150 Years Ago

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jwhouk
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by jwhouk »

They had been making record time since they had sped out of dock at Huntington – much earlier than anticipated. Having enemy fire rain down upon you has a way of doing that.

Douglass' observation turned out correct as they reached Point Pleasant – all the berths were full, and there was no one on the docks.

"Full ahead to Pomeroy, then," was all the Captain could say.

Below decks, McCreary was whinnying a bit into the speaker horn. "Cap'n, the boys are feelin' it already! We need some relief down here or yer gonna be passed by a snappin' turtle in the water!"

"We're workin' on it, boy," came the reply.

Though Alexander's ingenious contraption kept the Queen City Belle going when other steamers were dead in the water, its primary drawback was the limited number of crewmen that the ship could hold. They had only a dozen "engine-trained" crew on board, though there were a handful or so of others that could, in an emergency, help out – but at least two of those were occupied at the moment.

"I really don' wont to hafta come down thayuh," Alexander drawled when Douglass relayed the message about the docks – and the tiredness of his crew.

Billens didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"Can we make it to Parkersburg, Ebbie?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Alexander waved off his crewman. "I've got an ace up muh sleeve if I really need it."

"Well, I think you need it, because yer holding a pair of Jacks and 8's in your hand."

Ebbie gave him a look.

"I think we'll manage, Marshall."
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by Sgt. Howard »

"Besides," Alexander continued, "nobody has 'called' yet- an' we gotta defense to figure out,"
The two conferred regarding the arsenal kept on board- the Pinkertons carried a Henry apiece, as well as any number of .44 caliber pistols. The 12th Indiana of course were armed with 1861 and a few 1863 Rifled Muskets in .58 caliber, with a few Enfield equivalents that had been scrounged from the battlefield. Hatch, Hough, Austin and Watts had their .44 Dragoon pistols, Billens seemed to hemorrhage guns ... and, Dashnois had his pepperbox.
Against a shore attack, all the handguns were useless. While the Henrys offered a remarkable rate of fire, the .44 Henry rimfire was quite useless past 120 yards. Only the .58 caliber Rifled Muskets stood a chance of actually harming the enemy, and even with those the most competant shooter could only get off four shots per minute with one.
Those shots had to count.
Billens went through the cargo manifest- some 1,200 bales of confiscated cotton were North Bound in the foreward hold- immediatly, whatever spare crew and Pinkertons were put to the task of lining the three promenades with bales so as to offer cover for the riflemen. Set up in 'bucket brigade' fashion, it didn't take long to accomplish. Passengers were advised to stay in their cabins and stay low until they reached Parkersburg. The Lady who 'had a monkey in the hoopskirts' protested, but Alexander was able to explain it to her without the use of violence (amazingly enough). The 12th was equally divided Port and Starbord with the best shooters at the bale and three men per shooter loading. All three decks arrayed in such fashion on both sides turned the boat into a formidable target with remarkable fortification against small arms.
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Thu Oct 15, 2015 7:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: 150 Years Ago

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---

They reached Pomeroy at 11:30 ship's time. Again, docks closed. They reached the Letart Falls bend an hour later. There were a few puzzled looks by some farmers on both sides of the river – but nothing.

They made some time, reaching the first turn of the Great Bend, just west of Ravenswood, less than an hour later.

That was when the firing began. It sounded like some snipers had set up in the forest on the south bank, in a grove on lower ground. The skipper gave the order for full burners and full gallop – and he prayed he could get the Queen around the clearing.

The 12th started the return volley with eagerness. The spotters pointed out the positions – they had a handful of gunners spread out behind groves of trees along the bend. They were going to pepper the boat with everything they had.

"Get down, Cornelius!" Watts yelled as he saw the Centurion peeking out the window of the suite. "You're their damn target!"

Cornelius slumped down as a volley hit the side of the boat.

"No, I'm not… They're targeting the lower decks."

"What?" Billens peeked out for a moment. He noticed that the cotton bales on the top two decks were intact, mostly – but the ones on the lower decks…

"But why?" Hatch and Hough were trying to pick out anything that could be coming up in the water.

"Tryin' to get our wheels, I reckon," Cornelius said, sitting down on the floor, next to the washbasin in the room. He could tell from the heat on the wall that it was next to the stacks – and he could hear the boilers going up to full throttle.

