Spake As a Dragon (40 page)

“
Well, Rube, they were
almost right, I made it back, but I haven’t heard from Father or
Matthew since that little fight at Gettysburg. Enough War talk,
what have you three been up to?”

“
We just come down here
and sit on the bench everyday Luke since Isaac closed the mill, and
dream about what used to be.”

“
What? Closed the Mill!
When did all this happen?”

“
Oh,” said Jethro, “the
Yankees or the Home Guard was constantly coming by and confiscating
Isaac’s cornmeal and flour. Isaac said it was just plain stealing,
so he closed the mill. Then a couple of months ago that band of
deserters came through, burned Scarlett and killed Isaac and
Amanda. We had hoped when the War ended Isaac would reopen the
Mill, but with Isaac dead and gone we guessed the mill is done
finished, just like the rest of Scarlettsville.”

“
Fellers, didn’t all three
of you work for Isaac?”

“
Shore did Luke, we worked
fer him fer years.”

“
Come over here men and
sit back down on the bench, I’ve got something I want to talk to
you about.”

Luke explained the difficult situation
Scarlett was in, how the mill needed to be reopened and he thought
the three of them could re-open the mill and run it.

Jethro spoke up first, “Luke, we won’t
have no trouble grinding corn or flour and making the mill work,
but Luke you knows neither me, Rubin nor Dan don’t have enough
school learning to do that figuring end of the
business.”

“
I may have an answer for
that Jethro, Sam come here for a second,” Luke motioned to Sam
sitting on the wagon bench. “Sam can read, write and cipher. He’s
my brother-in-law, and he may be young but he’s sharp as a tack.
What about it Sam, you want to take on the job as mill
foreman?”

“
I don’t know Luke! This
may be too big for me.”

“
Nah, Sam, you’re plenty
big enough, your legs go all the way to the ground. All right,
here’s what I propose. Sam, you Jethro, Rubin and Dan get this mill
back up and get it making some money. I suggest a partnership – Sam
and me will get half and Jethro, Rubin and Dan you get the other
half. If you decide you need extra hands we will split their wages
between our two halves, sound fair?”

“
Luke are you sayin’ me,
Rubin and Dan are gonna be part owners in this here
mill?”

“
What I’m saying Jethro is
we are all going to be partners. Sam will be in charge and you
three will run the day-to-day grinding operations. What do you
say?”

“
Sounds good to me,” says
Sam.

“
Darn tooting,” says
Jethro.

Luke knew Jethro, Rube and Dan have
worked at the mill most of their lives, and should know all about
the workings of all the various pieces of machinery, but he wants
to know what is their opinion of the mills current operational
readiness.

“
Luke, the Yankees come
through here about a year ago and since we didn’t have no cornmeal
or flour for them to steal they busted the big waterwheel. It’ll
have to be fixed. They tried to set the Mill on fire, but we put it
out, and it did not do much harm. They hitched a couple of horses
to one of the grinding stones and pulled it off over yonder to the
edge of that field. It ain’t hurt none, we just got to put it back
in its place in the Mill. Then they went and busted up the rest of
the stores in town, them that had not already been tore
up.

They didn’t burn this here Mill, well
they tried, and they didn’t burn the church nor the old Masonic
Hall Number One. They’re still standing. We don’t know why they
skipped them, theys must’a been religious or mason men.”

“
Well, I hate to hear
about the town, and glad they spared the Meetinghouse and Masonic
Lodge, but back to the Mill, so you believe you can get the old
Mill back up and running?”

“
Shore nuff, in fact, yer
brother William and sister Elizabeth came upstream with a man that
had a whole boatload of corn he wanted to have ground into
cornmeal. He’s still anchored a bit downstream, said he came a long
way to get his corn ground and now don’t know ‘xactly what he’ll
do.”

“
Daniel run down there and
tell him we’ll have this mill back up and running in a week! If he
can just wait.”

“
A week?” Said Jethro,
shaking his head.

