excitedly. Katherine and
Pegeen caught the festive mood, feeling quite warm with doing a good deed and
with the obvious appreciation of the men.
"Ma'am,
this is the best coffee I've had since 1861, and that's the truth," the
irrepressible Former called out. "The only thing good about getting
captured is getting away from that chicory stuff. Though I'll tell you
truthfully, ma'am, that prison coffee ain't much better."
"But
what in the world is chicory coffee?" Pegeen asked.
Fortner
explained, "Chicory coffee is made with chicory nuts instead of coffee beans."
"But
what does the war have to do with coffee?" Pegeen persisted.
There
was an outburst of laughter, slightly tinged with bitterness. "The
blockade, ma'am, the blockade. Do you know that coffee beans are grown in South
America? Well, they are, and they have to be shipped in. And when the ships
can't get in— voilà, no coffee beans and therefore no coffee. Actually,
we weren't so bad off in the Navy 'cause we could stop in foreign ports and get
coffee there. But I pity the soldiers and women stuck on the land."
"Pegeen,
I think it's time we left now," Katherine intervened, seeing the girl
puzzling out another question. "If one of you men will be so good as to
carry these pots back to the carriage? Sergeant, I think that it would be much
easier to serve off a trestle table than the end of a wagon. Tomorrow if you
would just set up a table—nothing elaborate, of course, just a couple of
sawhorses with planks in between—thank you. Good afternoon, gentlemen. Come
along, Pegeen."
Before
they reached the carriage, Teddy Mathias intercepted them, wide-eyed with
suppressed curiosity. "Miss Katherine, your father would like to speak to
you in his office."
Katherine
squared her shoulders for the final confrontation and followed him. Pegeen went
on to the carriage to wait for her, feeling sympathetic pangs of nervousness
for her mistress—more than was felt by Katherine, who rather looked forward to
settling the matter. Knowing that she had already won, Katherine sat calmly
through her father's tirade, simply waiting for his anger to burn itself out.
He thundered about her disobedience, her insolence, her extravagance, her
stubbornness, her willfulness, and her absolute gall until finally, exhausted,
he dropped into his chair.
"Papa,
I did not harass the Army," Katherine said mildly. "I simply talked
to Colonel Wellman, and he was quite pleased to give me his permission. You
see, here is his written authorization. It was not obtained under duress.
Having his permission, I fail to see that I have done anything wrong."
"Katherine,
I expressly forbade you to—"
"Oh,
no, Papa, you left the subject open. You didn't say that I could not approach
the colonel, nor did you say that I could not feed the prisoners with Colonel
Wellman's approval."
"Katherine,
you are merely quibbling with words—if you were a man, you would have made an
excellent attorney. The import of our conversation was that I did not wish for
you to do this."
"Yes,
I know you disapprove and that is why I am paying for it myself."
"Paying
for it yourself? But how?"
"Well,
of course, my allowance would not cover it, and I didn't wish to use your
money, opposed as you are to the idea. So I pawned the diamond earbobs Mama
left me."
"You
what?" he gasped. "Do you mean to tell me that you walked into a
pawnshop and pawned your mother's earrings?"
"Well,
of course, I didn't enter a place like that myself. I entrusted the job to a
friend of Pegeen's."
"Who
the devil is Pegeen?"
"Papa,
please, your language. Pegeen is my maid. At any rate, I did pawn Mama's
earrings—at least they aren't centuries-old heirlooms, like the pearls or the
garnets or the ruby drop."
"Katherine,
I cannot allow you to dispose of your mother's family jewelry in this manner."
He raised his hands in a gesture of capitulation. "You win. I shall
retrieve your earbobs and from now on, your project bills are to be sent
Pegeen caught the festive mood, feeling quite warm with doing a good deed and
with the obvious appreciation of the men.
"Ma'am,
this is the best coffee I've had since 1861, and that's the truth," the
irrepressible Former called out. "The only thing good about getting
captured is getting away from that chicory stuff. Though I'll tell you
truthfully, ma'am, that prison coffee ain't much better."
"But
what in the world is chicory coffee?" Pegeen asked.
Fortner
explained, "Chicory coffee is made with chicory nuts instead of coffee beans."
"But
what does the war have to do with coffee?" Pegeen persisted.
There
was an outburst of laughter, slightly tinged with bitterness. "The
blockade, ma'am, the blockade. Do you know that coffee beans are grown in South
America? Well, they are, and they have to be shipped in. And when the ships
can't get in— voilà, no coffee beans and therefore no coffee. Actually,
we weren't so bad off in the Navy 'cause we could stop in foreign ports and get
coffee there. But I pity the soldiers and women stuck on the land."
"Pegeen,
I think it's time we left now," Katherine intervened, seeing the girl
puzzling out another question. "If one of you men will be so good as to
carry these pots back to the carriage? Sergeant, I think that it would be much
easier to serve off a trestle table than the end of a wagon. Tomorrow if you
would just set up a table—nothing elaborate, of course, just a couple of
sawhorses with planks in between—thank you. Good afternoon, gentlemen. Come
along, Pegeen."
Before
they reached the carriage, Teddy Mathias intercepted them, wide-eyed with
suppressed curiosity. "Miss Katherine, your father would like to speak to
you in his office."
Katherine
squared her shoulders for the final confrontation and followed him. Pegeen went
on to the carriage to wait for her, feeling sympathetic pangs of nervousness
for her mistress—more than was felt by Katherine, who rather looked forward to
settling the matter. Knowing that she had already won, Katherine sat calmly
through her father's tirade, simply waiting for his anger to burn itself out.
He thundered about her disobedience, her insolence, her extravagance, her
stubbornness, her willfulness, and her absolute gall until finally, exhausted,
he dropped into his chair.
"Papa,
I did not harass the Army," Katherine said mildly. "I simply talked
to Colonel Wellman, and he was quite pleased to give me his permission. You
see, here is his written authorization. It was not obtained under duress.
Having his permission, I fail to see that I have done anything wrong."
"Katherine,
I expressly forbade you to—"
"Oh,
no, Papa, you left the subject open. You didn't say that I could not approach
the colonel, nor did you say that I could not feed the prisoners with Colonel
Wellman's approval."
"Katherine,
you are merely quibbling with words—if you were a man, you would have made an
excellent attorney. The import of our conversation was that I did not wish for
you to do this."
"Yes,
I know you disapprove and that is why I am paying for it myself."
"Paying
for it yourself? But how?"
"Well,
of course, my allowance would not cover it, and I didn't wish to use your
money, opposed as you are to the idea. So I pawned the diamond earbobs Mama
left me."
"You
what?" he gasped. "Do you mean to tell me that you walked into a
pawnshop and pawned your mother's earrings?"
"Well,
of course, I didn't enter a place like that myself. I entrusted the job to a
friend of Pegeen's."
"Who
the devil is Pegeen?"
"Papa,
please, your language. Pegeen is my maid. At any rate, I did pawn Mama's
earrings—at least they aren't centuries-old heirlooms, like the pearls or the
garnets or the ruby drop."
"Katherine,
I cannot allow you to dispose of your mother's family jewelry in this manner."
He raised his hands in a gesture of capitulation. "You win. I shall
retrieve your earbobs and from now on, your project bills are to be sent
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