"Who's infernal idea was it to put a sidewheeler on the Ohio, anyways?" he asked, even as the bullets pinged off the stacks.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by Warrl »

Nitpick:
Sgt. Howard wrote:but Alexander was able to eplain it to her with the use of violence amazingly enough.
I believe that's missing an "x" and an "out". I also might move the last two words to just after the "but" and wrap them in commas.
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by jwhouk »

We'll change it in the print run. ;)
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by Dave »

jwhouk wrote:AUTHOR HAT: "Billens has been around long enough that he has actually had a pet Badger. It had a proclivity for eating mushrooms, but did not care much for snakes. Those two words were the first that he came up with in response to the simple password, 'Badger.'"
The first lesson in password security: make them unique and personal to you, so that they are hard for any stranger to guess.

Weeble be waiting eagerly for the next lesson.

(Sorry to be so slow in responding to this meme... I've been on the oad and unable to keep up with the faster-moving stories and threads)
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Re: 150 Years Ago

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Ebbie Calvin Alexander was starting to regret his decision to put a side-wheeler on the Ohio.

They had just about reached the Great Bend – at practically full speed. He'd taken the run enough times to know they'd have to reverse the starboard engine to take the turn – or end up running aground.

He'd taken up a position atop the stairs, just behind the stacks, where he was essentially halfway between the wheelhouse and where Billens' men were located. There were waves of smoke coming from the shore.

He had enough of a view forward that he could see the peninsula straight ahead. Just as he was about to yell out something to the wheelhouse, he heard something.

Or, more appropriately, he heard… nothing.

The guns had stopped.

He heard an echoed call of "cease fire!" along the side of the ship, even as his wits came about him.

"DAMN IT, SKIP! REVERSE STARBOARD ENGINE OR WE'LL BE EATING LAND!"

He'd done one better: he'd disengaged the starboard engine, allowing the port paddles to scoop them around the bend.

Ebbie was bracing himself, waiting for the sound of the bottom of the boat forcibly hitting the bottom of the river.

It never came. They were heading down the bend.

The next thing he saw was several boats on the shore – on the West Virginia side.

And, among them, a handful of men, one on horseback.

Ebbie whipped out the spyglass he had in his inside pocket, brought it up and took a look out at the group on the shore.

And he smiled broadly.

The 11th Independent Ohio Infantry, showing its state's colors, had taken a few of their units across the river to chase the attackers off.

He tossed off a salute to them, and ran up to the wheelhouse – as gracefully as a centaur in human form could run. He sounded three blasts of the ship's horn, and told the skipper to get the boys ready for the bend up to Ravenswood.

"The hell was that?" Billens said after Ebbie had bounded back down the stairs to the deck.

"That, my friend, was ol' Marcellius Thompson." He was beaming as he returned to the entrance to the suite. "His Ohio boys just saved our bacon."

The Pinkerton agent who had been providing security at the stairwell appeared in the door: "Suh, we have a small craft comin' up along side us!"

"See what they want," he said.

A few minutes later, a young man appeared with the Pinkerton detective. It was Tommy Wright.

"Suh! The captain – and the lady – send their regards," he said, formally handing him two dispatches.

The one was from Marcellius: A little birdie told us you might need assistance. Heard about your issues in Huntington. We have coal for you in Ravenswood's docks. Take what you need and we'll take it out of Jeff Davises hide.

"Tommy, tell the captain we can refuel at Ravenswood, if needed." Billens heard that and sighed in relief. Ebbie pocketed the dispatch and opened the other one.

RECEIVED YOUR LETTER. GLADIATOR MUST REPEAT MUST STAY SAFE. MAKE SURE WATTS STAYS SAFE TOO. BRUTUS CAN BE DEALT WITH. SKIRTS ARE LONG AND WAITING FOR YOUR SOIREE AT THE BLENNERHASSETT. WITH LOVE JIN
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by lake_wrangler »

Dave wrote:
jwhouk wrote:AUTHOR HAT: "Billens has been around long enough that he has actually had a pet Badger. It had a proclivity for eating mushrooms, but did not care much for snakes. Those two words were the first that he came up with in response to the simple password, 'Badger.'"
The first lesson in password security: make them unique and personal to you, so that they are hard for any stranger to guess.

Weeble be waiting eagerly for the next lesson.

(Sorry to be so slow in responding to this meme... I've been on the oad and unable to keep up with the faster-moving stories and threads)
Hey look, Joe: another reader! :mrgreen:
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by lake_wrangler »

You had me on the edge of my seat, hanging on to your every word, for this last one... Phew! They made it! :D
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by DinkyInky »

I read, it's just in general, I'm afraid of breaking up the stories with commentary. I'm used to a separate comments section like what Glytch was doing.
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

Aphyon chu kissa whol l'jaed.
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by jwhouk »

I'm not as worked up about it, as I know that eventually I'll have this whole thing together in one piece.

