go to the kitchen and talk with May about it.”
The next morning found us in the field picking strawberries and gathering greens. It was an every-morning job after that. In the afternoons we ground cane and Henry started cooking off a kettle of syrup. The cooking took well into the night. Being the only one other than Aunt May who had cooked syrup before, he did all the syrup cooking. A few of the women stayed up and tended him, bringing cool water and strawberry jam with a biscuit or some other snack. They also helped pour up the syrup when it was ready. Each boiling of cane juice produced ten gallons of syrup.
As cane juice is boiled to cook it down to syrup, foam, called skimmings, is formed on top of the cooking juice. These skimmings include the impurities from the cane juice. Skimmed off constantly during the cooking, the skimmings are put in a barrel that stands under the shelter by the cooking kettle. Since the skimmings stay in the barrel for the entire time that syrup is being cooked, sometimes weeks, it naturally begins to ferment. Some people take advantage of this natural process to make rum.
After Henry had cooked syrup for two weeks, and the barrel was half full, the skimmings were getting ripe. Somehow that night Smokey got out of the pasture and drank his fill of skimmings. He became so falling down drunk that he knocked the barrel over. Before we got up and out the next morning, Aunt May’s chickens also got to pecking and eating out of the skimmings, which were all over the ground. When we went out to work, Smokey was on his knees and couldn’t get up and the chickens were staggering around. After taking two or three steps, they would have to sit down. When a hen sits down, it’s normally a signal to the rooster and he’s usually right there to take care of the situation. This time, the rooster was too drunk to take advantage of the situation. It was a great diversion for everyone for a few minutes. Aunt May then shooed the kids off to the strawberry field to begin picking. Since Smokey was useless that day, Coon had to harness one of the horses to pull the cane mill. Surprisingly, egg production picked up for the next couple of days.
On January 19, we got some bad news about Cedar Key. From what we heard the Federal military had again raided Cedar Key on January 16. It was also said that they were moving inland. While ours wasn’t fresh news, more news and rumors kept coming every day. Federal forces had taken Cedar Key for sure, had set up camp there, and were making some raids inland. The train was still running but it couldn’t get to Cedar Key. Fortunately for them, Doctor Isaac and Miss Daisy were still with us, and it looked like they would be for awhile.
Doctor Isaac said that taking and holding Cedar Key was just another step in closing off supplies to the CSA. The blockade-runners wouldn’t have anywhere to land there. The Federal force in place on the ground would also free up some gunboats for something other than blockade duty.
Two things happened then. First, Doctor Isaac asked Aunt May if he and Miss Daisy could stay on and him hang out his shingle. Of course she said yes. The second was that Doctor Isaac said Henry and I should work with him when the cane was finished. As well as studying daily, we were to go on calls with him.
Word soon spread that Doctor Isaac was in business. Because of the war, there wasn’t another doctor for miles so he soon became busy. It wasn’t long before Henry and I had helped deliver a baby, set broken bones, lanced boils, treated the pinkeye, and tended the sick in general. It wasn’t very exciting, but we were learning lots. Also, everyone thought we were heroes and treated us special.
On February 25, Doctor Isaac took Miss Daisy, Henry’s ma, and that morning’s harvest to the Lake City Station. Since the buggy was full, Henry and I didn’t go. We took the kids to a small nearby lake to fish. It was the first time we had done that. Ma stayed home to cook so Aunt May went along with us. Although her going cut down on our shenanigans, it didn’t shorten the trip. We arrived back at the house that afternoon just as the buggy did. Doctor Isaac had the mare in a full trot, which we hadn’t ever seen him do.
As soon as we were in speaking distance, Doctor Isaac said, “Henry, Ben, Coon, I want you and your mothers to come in for a talk. May, you should come too. I want you kids to go down to the creek and play. Don’t come back until you’re called.”
Without a moment’s hesitation they left for the creek, all except Lilly. Henry took her hand and brought her inside. We were all quiet while waiting for Doctor Isaac to speak.
He said, “There was talk at the station about CSA troops hunting three young men who were seen riding two horses and a mule. I couldn’t get the straight of why they are being hunted but the description fits you three, and you have been seen about.”
Doctor Isaac hadn’t mentioned it to them before, and Henry’s ma and my ma just about panicked. The Doctor, Henry, and I soon got them quiet enough to talk sense.
After considerable discussion, Henry said, “Some of us had best pull out until things quiet down here. I just can’t figure how they got on to us, or for what. We’ve done enough things, but no one knew. I was the only one involved with the dun and related things. That was clean. It also couldn’t be that because Ben and Coon weren’t with me.”
Doctor Isaac replied, “The three of you shouldn’t leave together and you shouldn’t take the mule. They’re looking for three men, one on a mule.”
Being one that’s always quick to solve a problem and take action, my ma said, “We’ll get you boys’ things cleaned and together. Do you think we should talk to someone about the other thing?”
Her comment passed right over my head but Henry understood. “Yes. I’ll do that. We’ll need Doctor Isaac’s help,” he said.
The others wanted to know what they were talking about, but Henry said, “There’s things that it’s best if only a few people know for now. Doctor Isaac, would you walk out to the barn?”
I told the rest of them about everything but the money. Henry told Doctor Isaac the whole story, even the details of how he got the money, guns, and horse. After talking for almost half an hour, Henry called Ma, Lilly, and me.
He said, “Doctor Isaac knows about the Confederate paper money. Agreeing that specie will be more valuable in the long run, he’s going to help trade some of the paper for specie, and buy property. I’m pulling stakes and going north until he can check out the rumors. Ben, you should too. I don’t know how far I’m going, maybe to Atlanta. I’ll be gone for a few months at least. Sooner or later I’ll send an address.”
Lilly had her face on Henry’s arm. She wasn’t crying out loud but her body was jerking lightly.
Henry put his arm around her and said, “It’ll be fine. I’ll just go north for awhile. The war can’t last forever.”
Thinking of Ella Mae floating off on that barge, I could feel for Lilly. Her hurt was probably just as bad as mine had been. Looking at Ma, I could see that she was struggling with tears too.
Coon pitched a fit to go but Henry talked him out of it.
Henry said, “Coon, we’ve rode a long trail and we’re full partners. If all three of us leave together they’ll catch us for sure. It’s best if you stay here. Also, if all three of us went, there would be no man here to protect everyone. I’m counting on you to do it.”
Henry wasn’t trying to put Doctor Isaac down and they both knew it. Coon put up an argument, but none of us ever won an argument after Henry had thought something through.
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