Copperhead Page #3

Except Jimmy.

You're the new son.

- Long as he stays clear of Hagadorns.

- Ain't no other Hagadorn girls besides Esther.

You ain't gonna steal Esther

while Jeff's at the war, are you, Jimmy?

Till's got no man now that Warner's gone.

Well, once upon a time,

Till was pure as the snow. Heh.

But she drifted.

She's a little long in the tooth for you,

but a desperate woman ain't choosy.

Don't let these hussies taunt you. Wouldn't

know a real man if he fell from the sky.

Mm-hm.

- Soon it'd be time for the husking bee, won't it?

- No husking bee for us.

Husking bee for everybody else,

but not for us.

You recall when we set up a ring of big

pumpkins over at the Seymours' place?

And we all sat on them under the moonlight

and Lem Hornbeck played his fiddle?

We all danced and danced

and sang all the night?

Yes, I do.

I like the husking bees later in the year.

The cider and the pumpkin pies, big fire.

I know many a husband and wife

that started at a bee.

All the men are going off to war.

Ain't no one left for bees

except Jimmy and copperheads.

Even if we was to be invited, which we

in this household ain't likely to be...

Stop it. Enough about husking bees.

No husking bees this year.

None. Back to work.

- Janey, bring some taters from the root cellar.

- Yes, ma'am.

Ain't it funny how Jeff calls this

our underground railroad?

He says ain't nobody had ever expect Mr. Beech

hiding runaways in our root cellar.

Railroad don't stop here, Janey.

The road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo

While goin' the road to sweet Athy

Hurroo, hurroo

While goin' the road to sweet Athy

A stick in me hand, a drop in me eye

A doleful damsel I did spy

And, Johnny, I hardly knew ye

Listen, Paddy.

This ain't no time for singing.

Ain't you heard?

Twenty thousand dead

in a place called Antietam.

- And where would that be now?

- Maryland.

Where you and your kind

would be more welcomed.

My kind?

- I'm as American as you.

- Then why ain't you fighting at Antietam...

- ...instead of scrounging liquor around here?

- Because I don't fight for no Abe Lincoln.

Nor for any blasted Union.

- I'm a Democrat.

- You're a copperhead.

Yeah, that's right.

Slither away, copperhead.

Crawl all the way back to Virginia

where you belong. Get on.

What was that about?

Some of these local boys ain't been reading

the same books we have in Abner's library.

Abolitionists.

"Fight, fight, fight,"

that's their answer to everything.

At least Hagadorn stands on principle.

A shouting Methodist, a temperance fanatic,

a damned abolitionist...

...but he stands on principle.

I gotta give him that.

Ten years ago, an abolitionist

wouldn't get arrested in Dearborn County.

Oh, yeah, an abolitionist would

get arrested in Dearborn County.

Jee Hagadorn was the only one.

And he was a lonely one.

County gave Frank Pierce the vote in '52,

Jimmy Buchanan the vote in '56.

And then we turn around,

we vote Abe Lincoln in '60.

Hagadorn won.

And the thing is,

he's still the same jackass he ever was.

Guess I'll hop off and walk a spell.

Suit yourself.

Just gonna find out

if they heard anything more.

Anything about Jeff.

I'll just look in and see

and then I can cut home across lots.

Whoa.

Whoa, boy, whoa.

Tch-tch! Hup.

No one to love

No one to love

Why no one to love?

What have you done in this beautiful world

That you're sighing

Of no one to love?

Jimmy, I didn't know you were here.

Are you hungry?

I've roasted an ear of corn

but it's the worst kind of failure.

I've watched Ni do it a hundred times,

but with me...

...it always comes out scorched and smoky.

It's tougher than a pharaoh's heart.

Here, try a bit. See what you think.

I came to see if you heard anything,

any news.

About Tom?

About Jeff.

No. All we know is that the brigade

his regiment was in lost.

One hundred and forty-one killed,

560 wounded and 38 missing.

That's all.

That's all.

Mine eyes have seen

the glory Of the coming of the Lord

He is trampling at the vintage

Where the grapes of wrath are stored

He hath loosed the fateful lightning

With his terrible swift sword

His truth is marching on

- Has word come? Have you heard? Is he safe?

- The day has come. Yeah.

But Tom. Tom. You've seen his name.

He's safe.

Tom?

Tom.

Perish a hundred Toms.

Yea! Ten thousand Toms

on one such day as this.

Pray with me, child, for the Scarlet Woman

of Babylon is overthrown...

...and bound with chains,

and cast into a lake of fire.

In one day shall all her plagues come,

death and mourning and famine...

...and she shall be utterly burned.

But the list. You've seen the list?

You've seen his name?

I didn't see!

Oh, child...

...Lincoln has signed a proclamation

freeing the slaves.

My child.

What should I care...

...for all your Toms and

D*cks and Harrys...

...on such a day as this?

Woe is the great city of Babylon...

...the strong city...

...for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Glory, glory, hallelujah

Glory, glory...

Can't believe Ray Hare is dead.

Simpleminded, but, oh, could he sing.

Tenderhearted too. Wouldn't hurt a fly.

Not a good quality in a soldier, I suspect.

Still, the nicest kid

you'd ever wanna know.

Yeah, but he sang for that old copperhead.

- Maybe it was the Lord's idea of justice.

- Nonsense.

Abner Beech is a stiff-backed old mule,

but he ain't the devil.

I surely hope it ain't a judgment

on poor Ray.

I've hired out in season to the Beeches

for two years now.

Not bad people, but awful copperheadish.

What's Abner say about his son missing?

He won't talk about it.

It's like Jeff never lived.

It ain't natural.

- You reckon that orphan took Jeff's place?

- Jimmy is like a son, but Jeff is a son.

- What does this "missing" mean anyway?

- Means taken prisoner.

Ah. Rebs don't take no prisoners.

They catch them, they shoot them.

Well, you all can ask Warner Pitts

when he comes home.

Wounded in action.

A hero, I hear.

Warner Pitts? Hero?

Sure.

A hero of many a well-fought bottle.

Warner.

So, Warner,

how come they ain't made you general yet?

In due time, Lambert, in due time.

First, let this old leg heal,

then I'll be busy as a fiddler's elbow...

...trampling out every copperhead snake

and secret reb from here to Ohio.

What about the missing?

They say Jeff Beech and Byron Truax

is missing.

- What do you expect happened to them?

- Can't say I know.

We were part of Hooker's line.

All the boys from the Corners.

We were moving through a cornfield,

seemed like 10 feet high.

When we came to a clearing,

the rebs met us with cannons and muskets...

...and the fury of hell.

Half of us fell dead or wounded.

The other half hightailed it back

into the high corn.

Which did you do, Warner?

I got hit in the leg.

Mini ball. Worst kind of hit you can take.

That knocked me ass over teakettle.

Just a flesh wound, but

it smarted like hell.

I looked over...

...and I seen Ray Hare lying on the ground.

"Ray," I says, "you okay?"

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