Chapter 1A Chapter by abigail elizabethMarch 17th 1861 “Colleen!” “Oh why does she have to disturb me now…” “Sister!
Where are you…” “Just when it was so quite and peaceful…”
“Sister!” “I’m here
Juliet.” “Colleen,
there you are,” little Juliet bounced over to where her sister Colleen was
seated on the stone bench under the old oak over looking the McKinley family
cemetery. “What is
it,” Colleen straightened her shawl on her shoulders as her sister sat down. “Nothing…”
Juliet smiled up at her sister with a mischievous look on her face. Colleen
closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “What are you doing?” Juliet peered up
at her sister. “Visiting
mother...” “Oh,”
Juliet looked down at her own swinging feet. Colleen continued to look at her
mother’s gravestone. Julia Annette Harris
McKinley Born: March 17th, 1824 Died: August 8th, 1854 “Seven years, seven years in August,” she
thought. Colleen glanced over at her sister who was still looking at her feet. Colleen put her ear against the door to her
parent’s bedroom and began to listen. “Doctor how is she,” her father said. “I’m sorry Patrick, but I suspect
she won’t live through the night,” a tear ran down Colleen’s face. “What about the baby?” asked Patrick. “She will make it, surprisingly a
very strong little thing,” replied the doctor. Suddenly the door opened. “Colleen…” “Colleen,”
suddenly Colleen was brought back to the real world by the sound of her
sister’s voice. “Colleen do you love me?” Colleen; very caught off guard,
looked at her sister. Juliet looked up at Colleen with those big brown eyes
that made Colleen think of their mother, those eyes were near tears. “Darling,
why would you think other wise?” Colleen embraced her sister, “Of course I love
you, Mother chose to give you life, she would have much rather have given you
life and hers be taken then if it would have been the other way around. I love
you Juliet and I loved mother and we will both see her in heaven, you know
that,” Colleen whipped the tears off of Juliet’s face, then off her own. “Now
run along, dinner should be soon, and you need to wash up,” Juliet let a little
smile creep along her face. “Alright…” “Run
along,” Colleen motioned her sister on. Juliet slid off the bench and began her
way up to the house. Colleen stood up and walked over to her mother’s grave.
She ran her hand long the top of the stone, “Tonight we’re having all your
favorites mother, chipped beef, oysters, potatoes, onions and cream, beaten
biscuits, gravy, apple dumplings, cobbler, and ice cream. A birthday feast fit
for a queen.” Colleen smiled sheepishly clasping her hands behind her back and
looked down at her feet. Looking back up she noticed the stone needed some
cleaning off, so she spread out her skirt and sat on the ground, beginning to
whip if off. “Oh mother,
you would have loved her, Juliet is so full of life, just like you were,”
Colleen took her fingers along the etching of her mother’s name. She sighed.
“I’m glad you weren’t here to see South Caroline succeed, would have broken
your heart to see the way things have gotten,” Colleen sighed again as she
stood. “A war is coming Momma, Patrick has already enlisted to fight for us. I
just don’t understand why it would have to be this way. I wish it could all be
solved with out war and I’ve been praying every night that it wouldn’t, but I
feel it’s inevitable,” Colleen looked around at the rest of the small cemetery,
at the graves, the trees, the flowers, “I miss you Momma.” Colleen stood up.
She was still amazed it had been eight years. They had all grown up so much,
changed. She wondered if her mother knew, if she knew the things that were
happening to them and how they had changed. Would her mother approve of how
they had become? Colleen thought she would, hoped she would. They still did
things the way Julia had taught them and she and Rachael were passing on things
they had learned to their younger siblings who didn’t remember or know her. “There you
are Colleen,” Sean’s voice came from behind her. Colleen turned around seeing
her ten year old brother Sean standing at the gate to the cemetery waiting for
her. “Colleen, Rachael wants you,” he said. “Alright,”
Colleen began to make her way over to the gate. “Colleen what do you think about
the succession and war, if it comes?” Sean asked as they were walking back up
to the house. “I don’t know. I wanted things to
stay the way they were, before we succeeded, we could have gotten rid of
slavery in time on our own. Things shouldn’t have to be this way. Northerners
just seem to be so impatient.” “I know… I do wish Father would
free our slaves, but he keeps saying eventually, and people can’t keep saying
that. What if eventually never comes? We can’t keep putting off fixing our
wrong just because it would change things.” “Why Sean you sound as if you came
right out of “I do believe though that states
rights are being pushed and our way of life is in jeopardy. The way the
Republicans up North think is that the government should be big and powerful.
