here. It's too dangerous to move the train through here."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the conductor cannot stay at the current station," Tiner told her, "It's been shut down by Brumby."

"Oh, no. What happened?" Mac asked, "How did he find out?"

"We don't know yet, ma'am," Tiner shook his head; his eyes blazing, "You'd better watch out for that man, Mac. Rumor has it he's been trying to find your uncle to ask his permission to."

"Don't you worry about that, Tiner," Mac said with more confidence that she felt, "My uncle has a very clear understanding of how I feel about that."

Tiner smiled, but then he became serious again, "What word shall I take back to the station from you?"

Mac looked anxiously toward the sounds of the battle in the Chickasaw Bayou, then back at Tiner. She nodded, and Tiner, understanding this, made a small bow, and left. Bobbi, who'd been waiting inside the door ventured out onto the porch.

"Miss Mac," she said, "Don't worry yourself. They'll make it here."

"It's where they go from here that's worrying me," she confided. Her face was pinched in thought. "They'll have to stay for a while, it won't be safe to move them with the armies still here; not to mention, that if Mic stops buy."

"We'll manage," Bobbi said, as she put an assuring arm around Mac's waist, and Mac smiled.