Yankee Belles in Dixie Read Online Free Page B

and cut the South’s heart out. But that Lincoln man, if he takes the sword, he’s gonna perish by it!”’
    â€œI wonder if the president heard about that,” Leah said.
    â€œThey say his son, Tad, heard the story and went to tell his father. Mrs. Lincoln scolded him, but the way I heard it the president seemed interested.”
    â€œWell, comet or no comet, there’s a war,” Jeff said grimly.
    â€œAnd it won’t last forever,” Mr. Carter said. “Wars never do.”
    Leah reached over and squeezed Jeff’s arm. When he looked at her, she nodded slightly. He guessed she was thinking of his promise not to give up but to trust God. It had been hard, but he smiled back and said no more about his doubts.
    Two hours later they arrived at a large cluster of buildings. “What’s this?” Jeff asked.
    â€œThis is what they call the Mall. There’s the Patent Office over there, and the Post Office. What we’re looking for is the War Department.” Mr. Carter drove his team up to an imposing building and handed the lines to Leah. “You hold the horses. I’ll see if we can find out about your pa, Jeff.”
    He clambered down from the wagon and moved slowly toward the building.
    When he’d gone, Jeff said in a worried tone, “Your pa seems to be ailing. He’s not well, is he?”
    â€œNo, he’s not. Ma worries about him a lot. She didn’t want him to come back on this trip.”
    Jeff turned and looked at her. “I think he came back just to help me. That’s the idea I got.” He bit his lip. “I hate to have him do that. I hate to ask favors.”
    Leah was wearing a light green dress that matched her eyes. She looked very pretty, he thought, even in such a plain outfit.
    Now she put out her hand and touched his arm. “We’re friends, aren’t we? Friends do things for each other. Don’t forget, we’ve asked God to get your father out, and we’re going to trust Him to do what’s best.”
    â€œI—I guess so. I’ll try anyway.”
    They watched the traffic go by and the soldiers and the many civilians who bustled around to the different buildings. Finally Leah’s father came back and climbed into the wagon.
    â€œI couldn’t get a permit for you to visit the prison, Jeff. The officer was gone who gives them out, but we’ll try anyway.”
    He turned the wagon around, and they made their way through the city. Men in uniform were everywhere.
    Leah had learned to recognize some of the uniforms from her work with her father. “Look! That’s the Seventh New York. Aren’t they smart?” She pointed out a group of soldiers in spick-and-span gray uniforms with pipe-clay cross belts on their breasts.
    â€œDon’t hardly see how they could fight in such fancy uniforms as that,” Jeff mumbled. He took inthe other troops that Leah and her father pointed out to him, men from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Illinois, from all over the North.
    At last they arrived at the camp itself, which seemed to Jeff to be an ocean of tents stretched out almost as far as he could see.
    â€œWe’ll find our regiment and park the wagon. Maybe we’ll have time to go in today, but I doubt it.”
    Mr. Carter threaded the wagon through the myriad tents and finally arrived at a section where he was greeted by an officer.
    â€œWell, it’s you, Dan! Glad to see you back again.”
    Pulling up the horses, Mr. Carter said, “Hello, Major Bates, good to see you. We’ve come back with a wagonload of supplies.”
    Major Bates was a tall man with a powerful voice. He commanded the Washington Blues. “The boys just got paid, so I expect they’ll be coming to see you. I suppose you got lots of those tracts and Bibles to give away again?”
    â€œSure have, Major. Oh, this is a young friend of ours who’s come with me and Leah to help with