“
You bet’ya Jethro, you,
Sam, Rubin an Dan can do it, I’m sure of it.”

“
Well,” says Jethro, “that
makes one of us! First off Luke, we’re gonna need some cash money
for supplies to fix thangs – you got any ready Yankee
money?”

“
No, no I don’t Jethro,
but I’ve got a load of guns in the wagon. Do you know anyplace I
can sell them?”

“
No, but peoples around
here’s got money, but nothing to spend it on. Most don’t have guns,
the Yankees run off with ’em. I say next Saturday we have an
auction right here at this Mill – we’ll put the word out and we’ll
have them guns sold in no time.”

“
Sounds like a plan, let’s
getter done fellers.”

THE AUCTION

Saturday morning a good crowd has
gathered in and around the Mill. Word has spread that an auction of
guns was to take place.

Luke, Nate and Sam stood upon the back
of a wagon and Luke said in a loud voice, “Welcome, one and all,
for you who don’t know me I’m Luke Scarburg. Isaac that ran the
Mill was my uncle. My great-granddad John Scarburg built this place
and got hung right over yonder on that big old oak during the
Revolution fighting the British.”

At the mention of Isaac and John
Scarburg, the crowd gave a big round of applause.

“
Thank you, thank you.”
Holding his hands up to quite the crown, “Since before the current
War ended and after going to Alabama and coming back here Nate and
I have accumulated a stockpile of weapons – most of which someone
tried to use on us.”

This brought a chuckle to the
crowd.

“
I know the Yankees and
even some of the Confeds have taken most of your weapons, so today
Nate, Sam and I are gonna auction off this pile of rifles, pistols,
pistol belts, boots, vests, pocket watches, spurs and what have
you. Now I ain’t gonna lie to you, most of this stuff you see in
front of you was taken from robbers, thieves, cutthroats and
highwaymen and Yankees. And I’ll be the first to admit most of
’em...”

From Nate is heard a slight
‘Ahem.’

“
Well, what I meant to say
all of them got themselves killed, and I’m sorry to say most of ’em
was killed by Nate and myself. I’m not sorry to say tho’, they had
it coming.”

There was another round of applause by
the crowd.

“
I told you folks that
just in case you feel a little squeamish or hesitant to bid on
these items I will understand. You do as your conscience dictates.
For those of you that might need a little ‘courage’ you may have
noticed this large 35-gallon barrel in the back of our wagon. Step
up and pour yourself a cup of this Tennessee Jack Daniel’s sipping
whiskey. In fact, we won’t object if you refill that cup a time or
two.” Another round of applause breaks out among the
attendees.

“
Now at the end of the
auction of this outlaw stuff I have a real treat for the coon
hunters among you, and looking around that is most of you – we’re
goin’ to auction off two coonhounds, the likes of which you have
never, ever seen. These two are the first of many that my
brother-in-law,” turning to Sam, “hold up your hand Sam,” Sam
waves, “is going to raise and sell. I know, you’ll be surprised at
their looks, but you’ll be more surprised when you go hunting with
them. Sam calls them Walker Coon Hounds. You two lucky fellows who
wins them tell your friends they can come by Scarlett and see Sam
Babb when they want to own one for themselves. Our compliments to
Sam also for the barrel of whiskey he brought from
Kentucky.”

After the conclusion of the auction
Luke, Nate and Sam sat around an oil lamp in the Mill with U.S.
greenbacks piled high upon the table. “How much is there Luke?”
Asked Sam.

“
I don’t know but it is
sure enough to get us back into the milling business and enough to
get the spring planting going. I believe you’re Jack Daniels
probably helped get the bids up,” Luke said laughing, “but Sam the
Walker money is yours, take you’re cut out for your dogs and the
whiskey.”

“
Nah, Luke what’s yours is
mine, and what’s mine is yours. Let’s get this Mill opened and
Scarlett back on her feet, besides there is more’un half of that
barrel still left.”

The next morning the Mill is a bustle
of activity. Jethro is high up on the waterwheel hammering away, he
has another man on the ground cutting wooden pieces and passing
them up, both grin as they see the wheel beginning to look usable
again.

