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Explanations
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2021-02-24 12:08:02The sky was fairly clear, and the stars were shining brightly as Cordia and Will made their way around the outskirts of town, away from major roads and populated areas, before turning north and heading for Will’s home, near Nevada in Vernon County. The wind had died down, but it was still rather chilly, and Cordia was thankful to have her coat. Will was used to being outside in all kinds of weather and was just grateful that he had a horse to ride on this journey, rather than walking the twenty-five miles or so they would cover that night.
They didn’t speak too much at first, afraid that doing so might lead to their discovery. However, as they wound their way out of town, they became more confident in the success of their escape, and Cordia couldn’t help but engage him in conversation. She had so many topics she had wished to discuss with him for so long, and having him here at last was almost too hard for her to believe. “If Carey went to the sheriff
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Cordia laughed at Will’s teasing statement about no one being close enough to hear his scrams, but it did raise a question for her. “What are the chances we’re going to run into marauders?” she asked.“Tonight?” he clarified. “Not very likely. We should be able to hear them coming, same as anyone following us from town. I will admit I worry about them coming back, though, when I’m at the house, probably because the memories I have of the morning Nolan was killed are so vivid. But you don’t need to worry, Cordia. I will protect you.”“I know you will,” she said, believing it wholeheartedly. Off in the distance, she could see a cluster of lights from what appeared to be a small town. “Is that Nevada?” she asked.“Yes,” he replied. “There’s a road up here that turns left and it goes back toward the house. If we go the other direction, we will arrive in Nevada
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Sheriff Dickerson and his men searched the Adams Farm thoroughly. They found no trace of Will or Cordia. They began to ride out into the outlying areas, stopping at houses, and asking if anyone had heard anything suspicious. No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Around two o’clock in the morning, Sheriff Dickerson ordered his men to go home, planning to reconvene at first light. He returned to the Pike home to let Cordia’s parents and Carey know they had come up empty handed.Carey’s performance had been extremely convincing. As Sheriff Dickerson explained that the search had not been successful, the brokenhearted fiancé began to weep. Jane also broke into tears, and Isaac did his best to comfort his wife. Frieda asked to be excused to her room so that she could mourn in private, unwilling to speak her theory that, perhaps, Cordia had ridden off with a band of marauders. She had held her suspicions since the last time Will was in town, and
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Each time Will stopped to consider the spot in the yard near the door to the diminutive log cabin, the place where Nolan had fallen and lost his life, he was taken aback. It was never easy to cross by there, and even tonight, with his new bride, he was consciously aware, as he led Cordia to the door, of what had transpired here such a short time, an eternity ago.Cordia was also aware that this may be difficult for him, and she said nothing as they approached the house. He was carrying her bag and held her hand. As he drew near the door, he opened it, setting her bag inside, and turning back to face her. She looked into his eyes, confused as to why he had not entered.“Cordia,” Will said quietly. “This house isn’t much, not yet, but I intend to make it a nice home for you and for Julia.”Cordia smiled. “Will, it doesn’t matter to me where we live, as long as we are together.”He leaned in and kissed her soft
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It was late in the morning when Cordia awoke. Will was no longer next to her, but she could hear him outside. The fire was blazing, and she knew he must have gotten up to tend it and possibly find something to eat. She was suddenly aware that she was famished. She was also aware that she was still undressed, which brought back memories of the night before, bringing a smile to her face. She hurried to pull on her clothes before rushing outdoors to find her husband, and hopefully, an outhouse.She didn’t see Will until after she had finished using the only facility they had available. He was on the other side of the house, chopping wood, and for a moment, she paused to consider how different her life had become since she had watched him perform the same task just the day before. As she approached, he put the ax down and walked toward her, smiling broadly.“Good morning, Cordia,” he said embracing her and kissing her on the forehead.She had not p
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“Did you have to do a lot of cooking for yourself when you were encamped?” Cordia asked, finishing up the rabbit stew Will had prepared for her while she was out scrubbing the bedding. The sheets were hanging on a makeshift laundry line now, her efforts successful.“Sometimes, if we could find something to cook,” he replied. “Spent most of the time eating hardtack though.” The memory made him grimace, and he was thankful, once again, that the army life was behind him.“Well, this was very tasty,” Cordia said, finishing up and wondering what she was supposed to do with her dishes. At home, they had a sink with a water pump. Clearly, she would be doing more washing in the basin outside.“Thank you,” he said smiling. “You like to cook though, don’t you?”“I do,” she said, nodding. “But we’re gonna have to figure out how to get a stove in here if you want me
