“Well,it's made of brick and it's got about the only slate roof in Atlanta and that kept the sparks from setting it afire,I guess.And then it's about the last house on the north end of town and the fire wasn't so bad over that way.Of course,the Yankees quartered there tore it up aplenty.They even burned the baseboard and the mahogany stair rail for firewood,but shucks!It's in good shape.When I saw Miss Pitty last week in Macon—”
“You saw her?How is she?”
“Just fine.Just fine.When I told her her house was still standing,she made up her mind to come home right away.That is—if the old darky,Peter,will let her come.Lots of the Atlanta people have already come back,because they got nervous about Macon.Sherman didn't take Macon but everybody is afraid Wilson's raiders will get there soon and he's worse than Sherman.”
“But how silly of them to come back if there aren't any houses!Where do they live?”
“Miss Scarlett,they're living in tents and shacks and log cabins and doubling up six and seven families in the few houses still standing.And they're trying to rebuild.Now,Miss Scarlett,don't say they are silly.You know Atlanta folks as well as I do.They are plumb set on that town,most as bad as Charlestonians are about Charleston,and it'll take more than Yankees and a burning to keep them away.Atlanta folks are—begging your pardon,Miss Melly—as stubborn as mules about Atlanta.I don't know why,for I always thought that town a mighty pushy,impudent sort of place.But then,I'm a countryman born and I don't like any town.And let me tell you,the ones who are getting back first are the smart ones.The ones who come back last won't find a stick or stone or brick of their houses,because everybody's out salvaging things all over town to rebuild their houses.Just day before yesterday,I saw Mrs.Merriwether and Miss Maybelle and their old darky woman out collecting brick in a wheelbarrow.And Mrs.Meade told me she was thinking about building a log cabin when the doctor comes back to help her.She said she lived in a log cabin when she first came to Atlanta,when it was Marthasville,and it wouldn't bother her none to do it again.'Course,she was only joking but that shows you how they feel about it.”
“I think they've got a lot of spirit,”said Melanie proudly.“Don't you,Scarlett?”
Scarlett nodded,a grim pleasure and pride in her adopted town filling her.As Frank said,it was a pushy,impudent place and that was why she liked it.It wasn't hidebound and stick-in-the-muddish like the older towns and it had a brash exuberance that matched her own.“I'm like Atlanta,”she thought.“It takes more than Yankees or a burning to keep me down.”
“If Aunt Pitty is going back to Atlanta,we'd better go back and stay with her,Scarlett,”said Melanie,interrupting her train of thought.“She'll die of fright alone.”
“Now,how can I leave here,Melly?”Scarlett asked crossly.“If you are so anxious to go,go.I won't stop you.”
“Oh,I didn't mean it that way,darling,”cried Melanie,flushing with distress.“How thoughtless of me!Of course,you can't leave Tara and—and I guess Uncle Peter and Cookie can take care of Auntie.”
“There's nothing to keep you from going,”Scarlett pointed out,shortly.
“You know I wouldn't leave you,”answered Melanie.“And I—I would be just frightened to death without you.”
“Suit yourself.Besides,you wouldn't catch me going back to Atlanta.Just as soon as they get a few houses up,Sherman will come back and burn it again.”
“He won't be back,”said Frank and,despite his efforts,his face drooped.“He's gone on through the state to the coast.Savannah was captured this week and they say the Yankees are going on up into South Carolina.”
“Savannah taken!”
“Yes.Why,ladies,Savannah couldn't help but fall.They didn't have enough men to hold it,though they used every man they could get—every man who could drag one foot after another.Do you know that when the Yankees were marching on Milledgeville,they called out all the cadets from the military academies,no matter how young they were,and even opened the state penitentiary to get fresh troops?Yes,sir,they turned loose every convict who was willing to fight and promised him a pardon if he lived through the war.It kind of gave me the creeps to see those little cadets in the ranks with thieves and cutthroats.”
“They turned loose the convicts on us!”
“Now,Miss Scarlett,don't you get upset.They're a long way off from here,and furthermore they're making good soldiers.I guess being a thief don't keep a man from being a good soldier,does it?”
“I think it's wonderful,”said Melanie softly.
“Well,I don't,”said Scarlett flatly.“There's thieves enough running around the country anyway,what with the Yankees and—”She caught herself in time but the men laughed.
“What with Yankees and our commissary department,”they finished and she flushed.
“But where's General Hood's army?”interposed Melanie hastily.“Surely he could have held Savannah.”
“Why,Miss Melanie,”Frank was startled and reproachful,“General Hood hasn't been down in that section at all.He's been fighting up in Tennessee,trying to draw the Yankees out of Georgia.”
“And didn't his little scheme work well!”cried Scarlett sarcastically.“He left the damn Yankees to go through us with nothing but schoolboys and convicts and Home Guards to protect us.”
“Daughter,”said Gerald rousing himself,“you are profane.Your mother will be grieved.”
“They are damn Yankees!”cried Scarlett passionately.“And I never expect to call them anything else.”
At the mention of Ellen everyone felt queer and conversation suddenly ceased.Melanie again interposed.
“When you were in Macon did you see India and Honey Wilkes?Did they—had they heard anything of Ashley?”