---

The ship glided into the docks at Ravenswood, where a detail of soldiers in their black coats and blue hats nodded to the men as they secured the moorings.

"Ay, Ebbie! Good ta see ya, ya ol' Clydesdale!" A man, with his captain's bars showing on his sleeves, raised his hat in salute.

"Marcellius! You ol' war horse! You always had a thing for knowin' when ta show up!"

"Hope that cotton t'were Rebel confiscations, Ebbie," he pointed at the shot-up bales on the lower deck, even as the men started the process of loading the coal.

"Oh, we made certain, Captain." He pointed down at the man with the large, round disc in his hand. "Mistah Douglass there is just gon' go over the coal to make sure there's no 'torpedo' bombs in there – if'n you don't mind."

"Go right ahead," Thompson motioned at Douglass. "I can guarantee ya, though, that stuff's been sat on by our boys since we pulled it from the mine over yonder hill. Dreadful work, but we keep the supply lines goin'."

"Sorry t'put you out on the Sabbath, Cap'n," Douglass said as he started to scan the coal pile.

"Nothin' of it, kid." Douglass methodically ran the magnet over the pile, and as he moved to the back, the men quickly loaded the fuel onto the ship.

"All clear, suh," he said as he reached the back of the bin.

"That should get you to Pittsburg and back, Ebbie!" Thompson yelled back to the boat.

The crew hastily loaded up the coal, while another set went along the docks to do a quick inspection of the outer hull.

"Don't look like nothin's dented too bad, suh," one of the other crew members reported. "Boys below are keepin' an eye out for leaks and holes."

"Rebs couldn't shoot straight, 't appears," Ebbie called out.

The coal loading was done in minutes, and the crew was ready to pull off the howsers to leave.

"Drop by on yah way back down, ye ol' hawse! Cornelia'll set you down to some proper oat bread 'n jelly!"

Ebbie saluted as the hawsers were pulled off the dock.

In minutes, the Queen City Belle was back up to full steam, and heading back up river.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: 150 Years Ago

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As she made her progress, an odd, small sternwheeler swung by in the opposite direction- her lowest deck was encircled by crenulated wooden casements, her second deck showed boilerplate cover, as did the small pilot house on the 'Texas Deck'.
"Where were YOU an hour ago?" Bellowed Alexander to the 'Cricket'.
"Some twelve miles upstream, you old turfer!" returned Admiral Porter, for this was his Flagship.
"A POX upon ye! Yer twenty-four pounders would have made a difference here!"
"YOUR failure t' plan ain't MY emergency, 'Hoss'- 'sides, we got business downstream- we're delivering things, y' see,"
"Yer guns will die of rust before they draw Southern blood, you old pirate!"
"And YER BOAT will cross over Jordan 'fore it turns a profit!"
Both men retired laughing at each other's insults.
"Know each other then?" Billens asked.
"David and I go way back- he started as a 'Middy' in 1823 under his Pa aboard the USS 'John Adams'- I was on the next year. He was eleven then- I had just turned ten and served as a 'Powder Monkey'... the Commodore sore regretted the two of us on board, I'll tell you. We caused more than a little bit of devilment together... and he would just as soon not reminisce,"

Down in the chain locker, 'Tanner' finally reached a state of affairs where he was not shivering... partly because the adrenalin rush of bullet holes appearing inches from his head had passed. His clothes were sorta dry, but the majority of small arms on his person were not to be trusted. There were, of course, the various knives, but they were strictly back-up, on account that there would be too many guards watching the prisoner. The Henry was his only real hope... which sort of took the challenge out of it...
Besides, it's not like he enjoys killing... at least, that's what he keeps telling himself...
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by lake_wrangler »

Sgt. Howard wrote:Besides, it's not like he enjoys killing... at least, that's what he keeps telling himself...
I guess Tanner's a little too early in history to have heard of Joseph Goebbels, but his saying still applies:
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by Sgt. Howard »

lake_wrangler wrote:
Sgt. Howard wrote:Besides, it's not like he enjoys killing... at least, that's what he keeps telling himself...
I guess Tanner's a little too early in history to have heard of Joseph Goebbels, but his saying still applies:
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
Actually, that was 'Dolfi himself
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by lake_wrangler »

Sgt. Howard wrote:
lake_wrangler wrote:
Sgt. Howard wrote:Besides, it's not like he enjoys killing... at least, that's what he keeps telling himself...
I guess Tanner's a little too early in history to have heard of Joseph Goebbels, but his saying still applies:
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
Actually, that was 'Dolfi himself
Apparently so. It seems I didn't read long enough to see that...

