Ill send Pork to Macontomorrow to buy more seed. Or
maybe he had been killed inthe last days of the war!
But Suellen and Carreen begged and Melanie said it
would beunneighborly not to call and welcome Mr.
Blushing, smiling, Frank slipped out of the room
and Scarlettwatched him go. ThenCathleen flapped the bridle reins sharply and the
old mule movedoff.
Nobody can plant muchcotton, and what will we do
then?
Without the darkies, it will be all we can do to
keep body andsoul together.
Us ain had nuthin ter do wid Mist Henry fer yars,
an us istoo ole ter start now.
They had twelve chickens, two cows, fivehogs and
the mule they brought home from the war. Scarlett certainly had nointention of
feeding another mouth. Of course, she isnt married, said Scarlett,
amused.
I just came to tell youthat Im going to be married.
I cant blame them but it weakens the army. Melly, she said, whats going to happen to
Southern girls? Maybe it would be better if she had, said Alex
gloomily.
It bore the inscription in Ashleyshand: Mrs. But
none of the soldiers hadever heard of them nor were they inclined to talk about
themissing.
Suddenly Scarlett didnot feel as sorry for the
Tarletons as she had at first. But not until two weeks later didthe news reach Tara.
The war is over, she thought and suddenly she dropped the quillas a wild happiness
flooded her.
Oh, Scarlett, dont even suggest such a horrid
thing!
We could use their courage and their energy and
their brains. Its mah notion dattwarnt de Yankees whut beat our
gempmum.
Besides, the only man shed ever wanted was Ashley
and he wasmarried if he was still living.
George Ashley Wilkes, Care Miss Sarah Jane
Hamilton,Atlanta, or Twelve Oaks, Jonesboro, Ga.
An uneasy fear crept intoScarletts mind that
something had happened to him along the way.
Melanie looked up and met Cathleens hard
eyes.
Oh, Scarlett, dont even suggest such a horrid
thing!
Always she fearedlest some louse had escaped
her.
Ah, said Melanie, sadly, what will the South be
like without allour fine boys? They could talk of nothing else, neitherbattles nor
wounds, nor imprisonment nor the future.
Now I wont beafraid to drive round the country
looking for something to eat. Hilton has been so kind about staying with us through
thesedifficult times, said Mrs.
Or maybe he had been killed inthe last days of the
war! Ain us needin Miss Scarlett anMiss Melly right hyah an needin dem bad? The mail
service in the South was uncertain and in the ruraldistricts there was none at all.
No lice-ridden soldier should come into Tara.
Finally Melly wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.