Many people in the South, including Father, Patrick, Charles and myself think
the government shouldn’t have so much power,” Sean remarked. “Yeah…” Colleen didn’t know much
about politics. She thought it was a man’s business, so she didn’t want to get too
involved with the subject. Soon they came up to the big house. Colleen loved
the house; it was brick with a big porch in both front and back with large
white columns. Colleen loved to lean on those columns, made her feel safe,
sturdy, protected, at home. The house had been in their family since her great grandfather,
Charles McKinley I came from Once Sean and Colleen got up to the
back porch Colleen leaned on them taking a deep breath, closing her eyes taking
all the sounds and smells. She could smell the chipped beef cooking in the back
of the house and hear the wind going through the trees. Colleen smiled to
herself. “You coming in?” Sean called back
to her. “I’m coming,” Colleen pulled
herself away from the column and made her way into the house. “I believe Rachael wanted you in
the kitchen.” “Thank you Sean,” Colleen smiled at
her brother. Sean nodded and walked out of the foyer. Colleen made her way back
to the kitchen. “Colleen there you are,” Rachael
stood up from her stool. “What do you need?” “Hannah and I have been churning
this ice cream for a while and our arms are tired,” Rachael answered stretching
out her hand. “I will take sympathy on you,”
Colleen grinned. “I’m going to changer for dinner,”
Rachael walked out of the kitchen. “You’s can go too Mizz Cauleen, I’s
ain’t doin nuttin,” Hannah said. “That’s alright. Hannah, you take
some time and just rest,” Colleen said sitting down on the stool and began to
churn. “Yes um,” Hannah went over to a
chair by the window over looking the back fields. Colleen had always been
closer to Hannah then any other slave on their plantation. They had been born a
week apart. Hannah’s mother had died too like Colleen’s, but of Scarlet fever. It
had taken Julia, Colleen’s sister who would have been 12 that year, who at that
time was one year old. Colleen remembered how losing both of them had devastated
her mother. Julia had spent most of her life with Hannah’s mother by her side,
and also loosing a child was almost more than she could handle but she went on
with her life and was Colleen’s strength though Julia was who she had lost. “You’s all right Mizz Cauleen?” “Yes, I’m fine Hannah,” Colleen
paused her churning for a moment placing her hands in her lap. “You’s thinking about ya ma a lot
today ain’t ya mizz?” Hannah looked back over her shoulder at Colleen. “Yes, I miss her,” Colleen replied
starting to churn again, while Hannah peered back out the window. “Yes um I knowed the feeling,”
Hannah sighed and picked at her apron for a moment. Looking back up at Colleen,
Hannah stood up and began walking across the room. “You goes up stais and change
Mizz Cauleen.” “Alright Hannah,” Colleen stood up
and straightened her dress. “Thank you Hannah.” “Yes um,” Hannah took the ice cream
churner from Colleen and sat down, beginning to churn. Colleen made her way up
stairs to get dressed. Once they
were all seated at the table for diner they totaled nine. Patrick Sean McKinley
sat at the head. The man of the house was a tall and proud man. He was 100%
Irish and very boastful about it. His hair was brown with a few strands of gray
and his eyes were the Irish green of his mother. At the age of 41 he was in
fairly good health and ran his plantation well, a “Heavenly
Father, we have come together this evening to celebrate Julia’s birthday. We
would like to thank you Lord for the time that she had with us here on this
earth and for what a blessing she was too us. We also thank you Lord for our
Salvation and that through You we will all meet again for eternity. Bless this
food we are about to receive. In Your blessed name we prey, Amen.” Patrick sat down smiling back at his daughter,
Rachael who was sitting on his left. Rachael Annette McKinley was the eldest
child of the McKinley family. After the death of her mother, Rachael was put in
charge of running the house at the age of 13. She was thankful for the
responsibility, for she never wanted to think of her mother if she didn’t have
to and the work kept her mind occupied. Having taken on such a task at a young
age Rachael was matured quickly. She was now 19 and very capable. Rachael was
average height with a very tinny waste. Her hair was a dark blond and her eyes
a deep brown. Rachael liked delicate ladylike things, and she idolized her
grandmother Rachael Harris; for whom she was named, who was always a French
lady. Colleen sat to Rachael’s left.
