@@@@@Her mother was our sister Ellen, and she's
@@@@@Her mother was our sister Ellen, and
she's married to Eleanor Butler's boy, Rhett
The old gentleman bowed and kissed Scarlett's hand, the lady
introduced
her grandson, who gazed at Scarlett as if he had been struck by
lightningFor Scarlett the day was getting better with every passing
minuteThen she saw that the next walkers approaching them were
men
in blue uniformsHer step faltered, she grabbed Pauline's arm
"Auntie," she whispered, "there are Yankee soldiers coming at us
"Keep walking," said Pauline clearly
"They'll have to get out of our way Scarlett looked at Pauline with
shockWho would have thought that her skinny old aunt could be so
brave? Her own heart was thumping so loud that she was sure the
Yankee
soldiers would hear it, but she willed her feet to move
When only three paces separated them, the soldiers drew aside,
pressing
their bodies against the railings of metal pipe that lined the edge of
the walkway along the waterPauline and Eulalie sailed past them as
if they were not thereScarlett lifted her chin to equal the tilt of
her aunts' and kept paceSomewhere ahead of them a band began to
play
"Oh! Susanna The rollicking, merry tune was as bright and sunny as
the dayEulalie and Pauline walked more quickly, keeping time with
the music, but Scarlett's feet felt like leadCoward! she berated
herselfBut inside she couldn't stop trembling"Why are there so
many damned Yankees in Charleston?" she asked angrily"I saw
some at
the depot, too
"My goodness, Scarlett," said Eulalie, "didn't you know? Charleston is
still under military occupationThey'll likely never leave us
alone
They hate us because we threw them out of Fort Sumter and then held
it
against their whole fleet
"And heaven only knows how many regiments," Pauline addedú The
sisters' faces were glowing with prid