Secret of Richmond Manor by Gilbert L. Morris Page B

that’s right, isn’t it? Some of my ma and pa is in me, and when I grow up and get married and have babies, some of me will be in them. What a nice thing to say, Jeff!”
    Jeff flushed as he always did when she paid him a compliment. He hastily dried the last dish. “Well, that’s all of these. Why don’t we go down and fish for a while?”
    They told Silas their plans, and he agreed to them. So they went out toward the creek and, in doing so, had to pass by the barn.
    Jeff said carelessly, “Not much need for a barn until you get your cow.” He looked at the barn. “What’s in there now?”
    â€œOh, nothing!” Leah said quickly. “Come on, Jeff.” She took his arm and pulled him along.
    â€œHey! What’s the hurry?” he protested. “Those fish’ll wait until we get there.”
    Leah had suddenly thought what a horrible thing it would have been had Jeff stepped inside and come face-to-face with an enemy soldier. “Oh, I’m just anxious to fish,” she said.
    â€œMe too, but not as anxious as you.” Jeff looked at her as she tugged him rapidly along. “Well, if we’re gonna run, let’s run. I’ll race you.”
    â€œGood.” Leah at once started running. Jeff, of course, caught up and easily passed her. He was waiting for her at the small creek when she got there, her cheeks red from the exercise.
    â€œWell, I beat you at a footrace. Now I’m gonna beat you at catching fish,” he said. “Let me have some of those worms.”
    The fish were small, but they bit at almost anything. Though Leah and Jeff released more than they kept, finally they had enough so that she said, “This will be fine, Jeff. You can stay for supper, can’t you?”
    â€œOh, I sure can. If you can put me in a bunk somewhere, I’ll stay the night.”
    Leah was suddenly apprehensive. She’d thought Jeff was going back to camp.
I’ve got to get out to take some food to Ezra
, she said to herself. But there was nothing to be done about it, so aloud she said, “Well, let’s get the fish cleaned.”
    The rest of the afternoon they cleaned fish, and then Jeff sat on the porch and talked to Silas. Once he said, “You know, Mr. Carter, Leah seems a little bit nervous, don’t you think?”
    Silas bit his lip thoughtfully and raked his fingers through his beard. “Well, she has been kind of tetchy lately. Doesn’t seem to be sleeping good. You don’t think she’s sick, do you?”
    â€œShe doesn’t
look
sick,” Jeff said. “Matter of fact, she looks better than I’ve ever seen her.”
    Silas Carter smiled at the boy. “She’s a right pretty young woman—and that sister of hers, she is too.” He peered at Jeff. “Your brother—Tom—he still hear from her?”
    â€œOh, yes, sir, real often.”
    â€œI guess they were pretty serious, weren’t they?”
    â€œWell, Tom wanted to marry her, but then the war came along, and we came South. The Carters—well, they’re not sympathetic to the Confederacy. Of course, you know Sarah and Leah have got abrother in the Union army. I guess she was worried that he might kill Tom or Tom might kill him.”
    â€œI know. It’s a brother’s war, ain’t it, boy? People that you’d be a good friend to, now you have to shoot at ’em. A shame.”
    The two talked quietly for a while longer, and then Leah came out. “I’ve fixed a place for you in the living room, Jeff,” she said. “You can sleep on the couch.”
    â€œBe better than that broken-down cot I’ve got at camp.” Jeff grinned. “How about some checkers?”
    â€œAll right.”
    Leah was an excellent checker player. Ordinarily she beat Jeff quite easily, but somehow her mind was elsewhere tonight.
    â€œWhy, I beat you three games out of four!