Colleen Elizabeth McKinley was a thoughtful quiet girl. Before Julia’s death
she was a lively girl who looked at life with a very happy eye. After her death
she began to see the world as a colder place where it was hard to find the
good, but she was always looking for it. She thought of her mother often and
wished she could be like her more than anything in the world. Colleen had the
brown hair and green eyes of her father and the small delicate body frame of
her mother. “Pass the biscuits please,” Colleen
looked to her left to Juliet. Juliet nodded and passed the biscuits to her
sister. Little Juliet was the last person seated on the left side of the table.
Juliet was her mother’s last child, as her mother died the day after she was
born. Juliet was a bright intelligent 6 year old, with much life much like
Colleen before their mother’s death saw the good in everything. Juliet loved to
spend her time playing outside in the garden and strongly disliked sad, dark,
and gloomy days. She had her mother’s brown eyes and her father’s dark brown
hair. “Patrick, what time will you be
heading out for training tomorrow?” asked Mr. McKinley. “Should be about six Father,”
sitting to his father’s right was Patrick Harris McKinley, the oldest son of
the family. He was of average height for his age of 16. His hair was brown and
his eyes were green. He sat at the table with his fine new military uniform
that Rachael and Colleen had made for him two weeks before. Patrick was set on
defending On Patrick’s right sat Charles
Alexander McKinley. Charles was 14, blond, green eyed, and very adamant about
going off to war with his brother, but his father said he was too young. He
hated that fact. Charles thought that he was just as mature and ready to go off
to war as anyone and should be able to do so. He was a very strong minded and
hard headed boy which strongly portrayed his Irish heritage. Charles made a
face when the subject of the war was brought up. Devin gave him a nudge. Sean Sweeny McKinley sat to Charles
right. Sean was a very logical and intelligent ten year old boy. He said if he
were old enough to go to war he would only have gone if he were called by the state,
but not on his own. Sean did have a wee bit of an Irish temper to him if you
pushed him to far on an issue and those brown eyes would be set a flame with
wrath and he would debate the subject till his opponent would be so
flabbergasted that they just had to give in. Most of the time though he was a
good tempered boy and all of the family enjoyed hearing his thoughts on things. The last person on the right side of the table
was Samuel Fontaine McKinley. Sam was eight years old and fairly quiet for his
age. He was called the observer by Devin, for he was always watching people
with his brown eyes through his brown bangs that always seemed to need to be
cut. Samuel didn’t remember his mother being only two when she died but loved
pestering Colleen to tell him stories about her and how pretty she was. He was
often caught sneaking a look at the picture of her beside his father’s bed. “Devin dear would you pass me the
gravy,” asked Grandmother McKinley. Colleen Bridgett Sweeny McKinley was seated
at the end of the table and a fearsome woman to behold. Her hair was as white
as a sheet and eyes where as green as the hills of They all sat at the table that
evening in celebration of Julia McKinley’s birthday. The table was fairly quiet
as Colleen grabbed another beaten biscuit out of the basket. She loved eating
them and this was her second of the evening. The room was so quiet that all you
could hear was the clicking of folks against plates. “Ehem,” Patrick Jr. cleared his
throat and stood up at the table. “Yes son,” his Father acknowledged
his son and looked up at him to listen to what he had to say. “I thought it best to tell you all
that our troop has orders to meet up with the main body for further training up
near Charleston by the end of the week.” At first the room was silent. Everyone
had known this was going to happen, but didn’t want it to. Then Juliet spoke up, “Oh Patrick I
don’t want you to go!” She lurched out of her seat with tears streaming down
her face as she ran to embrace her brother. He returned her embrace. “It’s alright Juliet, I’ll be
coming home soon, it shouldn’t last to long,” Patrick stroked his sister’s
head. “Juliet honey, come back to your
seat,” Grandmother McKinley said not moving an inch from her up right position. “Yes ma’am,” Juliet made her way
