All is Fair in Love and War

Chapter 8

Rose and Heather were crying and Mama, Henni, and Alice were all questioning Papa furiously at the same time. Seline did not know what had happened but what ever it was it had to be serious. Seline stepped to the side of the raucous and grabbed Rose’s forearm, “What is it Rosie? Why is everyone so upset?” Rose lifted her face with tears cascading down it and said “WAR! They have gone to war and they conscripted all the men under 35 this morning. They are all to meet at the town square this evening to head to camp.” Seline felt her legs start to give way and sat herself on the bench next to her sister. All the men under 35 would be just about every man in the entire county. When they have gone off to war before they never asked for men over the age of 25 except for officers. Why so many this time?

“Papa, will they be making Mr. Glassman go too?” Alene had come down the stairs after hearing the noise in the kitchen. “Yes my dear. He is under 35 also. I am afraid the betrothal and weddings will need to be put off until all this is over and the dust settles.” Alene now hurled herself at Heather who was seated closest to the stairs and began to cry with her. They were all scared. The girls had not known what a war like this would mean. Mama and Papa knew. The last time there was one like this many of the men did not come back. There were many widows, orphans, and spinsters as a result. Papa had been just under the age limit when it ended. He was eager to join when it first started. However, after a year of seeing friends, family, and neighbors getting death notices, or their loved one coming back severely wounded or mentally changed, his determination to join had dissipated and he was thankful that it ended when it did.

Mama, seeing that her girls had all now begun crying, swooped down and began hugging and patting them and reassuring them that everything was going to be all right. Papa, who could no longer stand the crying, turned and left the room. He locked himself in his study for the rest of the evening.

Seline suddenly got up from her seat as she realized that would include Will and he would be leaving today. Seline also realized that out of all her sisters, she was the only one that was to marry anyone over the age of 35, so she would be the only one getting married. This troubled her greatly. She wanted to see Will one last time before he left. She looked at her mother and her sisters all crying and trying to reassure one another that things will be fine. Since this was war, Seline knew very well that it was not going to be all right. Mr. Glassman had made them read about and learn some history. In all the stories that they read, there were many men that had been killed and never came home again. Seline decided that she needed to see him one more time. Seeing that her mother and sisters would not notice if she left, Seline went outside. Since Seline usually liked to go outside to sit and think, none of them would think that this was odd. She went out the back door and began to hurry as fast as she could through the yard and out toward the road. As she crossed the driveway she went past Heinz’s cottage. He was packing things up inside. She stopped and walked back to his door. Seline raised her hand and knocked on the unpainted wood door. Heinz opened the door and gave her a sad smile. “Come in Seli. I’m just packing up. ‘Spect you heard that I will have to go to the camp same as everyone else. I am 35." Heinz shook his head. " If they had only waited another few months, I would have turned 36 and they would not have been able to conscript me.” Heinz shoved a shirt into his saddle bag with disgust.

“Your kidding! They are making you go too!” Seline was dumbfounded. She had always thought of Heinz as old and never thought that he would be included in the men that would have to go out and fight. “No, No you can’t.” Seline put a protective hand on his arm and held on. Heinz looked at her with sad eyes. “I have no family miss Seli. I lost them years ago. All I have had since then is my work, and your family here. I do not want to fight. I do not want to kill anyone. I never have." He looked down at the floor, and then out the open door toward the house. "If my going to fight means that your Papa does not, then I will gladly go so you all can stay together as a family.” He picked up the saddle bag that he had finished packing and swung it over his shoulder. Seline noticed that he took very little with him. The rocks that she and Rose had painted him with berry juice when they were young were no longer on his small wooden table. Seline had tears in her eyes. He reached out and touched the side of her face. Heinz was always kind to the girls, and suffered a lot of michief at their hands good naturedly. He was like a favorite uncle. “Be good, and take care of your Mama, Papa, and your sisters. Tough times are coming.” Seline wanted to give him a hug, but he only patted her shoulder and gave her a half hearted smile. With that he walked out. After securing his saddle bag, he mounted his horse and rode away, leaving Seline standing in the small one room house that had been his home since before Seline could remember.