It is attributed to Goebbels here:
http://www.searchquotes.com/quotation/I ... h./330401/
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/-if_you ... 45877.html

And to Hitler, here:
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/553-if- ... nd-tell-it

I saw that, but didn't click in that one of the two sources might be misattributed...
Which is exactly what it says, here, which I would have seen, had I taken the time to read far enough:
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Go ... attributed
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Re: 150 Years Ago

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"I tell ya, Richards, I think I got one of 'em in that last volley," the soldier said as they were walking back to their position on the port side of the boat.

"How you could tell from all dat smoke's a mystery, Phil…" His compatriot stopped for a moment. "Hey, y'see som'tin' there?"

"Where?"

"By the prow," he pointed. "Thot I saw sumthin' movin'."

Richards looked. There was nothing there except a bunch of chains and ropes.

"Think all that smoke got in yer eyes, Phillips."

"Well, we gotta 'member, they got that damn spy wand'rin the boat, still."

"Yeah. Cap'n said a field promotion and a raise if'n we found em. Two grades if alive."

They both looked back at the prow. A bird landed, ever so softly, on the railing of the boat.

"Musta just been a bird," Richards said. "C'mon, we gotta go relieve Quigley and Makerson."

They departed for the port gangway. What they didn't see was a small metal box protruding from one of the rope housings – with a glint from the mirror located within it.

That was close, "Tanner" thought as he brought the scope back down.

Just as he was about to turn around, he felt something hit his coat – the bird had left a "calling card" before flying off.

They ain't payin' me 'nuff for this, he thought as he buried his head in the ropes.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by DinkyInky »

jwhouk wrote:Just as he was about to turn around, he felt something hit his coat – the bird had left a "calling card" before flying off.

They ain't payin' me 'nuff for this, he thought as he buried his head in the ropes.
Reminds me of the ornery bird in PotC.
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

Aphyon chu kissa whol l'jaed.
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by jwhouk »

Douglass had been handed a satchel full of dispatches and notifications for Alexander and Billens. Alexander had sorted through them, even as the 44th Wisconsin took duty watching the hallway.

They had gone through the trunk, top to bottom. The spy, whoever he was, had a rather eclectic amount of armament. It appeared that, along with the Henry he'd taken from Brooks, he had at least three other guns – not including the Pepperbox that Dashnois had adopted as his own.

The whetstone they found suggested he had more blades on his person than just the stiletto that Cornelius had dislodged from the spy's hand.

"So we have to just sit heah and WAIT for the sumbitch to come after us, guns a'blazin?" Dashnois was a little agitated. "And, if by some miracle of Our Lady of Saint Theresa, he runs outta ammo – he's got 'nuff to cut whatever's left of us into venison stew?"

"So what do you suggest, young man?" Alexander asked – bringing himself up to his formidable seven-foot height.

"Go on the damn offensive." Dashnois wasn't backing down. "Hell, take Younger out with us, give him a gun. He tries to shoot any of us, he's gonna go down in a hailstorm of buckshot and bullets."

"And you'll probably put a few big holes in my livelihood, young man," Alexander looked at him with a hard stare. "In case you didn't exactly NOTICE, this ship has parts that don't react well to bullets. And I'm not talking about the PASSENGERS we have on heah."

Both private and detective stared each other down. No one else said a thing for a moment.

"However," Alexander said after a moment, "I do think you might be prudent in one thing. Mister Billens, may I borrow your 'prisoner' for a few minutes?"

"What for?" Billens had heard Ebbie have some strange ideas in the past, but this was beyond odd.

"I do believe it's time for us to play the Shell Game with our spy," he said.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by jwhouk »

And now, we must go BACK... to the FUTURE! (Yeah, yeah, it's not October 21, 2015 yet, so nyah.)

===

It'd been a pretty ordinary late fall day for me. It was my weekend off – sadly, my last weekend off until Thanksgiving – but I had enjoyed it by sleeping in the entire day.

I woke to the sight of a slight dusting of snow greeting me, as I had decided to throw something on to go check the mail. The temps in northern Wisconsin had plummeted – predictably – to where going outside without a coat and hat was not acceptable.

