Liz Marvin - Betty Crawford 03 - Too Long at the Fair Read Online Free PDF Page A

farbs don’t know any more about civil war reenacting than a prize heifer calf and you’re a damned sight less intelligent!”
     
    Her outburst drew a larger crowd.  She gestured to all the men surrounding her “You’re wearing fitted Billy Tart authentic wool uniforms dry cleaned for the occasion and don’t deny it I can see at least two dry cleaning tags and you captain are carrying an eighteen ninety three railroad pocket watch in your fine none standard issue silk vest which is amazing since if my memory serves the civil war ended in eighteen sixty five!”
     
    The captain pulled his watch chain free and stuffed it in his pocket.
     
    “And no soldier on either side no matter how addle brained would carry a watch or gold chain into battle.  Now if you’d had a Waltham American model fifty seven on a leather strap I might understand but then again your command is wearing Confederate States shell jackets when everybody and their mother knows North Carolinians wore Richmond Depot type two shell jackets and none of them wore polished Brogans with clean socks!”
     
    The captain was properly chagrined but one of his troupe took it upon himself to try and regain the upper hand “Jest show us your papers of manumission and we’ll be on our way.”
     
    She whirled on the unfortunate upstart, looked him up and down and planted her nose six inches from his.  “Manumission says you?  That’s a mighty big word for a farm boy turned buck private.  Where did you learn that?”
     
    He straightened up at attention and held her gaze. “I read it in a book.”
     
    Clarise laughed harshly.  “Not one in a hundred Confederate soldiers could read their own name and those that could were officers!  Now let’s examine your so-called armaments.”
     
    But before she could start a half dozen Union re-enactors showed which only added to the confusion.
     
    “Unhand that free woman of color you scalawag!”
     
    Clarise faced her “saviors” with the same scorn and contempt she’d heaped on the Confederate re-enactors.  “You polyester clad buffoon! Negro is the polite term Yankees used and scalawag is a term for southern whites who supported the Republican Party and post-Civil War reconstruction.  I am surrounded by blue and gray idiots!”
     
    “None of that now just come along quietly.”  The captain took her arm just above the elbow.  He had a soft grip and she shook free.  Not so from the Yankee re-enactor who grabbed both her arms.  “Leave off she’s coming with us!”
     
    A tug of war ensued but fortunately neither side seemed that intent on dislodging her arms from their sockets.  Never one to panic, Clarise assessed the situation as calmly and dispassionately as possible.  The number of people had stopped to watch continued to grow. Many in the crowd were laughing and snapping photographs. 
     
    “They must think this is all an act!”  She thought and realized she had to do something but she didn’t want to start a panic or a riot.  To one side she saw a flash of a khaki shirt and hat.
     
    “Wes!  Help!” she called and then she couldn’t see him! “Wes!  Wesley Bundy!”
     
    “All right break it up! Let her go now!”
     
    He had heard her and come running.  Hands fell away and the group fell back.  Half the Union re-enactors ran away, sprinting off in all directions.  Before they too could retreat Wes had grabbed the arms of both the Confederate captain and Union … who could know what he was supposed to be. A sergeant, perhaps?   None of the men appeared happy but Wes looked downright angry.
     
    “All right, boys, explain to me what is going on and why you two and the rest of your playmates should not spend the next three days in jail and be polite because I am the only man here wearing a uniform that still counts.  Do I make myself clear?”
     
    The captain straightened up and regained some composure. “We were invited here by the fair committee.  We were just