Daniel and Rubin have hitched a couple
of mules to the huge grinding stone lying over at the edge of the
field and are dragging it back into the mill.

Sam is up inside the works of the Mill
using his hands to grease the gears that turn the stone grinding
wheels.

Luke stands at the door, arms crossed,
a hay straw sticking out the corner of his mouth, smiling. ‘
Yes
sir, it’s all going to work
,’ he thinks.

Nate and Levi are back at Scarlett
with two hired hands turning land getting ready to start planting.
The women folks are busy at the house readying food for all the
workers.

It seems the War was a million years
ago.

Chapter
Fifty-One

THE OTHER
PRESIDENT

May 1865, Luke figures by autumn corn
will be coming in by the wagon load to be ground into cornmeal.
Farmers all around the area are beginning to plant again and if all
goes well with the weather, there should be a bountiful crop. He is
even thinking of building the Mill larger. His mind is on the
future not the past...

“
Luke! Luke! I see riders
comin’ from the east!” Said Jethro being high upon the waterwheel
could see for a mile or two down the main road.

“
Who are they
Jethro?”

“
Don’t know Luke, looks
like two or three carriages and a number of army fellows mounted on
hosses. If I didn’t know better, I’d say them fellers on those
hosses were Confed’s. They’s all decked out in gray.”

“
The War’s over, what
would they still be doing in uniform?”

Everyone at the mill stopped working
and congregated in the courtyard in front awaiting the arrival of
the caravan of people.

They did not have to wait long. Within
minutes, six mounted cavalrymen galloped across the Mink Creek
Bridge followed by a number of carriages. Behind them were more
mounted cavalrymen, a train of horses, mules, wagons and
ambulances.

The convoy of carriage stops, Luke
walks to the door of the first one to greet whoever is inside. An
officer of the mounted guard moves his horse and blocks Luke. The
cavalryman is a Confederate colonel. “Sir,” said Luke, “the War is
over, move your horse out of my way!”

“
My apologies Sir, I am
only doing my duty protecting the President.”

Out of the carriage steps a rather
tall gentlemen, dressed in a superbly, tailored grey suit; however,
he has a woman’s woolen shawl draped across his shoulders and head,
“Forgive Colonel Forley, he is only following orders – he has
followed orders from the beginning... the Colonel at the very start
of the War was Lt. Henry S. Forley. Then Lt. Forley fired the first
mortar round at Fort Sumter at 4:30 am on the 12
^th
of
April, 1861. His shot began our War for Southern Independence.
Forgive me, my good man,” he said sticking out his hand, “I am,
well was, President Jefferson Davis.” Turning to his carriage, “May
I introduce you to my wife Varina and my children, this is Maggie,
Jeff and Willie. My wife has our young daughter Winnie in her
arms.”

Luke is stunned; he bows and touches
the brim of his hat. He can think of nothing to say other than
‘Madam’.

“
Sir,” said Mr. Davis, “we
stopped perchance we could water our animals? And if not too
inconvenient rest a spell with you.”

“
Sir,” responded Luke
pointing toward the watering trough, “the water over there is for
your animals. I’m sorry the only place we have for you to rest is
here in our Mill, the rest of the town has been destroyed by the
Yankees. I have no refreshments to serve, for that I am truly
sorry.”

“
No need, we have an ample
supply, would you good folks be so kind as to join us in our
respite?”

“
Uh, thank you Sir, it
would be a privilege.”

“
Sir, you have not
introduced yourself nor informed us of our current
location.”

“
Oh, how terribly rude of
me Sir, I am Luke Scarburg. You are in the vicinity of
Scarlettsville, South Carolina at the Scarburg Mill.”

“
This seems a quiet,
peaceful area, my, what a wonderful wooden bench under that
magnificent old oak. Would you mind if we sat underneath it and
partake of our fare? Such a place that is so tranquil and devoid of
the ravages of war.”