Let There Be Light Page 18

  The prisoners hugged each other and obediently made their way back to their assigned areas. Lieutenant Edgar Toomey was allowed to go with them.

  Moments later, in the presence of just Clay Holden and Joel Stevens, Dan Tyler turned to the commandant. “Captain Wirz, what are you going to do about Captain Linden’s murder?”

  Wirz scrubbed a palm over his face. “Sergeant, I know you didn’t do it, and though I suspect—as you do—that Toomey did it, there is no way I can prove it. There is nothing I can do.”

  14

  BIRDS TWITTERED AS THEY FLITTED among the tree branches in Harrisburg on Monday morning, April 10. Jenny Linden looked up at them. “I wish I were as happy and carefree as you little birdies are. Maybe someday …”

  When she neared Henderson’s General Store, a few customers were clustered around the door, as usual, waiting for the store to open. They greeted Jenny as she drew up. She managed a smile. “Are the Hendersons in there, yet?”

  “Yes,” replied a middle-aged woman. “They’re at the counter getting things ready.”

  Jenny stepped to the door and put her hand on the knob. “I’ll see if I can hurry it along and we can open a few minutes early.”

  As she opened the door, an elderly man in the group chuckled. “You’re a real sweetheart, Jenny.”

  She moved in, smiled at him, and closed the door. I’m actually Nate’s sweetheart, Mr. Creighton. And I love him so.

  Zack and Emma looked at her from behind the counter. Both said, “Good morning, Jenny,” in unison.

  She headed toward them. “Good morning to you too. How are my favorite bosses this morning?”

  Emma smiled. “Fine.”

  “Fair to middling,” said Zack.

  “Just fair to middling, Zack?” said Jenny, moving behind the counter.

  Emma shook her head. “He didn’t get much sleep last night, honey.”

  “Back pain again?”

  “Yes,” said Zack. “I ran out of my salicylic acid powders. I’ll go over to the pharmacy in a little while and get some more.”

  Suddenly they heard people shouting out in the street.

  Zack frowned. “What’s going on out there?”

  The shouting grew louder and the customers outside the store were lifting their voices in elation, joining them.

  Zack moved around the end of the counter. “Let’s see what this is all about.”

  Emma and Jenny were right behind him.

  When Zack pulled open the door, people were hugging each other on the sidewalks while laughing gaily. Some were weeping.

  Emma and Jenny moved out the door. Zack looked at Frank Creighton, who was wiping tears from his wrinkled cheeks with a bandanna. “Frank, what’s all the excitement about?”

  “The War is over, Zack! The War is over! Here’s Hank Keller. Tell them, Hank!”

  Hank Keller was a middle-aged man who worked at one of Harrisburg’s department stores and was a regular customer at the general store. His eyes danced in a bright face. “Zack, on my way to work, I pass the newspaper office every day. A few minutes ago, some of the Journal employees were coming out the door, shouting. A wire had just come from army headquarters in Washington. Yesterday at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, Bobby Lee surrendered to General Grant. The War’s over and we won!”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful!” said Zack, then turned and gathered Emma and Jenny in his arms. “It’s over, sweet ladies! The War’s over!”

  Tears bubbled in Jenny’s eyes as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “I can’t believe it! Am I dreaming?”

  Emma playfully pinched Jenny’s arm. “Did you feel that?”

  Jenny wiped tears. “Yes, I did.”

  “Then you’re not dreaming, honey! The War’s over, and your papa will be coming home!”

  “Yes, oh yes! And Nate too!”

  More people were appearing on the street, shouting their elation.

  Zack squeezed his wife and Jenny. “Well, ladies, it’s time to open up the store. I wish we carried firecrackers in stock. If we did, we’d make a pile of money today!”

  The joyful noise grew steadily louder in downtown Harrisburg as rejoicing customers entered the general store to make their purchases. The War’s end was the only subject in the aisles and at the counter.

