Let There Be Light (24 page)

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 whom 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?”

Jenny stiffened at the other woman’s use of
sweetheart
and glared at her with hot eyes.

Nate cleared his throat uneasily. “Honey, this is Jenny Linden, a longtime friend of mine. Jenny, this is my wife, Millie.”

Jenny felt the breath leave her lungs as though someone had punched her in the stomach. “Your
wife?”
she huffed. “What do you mean, your wife? You were promised to me! We were going to get married when you came home from the War!”

Millie took a sharp breath and swerved her eyes on Nate, who said, “Now look, Jenny, there was never any such promise. Where did you ever get that idea?”

Jenny’s chest tightened with emotion and her throat seemed to swell.

“Why, those times when we were together the last few months before you went away to the War. You—you—”

“I never said anything about us getting married at
any
time—before or after the War!”

Jenny’s anger had her breathing hard. Her thoughts seemed to be composed of cobwebs. “But—but—”

“Nate never even mentioned you, Jenny,” Millie said. “It sounds like you misconstrued his friendship to be more than it was.”

Suddenly the anger within her took control. Jenny bared her teeth and knocked the package out of Millie’s hands.

Millie gasped, her eyes flashing.

Jenny’s right hand shot out and slapped Millie across the face. “You shut up! You don’t know that you’re talking about!” Then she wheeled on Nate and started beating on his chest with both fists. “You’re a cheating, two-timing low-down cur dog!”

People on the street were gawking at the scene, eyes wide, mouths hanging open.

Stan and Bruce grabbed Jenny and pulled her off of Nate just as he stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Millie bent down to help him up while Stan and Bruce held Jenny tightly in their arms.

She struggled to free herself. “Let go of me! Do you hear me? I said let go of me!”

But Nate’s friends kept her restrained.

Nate was on his feet, balancing on the crutches. He stared at Jenny Linden as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

She screamed at the young men to release her, but still they held on.

Millie picked up her package and gave Jenny a hard look. “Come on, Nate, let’s go home.”

Jenny was still screaming, but Stan Galley and Bruce Laird hung on as Nate hobbled away on his crutches with Millie at his side.

The furious blonde was spraying saliva as she put her gaze on the couple. “Hey, woman! You’re a man-stealer! Nate, you’re a dirty, traitorous snake-in-the grass!”

Nate and Millie reached the corner, made a quick turn, and headed down the side street.

After several steps were taken, Millie pulled Nate to a stop. Her eyes searched his stunned face. “Honey, are you all right?”

He nodded. “Yes. I’m just so shocked at this incident with Jenny. I can hardly believe it. But I’m not concerned about me.” There was apprehension in his voice as he ran shaky fingers over the red welts on Millie’s cheek. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

Tears pooled in Millie’s eyes, but a tiny smile rimmed her lips. “I’m fine, darling. But I will say that I’ve never been through anything like that before.”

“I’m sorry. Really … I’m at a total loss as to what that was all about. I dated Jenny, yes, even as I dated a number of girls, but I never gave her any reason to believe that I was in love with her or wanted to marry her. You were right when you told her she had misconstrued my friendship to be more than it was. Please believe me. I
have never had any serious feelings for Jenny, and I
never
gave her any reason to think I had intentions of marrying her.”

Millie gave him a broad smile. “Of course I believe you, darling. Let’s just go home and forget this horrible incident. I’m sure you’re getting tired, and you need to lie down and rest.”

A contented smile crossed Nate’s face. “Always a nurse, aren’t you?”

“I will always be, at least where you’re concerned. Come on. My husband and patient needs his rest.”

In front of Baldwin’s Clothing Store, as soon as Nate and Millie disappeared around the corner, Jenny Linden hissed at Stan and Bruce, “Let go of me! I mean it! Right now!”

People on the street were still staring.

Bruce looked at Stan. “Shall we let her go?”

“Only if she’s cooled down and promises to leave the Conrads alone.”

“I’m not going to bother them,” Jenny said coldly. “They aren’t worth it.”

Stan nodded. “All right.”

Both men let go at the same time.

Jenny scowled, gave them both a piercing look, then wheeled and stomped down the street.