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The trip into Nevada took about thirty minutes each way. Besides sending the telegraphs, they had also gotten some much-needed supplies. Will was anxious to hear how Julia was doing, and he didn’t want to stay cut-off from his family for too long, but he also wanted to make sure that Cordia’s father had the opportunity to receive the telegraph and calm down the authorities some before they headed back to Lamar. That was assuming that anyone was even looking for them. They weren’t even sure that Carey had reported anything to the sheriff at all. They decided to wait about a week before venturing back to the Adams Farm to ascertain the situation.They had done their best to avoid as many people as possible, particularly other riders. The fewer people who knew the old Tucker homestead was occupied again, the better, especially since the town was alive with whispers and rumors of guerrillas and marauders. Despite the fact that the house she was staying in had be
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Carey was encamped with Quantrill and his band of raiders, which numbered nearly two hundred, in a wooded area north of Lamar, for several days before they finally rode out to meet up with a few stragglers who had been out visiting family. Quantrill had been corresponding with Col. Warren Lewis of the Missouri State Guard, and they both had their eye on the outpost located in Lamar at the courthouse. On November 4, Quantrill gathered up his forces and began the ride north. Carey and the few men who had come along with him were instrumental in giving information about roads and the location of troops, etc. Carey also suggested that they try to take out the prominent businessmen in town and their families, hoping to use the famous rebel as a means to get revenge on those he believed had done him wrong. Quantrill agreed. Any permanent scars they could leave on the face of the town would be well worth it. Carey sketched a rough map of the town, placing an “X” on the homes of
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The ride from the Tucker house to the Adams Farm was nearly silent and forced. The horses were spurred on in a full gallop for as long as they could bear it. Arthur did not have to say anything more for Will to know that, if Arthur was riding out to retrieve him, Julia must have grown much worse.When they arrived, Zachariah came out and took their horses. Arthur helped Cordia dismount but by the time she was off of her horse, Will was already inside the farmhouse, flying toward the back room. Cordia caught up with him at the door of Julia’s room, where he paused to compose himself before entering. She put her hand gently on his back, giving him the assurance he needed to enter the room and survey his sister’s waning condition.As they entered the room, they could see Dr. Walters sitting on a chair next to her bed, Margaret at the foot of the bed but within reach of her niece. Julia’s breathing was labored, but she was breathing. Her cheeks were flush
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Carey’s horse ran straight past him, seeing the other riders off in the distance, and Carey knew he was trapped. Will was certainly behind him now. He dropped the derringer to the ground, hoping compliance would be beneficial. His only option was to find a way to get close enough to Cordia to take that gun away and use her body as a shield. “Cordia,” he said as sweetly as he could muster, “you’re not going to shoot me,” he smiled at her, nonchalantly. “Go ahead and step out of the way, darlin’ so I can join my men.”“You and your men shot my daddy,” she replied, her voice filled with hate.Carey swallowed hard. It had never been his intention to physically harm her father. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said quietly. “Your father and I have always been such good friends. I’m sure he would understand why you would let me go.”It was a stretch, and they both knew it
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Carey’s plan was working. The cavalry was not prepared for an assault on the munitions, and when they blew, it shook the entire square. Glass shards flew through the air, people went flying, horses darted off, some with riders still holding on. The explosion had caught the wooden steeple and roof of the courthouse on fire, and the structure was going up in flames. Within a few moments, the entire top of the building was burning.The Union troops realized that their focal point was rapidly disappearing. While this was certainly devastating to their purpose, it did suddenly create a sense of mobility to the commanders. No longer tied to a structure to protect, they began to pour out in formation, engaging the enemy where they were, rather than waiting for Quantrill and his men to come to them.Quantrill recognized this problem almost instantly. He had hoped to acquire some of the weapons and munitions that had been stored there, but at least they would no longer be
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The group of men Carey was leading were pyromaniacs, apparently. His understanding was that Quantrill wanted them to converge on the square, take the outpost, and then light the town on fire as they made their escape. These men spent a great deal of time throwing torches through broken windows, and it seemed that they would never make it to the heart of the battle unfolding on the square a few blocks away.At last, Carey gave the order to ride on, and then did so, not caring who followed. He could see that a large contingency of the men had accompanied him, while only a few stayed behind to torch the houses along Tenth Street. He covered the few blocks to the square quickly, hoping to get in on the fight. It had been almost two years since he had tasted battle, and he was eager to feel the rush of assault again. However, once he got to the square, he realized Quantrill and Lewis had not organized their attack as well as he had hoped. The 8thCavalry appeared to be ready