  It was almost nine o’clock when the Hendersons and Jenny heard the voice of Wiley Owens as he came in, carrying the day’s edition of the Harrisburg Journal. “Hey, everybody! Wanna see some marvelous headlines?”

  Wiley immediately had the attention of everyone in the store. He stepped to the empty stand by the counter, laid the bundle of newspapers on it, and picked up one paper. He flashed the front page and waved it about so all could see. “Look at this!”

  The large, bold headlines read:

  WAR IS OVER!

  LEE SURRENDERS!

  UNION VICTORIOUS!

  The customers raised their voices in happy shouts while many waved their hands over their heads.

  Jenny stood in a state of pleasant shock. She had waited for what seemed an eternity for this news and had a difficult time taking it all in. Her mind seemed to be going in a dozen directions at once. Can it really be true? Is the horrible War finally over?

  She would try Emma’s way again. Making sure no one was watching her, she pinched the flesh of her left arm with her right hand. A smile spread over her face. Yes! It’s really true! I’m not dreaming. Papa and Nate will soon come home!

  Wiley Owens returned to the street where he had left his cart, and pushed it on up the street, waving one of the newspapers and shouting.

  When business slacked, Zack left the store to pick up some more salicylic acid powders at the nearby pharmacy. He was back in fifteen minutes, and after mixing himself a dose and downing it, he returned to his place at the counter.

  When Jenny saw that business had slowed even more, she turned to Emma. “Would it be all right if I run home and tell Mama the War’s over?”

  Before Emma could reply, Zack said, “You go on, Jenny. I want you and your mother to have some celebration together. Can you be back by ten-thirty? Business will no doubt pick up by then.”

  “Of course. I’ll be back by then.”

  With her feet propelled by the excitement, Jenny ran all the way home, pausing only to greet people she knew who wanted to comment joyfully on the War’s end.

  When she reached her block and ran toward her house, she was surprised to see her mother on the front porch, standing amid a small group of neighbors. Tears of joy were streaming down Myrna’s cheeks. When she spotted her daughter running across the yard, she cried, “Jenny! Oh, Jenny!”

  Jenny bounded up the steps and folded her mother in her arms. “Mama, Papa’s coming home! He’s coming home!”

  “Yes, honey! Papa’s coming home! It’s been years since we’ve had anything to celebrate. Now at last, your papa will be coming home to us!”

  The neighbors rejoiced, knowing how hard it had been on Myrna with her depression problem and the load that Jenny had borne in caring for Myrna. When their emotions had settled, Jenny thanked the neighbors for coming to share the good news of the War’s end with her mother. The neighbors were joyful that Captain William Linden would be coming home.

  As Jenny took Myrna inside and they headed for the parlor, Myrna set her teary eyes on her daughter. “Honey, how did you get off work?”

  “Business slowed as it usually does between nine-thirty and ten, Mama, so I asked Emma if I could come home and tell you the good news. Zack asked if I would be back by ten-thirty, so I’ve got to head back. I had no idea that the neighbors would come and tell you about the War being over.”

  “I was surprised they thought to do it, but I’m sure glad they did.”

  Myrna settled in her rocking chair. Jenny leaned over and hugged her. “See you at lunchtime, Mama. You just sit here and daydream about Papa coming home.”

  “I’m going to do just that.”

  Jenny rushed out the door
and darted down the porch steps. She paused long enough to smile at the lady in the parlor window with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, then waved and hurried away.

  Myrna did exactly as her daughter had said. Rocking the chair, she closed her eyes and let her imagination take her to the day not far away when her husband would come home.

  At lunchtime, Jenny entered the house to find her mother looking better than she had in a long time. They enjoyed lunch together, talking about happy days to come. When Jenny left to return to the store, Myrna was once again sitting in the rocking chair.

  Jenny kissed her cheek. “Just spend the afternoon daydreaming, sweet Mama. Papa will be home soon.”

  When Jenny went out the door, her heart felt lighter than it had in four years.

  That evening at supper, Myrna and Jenny were euphoric as they talked about the War coming to an end, even sooner than President Abraham Lincoln had guessed.

