Chapter 4:Battle in the Front Yard
The next evening, Father walked out onto the front porch, looking worriedly in the direction from which the enormous, resounding booms were coming from. Blasts of light from the small glade reflected in his eyes. Slowly, most everyone stood beside him.
"Six pounders," he said. "Lot's of them."
"Are they getting nearer?" Nathan asked, worried.
"Oh, no," Father said, trying to sound hopeful. "They're probably heading in the other direction."
Thomas came out with his hat and two rifles, handing one to Nathan. Anna lowered her out-reached arms to her side. Father said stonily, "Thomas, put those in the house."
"But, Father, they might come up-"
"Thomas. Do I have to ask you again?" The look in his eyes was nothing to be trifled with, and Thomas marched sullenly into the house, guns at hand.
"WOMEN DO MORE THAN BEAR CHILDREN, THOMAS MARTIN!" Anna bellowed at him angrily. Father placed a firm hand on her shoulder, silencing her.
"Why don't you stay near the house tonight, all right?" Father ordered, shooing everyone back inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Margaret stood beside the window in the kitchen looking worriedly outside as the booms got louder. Samuel, who stood beside her, shuddered. "They're so loud," he said quietly.
She smiled and simply said, "Sit down and I'll serve you some biscuits." Relative order was restored to the table as Nathan set down his glass.
"We're gonna have to fight them off," he said determinedly.
"Won't Father do that?" Samuel asked. Nathan glanced around the table at his younger brothers.
"They'll probably kill us men," he said solemnly, then turned to his sisters and Abegail. "And Lord knows to you women."
"Nathan," Abegail said sternly to hush him, and Anna whacked him upside the head.
"Keep your dreams to yourself," she snapped, and Samuel grinned. Abegail sighed.
"Anna, go git Thomas, won't you?" Anna nodded, and rose, making her way quietly up the stairs. She opened the door to Thomas's and her room quietly; she saw him working on his soldiers.
"Abegail says it's time for supper," she said quietly, and he nodded, fully concentrated.
"I'm almost done," he said absentmindedly. A door opened somewhere downstairs, and Anna raised her head, aware of the small noise.
"Thomas, now." He looked up, surprised at the fear in her voice. Then he heard it: light footsteps from heavy boots. She raised a finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her. The sound of a pistol cocking met their ears at the top of the stairs, and they froze, Anna clutching Thomas to her.
"Slowly turn," Father's cold voice was heard by all.
"Father." And then all havoc broke loose.
"ABEGAIL!" Father hollered. "Water and bandages, quickly!" Anna and Thomas stampeded down the stairs at the familiarity of Gabriel's voice, even though it was exhausted and full of pain. Father gently helped hi on the divan, and Thomas raced over.
"The battle, were you there?" he cried.
"Have you seen any Redcoats?" Gabriel panted, breathing deeply.
"No, not yet," Father said. "Abegail, the children, please."
"All right, children, upstairs, come on," she herded. Anna grabbed Thomas and forced him off, stopping midway up the stairs to listen.
"General Gates marched us right into Cornwallis's army," Gabriel gasped. "He sent me these dispatches. As I left.I saw the Virginia militia surrender. The Dragoons ran thru them.killed them all.over two hundred men." He paused, then with a short cry, "I have to get these dispatches."
"You're in no condition to ride," Father said firmly, shoving him back down.
"I have to, it's not safe here!" he cried, breathing hard as the reverberation of cannons echoed throughout the silent house. Anna shared a frightened look with Thomas, watching Father slowly leave Gabriel as he went to the front door. Anna crept slowly behind him, Thomas grasped in her shaking hands.
Groups of Redcoats shot into the tiny patches of American soldiers. Most of the soldiers fell, their cries echoing in the still air. Cannons still boomed, and Anna stifled a sob.
"This is what you want to do?" she said softly to Thomas. "Give up your life for stubborn men's beliefs?" Thomas was quiet; what his sister said rang partially true in his ears. The final cries of dying soldier filled the never-ending night. Thomas shook in his sleep, but Anna didn't even bother.
What's the point of dreaming when it's only nightmares?
