Ashokan Farewell - Jeffrey Allen White (best motivational books .txt) 📗

courting at one of the church socials. She was so proud of him. That was the same year her mother had won the pie contest. Best pie for miles around.

She missed her parents. Her father had been a widower like John’s father but after her real mother died, he remarried and was she was really the only mother she knew of. She had loved her as much as anyone could love his or her mother.

Her parents moved after she and John married. After John’s father was killed. Her stepmother was extremely worried about it and wanted to go to a quieter place. A safer place. Claire’s father took her to Chelsea, South Carolina where he had land he and his wife could live on. Far away from any battles. She had received a letter from them every month since then like clockwork.

They had written for her to come out to stay with them while John was away but she could not leave her home. John had bought it from the Farrell’s, an elderly couple who moved to live with their son’s family in another town. She would wait for John to return and they would resume their life together.

The wagon pulled to an abrupt stop as they reached the little house next to the church. Oddly, no one was outside waiting for them. Claire knew that they would be heard with their approach.

Harrison jumped down first and offered his hand to Claire, which she took. He helped her down and they went up the steps to the house. Harrison stopped suddenly just before they reached the door.

“What is the matter, Harrison? Let us go in.” Claire waited for him to open the door or to move out of the way. He stood there facing the door with tears rolling down his face and was shaking. The little bit of color he had left was now completely gone leaving him even paler than the white of his shirt collar.

Claire asked him repeatedly no answer. She now walked past him, took the door handle, and turned it. Unexpectedly the door flew open from her hand and nearly pulled her arm out from her body. She was unprepared for this surprise. Claire regained her balance and started to tell who ever it was that she was indeed almost surely hurt by such an act.

Smoothing out her dress she turned to Harrison and then around to the open doorway. She expected to see Sarah or even Emmett standing there. Waiting to tell her whatever news they had. Instead of her sister-in-law and her husband, there stood a tall man. He was unshaven and dirty. His clothes were ragged and torn. A wound on his head was dressed but was bleeding through. Behind him were two more men, also in a bad state. The two men in back drew rifles and gun. The tall man in front held it at his side. It was then that Claire realized that they were wearing the uniforms of the enemy she had only heard of. The men were from the north. They were Yankees.


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Publication Date: 01-15-2011

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