  Myrna looked across the table at her daughter with a light in her eyes that Jenny had not seen in four years. “Honey, it’s like I’m dreaming.”

  “I know, Mama. I feel the same way. But it’s real, believe me. The War’s over, and Papa’s coming home to us.”

  “How long do you think it will take for your papa to be discharged?”

  “It’s hard to say. But I’d guess it would take at least a couple of weeks. And then, depending on where he is, it will take some time for the army to get him here on a train. So we may be looking at something like three weeks before he’s here in our arms.”

  Myrna dropped her fork and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Jenny, I’ve tried to imagine what it will be like when I first see him. It’s been so long.”

  “It has, but I have a feeling it’ll be like he’s never been gone. You and Papa can just pick up where you left off.”

  Myrna wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m so happy.”

  “Me too, Mama. And I have an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When it comes close to the time for Papa to arrive, I’d like to decorate the house. You know: lots of pretty flowers, and I’ll make little signs that welcome him home. We’ll put them all over the house.”

  “Oh yes! That’s a marvelous idea!”

  Jenny went quiet for a moment while she cleaned up her plate. Myrna saw a dreamy look come into Jenny’s eyes. “What are you thinking, honey?”

  Jenny took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and smiled. “I was thinking about the first moment I see Nate. Oh, Mama, I’m so excited.”

  “Jenny, I haven’t said anything about this for a long time, but please be careful with your heart. I don’t want it broken.”

  “Mama, I—”

  “You have no guarantee that Nate will be coming home to you as if you were his fiancée, or even as if you were his special girl.”

  Jenny giggled. “I’ll show you, Mama. You just wait and see! Nate is in love with me, and if I’m not able to be at the railroad station when his train comes in, he’ll be knocking on that front door minutes after he gets off the train!”

  Myrna smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I hope so, honey. I hope I’m wrong, but please keep a guard on your heart until he actually declares that he is in love with you and wants to marry you.”

  Jenny giggled again. “Like I said, Mama. That’s exactly how he feels. You just wait and see.”

  The next morning, Jenny bent down and kissed her mother’s forehead. “You go on daydreaming, sweet Mama. I’ll see you at lunchtime.”

  “All right, honey. Try to keep your mind on your work.”

  “It’ll be a struggle, but I’ll manage.” She glanced out the parlor window. “What a glorious spring day! Just look out there, Mama! I haven’t seen the sun shine so brightly since that horrible war began. Maybe soon our lives can be normal again, and we can have a happy future to look forward to.”

  Myrna looked up and smiled. This time the smile reached her eyes. “Yes, sweetheart, now you can concentrate on your own future and you won’t have to worry about me. Your papa will be here, and our own lives can resume where we left off the day he boarded the army train and pulled out of Harrisburg.”

  Jenny went out the door and was walking down Main Street, enjoying the happiness the townspeople were showing over the War’s end. Strangers and people she knew stopped her on the street to share their elation. Some of the women hugged her, saying how glad they were that her father was coming home.

  Happy tears flowed down Jenny’s cheeks as she shared their joy and anticipated the moment her father would arrive home. In the back of her mind, she also anticipated the marvelous day when Nate would arrive home and take her in his arms. She told herself Nate would probably propose shortly thereafter—or maybe he would even ask her to marry him when they first came face to face! A tingle slithered down her backbone.

  When Jenny arrived at the general store, she found Zack and Emma on the sidewalk having their own time of rejoicing over the War’s end with the customers who were there ahead of opening time.

  Jenny joined in with them, then followed the Hendersons inside so they could prepare to open the store. Soon the door was opened and it was business as usual, along with jovial talk about the upcoming arrival of the men of Harrisburg who survived the War.

  Jenny and the Hendersons were behind the counter waiting on customers when they saw Wiley Owens come in, carrying his stack of newspapers. He lifted up one copy of the day’s edition. “Hey, everybody! The front page of the Journal has a message from President Lincoln! Let me tell you about it.”

