“Well, now I tell you, it’s hotter than blazes there, in the summer, and you can freeze to death in the winter, it’s so cold. But it does have some wide open spaces. Prettiest trees you ever did see.” Lee remembered Chase and Katherine with fondness again. “Met some of the best people there, too.”
“I always wanted to see Texas. Most people talk about it like it’s a place of its own.”
“Oh it is, alright. Davy Crocket took one look and fell in love.” Lee smiled.
“Well, speaking of which, are you married Mr. Luke?”
“No ma’am. Never had the pleasure. Went to war kinda early like.”
“The war. I wish there had never been a war. So many good men died.”
Lee stirred restlessly. “Like maybe Lee Nelson?”
“Yes, like Lee and Dil Nelson,” she said winsomely.
Lee tried not to look at her, but her words thrilled him.
“You talked about this Gloria. Was she not your mother?”
“No, but she acted like one. She was so good to me and Sam. You see, Lee Nelson found us when our folks died, took us to town and he found Miss Gloria to take care of us. She promised him she would, and she held that promise. She was a good woman, and me and Sam, we loved her.”
“What happened to her?”
“A dog of a man shot her down. They was robbin’ a bank and she happened to run out in the street. Caught the first flyin’ bullet. It wasn’t that long ago, but it seems like years now. Sam took her death real hard, Miss Gloria spoiled him a might. She mothered him like he was her own, me too for that matter. But he loved her too. We both did.”
“Sounds like a right nice lady.”
“Right nice.” She smiled.
“Sam, you’re awful quiet tonight. Somethin’ wrong?” Hattie asked.
“He sure do ask a lot of questions.” Sam shook his head and went inside. “And one other thing, Miss Gloria was my ma, don’t matter what anyone says. She was!”
Hattie smiled sadly at Luke and Joe. “Don’t let Sam upset you. He thought Mr. Lee was the only white man in the world that was any good. Sam barely knew him, but there was just something about Lee.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, even I thought Mr. Lee was special. But you gotta understand, Lee came along when our Pa had been strung up. And Sam was just cryin’ there in the mud. Lee took him, buried his Pa, and made sure he was provided for before he left us. Well, naturally, that just made a big impression on Sam. So he kinda measures every man by him now.”
“That’s a fact. He talks about him like he’s ten feet tall, or somethin’.” Joe chuckled.
Hattie hung her head. “Well, don’t scoff at him so much. He goes out to that cemetery every day and says a prayer for Lee. Every day, rain or shine. That’s how much he thought of him.”
Lee choked up. He couldn’t have said anything if he tried. Guilt made him want to reach out to Sam and tell him.
Joe nodded. “Mr. Lee was a good man.”
“So tell me ma’am, so the Nelson’s both fought for the confederacy?” Luke asked after a long quiet spell.
“Yes, they did. He actually became a Corporal before he was killed.” She smiled proudly.
Luke watched her face light up when she spoke of him and he wondered about it. If a woman cared for a man, she’d react that way. So it was possible she loved him all along. He couldn’t stop his thoughts from running away, though. Did she love him? Putting that word to her feelings had him growing warm in all the wrong places and wanting more than he could give at the moment.
“But he died before the war was over, ma’am? You said Dil hung?” Luke kept prying. Joe rolled his eyes skyward. “Why would they hang an officer?”
Hattie bit her lower lip and looked at both men. “At first, I had no idea. The Federals made no statement as to why. But later, I got this letter from his commanding officer. It said he was a spy and that he’d been looking for his brother all along. He’d wandered into this town in Georgia; the Yankees had just taken possession. General Sherman, I believe. Anyway, he’d heard Lee was there, and he went into town to try to find him. Lee wasn’t there, hadn’t even been there, but Dil didn’t know it. He kept enquiring, until someone got suspicious of him and followed him. As per his instructions, he reported to a Captain there, and didn’t know the man was under house arrest. Dil was caught and hung the next day for conspiring with the enemy. From what was told, they barely gave him a trial since they caught him red handed. His commanding officer recommended him for a medal. They sent that later; it’s in his room.”
She looked at them and saw their eyes widen.