Hannah's Handkerchief by Zina Abbott

Author:Zina Abbott [Abbott, Zina]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2020-03-27T05:00:00+00:00

.

.

.

.

Chapter 11

~o0o~

Salina, Kansas

Late October, 1865

H annah sat at the kitchen table and held her breath. She listened as her parents discussed Otto’s situation and what they intended to do. She had made her offer. Would her father, who now paced the floor, agree to it? More to the point, would her mother, who sat on the opposite side of the table, allow it?

Not fully trusting the report and assurances of the medical officer regarding his care at Fort Leavenworth, they wanted to see Otto for themselves. Unfortunately, the one thing they agreed upon was that it would be best if an adult stayed home to see to the farm and their children.

“Papa, if you and Mama think she needs to stay here, I said I could go with you. I can ride a horse well enough to help you herd what few cattle you’re driving to Fort Riley on the way to where Otto is. Or, if you think they will let us bring him home, I can drive a wagon for him to ride in.”

“Nein, liebes Kind. Too cold for you, this time of year.”

Hannah knew she should not be annoyed that her mother called her a dear child. If she had any hope of persuading her parents, she had to stay calm and reasonable.

“Mama—Mutti—I’m younger. I can handle the cold better than you can. Besides, you need to stay here to take care of Magpie…er, Margarete. And the boys, even though I know Carl is old enough to tend to the animals...” Upon seeing the way her father narrowed his eyes at her statement, she knew it might be better if she stopped talking.

“If your mother wants to go, you can handle the house and your brothers and sister just fine, Hannah. My guess is, your biggest interest is visiting the fort again.”

Hannah forced her gaze to remain connected to her father’s rather than turn it away in embarrassment. Yes, she did hope to visit Fort Riley while her father talked business regarding the cattle. She wished to exchange greetings with Mrs. Prescott and a few other officers’ wives she had met. In the event they planned other socials, she did not want them to forget about her. That, and she hoped to persuade her father to stop by Bonner Springs long enough to say hello to Kizzie—the new Mrs. Jones—and see her house.

She knew if she acknowledged the truth, it would sound the death knell to her chance to go, Hannah fell back into her usual role as the dutiful daughter. “Whatever you think is best, Papa.”

Jefferson glared and shook his head. “I’ll have to think about it. Especially with your aunt and uncle so close and the Palmers just up the lane, I’m sure you and your brothers can handle things here by yourselves. The harvest is in, so there’s not much to do except take care of the animals and each other.”

Hannah dropped her gaze to her hands, interlocked and resting on the table. Not much to do was correct.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.