other something new about cooking.”
“I’ll start with these,” Jeff said. He held up the string of fish. “I’ll clean these if somebody will cook them.”
“I’ll do that,” Eileen Fremont said. “Do you have any cornmeal?”
“Yes, of course, we do. I’ll make some hush puppies,” Leah said quickly.
While Colonel Majors played with his daughter on the floor, Eileen and Leah did the cooking. The table was soon set with a huge platter of fried fish, hush puppies, fried potatoes, turnip greens, andpurple-hulled peas, and supper turned out to be a huge success.
As Colonel Majors sat down and looked at it all, his eyes grew wide. “I wish every soldier in the Army of the Confederacy had a supper like this!” he exclaimed.
He asked the blessing quickly, and Jeff grinned at him. “You sure did that in a hurry, Pa. I was afraid you was gonna say one of your long prayers.”
“I’ll reserve that for another time.” His father winked at him.
They began to eat, and Jeff said, “These fish are cooked real good, Mrs. Fremont.”
“I guess frying fish is something people from Louisiana know how to do. I grew up on a bayou,” she said. “I believe I could fish before I could walk very well.”
“Did you ever see an alligator in the bayou?” Leah asked.
“Yes, lots of times. They’re good too.”
“You mean—” Jeff stared at her “—good to
eat?”
“Why, yes! Haven’t you eaten alligator?”
“No, ma’am!” Jeff said. “I’d just as soon eat a snake.”
“Well, they’re not bad either. But on the whole, I’d rather have alligator than snake.”
Colonel Majors was looking at his new housekeeper with amusement in his eyes. “I’d like to try that sometime.”
“You’ll have to come down to Louisiana after the war. I’ll show you some cooking like you’ve never tasted.”
“I’d like that.”
For a while they talked about Louisiana and the Cajun people who lived there, but at last the colonelsaid, “Well, we better go back to camp. Will you be all right alone one more night, Leah? I’ll see that Mrs. Fremont gets back tomorrow after we pick up her things.”
“Oh, yes, I’ll be fine.”
“Better go hitch up the team, Jeff. We need to get back.”
Leah followed Jeff outside. As he was finishing harnessing the horses, she drifted over to him and said rather shyly, “I hope you liked the supper, Jeff.”
“It was great.” He grinned at her. “Best meal I’ve had in a long time.”
Leah wanted to say her apologies, but just as she opened her mouth, Colonel Majors and Mrs. Fremont came out of the house.
Mrs. Fremont was holding Esther, who had gone to sleep. “Would you take her, Leah?”
“Of course.” Leah took the sleeping child, and the moment for apologizing to Jeff passed.
After the good-byes were said and the wagon rattled off, Leah said aloud in disgust, “Boys are pretty silly—but so are girls!”
She went back into the house, determined that the next time she saw Jeff she would tell him how sorry she was. After all, it wasn’t that big a thing.
Still, she wasn’t quite sure that he had Lucy Driscoll out of his mind. “I’m not jealous,” she told Esther as she dressed her for bed. “It’s just that Jeff and I are old friends and that Lucy’s such a flirt. Boys don’t know how to handle things like that. They sometimes act pretty silly.”
7
Jeff Is Displeased
E ileen Fremont had taken the position of housekeeper and nurse to Colonel Majors’s daughter with apprehension. Actually, she had very little choice. Louisiana had been her home, but things had been hard for her there. The Yankees occupied Baton Rouge relatively early in the war. Eileen had been willing to bear it as long as her husband was alive, but when she lost him and then in a short time her only child, the city itself seemed hateful to her. It had been almost with relief that she had undertaken the journey to Richmond to see what she could do to help her
“I’ll start with these,” Jeff said. He held up the string of fish. “I’ll clean these if somebody will cook them.”
“I’ll do that,” Eileen Fremont said. “Do you have any cornmeal?”
“Yes, of course, we do. I’ll make some hush puppies,” Leah said quickly.
While Colonel Majors played with his daughter on the floor, Eileen and Leah did the cooking. The table was soon set with a huge platter of fried fish, hush puppies, fried potatoes, turnip greens, andpurple-hulled peas, and supper turned out to be a huge success.
As Colonel Majors sat down and looked at it all, his eyes grew wide. “I wish every soldier in the Army of the Confederacy had a supper like this!” he exclaimed.
He asked the blessing quickly, and Jeff grinned at him. “You sure did that in a hurry, Pa. I was afraid you was gonna say one of your long prayers.”
“I’ll reserve that for another time.” His father winked at him.
They began to eat, and Jeff said, “These fish are cooked real good, Mrs. Fremont.”
“I guess frying fish is something people from Louisiana know how to do. I grew up on a bayou,” she said. “I believe I could fish before I could walk very well.”
“Did you ever see an alligator in the bayou?” Leah asked.
“Yes, lots of times. They’re good too.”
“You mean—” Jeff stared at her “—good to
eat?”
“Why, yes! Haven’t you eaten alligator?”
“No, ma’am!” Jeff said. “I’d just as soon eat a snake.”
“Well, they’re not bad either. But on the whole, I’d rather have alligator than snake.”
Colonel Majors was looking at his new housekeeper with amusement in his eyes. “I’d like to try that sometime.”
“You’ll have to come down to Louisiana after the war. I’ll show you some cooking like you’ve never tasted.”
“I’d like that.”
For a while they talked about Louisiana and the Cajun people who lived there, but at last the colonelsaid, “Well, we better go back to camp. Will you be all right alone one more night, Leah? I’ll see that Mrs. Fremont gets back tomorrow after we pick up her things.”
“Oh, yes, I’ll be fine.”
“Better go hitch up the team, Jeff. We need to get back.”
Leah followed Jeff outside. As he was finishing harnessing the horses, she drifted over to him and said rather shyly, “I hope you liked the supper, Jeff.”
“It was great.” He grinned at her. “Best meal I’ve had in a long time.”
Leah wanted to say her apologies, but just as she opened her mouth, Colonel Majors and Mrs. Fremont came out of the house.
Mrs. Fremont was holding Esther, who had gone to sleep. “Would you take her, Leah?”
“Of course.” Leah took the sleeping child, and the moment for apologizing to Jeff passed.
After the good-byes were said and the wagon rattled off, Leah said aloud in disgust, “Boys are pretty silly—but so are girls!”
She went back into the house, determined that the next time she saw Jeff she would tell him how sorry she was. After all, it wasn’t that big a thing.
Still, she wasn’t quite sure that he had Lucy Driscoll out of his mind. “I’m not jealous,” she told Esther as she dressed her for bed. “It’s just that Jeff and I are old friends and that Lucy’s such a flirt. Boys don’t know how to handle things like that. They sometimes act pretty silly.”
7
Jeff Is Displeased
E ileen Fremont had taken the position of housekeeper and nurse to Colonel Majors’s daughter with apprehension. Actually, she had very little choice. Louisiana had been her home, but things had been hard for her there. The Yankees occupied Baton Rouge relatively early in the war. Eileen had been willing to bear it as long as her husband was alive, but when she lost him and then in a short time her only child, the city itself seemed hateful to her. It had been almost with relief that she had undertaken the journey to Richmond to see what she could do to help her
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