Sweet Saturday Samples - September 21, 2013

Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Samples.

In this tidbit from my work-in-progress, Gone For a Soldier, Mary Owen and her family are experiencing war on the home front in the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War:
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Mary cowered in the cellar of the house, arms wrapped around her baby. Another shell whistled overhead and exploded in the distance. Ida shrieked in her ear, and Mary elbowed her sister in an attempt to quiet her. Sylvia and India huddled together. Mama sat in the corner, covering Baby Eliza with her shawl.

Poor Papa. He must be taking cover in the storeroom, Mary thought. She was glad the little girls had come home for dinner. She wondered how long the school would remain open. She shuddered at a boom that was too close at hand. God, help us, she begged. Help Rulon. She wasn't sure where he was now. She had lost track of all the different armies while these invaders were threatening her baby's life. God, please don't let them kill my baby.

Dust drifted down from the ceiling as a shell thudded into the ground nearby. Sylvia and India joined Ida's outcry, and now Roddy also raised his voice.

"Hush, hush," she said, trying to sooth him.
~~~

It must have been a hellish experience to live in that war zone. Have you ever had to deal with such an occurrence? I pray that I never have to live through such an event. I don't have a cellar!

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