back to her seat. “When will you be leaving again
Pat?” Rachael enquired once everyone was settled. “Most likely within the next two
days,” he replied. “I wish I could go with you,”
Charles whined, eyeing his father. “Charles you mustn’t use such a
tone,” Colleen scolded. “Well it’s not fair! I have as much
of a right to go and fight as Patrick and…” “Son, I will not hear anymore of
it,” interrupted their father. “You are too young and as such do not yet have
the right to make such a decision without my approval.” “Not have the right! But father…” “No, now Charles I do not wish to
hear of this again,” Patrick Sr. sent his son a blistering stare. “Yes father…” Charles said
unwillingly. “So stubborn,” Colleen said to her
self shaking her head then taking a bite of her biscuit. After that the dinner
went along fairly quiet. A few sentiments were said of their mother but eating
was the main objective. When dinner was finished and
everything made tidy, Colleen snuck back out to the cemetery. It was her
favorite place, so quiet and peaceful with the large oak trees grown up just
inside the iron fence and the few cherry blossom trees planted amongst the
graves. It was a pretty sight. The grave yard went back four generations to the
first McKinley to come to “You come here often don’t you
dear?” her grandmother’s voice made Colleen jump. “Oh Grandmother I didn’t hear you,”
Colleen turned to see her grandmother more clearly. Grandmother Colleen walked
over to the bench in her traditional black mourning clothes she’d been wearing
since her daughter and then also her husband died, and sat down next to
Colleen. “Collie you really do spend a lot
of time down here don’t you?” Grandmother inquired. “I don’t know Grandmother,” Colleen
paused looking about, “I do like it here very much.” “Dear you have too much of your
life ahead of you to be spending most of your free time in a grave yard.” Colleen’s mouth popped open in
shock, “Why Grandmother I…” “Oh dear you know what I mean
really. I know you miss your sweet mother; quite frankly I miss her too, after
my girls got married; as you well know I’ve hardly seen them since. Your mother
became like another daughter to me and I loved her dearly. Please my child you
must understand I only want the best for you. You know I was a lot like you in
my youth. I kept to myself and I did so very much that my mother was convinced
I would never catch a husband. It wasn’t till I started going out in society
that I met your grandfather, God rest his soul. It wasn’t even that I had to go
up and start a conversation; most of the men do that for you. Besides you are
very attractive my dear.” Colleen blushed, looked down and
began fiddling with a loose string from her shawl. “Collie darling you know I have
always favored you, being my name sake and much like me. You like to observe
things to be sure and when you get to be my age you will know so much that you
won’t always want to observe anymore, and I do feel somewhat responsible for
you because of your mother.” “Oh but Grandmother I don’t know
how to go about such things, and besides all the boys in the county, well
they’re up on their high horses and I don’t much like them,” Colleen stood up
pulling her shawl completely over her shoulders. “Well then why don’t you think
about going somewhere, you and Rachael. That’s it love,” Grandmother stood up,
“Collie you could go visit your Grandmother Harris. She lives with your Aunt
Charlotte Logan remember. You would also be close to where Patrick would be, for
she lives fairly close to “I’ll think about it,” Colleen
folded her arms. Grandmother McKinley put her hand on Colleen’s arm. “I’ll wait
till after Patrick leaves to decide, that alright?” Colleen turned back towards
her Grandmother. “Alright dear, now why don’t you
head up to the house, I’ll be with you in a moment,” Colleen nodded and walked
out of the cemetery. “Oh Charles,” said Grandmother
Colleen as she walked over to her husbands grave. “What am I going to do with
her?” © 2010 abigail elizabethAuthor's Note
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Added on August 3, 2010Last Updated on August 3, 2010 Author
abigail elizabethAboutHi I'm Abbie I'm 19 and I'm from Kansas I've doodled with writing since I was about 12 and really enjoy it. Hope you like what I've written =) more..Writing
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