Spake As a Dragon (42 page)

“
Lands sake child, I have
some hardtack and bacon in my saddlebag that was leftover from
breakfast. Luke get this pretty girl something to eat.”

Malinda explains to Luke they must
first get the mother and father’s temperature down. They are
burning up with fever. They wet the bed sheets and open all the
windows and the door. She says they must be force-fed water and
juices, it is imperative they have liquids to counteract
dehydration. All foods and water must be boiled and hands washed
thoroughly before drinking or eating. Poor hygiene and sorry
sanitary practices contribute to the spread of typhoid.

While Malinda and Susan tend to
Susan’s Ma and Pa, Luke prepared a grave outside and buried
Johnny.

A couple of days pass and the
Anthony’s appear to be improving, at least their fevers do not seem
as high as before. Malinda and Luke have searched for berries along
the swamp, crushed apples and pears for the juice. The juices have
helped considerably.

A week goes by and Mrs. Anthony is
strong enough to sit up in bed. She cannot stop telling Malinda and
Luke had much she appreciates all they have done. She knows she,
her husband and daughter are alive because of the good heartedness
of the Scarburgs. She tells there is no way she can repay their
kindness; although she is heartsick for the loss of her son
Johnny.

Another week and Mr. Joseph Anthony is
up and sitting on the side of the bed. He is strong enough to drink
liquids without being spoon-fed. One afternoon Luke and Joe sit on
the porch and the talk turns to the War. Luke tells of Pickett’s
Charge on that final day at Gettysburg and the lost of his brother
Matthew as they tried to climb the split-rail fence on the
Emmetsburg Road.

Joseph, a Yankee was also at
Gettysburg. He tells Luke after the battle his unit the 69th
Pennsylvania was detailed to check the dead and tend the wounded on
the battlefield. His particular unit was assigned the area around
the Emmetsburg Road’s in particular the rail fence. He remembered a
young lad with blonde hair wounded through the left leg. At the
time, he thought the wounded Rebel was dead, but he noticed a
slight movement. A number of townspeople of Gettysburg came out
onto the battlefield and offered assistance, to both the Rebs and
Union alike. He remembered they picked up this wounded Confederate
and began to place him into a Union ambulance, but he would not go,
he kept asking for something; finally, they realized he wanted the
black feather sticking in his cap. They retrieved his cap from the
ground with its black ostrich plume and he seemed satisfied, they
then sped him away.

“
Mother! Did you hear
that, Joe was assigned to administer to the wounded at Gettysburg –
he remembers Matthew! Matthew was alive at the time the battle was
over.”

For the next couple of weeks Malinda
and Luke remained with the Anthonys until they were out of danger.
One morning bright and early Luke said to Joe, “Joe it has been a
pleasure meeting you. I truly appreciate your concern for our
wounded at Gettysburg, the information on brother Matthew is
invaluable.”

“
No sir, it is I who
should be thankful – thankful for you and your mother and the time
you spent getting us back upon our feet, and I especially thank you
for seeing to it that my son Johnny had a decent Christian
burial.”

Mounting their horses, Luke looks to
Susan, “Madam you remind me a lot of my mother here. She is a
headstrong woman who believes a woman is as good as a man, and in a
lot of cases – better. Miss Susan, you both are right. Mother told
me once that some day women would get to vote – Miss Anthony if
anyone could get women that vote I’ll be darned if I don’t think it
will be you! I wish you well in that endeavor.”

The so longs and good lucks are passed
about as Malinda and Luke head their horses once again for
Pennsylvania. Turning in his saddle as they ride away Luke
comments, “Mother, now there’s a woman that you’ll hear things from
one of these days!”

Chapter
Fifty-Four

HOMECOMING

Back on the road to Gettysburg Malinda
and Luke both know they have to make up some time. Although it was
for a good cause, their rescue of the Anthony family had delayed
them for over a month. Malinda is beginning to think they will be
fortunate to return to Scarlett before Christmas.

