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"Should I? Put on airs?" Beth asked as the waiter poured her another cup of coffee. She thanked him, something Mother Cahill noticed quickly and winked at Wade.
"Not on your life." His mother sent her a wink.
"Mother Cahill, Wade says we'll be stopping off at port tomorrow, would you like to go ashore with me?" Beth asked.
The older woman glanced at her with a slight frown, "I don't get around as easily as you."
"Oh, no worries about that, I'll be glad to help, that is if you don't mind." Beth asked waiting for her answer.
Mother Cahill shot Wade a incredulous look, then stared at Beth. "Usually I do, but I am sure you are quick on your feet and I will need some help keeping up with you, so the help would be appreciated. Thank you. And I'd love to go."
"Wonderful. Let's plan on it." Beth said looking up at her husband.
"Well, all must have gone well. I haven't seen a smile on Wade's face this early in the morning in a long time." Mother Cahill chuckled.
Beth blushed. This was one thing she didn't know how to talk about.
Wade saw her perplexed look and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his. "We had a wonderful night mother, Beth and I are off to a good start."
"I'm glad. Perhaps you will see to having some grandchildren for me before long…" Mother Cahill blurted.
Wade wasn't at all shocked. "One thing at a time…we're still on our honeymoon."
Beth smiled at him. As far as she was concerned, the honeymoon hadn't started yet.
"That General came by this morning. Wanted to know where you were. I told him you were on your honeymoon, but he certainly seemed persistent."
Wade's smile turned sour, and he looked out over the water through the open curtains. "I suppose I will have to speak to him sooner or later. I hate to tell the two of you this, but the war has started."
"You aren't getting involved in the disputes are you?" His mother asked, with concern.
"They aren't just disputes any longer, mother. I’m doing my best not to. I've told Beth and I suppose it's time you knew, they want me to join the north. Very soon in fact. Mississippi and eleven other states have seceded from the union. They are talking of electing a President of the Confederacy."
Beth gasped. "Then it is happening, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. The states are already making plans for some form of government. "
"You don't think it will really happen do you? I've heard the rumors from our own passengers, but I refused to believe it would come to all-out war." His mother put her napkin in her lap and sipped the rest of her coffee.
"I'm afraid it already has. Things are escalating mother. That's the reason the General is so insistent. The north needs the crops from the south, and the south needs everything from the north."
"But the south cannot possibly win!" She declared.
Wade frowned, "Keep your voice down dear, we don't want to alarm anyone."
She glanced about. "Can they?" she whispered.
"I don't know mother. We haven't the resources that the north has, that's true enough. Problem is, it took a war to wake us up to to the fact."
"They want you to enlist?" His mother looked disturbed now. "In the north?"
"This boat would be an asset and they know it. If the north got control of it, they could transport men, ammunition, and many other things through the south. I don't intend being put in the middle. And I won't let them use this boat to do battle."
"Can you avoid it?" She asked staunchly.
"I don't know. But I'll sure try." He announced.
Beth put her hand on his. "Surely it won't come to that."
