Free The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn Page A

never meant to tell that! Now you got to promise silence. Silence! Because I don’t want no one hereabouts to know where I gone. And if you don’t promise I’m going to break both your arms and throw you in the bay. Do you hear?”
    Susan nodded. Will took his hand from her mouth, but he held her arms firmly. “Are you promising?”
    “Will, I.…”
    “Both your arms,” he said grimly, staring fixedly into her eyes. “Both your arms.”
    “I promise,” said Susan softly, “and not because of your stupid threats but because if it matters so much to you I’m not going to tell but, oh Will, why do you have to go and join up? It ain’t our war. We got no part in it. You heard what happened in Soames the other day. That Yankee got arrested for trying to recruit our boys. Right here to Collivers’ Corners. Benny Bother told Joey Heaton he was going to set his dogs on any of them Yankees that come here to fetch our Canadian boys to fight in the rebellion. It ain’t our war, Will!”
    “It’s part mine, Susan, it’s part mine. My ma come from the States. Her country needs soldiers bad. The war’s been going on for three years and things is desperate. Steve told me last time he come here that him and Aunt Min and them all went down to New York City when Abraham Lincoln was there and they seen him. He says Lincoln’s all but a saint and I believe him. Lincoln freed the slaves from those rich people in the South—and you know yourself how some of them black peoples come across the lake to get away from being slaves and the terrible things they told about being beaten and put in chains and made to work like animals. Well, after this war there ain’t going to be no more slaves and, what’s more, them states in theSouth ain’t going to be able to quit the United States just because they happen to feel like it.”
    “Well, I don’t care if they do or don’t.”
    “Well, I care, and Steve says just about all the boys from Oswego County who can walk have gone. One of the regiments was home in February and they was recruiting—and he’s going to go if I’ll go with him. And I’m going. I’m shipping out with the
Eliza Fisher
. She’s heading for Oswego today with a load of grain, and Captain Soames says he’s got a day’s work I can do. When I get there I’m going off with Steve to join up.”
    “Will!” Susan took hold of his arms. “Who’s going to look after things for your ma?”
    “Who’d look after ’em if I was dead?”
    “I don’t know but you ain’t dead—not yet, you ain’t. Oh, Will!”
    “Susan, I got to go. I made up my mind. It’s a thing I got to do.”
    They were both silent, not looking at each other, not really looking away either. Finally Will took his hands from Susan’s arms. He shouldered the small pack that he had set beside him on the grass. “Good-bye,” he said. “I’d leave you something for a keepsake, only I don’t know what it’d be.”
    “I got a bit of paper with a song you made written on it. I’ll keep that. Here, you take mylocket.” Susan reached up and undid the chain around her neck.
    “Susan, you can’t give that! It was your gran’s.”
    “Take it.”
    Will stuffed the locket in his pocket. He grabbed Susan’s hands. “You remember what you promised,” he said and off he went on his long legs, not once looking back.
    Susan stood unmoving as the trees. Then, with her head down, hugging herself tightly with both arms, she ran from the orchard.
    Rose slowly came out from behind the tree, stupefied. She stared at the spot where Will and Susan had stood. How could this happen? How could they grow older like that and leave her behind? How could Will just go off to the war? She pounded the trunk of the tree furiously with her fists. She felt cheated, betrayed. Pale and shaking, she ran back through the orchard, past the sheep and the hens, down the steps into the root cellar, and back up into the world she hated so much.

A Song and a Silver