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Carey was furious. “This is my aunt and uncle’s farm!” he was yelling, bringing his horse between the torch men and the shed they had just lit on fire. “You have direct orders from Quantrill not to touch any of our property or our relations’!”“Sorry! We didn’t know!” an older cross-eyed soldier spat back before riding off. Though it was too late for this particular shed, Carey was hopeful that he could save the rest of the farm from a similar fate. He was leading a small band of marauders into town. Quantrill had split his men into smaller groups so that they could enter the city limits a bit more stealthily. They would meet back up at the courthouse directly. Carey had given very specific directions to everyone as to which houses were to be spared, this being one of them, but apparently these outlaws had not listened as closely as he would have liked, and he began to fear for the safety of his father who was likely sleep
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A few hours into Will’s vigil, he realized that Julia’s breathing had changed. The door to her bedroom was ajar, and he could hear his aunt bustling around, keeping herself busy. “Aunt Margaret,” he said as loudly as he could muster. “I think you should probably come in here.”Margaret had been present at quite a few deaths over the years. Thankfully, most of them had been the passing of elderly members of her family, such as her grandparents, though she had watched her mother breath her last at the age of fifty-two. She had always regretted not being there for her brother and his wife, Will’s parents, but they had lived such reclusive lives. She didn’t even know they were sick until after they had passed. Entering the room, she could tell immediately that Julia’s time had come. Her breathing was very shallow and uneven. Several seconds passed between breaths. Catching Will’s eye, Margaret nodded solemnly.He
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Cordia’s parents were elated to see her, though hearing of the circumstances that brought her diminished their joy significantly. They invited Zachariah in, but he declined, thinking his mother may need him back at the house. He knew that, once Julia had passed, his mother would be extremely emotional, and he wanted to be there to comfort her.Once Frieda had greeted her, she disappeared into the kitchen, pouring drinks and preparing something for Cordia to eat. Though she protested that she was not hungry, Frieda insisted that she would need her strength. Cordia joined her parents in the parlor, feeling awkwardly like a guest in what was, until very recently, her own home for so long. She sat on the duvet across from her parents, who sat in their usual chairs. The fire was blazing in the fireplace, and Cordia suddenly became very aware of how cold she had been, despite her heavy winter coat.“Well, Cordia, dear,” her mother began. “How have you
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The ride from the Tucker house to the Adams Farm was nearly silent and forced. The horses were spurred on in a full gallop for as long as they could bear it. Arthur did not have to say anything more for Will to know that, if Arthur was riding out to retrieve him, Julia must have grown much worse.When they arrived, Zachariah came out and took their horses. Arthur helped Cordia dismount but by the time she was off of her horse, Will was already inside the farmhouse, flying toward the back room. Cordia caught up with him at the door of Julia’s room, where he paused to compose himself before entering. She put her hand gently on his back, giving him the assurance he needed to enter the room and survey his sister’s waning condition.As they entered the room, they could see Dr. Walters sitting on a chair next to her bed, Margaret at the foot of the bed but within reach of her niece. Julia’s breathing was labored, but she was breathing. Her cheeks were flush
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Carey was encamped with Quantrill and his band of raiders, which numbered nearly two hundred, in a wooded area north of Lamar, for several days before they finally rode out to meet up with a few stragglers who had been out visiting family. Quantrill had been corresponding with Col. Warren Lewis of the Missouri State Guard, and they both had their eye on the outpost located in Lamar at the courthouse. On November 4, Quantrill gathered up his forces and began the ride north. Carey and the few men who had come along with him were instrumental in giving information about roads and the location of troops, etc. Carey also suggested that they try to take out the prominent businessmen in town and their families, hoping to use the famous rebel as a means to get revenge on those he believed had done him wrong. Quantrill agreed. Any permanent scars they could leave on the face of the town would be well worth it. Carey sketched a rough map of the town, placing an “X” on the homes of
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss Hurry
The trip into Nevada took about thirty minutes each way. Besides sending the telegraphs, they had also gotten some much-needed supplies. Will was anxious to hear how Julia was doing, and he didn’t want to stay cut-off from his family for too long, but he also wanted to make sure that Cordia’s father had the opportunity to receive the telegraph and calm down the authorities some before they headed back to Lamar. That was assuming that anyone was even looking for them. They weren’t even sure that Carey had reported anything to the sheriff at all. They decided to wait about a week before venturing back to the Adams Farm to ascertain the situation.They had done their best to avoid as many people as possible, particularly other riders. The fewer people who knew the old Tucker homestead was occupied again, the better, especially since the town was alive with whispers and rumors of guerrillas and marauders. Despite the fact that the house she was staying in had be