M
YRNA
L
INDEN WAS HAVING EVEN A BETTER DAY
than she had experienced the day before. She had even accomplished some chores around the house. Knowing that William would be coming home soon had given her the reason she needed to strive to get well. Bright sunshine filled the house with welcome light, and with her chores done, she opened a couple of side windows in the parlor.

Going to the large window at the front of the parlor, she looked out and was amazed to see tulips blooming in an array of colors along the path in the front yard that led to the street. “My, my,” she breathed, “they seem to have blossomed overnight. It’s been such a long and dismal winter, but now the War is over and spring is in the air!”

Myrna settled into the rocking chair with a sigh. “Oh, William, I haven’t been this happy since the day Jenny was born. You’re coming home to me, darling. You’re coming home to me!”

Lost in her own state of anger as she walked hurriedly along Main Street, Jenny Linden was unaware of the people who spoke to her. She acknowledged no one. When they were ignored, the people stared after her, murmuring among themselves, wondering what was wrong.

One woman commented to her husband, “I hope she hasn’t received bad news concerning her father.”

The husband watched Jenny march stiffly down the street. “Something’s wrong, that’s for sure.”

Myrna was rocking the chair gently in her reverie when movement on the sidewalk caught her attention. She focused on the figure turning into the yard and smiled. “There’s my Jenny—”

She caught her breath.

The look on her daughter’s face made Myrna’s heart sink. “Oh no,” she mumbled as she rose from the chair and headed for the parlor door. “Something is wrong, dreadfully wrong. William? Has Jenny somehow learned that her father isn’t coming home?” Myrna stepped into the hall just as Jenny came through the front door.

Jenny saw the shadow of apprehension in her mother’s eyes just before Myrna said with a quiver in her voice, “Jenny, is something wrong? Did you hear bad news about your papa?”

Jenny had to clear her throat before she could speak. “No, Mama, there is no bad news about Papa.”

“Well, you’re upset about something. What is it?”

As they entered the parlor, Jenny said, “The most horrible thing in all my life just happened to me on my way home.”

Myrna’s brows pinched together as they stopped in the middle of the room, facing each other. “Come. Let’s sit down so you can tell me about it.”

“I don’t want to sit down, Mama. You go ahead.”

Myrna’s frown deepened as she eased into the rocking chair, looking up at her obviously frustrated daughter. “Tell me, honey.”

Jenny’s breath was sawing in and out of her lungs. She bared her teeth and clenched her fists. “I was on Main Street, approaching the corner where Baldwin’s Clothing store is. Suddenly I saw Nate standing there, talking to Stan Galley and Bruce Laird.”

Myrna gasped. “Nate?”

“Yes.”

“How come he’s home ahead of the rest of the army?”

“I’ll tell you about that later. I rushed up to him and threw my
arms around his neck. I knew something was wrong right then, Mama. He didn’t respond as if he was glad to see me at all. Then I turned around, and here stood this redheaded hussy that he introduced as his wife.”

Myrna’s hand went to her mouth. She stared at Jenny for a brief moment, then spread her fingers. “His wife?”

“Yes. He was unfaithful to me, Mama. He went off to the War and found himself a wench to marry!”

Myrna bit her lower lip. “Didn’t I tell you not to set your heart on Nate?”

The cords in her throat tautened like steel cables. Jenny’s face suddenly became a crimson blur. “Why do you have to rub that in? Why?”

Myrna’s eyelids fluttered, and she looked as if Jenny had slapped her face.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Jenny hissed. “It’s bad enough what Nate did to me. I sure don’t need my own mother rubbing salt in my wounds!”

Myrna seemed to cave in.

Ignoring her, Jenny paced the floor in a temper fit, shaking her fists as she stormed all over the parlor, calling Nate Conrad and his new wife more choice names.

At one point, when pivoting at the corner of the wall near the front window, Jenny saw her mother slumped in the rocking chair. Her head was tilted forward. She was shaking severely. Her eyes were staring vacantly toward the floor, and she was mumbling incoherently. Tears were making furrows down her mottled cheeks, dripping off her chin.