The next evening, Father walked out onto the front porch, looking worriedly in the direction from which the enormous, resounding booms were coming from. Blasts of light from the small glade reflected in his eyes. Slowly, most everyone stood beside him.
"Six pounders," he said. "Lot's of them."
"Are they getting nearer?" Nathan asked, worried.
"Oh, no," Father said, trying to sound hopeful. "They're probably heading in the other direction."
Thomas came out with his hat and two rifles, handing one to Nathan. Anna lowered her out-reached arms to her side. Father said stonily, "Thomas, put those in the house."
"But, Father, they might come up-"
"Thomas. Do I have to ask you again?" The look in his eyes was nothing to be trifled with, and Thomas marched sullenly into the house, guns at hand.
"WOMEN DO MORE THAN BEAR CHILDREN, THOMAS MARTIN!" Anna bellowed at him angrily. Father placed a firm hand on her shoulder, silencing her.
"Why don't you stay near the house tonight, all right?" Father ordered, shooing everyone back inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Margaret stood beside the window in the kitchen looking worriedly outside as the booms got louder. Samuel, who stood beside her, shuddered. "They're so loud," he said quietly.
She smiled and simply said, "Sit down and I'll serve you some biscuits." Relative order was restored to the table as Nathan set down his glass.
"We're gonna have to fight them off," he said determinedly.
"Won't Father do that?" Samuel asked. Nathan glanced around the table at his younger brothers.
"They'll probably kill us men," he said solemnly, then turned to his sisters and Abegail. "And Lord knows to you women."
"Nathan," Abegail said sternly to hush him, and Anna whacked him upside the head.
"Keep your dreams to yourself," she snapped, and Samuel grinned. Abegail sighed.
"Anna, go git Thomas, won't you?" Anna nodded, and rose, making her way quietly up the stairs. She opened the door to Thomas's and her room quietly; she saw him working on his soldiers.
"Abegail says it's time for supper," she said quietly, and he nodded, fully concentrated.
"I'm almost done," he said absentmindedly. A door opened somewhere downstairs, and Anna raised her head, aware of the small noise.
"Thomas, now." He looked up, surprised at the fear in her voice. Then he heard it: light footsteps from heavy boots. She raised a finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her. The sound of a pistol cocking met their ears at the top of the stairs, and they froze, Anna clutching Thomas to her.
"Slowly turn," Father's cold voice was heard by all.
"Father." And then all havoc broke loose.
"ABEGAIL!" Father hollered. "Water and bandages, quickly!" Anna and Thomas stampeded down the stairs at the familiarity of Gabriel's voice, even though it was exhausted and full of pain. Father gently helped hi on the divan, and Thomas raced over.
"The battle, were you there?" he cried.
"Have you seen any Redcoats?" Gabriel panted, breathing deeply.
"No, not yet," Father said. "Abegail, the children, please."
"All right, children, upstairs, come on," she herded. Anna grabbed Thomas and forced him off, stopping midway up the stairs to listen.
"General Gates marched us right into Cornwallis's army," Gabriel gasped. "He sent me these dispatches. As I left.I saw the Virginia militia surrender. The Dragoons ran thru them.killed them all.over two hundred men." He paused, then with a short cry, "I have to get these dispatches."
"You're in no condition to ride," Father said firmly, shoving him back down.
"I have to, it's not safe here!" he cried, breathing hard as the reverberation of cannons echoed throughout the silent house. Anna shared a frightened look with Thomas, watching Father slowly leave Gabriel as he went to the front door. Anna crept slowly behind him, Thomas grasped in her shaking hands.
Groups of Redcoats shot into the tiny patches of American soldiers. Most of the soldiers fell, their cries echoing in the still air. Cannons still boomed, and Anna stifled a sob.
"This is what you want to do?" she said softly to Thomas. "Give up your life for stubborn men's beliefs?" Thomas was quiet; what his sister said rang partially true in his ears. The final cries of dying soldier filled the never-ending night. Thomas shook in his sleep, but Anna didn't even bother.
What's the point of dreaming when it's only nightmares?