The road down the Shenandoah Valley
has been good and the families they meet along the way have been
cordial and friendly. There isn’t too many nights they have to
camp, most families offer them food and shelter for the night.
Malinda is grateful for these small amenities, she hates to sleep
on the ground; although, she had rather die than admit that fact to
Luke.

The length of the days is beginning to
shorten and the leaves in northern Virginia have already begun to
turn to brilliant brown, reds and yellows. Malinda is amazed at the
panoramic scenes she views lining the sides of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Picturesque? She thought the sight of this fall foliage
belongs on a postcard. The days are lazy and peaceful it is a
perfect fall.

How sudden tranquility can change!
They have traveled to within a few miles of Winchester, Virginia
when they round a curve in the road only to be met by a band of
armed men. These men have the road ahead blocked.

Slowly riding up to the first man
standing in the middle of the road Luke asks, “Sir, what is the
meaning of this? Step out of our way!”

“
Not before you pay the
toll,” answered the obvious highwayman.

Luke pats his .44 with his hand and
says again, “Move or I will pay the toll with this.”

“
That Colt of yours only
got six shells Mister. I don’t believe you can kill all of
us.”

“
Your right there friend,
but six of you won’t be around to count noses to see who is
left!”

Stepping from the rear of the group is
a well-dressed outlaw. Well-dressed if compared to the other rabble
standing in the road. “Hold on there! We don’t want no trouble,
just pay your toll and be on your way. We call it War retribution
for the South.

“
So, you fellers are
Southern men? Who did you ride with?”

“
Sir, we is all loyal
Virginians, we fought to the very end with our leader General
Robert E. Lee.”

“
Bobby Lee huh? I guess
you fellers didn’t hear he surrendered at Appomattox? The War’s
over.”

“
Yeah, it might be over
for him, but it ain’t over for us. It won’t never be over for us -
the true Sons of the Confederacy.”

“
Well, you boys ever heard
of Jefferson Davis?”

“
Jefferson Davis? You
don’t mean the head of our government President Jefferson Davis?
Darn right, if ’n he hadn’t of got caught we’d move to Mexico and
still be fightin’ them Yankees. Now give us your money!”

“
Hold on there, let me
reach inside my coat pocket, I have something I would like you to
see,” Luke said holstering his pistol.

“
All right, but you take
it slow. You pull out a firearm and I’m aimin’ to kill you right
here and now.”

Luke reached inside his coat and
withdrew the note written by Jefferson Davis granting him safe
passage. He handed it to the closest bandit.

This outlaw turned and handed it to
the man who seemed in charge, “Here Sergeant you knows I can’t
read.”

The Sergeant unfolds the scrap of
paper and reads, “Why, this here is writ on official Confederate
paper and signed by President Jefferson Davis hisself. It says fer
us to allow free passage to this here man Luke Scarburg. Well, I
never...”

“
Think that’s good enough
for you gentlemen, you
Sons of the Confederacy
?” Luke said
mocking the title ‘Sons of the Confederacy.’

“
It shore is Mister
Scarburg, we’re sorry to have troubled you. You may proceed, and
good-luck to you both.”

Riding out of sight of the bandits
Malinda questions Luke, “Son, where in the world did you get that
note from Jefferson Davis?”

“
Ah, Mother, it’s a long
story.”

From Winchester, Virginia they travel
up the road to Charlestown, West Virginia. From Charlestown it was
only a two-day ride to Frederick, Maryland. From Frederick, it is
less than forty miles to Gettysburg. As they pass by Frederick Luke
says to his mother, “We’ll be in Gettysburg in two or three
days.”

“
Son, I can hardly wait.
Do you believe Mr. Anthony was telling the truth about seeing
Matthew at the rail fence?”

“
Mother, why would he have
a reason to lie to us? Yes, I think he saw Matthew, and Matt was
alive at that time. The question is: what happened to him
later?”

