Encounter at Cold Harbor by Gilbert L. Morris Read Free Book Online Page B

army in my command. We’ll all be gone, but we don’t know for how long. My daughter’s being kept at a small house outside of town by a young woman—very young. Her name’s Leah Carter. Her family’s kept my daughter until now. We were good neighbors back in Kentucky.” He went on to explain that he had felt it was wrong for his daughter not to know her father or her brothers. He ended by saying sadly, “We may have done the wrong thing in sending for her, for here I have to go off to battle right away.”
    Eileen Fremont said softly, “I think it was a noble gesture, Colonel. A man wants to see his children. If you would like for me to go with you and let your daughter see if she would like me, I would be glad to.”
    “That’s a good idea.” Nelson Majors got up at once and grabbed his hat. “Come along. I’ll take you to her.”
    He commandeered a wagon from the quartermaster, helped Mrs. Fremont in, and then climbed up beside her. “I’ll be gone for an hour or perhapsmore, Private,” he said. “Would you pass that word along to my officers?”
    He then spoke to the horses, who stepped out with a sprightly gait. A cloud of dust began to gather behind them.
    “It’s a rough ride, Mrs. Fremont.”
    “I don’t mind.”
    The colonel glanced at the woman beside him. He had already noted that she was very attractive. She wore a light gray silk dress that fitted her well and on her head a white, woven hat tied by a ribbon under her chin. He wondered about her age, and finally he thought it would not be wrong to ask. “What is your age, Mrs. Fremont?”
    “I’m twenty-eight.”
    She said no more until they were halfway to the house. Then she turned to him. “I very much appreciate what you did for my brother-in-law. You have a kind heart, Colonel Majors.”
    Her words lifted the colonel’s spirits. “I wish I could have done more,” he said again.
    They talked more easily after that, and Nelson Majors found himself thinking,
I believe this one will do. If Esther likes her, she’s the closest thing I can find to giving her a mother—at least for a while
.

6
Boys Are Pretty Silly
    E sther whirled across the floor, holding her arms out to keep her balance. Her chubby arms and legs were dimpled, and her blonde hair fell around her face in ringlets. She tripped suddenly and fell on her face.
    Leah dropped her sewing and crossed the room to pick up the little girl, saying, “Be careful! You’ll hurt yourself.”
    Esther said, “No, not hurt!” and grinned happily, showing bright new teeth. “Outside!” she said, pulling vigorously at Leah’s dress.
    “No, we can’t go outside now. I’ve got to start fixing supper.” She gave Esther a squeeze. “You always want to go outside. Maybe after supper I’ll take you out for a walk. Maybe we’ll see a bird.”
    “See bird!” Esther echoed. She had taken to repeating everything she heard and was rapidly learning to put sentences together. “Esther go see bird!”
    “That’s right, but after supper.”
    The child seemed satisfied, and she toddled into the kitchen after Leah, generally making a pest out of herself as Leah began to pull the materials together for the evening meal. Then she said, “Horses!” and ran out of the room.
    Startled, Leah put down the sifter on the table and went into the hallway. She saw Esther pushagainst the screen door and was glad it was locked. “Wait a minute, Esther!” she cried.
    When she reached the door, Leah saw that it was Jeff, riding a horse with a Confederate cavalry saddle. Unlocking the screen, she grabbed Esther and stepped outside. “Jeff!” she cried. “What are you doing here?”
    Jeff slipped off the horse expertly and tied the animal to the hitching post. “I came to see my baby sister. How are you, Esther?”
    “Jeff! Jeff!” Esther ran across the porch and would have fallen down the steps if he had not leaped forward and caught her.
    “Hold on there, sister!” he said. “You’re