False Southern Gentility
Exhaustion and a plan...
Christine sat up weakly. She had gone four days with no food, and now it was beginning to set in. She was weak, her entire body cried out in pain whenever she attempted to move.
"I....I can't...not anymore." she said aloud as the door creaked open and Catherine stepped through the door, Mammy standing behind her at the ready.
"Christine, Dear Lord, sister, you must lie back down, you're not well." Catherine said as she felt along Christine's hot forehead, "Mammy, she is burning up, run to the kitchen and find some water, quickly." Catherine said as she sat down on the almost flat mattress and fanned her sister quickly.
Christine slapped her hand away and stood up, determination becoming her strength, "I don't need your help, I've got cotton to get out of the ground, fields to plow, and then I have to have Marcus hitch our last horse up and take me into town." she said as she flung her thin and worn-down nightgown onto the floor and snatched up her dirty walking-about dress.
"Christine, please, get back into bed, it wouldn't hurt to let the cotton just stay in the ground for a while. Please." Catherine begged as she stood, walked to her sister, and began buttoning the back of the dress for her.
"Tell Marcus to hitch the horse, I've got to head to town, don't argue, and...instead of this ratty thing," she smiled to herself, "help me into one of my nice dresses, tell Mammy to fetch water, and I want her to coil my hair, I'm going into town, and I think that I might just come back with something that could help us." Christine said as she tugged under the bed, tugging the deep blue colored fabric, white heeled shoes, and corset, free from the heavy draperies that she had laid them beneath when the Yankees had attacked.
Catherine nodded and held the corset around Christine's waist, then, mustering all of her strength, she jerked her sister's waist tight. "Do you want the measuring tape?" she asked.
"Seventeen inches..." Christine said aloud as she ran a hand over her surprisingly empty stomach, "I don't believe that I have ever been this small in my life. I bet that I could squeeze into a crack in the wall." she said with a laugh as she pulled her hoop over her hips and tied it in a firm knot.
Suddenly her head spun, there it was, her determination fading, her strength rushing away as quickly as it had came. She grasped onto the thick bedpost and breathed deep, as deeply as her corset would allow her to, and then took steady steps towards the water basin on her dresser.
Dabbing her face, she saw the dirt begin to melt away, the brown color that had become her skin, running away in lines as she moved the cloth over her face. She stood up and slid the fabric over her head, the clean cloth like silk to her skin.
It was depressing when wool felt like silk.
"The horse is all hitched up, she's sitting out in tha fron' ya'd, she'll all cleaned up real nice like for ya, I'll be drivin' ya there." Marcus said as he swept the door open and ran to get the carriage door for her next.
She nodded and stepped inside, the room was so cool yet warm, so rugged yet soft, "Wake me when we reach Atlanta, I'll be resting." she said as she leaned back onto the cushions, letting the comfort seep into her very being, relaxing her up into the utmost of rims of relaxation.
Atlanta was atleast a three day journey, but if Marcus would push that lazy animal, they could make it in two.
"I....I can't...not anymore." she said aloud as the door creaked open and Catherine stepped through the door, Mammy standing behind her at the ready.
"Christine, Dear Lord, sister, you must lie back down, you're not well." Catherine said as she felt along Christine's hot forehead, "Mammy, she is burning up, run to the kitchen and find some water, quickly." Catherine said as she sat down on the almost flat mattress and fanned her sister quickly.
Christine slapped her hand away and stood up, determination becoming her strength, "I don't need your help, I've got cotton to get out of the ground, fields to plow, and then I have to have Marcus hitch our last horse up and take me into town." she said as she flung her thin and worn-down nightgown onto the floor and snatched up her dirty walking-about dress.
"Christine, please, get back into bed, it wouldn't hurt to let the cotton just stay in the ground for a while. Please." Catherine begged as she stood, walked to her sister, and began buttoning the back of the dress for her.
"Tell Marcus to hitch the horse, I've got to head to town, don't argue, and...instead of this ratty thing," she smiled to herself, "help me into one of my nice dresses, tell Mammy to fetch water, and I want her to coil my hair, I'm going into town, and I think that I might just come back with something that could help us." Christine said as she tugged under the bed, tugging the deep blue colored fabric, white heeled shoes, and corset, free from the heavy draperies that she had laid them beneath when the Yankees had attacked.
Catherine nodded and held the corset around Christine's waist, then, mustering all of her strength, she jerked her sister's waist tight. "Do you want the measuring tape?" she asked.
"Seventeen inches..." Christine said aloud as she ran a hand over her surprisingly empty stomach, "I don't believe that I have ever been this small in my life. I bet that I could squeeze into a crack in the wall." she said with a laugh as she pulled her hoop over her hips and tied it in a firm knot.
Suddenly her head spun, there it was, her determination fading, her strength rushing away as quickly as it had came. She grasped onto the thick bedpost and breathed deep, as deeply as her corset would allow her to, and then took steady steps towards the water basin on her dresser.
Dabbing her face, she saw the dirt begin to melt away, the brown color that had become her skin, running away in lines as she moved the cloth over her face. She stood up and slid the fabric over her head, the clean cloth like silk to her skin.
It was depressing when wool felt like silk.
"The horse is all hitched up, she's sitting out in tha fron' ya'd, she'll all cleaned up real nice like for ya, I'll be drivin' ya there." Marcus said as he swept the door open and ran to get the carriage door for her next.
She nodded and stepped inside, the room was so cool yet warm, so rugged yet soft, "Wake me when we reach Atlanta, I'll be resting." she said as she leaned back onto the cushions, letting the comfort seep into her very being, relaxing her up into the utmost of rims of relaxation.
Atlanta was atleast a three day journey, but if Marcus would push that lazy animal, they could make it in two.