There were the usual bits of junk mail; my razors from Dollar Shave Club had come in for the moth. And, there were two cards – both with postmarks of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I quickly closed the mailbox door and scooted my way back inside. The hallway helped warm me up a bit, but my glasses weren't very compliant as I headed back to our apartment.

Things had been quiet since I'd last been to the Library. I hadn't spoken to Sarah at all about the "visitor" I'd seen, but I had taken some extra attention to the scrolls that Neil had given me. I'd spent a good chunk of a few of my days off just taking pictures of the individual sheets; to my surprise, the translations I managed to get off the first few pages pretty much correlated to the first four "chapters" of the book.

I got back into the apartment, divested myself of my coat and hat, and – while petting my cat (who was sitting on the back of the couch), managed to get my glasses cleared off – sorted through the mail.

The razors I put aside, and the junk mail I quickly tossed aside. Does Discover Financial REALLY believe I'd use balance transfer checks? I mused. I opened the cards – first, the one from Buck and Kathy. It was a nice one, with a beautiful picture of two riderless horses walking off together into a sunset. Inside, the card had a nice "Thank you" inscription, with a personal note of thanks from Kath for the $50 Pottery Barn gift certificate. Hope to see you around the Twin Cities sometime!

I smiled. I might just take her up on the offer she'd given me at the reception, getting a guided tour of the museum from her. Maybe, when it warmed up a bit… The wind whistled against the patio window.

In, oh, maybe five months.

I looked at the other card. It appeared to be a bit thicker than the other one. I immediately saw why when I opened the envelope: the card itself had a decoration on the front. I had to smile a bit; very few people in the world would know exactly what the meaning of the design was. Of course, having seen the Calendar Machine stelae on a regular basis since… oh, maybe 2005?

Inside was a simple word of thanks from Alan and Jin; they appreciated the Teavana gift set. There was a photo enclosed – it was me with both brides and grooms. They must have coordinated that…

A second photo slipped out from behind. It was an old, black-and-white photo. I grabbed it before it hit the floor. It looked to be ancient, probably over a 100 years old from its condition…

It was a soldier. In uniform. The photo was grainy, but it was obvious to me that it was a Union soldier, with a wide-brimmed hat. He was standing outside – couldn't quite tell where, as there was no obvious background.

There was nothing on the back. I took a second look at the photo – if I'd taken a brief look at it again, I could have sworn it was one of those old-time tintypes that you could get at an amusement park or other some tourist trap.

Except that it was well worn, and looked as old as the subject on the front.

There was a small note at the bottom of the card:

Ask Neil about the other photo. – Jin

Looks like a trip to the annex is in order, I thought.
Last edited by jwhouk on Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 150 Years Ago

Post by Sgt. Howard »

The Warf at Parkersburg had very little activity, being the Sabbath- a few characters lounging about, regaling in sloth, or (more likely) recovering from last night's excesses. Few seemed to have any direction or intention to their day- save one. Small, silent and clad in black from head to toe, she stood vigil awaiting the Steamer. No one could see her face, for her veil covered it and hid her foreign features. She had claimed Indian heritage, Asian heritage, Islamic heritage over the centuries... basically whatever heritage suited her purpose that she could mimic... but this time, she had to be what she was not.
She had to be a white woman- widow's weeds alone could allow this.
Exactly what breed of white she would be depended on the railroads- and the Steamboat. It turned into a matter of timing. She understood the risks involved... not that she worried for herself, but it was important that key players survived this time around.
She had no fear of those around her- disturbing a widow on the Sabbath, even the most heartless scoundrel could not do such a thing. Besides, any one who tried would not enjoy the results. Her only fear was for the men she had to protect.

"But... my WORD, there Suzie girl- I SAW you take a BUCKET LOAD of lead from that jackass- and you're not even SCRATCHED!!!" Private Crawford blurted out to Nurse McBride.
"Now, now Edward, don't you get yourself all worked up again- you'd had enough laudanum to drop a mule, and yes, he DID shoot at me- but he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn FROM THE INSIDE!!!" she coo'ed right back at him, " you get yourself some decent rest here soldier, while I see to the others. I hear they can whittle out some right fancy legs these days, and you still have the knee on that side... with a little bit of practice, you'll be dancing up a storm with some saucy little lady back home. Don't you worry about me, hon- I'm a bit tough to kill and downright ornery enough to live a long life... but YOU need your rest while your surgery heals... and you try to go grabbing my nethers again, I'll make the other leg match, do you hear me?" she said, half seriously.
"Yes Ma'm"
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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