  Wiley quickly had everybody’s attention. The customers who were in line at the counter stayed in place, but the rest of them gathered around Wiley, anticipating what they would hear from the president. He held the paper open so everyone could see the front page. “President Lincoln has sent word to all the newspapers in the Northern states, stating that the men of the Union army who are mustering out will begin arriving in their hometowns by rail in about two weeks. There will be announcements posted in the railroad stations giving the arrival times of the trains.”

  A loud cheer went up, and Emma put an arm around Jenny, smiling at her.

  Wiley went on. “The president also says that those Union soldiers who were confined in the Confederate prison camps will be arriving in their hometowns by rail anywhere from three to four weeks later than the other soldiers. Announcements will be posted in the railroad stations concerning their arrival times too.”

  Jenny’s heart was pounding in her chest. She looked at Emma. “Will you let me have time off to be at the railroad station for each train to arrive, so I’ll be sure to be there when Papa arrives?”

  “Of course, honey. You’ll have no way of knowing which train your father will be on, so you can plan to be there for each one until he arrives.”

  “You sure can, Jenny,” Zack said.

  Jenny thought about her dream—the one in which both her father and Nate arrived on the same train. Her heart pounded even harder. She hoped her mother would feel like going to the station with her.

  Wiley Owens left the store, and the customers who had collected around him went back to their shopping. Jenny and the Hendersons were once again tallying bills and bagging goods.

  When it was almost noon, Jenny hurried out the door and headed down the street. She was eager to tell her mother what President Lincoln had said. It was now definite that her father would be home within a couple of weeks.

  As she moved along Main Street, greeting people and being greeted in return, she came to a sudden stop. Her jaw dropped in astonishment at the sight before her. Jenny’s feet seemed glued to the sidewalk. My mind is playing tricks on me.

  She closed her eyes, thinking the delusory vision would be gone when she opened them again. But when she opened them, Nate Conrad was still standing there on the sidewalk in front of Baldwin’s Clothing Store, no more than thirty yards from her. He was talking to two of his young friends—Stan Galley and Bruce Laird, both of w
hom had physical infirmities which kept them from entering the army.

  Jenny’s heart was fluttering. She willed her leaden feet to move. She never took her shocked eyes off of Nate as she headed toward him. She was puzzled as to how Nate got home so soon and wondered why he hadn’t already come into the general store to see her.

  As she drew closer, she saw that Nate was leaning on crutches. Her eyes widened. She put a hand to her mouth. Oh no! He was wounded in battle!

  Jenny’s rapid movement toward him caught Nate’s peripheral vision. He turned his head as she drew near and adjusted himself on the crutches. “Hello, Jenny!”

  Stan and Bruce both greeted her warmly.

  “Hello, Stan. Hello, Bruce.” She looked at the crutches, then into Nate’s eyes. “Wh-what happened to you?”

  “Cannonball exploded close to me during a battle near Winchester, Virginia, back in September. Big piece of shrapnel hit me in the lower back.”

  “I … I read in the newspaper about your unit being in that battle. D-did it damage your spine?”

  “No, and I’m plenty thankful for that. I’ve been recuperating at Memorial Hospital in Frederick, Maryland.”

  Jenny moved up close and slid her arms around his neck. “Darling, how long have you been home?”

  The heads of both Stan and Bruce turned at her use of the word darling. They were stunned at the embrace she was putting on Nate.

  Nate’s face lost color as he drew back in her grasp. “I’ve been back in Harrisburg since last Friday.”

  Jenny let go of him and stepped back. There was hurt in her voice as she said, “You’ve been home five days, and you haven’t come to see me? Why?”

  Nate glanced at his friends, who were looking puzzled. He took a shaky breath. “Jenny, I—” His eyes flicked past Jenny.

  Jenny turned and saw a lovely redhead coming out of Baldwin’s Clothing Store, carrying a small package. She was looking directly at Nate, smiling. As she drew up, she glanced at Jenny, then back at Nate. “Sweetheart, who is this young lady?”