Read Online Encounter at Cold Harbor by Gilbert L. Morris - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gilbert L. Morris
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when the colonel left to go to town to search for a new uniform, Jeff went out to Uncle Silas’s.
He found Leah very excited. The entire house seemed to be rather in a mess, and there was a lot of activity. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Actually, Leah looked happier than he had seen her in a long time. Her eyes were shining. “I’m getting Eileen ready to go to the ball! Isn’t it nice, Jeff, that she and your father are going to go together?”
Jeff bit his lip. “I don’t think he ought to do it!”
Leah blinked and asked, “Why not?”
“Well, I don’t
know
why not! It just doesn’t seem right to me, that’s all!”
“Not right? It’ll be good for both of them. Your father hasn’t had a lot of fun, you know, since he’s been here in Richmond. He’s been fighting, and wounded, and trying to take care of you and Tom, and worried about Esther. I think it’s fine for them to go.”
“Well,
that
wouldn’t be too bad, but—” Jeff broke off as Eileen came into the room, wearing a robe.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were here, Jeff.”
“I just stopped by for a minute,” Jeff said dully. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You couldn’t do that. Why don’t you go play with Esther?”
“Where is she?”
“In the bedroom. I’ll get her for you.” Eileen hurried off and soon returned with the little girl. “There, you two can play while I go try to do something with my hair.”
“I’ll help you with it if you need me, Eileen,” Leah called after her. She turned to Jeff and asked quietly, so that Mrs. Fremont couldn’t hear, “What is wrong with you, Jeff? Don’t you like Eileen?”
Jeff picked up Esther. “I don’t know why you call her Eileen. She’s a grown woman. You ought to call her Mrs. Fremont.”
“She
told
me to call her Eileen. It would be real odd calling her Mrs. Fremont when we’re together all the time. Don’t you
like
her, Jeff?” she repeated. “I think she’s wonderful!”
“She’s all right, I guess,” Jeff said reluctantly. There was a pouting look on his face. He took Estherand plumped down on the sofa. He’d had mixed feelings from the very beginning about Eileen Fremont, and now he wished that he had not come to the house. He half rose, saying, “I guess I better get back …”
“You sit right down there, Jeff Majors, and tell me what’s the matter with you! You’re pouting like a mule that’s been eating briars!”
Jeff glared. “You’re the one that knows how to pout. You’ve been swelled up like a dead possum ever since you saw me with Lucy at the minstrel show!”
Leah sat beside him and looked him right in the eye. “Jeff, I was wrong about that. I’m sorry that I acted so badly. Do you forgive me?”
Her apology took the wind out of Jeff’s sails. Flustered, he let Esther scoot down to the floor. “Well … well, sure I will,” he said. “But why did you get so mad anyway? It was just a trip to a minstrel show.”
“Yes, but I saw her kiss you.”
Jeff flushed to the roots of his hair. “Oh, shoot!” he said explosively. “You know how Lucy is! She’s always kissing somebody! I’d just told her I was gonna ask Pa to let her come to the Regimental Band Concert, and she got all excited about it. A kiss doesn’t mean anything with Lucy.”
“I know. That’s just her way. I’m just silly, Jeff. I don’t see how you’ve put up with me all these years.”
Jeff felt rather strange. For days now, Leah had been angry and upset with him, and now all of a sudden, just as if she had thrown a switch, she was apologetic. He saw that she really meant it too, andhe quickly said, “Oh, that’s all right. I guess I’ve been pretty silly myself a time or two.”
“That’s sweet of you, Jeff. Most boys wouldn’t be so honest.”
This flustered him even more. “I don’t know if I’m all that honest,” he said. He glanced about the room. “I can’t tell you how I feel about Mrs. Fremont.” He refused to call
He found Leah very excited. The entire house seemed to be rather in a mess, and there was a lot of activity. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Actually, Leah looked happier than he had seen her in a long time. Her eyes were shining. “I’m getting Eileen ready to go to the ball! Isn’t it nice, Jeff, that she and your father are going to go together?”
Jeff bit his lip. “I don’t think he ought to do it!”
Leah blinked and asked, “Why not?”
“Well, I don’t
know
why not! It just doesn’t seem right to me, that’s all!”
“Not right? It’ll be good for both of them. Your father hasn’t had a lot of fun, you know, since he’s been here in Richmond. He’s been fighting, and wounded, and trying to take care of you and Tom, and worried about Esther. I think it’s fine for them to go.”
“Well,
that
wouldn’t be too bad, but—” Jeff broke off as Eileen came into the room, wearing a robe.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were here, Jeff.”
“I just stopped by for a minute,” Jeff said dully. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You couldn’t do that. Why don’t you go play with Esther?”
“Where is she?”
“In the bedroom. I’ll get her for you.” Eileen hurried off and soon returned with the little girl. “There, you two can play while I go try to do something with my hair.”
“I’ll help you with it if you need me, Eileen,” Leah called after her. She turned to Jeff and asked quietly, so that Mrs. Fremont couldn’t hear, “What is wrong with you, Jeff? Don’t you like Eileen?”
Jeff picked up Esther. “I don’t know why you call her Eileen. She’s a grown woman. You ought to call her Mrs. Fremont.”
“She
told
me to call her Eileen. It would be real odd calling her Mrs. Fremont when we’re together all the time. Don’t you
like
her, Jeff?” she repeated. “I think she’s wonderful!”
“She’s all right, I guess,” Jeff said reluctantly. There was a pouting look on his face. He took Estherand plumped down on the sofa. He’d had mixed feelings from the very beginning about Eileen Fremont, and now he wished that he had not come to the house. He half rose, saying, “I guess I better get back …”
“You sit right down there, Jeff Majors, and tell me what’s the matter with you! You’re pouting like a mule that’s been eating briars!”
Jeff glared. “You’re the one that knows how to pout. You’ve been swelled up like a dead possum ever since you saw me with Lucy at the minstrel show!”
Leah sat beside him and looked him right in the eye. “Jeff, I was wrong about that. I’m sorry that I acted so badly. Do you forgive me?”
Her apology took the wind out of Jeff’s sails. Flustered, he let Esther scoot down to the floor. “Well … well, sure I will,” he said. “But why did you get so mad anyway? It was just a trip to a minstrel show.”
“Yes, but I saw her kiss you.”
Jeff flushed to the roots of his hair. “Oh, shoot!” he said explosively. “You know how Lucy is! She’s always kissing somebody! I’d just told her I was gonna ask Pa to let her come to the Regimental Band Concert, and she got all excited about it. A kiss doesn’t mean anything with Lucy.”
“I know. That’s just her way. I’m just silly, Jeff. I don’t see how you’ve put up with me all these years.”
Jeff felt rather strange. For days now, Leah had been angry and upset with him, and now all of a sudden, just as if she had thrown a switch, she was apologetic. He saw that she really meant it too, andhe quickly said, “Oh, that’s all right. I guess I’ve been pretty silly myself a time or two.”
“That’s sweet of you, Jeff. Most boys wouldn’t be so honest.”
This flustered him even more. “I don’t know if I’m all that honest,” he said. He glanced about the room. “I can’t tell you how I feel about Mrs. Fremont.” He refused to call
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