CHAPTER FIVE
1870 September 8th…
John's first day back in Fall River was full of excitement. He left early that morning to head for Dartmouth to see his family. He decided to bring Edith and Ruth along for the trip. They wound through Westport, and finally entered Dartmouth. As they made the right onto Tucker Road, Edith commented:
"So this is what Dartmouth is like? I was expecting it to be more urban."
"Dartmouth is a very large town, parts of it are urban. Others not so much. My parents live in the not so urban part of town. Here comes the turnoff for Allen Street." John said.
They turned left onto Allen Street. Ruth cooed, and Edith held her tighter. John was wearing his uniform. They followed Allen Street until it hit Slocum Road. Slocum was named after one of the other prominent families in Dartmouth. The DeWitt house was modest, not a house of any large size. Its front lawn was neatly trimmed, and roses grew up the side. He saw his mother outside. She stood by the door, motioning for her husband to come out. John Senior came out and saw his son in his uniform.
"You made it! You're in the army now!" He said hugging his son. John was truly happy. Caroline and the others came out. Caroline couldn't believe that her oldest brother was now a soldier.
"Are you in the 501st?" asked John Senior.
"Indeed I am. I'll get to meet Creedon in person now. I've heard so much about him. I also met this young man by the name of Hockley. Apparently his family is in the steel business." Said John.
John looked for his younger brother; Jacob.
"Where's Jacob?" He asked.
"Jacob's away at school in Bellingham. He knows about you going into the army. We practically had to drag him to Bellingham. He preferred to have gone to school in New Bedford, but I told him that the school in Bellingham was better for him." Said his father. Caroline wanted to hold Ruth. Edith granted her request. Caroline held Ruth tightly.
"I have some news." Said Edith.
"What news would that be?" Asked John.
"I'm pregnant. I'm due early next year."
"We'll have another grandchild!" Said John's mother.
"That's wonderful." Said John. He'd now have another child. Hopefully he wouldn't lose Edith like he lost Jessica. Jessica's death still impacted him greatly. He hadn't hoped to lose Jessica, but he had to deal with the hand that he was dealt with. The discussion turned to Caroline.
"Are you going to send her off to school?" Asked John.
"No, she'll be with her governess for another year. Perhaps then we'll send her to Brattleboro. Or we might send her to Ravenwood, out in Nyack." Said his father.
"Ravenwood? Father, I didn't know you had that in mind. Don't you think you should send her somewhere closer to home? I mean, she's only going to be twelve. Do you think she's ready?" Asked John. His father took what John said into consideration.
"Well, there is that girls school in New Bedford. She'd be close, close enough so that we wouldn't have to worry. I hate worrying over our little girl. When I worry about her, I don't feel right." Said his father again.
Morning tea was brought out and served. The group sat down at the dining room table. Ruth was brought upstairs to lay down.
"Tell us a little bit about yourself Edith." Asked John's mother.
"Well, I'm from England. I'm truly English." Said Edith.
"How do you like it here in the republic?" Asked his mother again.
"I do like it better here. In England we don't even have the right to vote. Here we do. I find that to be amazing."
"We do take pride in our women. Family is a big thing here. As you can see from us, we like to stay together. The DeWitt's have been through thick and thin. We're a motley assortment of people. Have I told you the story of how John and I met?"
"Sarah!" John Senior said, blushing.
"It was a rainy day in New Bedford. I was walking out of the library when I ran into a uniformed man. I fell backwards. He picked me up off of the sidewalk. I told him to put me down, which he did. I couldn't get past his eyes. They were so calming. I felt at peace with him. We began a courtship after that. We were married on the eve of the civil war. John Junior was born nine months after that." Sarah said.
They were so busy sitting and talking that they forgot what time it was. John told everyone that it was time to go, and Ruth needed to get back home. They left, and were back on their way to Fall River. They arrived at Oak Street a half hour later. When they got inside, Edith put Ruth down in her bed. These two week s were going to be brief, but John would have to enjoy the time given to him. The person who he'd worry about the most, was his wife. He worried about her pregnancy. "What if it were difficult? What if she dies? What would I do then?" John thought. After losing Jessica, he could take no chance. This baby was going to be born in a hospital, and not at home. Home births were too complicated, and the risk of losing the woman was greater. He wished for a brother or sister for Ruth. He hoped for a son again. He'd name him after his father.
Dinner that night was quiet. Edith made small talk, and John listened.
"I'm glad you took me to Dartmouth today. It's somewhere I've never been before. I really liked it." Said Edith
"I'm glad you liked it. I knew you would." He said.
"I like your family. They really are as your mother described 'a motley group of people.'"
"They certainly are." Said John.
They finished dinner relatively late. They then went to bed. John had his two weeks all planned out.