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
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
Probably best if you read it to me she said Your handwriting looks more like special code than plain English 11
Chapter Two Sam Dinner He heard his mother yell from the back door as he worked near the barn He dusted off his hands and went inside The O’Neills sat in silence around their scarred rough wooden dining table and served themselves They ladled stew into their bowls and tore pieces of bread from a loaf they passed around the table Something felt off What’s going on Sam asked Patrick will be taking Levi’s place in the war Sam dropped the bread he held in his hand You can’t be serious he whispered He looked over to Patrick whose face was solemn They offered us three hundred and fifty dollars Sam Patrick said It’s a lot of 12
