Girl in the Hay

Girl in the Hay — page 5 — she said smiling conspiratorially Sam laughed as he headed toward the stairs leading up to the main portion of the house No need child his mother called from the top of the stairwell I’ve already checked on her The Walkers son’s been drafted Sam’s eyes widened Levi the Walkers only son was about the same age as Sam’s brother Patrick And ever since the riot just a short carriage ride from the Walkers Baltimore home Sam feared his brother would be drafted This was the closest the draft had hit That’s unfortunate I guess his sister said from the kitchen though there was no conviction in her voice Not for him his mother said her Irish accent intensifying with her disdain It’ll just be some poor fellow going instead of Levi They’ll pay someone off I s’pose Pay someone off Sam asked Rich people can get out of the war by paying a fee or paying some poor soul to go instead of them Julia said 7

Girl in the Hay — page 6 — The shrill sounds from above became dull murmurs Then the stairs creaked again Sam’s father’s tall gangly frame appeared on the stairwell part by part feet legs torso then his balding head sparse tufts of red hair sprouting haphazardly above kind eyes crinkled at the edges with age and laughter My word that woman’s scream carries he said attempting a smile Julia would you mind taking Sam with you to the market Probably best if you got a little help anyway Sure she said looking at Sam Sam met her eyes and saw something Worry Anger He couldn’t quite put his finger on it And don't forget the cream and eggs their father added Julia nodded silently dodging Sam’s eyes this time as she made her way to the door Wait up Sam said grabbing his hat and pulling it over his head Is everything all right he asked as they walked toward the market Sure Julia said absently Doesn’t seem like it Sorry she said shaking her head as if 8

Girl in the Hay — page 7 — to snap herself out of daze My mind was elsewhere I’m fine We’re all fine She punctuated her sentence with a forced smile much like the one their father wore Sam decided to let the subject go A group of Union soldiers marched toward them weapons poised at their shoulders their steps almost perfectly in sync Julia pulled Sam gently by the arm out of the soldiers way A lot’s changed here he remarked There are more and more of them every day You know they’re the only reason the Walkers hired us right Who The Union soldiers Ever since the riot there were rumors of Confederate sympathizers getting rounded up by the government Mom told me that the Walkers owned slaves before us but they got so paranoid that they’d be targeted as sympathizers they sold them Something having to do with Mr Walker’s dabbling with trade in the past He didn’t want people digging too much Decided a bunch of Irish 9

Girl in the Hay — page 8 — workers paid a pittance were a much safer bet she said But slavery’s still legal here isn’t it Sam said Don’t remind me Maryland can’t be like the North and we’re not in the South We’re stuck somewhere in between until the war’s over I guess she said Sam’s family had fallen into work with the Walkers about two years before through a connection his father made while working at the docks The Walkers liked the work the O Neills did although they didn’t care much for Sam’s youth and inexperience Still they seemed to like the products of his labor just fine if he stayed invisible They neared the market and the scent of fruity earthy produce wafted through the air Did you bring a list of what we need Julia asked Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled paper littered with his messy scrawl He held the paper out to Julia who squinted to read the words scribbled across the page 10

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