Chapter
Fifty-Five

GETTYSBURG
REVISITED

They approach Gettysburg from the
south on the Emmitsburg Road. In the distance, Malinda can see the
outline of houses that constitute Gettysburg proper.

Luke rides silently, looking at the
landscape. His mind is flooded with visions of those three horrible
days in July 1863. About a mile or two is the town; he knows
Devil’s Den is nearby. Off to his right he sees the first small
hill – Little Round Top.

Slowing his horse he says, “Mother, we
are approaching Little Round Top,” Pointing with his index finger,
“It is that slight hill off to our right. There is a creek, Plum
Run, at the foot and slightly towards us is the area with the rocks
known as Devil’s Den.”

“
Hurry Luke, hurry, I must
see those large boulders where your father was wounded.”

Luke led the way through the tall
grass where two years earlier stood the field of corn that the
48
^th
had charged through and emerged upon Devil’s Den.
The ground was still littered with the debris of the battle. Luke
saw a canteen; his horse stepped across a broken Springfield
musket, there laid a forage cap almost rotten. Cartridge cases and
other gear were everywhere. What is that? Oh, a knapsack still
attached to a bedroll. He sees a white bone sticking out of the
ground, was it human? He doesn’t know, but he makes special
attention to steer Malinda away from it.

In a few minutes, a grotesque
assortment of huge rocks and boulders startles Malinda. She had
heard Luke tell about the size of the rocks, but seeing them in
person is a shock. They really are as big as he had
described.

“
Luke, show me the rock
where you found Robert.”

“
Come on Mother, it is
just a little farther, here on our right. I believe I see the
boulder where Matthew and I propped him up.”

Moving in closer, Malinda got off her
horse and walked toward the huge stone. Each step, as she draws
closer, becomes slower and slower. She feels she is approaching a
gravesite. A couple of more steps and she faces the cold, grey
boulder. “Luke,” she says, “what are these marking on this rock? I
see where some of the stone has knocked away, but I do not believe
a bullet could make these marks, they appear as
letters!”

“
Let me get closer Mother.
On yes, that chunk out of the rock was the bullet that caused the
wound to my head I suppose, and these... these... are blood
stains!” Catching himself, “Oh, but those must be mine, you know I
was bleeding so.” He did not want his mother to think the blood was
his fathers. “Mother, I do believe you are correct, the markings
are faded, you know it has been over two years since this battle,
but I believe I can make out what they read:

2K168

“
Luke, did your father
write those letters?”

“
I do not know Mother, at
least he didn’t while I was here. The only thing he said to me was
some words I could not understand, and he wanted a
Bible.”

“
You suppose these letters
were what you could not understand? Could he have written them
after you left to seek medical help?”

“
I suppose that is
possible, but Matthew would have seen him write them, but wait, we
haven’t spoken to Matthew have we?”

Malinda was down on her hands and
knees looking through the grass at the base of the rock. “Mother,
what are you searching for?”

“
Nothing, anything,
everything, I don’t know Luke just something to tell me Robert is
alive.”

“
Mother, I tried to tell
you back at Scarlett that this was a fruitless endeavor. There is
nothing here for us to find, we will never find Father or
Matthew.”

“
I disagree Luke, take me
to the spot where Matthew was wounded.”

Back on the Emmitsburg Road the two
head toward Gettysburg. A mile or so later Luke stops. “It is here
Mother. Matthew was hit right behind that fence on the left that
bounds this road.” Pointing to Cemetery Ridge on his right, “That
hill Mother with its corpse of trees was our objective. You see
that short stone fence on the hill that is where I was
captured.”

Malinda looks to her right at Cemetery
Ridge and back to her left to the woods at Seminary Ridge, “Luke!
She said startled, “Are you telling me you all had to run from
those woods to this split-rail fence, out here in in the
open?”