Hear the Wind Blow Read Online Free PDF

a few notes when we heard a noise outside. At first we all thought it was the wind thudding against the house, but then we realized someone was pounding on the door.

    Mama clutched Rachel tight. James Marshall froze at the keyboard. I stood by the organ, clutching the top. We didn't speak. We didn't move. No civilized person would pound on a door like that. It was the Yankees, coming to ruin everything.
    James Marshall was the first to move. Rising to his feet, he ran upstairs as light-footed as a cat.
    Mama grabbed my arm. "Look out the window, Haswell," she whispered. "Tell me what you see."
    Cautiously I twitched the curtain aside and peered out. "Three men on horseback in the yard," I told her.
    Then a voice hollered, "This is Captain Powell of the Pennsylvania Cavalry! Open up!"
    Mama looked as if she might faint dead away. "Go to the door, Haswell. Give me time to compose myself." Turning to Rachel, she whispered, "Not one word about James Marshall."
    I walked down the hall and slowly opened the front door. A man towered above me, a dark shape against the stormy sky. Frozen rain clung to his hair, his beard, and the shoulders of his greatcoat.
    Pushing past me, he strode into the house, his three companions close behind. "What's your name, boy?"
    "Haswell Colby Magruder." I stood as tall as I could and looked him in the eye without flinching. I'd never been this close to a Yankee, but I was damned if I was going to let on I was scared half dead.
    "Where's your father?" he asked.
    I hesitated. The captain was a fearsome ugly man. If I told him Papa was dead, he'd know we had no one to protect us. There was no telling what he'd do then.

    Before I'd had a chance to come up with an answer, Mama walked slowly toward us. Rachel clung to her skirt. "What do you want from us, sir?" she asked in a shaking voice. "Food, shelter?"
    Captain Powell stepped closer to Mama. "We're looking for a Rebel, ma'am, one of Mosby's Bushwhackers. Rumor has it he came this way about three weeks ago, wounded. You seen him?"
    Mama looked him straight in the eye. "No, sir. No one's come by here since the last snowfall."
    The captain turned to Rachel. "What about you, sweetheart? You know a young man named James Marshall?"
    Rachel shook her head.
    "What's the matter, honey?" He reached for Rachel and tried to draw her away from Mama. "You ain't scared of me, are you?" He smiled at her. "I got a little daughter at home just as pretty as you."
    Rachel shook her head and looked the captain in the eye. "I'm not afraid of you or any Yankees. Not even General Ulysses S. Grant himself."
    The captain laughed. "Well, ain't you a cocky little thing." He glanced at Mama. "Is your mother as full of spirit as you are?" There was a look in his eye I didn't like, but I couldn't say why.
    Captain Powell turned to his men. They straightened up as best they could, for they were a ragged group. The smell of them filled the hall. It got worse as they warmed up. Wet wool, dirty hair, dirty skin—I don't know what all.
    "Search the house," the captain said. "You, Hicks, don't just stand there looking stupid. Go on upstairs with Andrews."

    Hicks was the smallest of the bunch, the youngest, too. He looked more scared than mean, but I reckoned he was just as nasty-natured as the rest. While he climbed the steps behind Andrews, the other man went to the back of the house. Their boots stamped about everywhere. The captain stayed in the hall, smoothing his beard and studying us.
    Drawing Rachel and me close, Mama held our hands so tight my bones ached. We all feared for James Marshall's life. Not even Mosby himself could have gotten out of this situation.
    "Where's your husband, Mrs. Magruder?" Captain Powell stepped a little closer to Mama, still with that look in his eye.
    My skin crawled with fear and anger, but I had no idea what to do. Cursing myself for being a coward, I edged closer to Mama, hoping to protect her from the captain and the evil in his eyes. Rachel kept