Draw Sabers! (eBook)

1

The Biergarten

“Did you get enough to eat, you only had seconds?” Elizabeth teased her husband.

“Yes Lizzie, your veal wiener schnitzel was excellent as ever, but I have to leave some room for beer this evening.” Peter replied.

“Are all the brothers going to be at your “biergarten’ tonight?”

“George, Gottlieb and Fred will be there, and possibly Christian. Papa is going to come down too according to Gottlieb.”

“How does Gottlieb like living with your parents and the Bieglers with their three daughters? I bet he gets no peace and quiet with all those girls and the adults.”

“He’s tolerating it for now, after all he doesn’t spend much time there. Between his job and helping to oversee the farm, it keeps him busy and out of trouble.” Replied Peter.

“I suppose you boys will be discussing the war and such. Have you let them know that you are enlisting?” she asked.

“I haven’t told Papa, or the others yet. I think Christian is about ready to join also. By going now, I’ll be getting a bonus. If we wait much longer, they may start conscripting men without the bonuses.” Besides I can’t be a bristle comber all my life.” Peter replied.

“I really don’t like the idea of you doing this, but I understand why you feel that you must. With little Elizabeth just a year old and another one on the way in a few months, I’ll be kept busy while you are gone. I had hoped to have Elizzabeth out of diapers before having another one, but we weren’t too careful, were we?” she smiled.

“As I recall someone was really cold back in February, and I was just trying to keep you warm!” he quipped. “Besides, you’ll have Mama and Mrs. Biegler to help as well as Sophie and Marie. You’ll have plenty of food, with the produce, and pork from the farm as well as the chickens out back.”

“The thought of you being away so long and maybe getting wounded or killed really bothers me.”

“I know Schatzi, but being in the cavalry is the safest branch to be in from what I have heard from some of the infantry and cavalry recruiters in town. They aren’t being used as front-line troops, mostly as scouts and guards. One of the infantry sergeants joked that ‘They’ve never seen a dead cavalryman!’

“That’s all well and good, but you make for a bigger target on the back of a horse. Alright it’s almost time for you to go over to the creek and your ‘biergarten’, so hold the baby for a few minutes while I clear off the table. And if she needs a diaper change while you have her, you can change it. A big soldier should have no fear of a dirty diaper!” she laughed as she handed the baby to him.

“I think her dirty diapers smell worse than the horse dung that I’ve cleaned up over the years.” He laughed.

“Come here my little Hase, how about trying a little applesauce before your Mama takes it off the table?” He took a little spoonful and put it to her mouth. Little Elizabeth gingerly took it all a little at a time. Peter fed her a couple more spoons full which she gladly consumed.

“Alright, I’ll take her back, you were lucky, she didn’t fill her diaper for you. Your pail of beer is on the counter along with your old beer stein. Don’t stay out too late and be quiet when you come in, so you don’t wake Elizabeth.”

“You know it might get a bit confusing when she gets older with both of you named Elizabeth. I’ll just have to keep calling you Lizzie.” He picked up his pail of beer and mug, kissed both on the head, and left.

On the way out he picked up his old chair off the porch and walked down to Lick Run Pike and crossed over. He and his brothers had been meeting by the creek named Lick Run a couple times a month for several years. He always thought it was a strange name for a stream.

“Guten Abend!” He heard his older brother Fred call out from the copse of trees where they set up their chairs by the creek.

“Guten Abend to you brother! I see you are not getting any better looking with age!” Peter called back.

“And I see you have not learned to respect your elders yet!” Fred laughed. “How’s Elizabeth and the little one? Unbelievable that you have another one on the way so soon. I hope Lizzie puts you to work washing diapers for the two little ones when the next one pops out. I thought I explained to you what causes that. I guess you didn’t listen to me. At the rate you two are going we’ll have to build you a really big house!”

“I know what causes that, we just enjoy it!” He smiled.

“What are you two up to now?” They heard the booming voice of their father call out as he and Gottlieb came into view followed by George and Christian.

They all gathered around and set up their chairs in a circle after greeting one another. Gottlieb started a small fire in the center of the circle to ward off the August mosquitoes and they all lit their pipes.

“Fill your steins and let us have a toast.” Johann Ekardt instructed his sons and son-in-law “Raise your steins and let’s toast to us, the Ekardts, may we all continue to prosper and keep in good health.” They all joined in and drank to complete the toast. “Now pass this bag around, your Mama made some fresh pretzels for you boys. They’ll help soak up the beer, so you don’t go home drunk tonight and get into trouble for you married ones.” He chuckled.

“Ah yes, beer!” Gottlieb exclaimed. “Another toast to Luther. As Martin Luther once said, “Beer makes us sleepy, when we sleep, we do not sin, so drink beer!”

“To beer!” They all laughed and drank.

“Has anyone heard from Henry lately? Is he still in California? It sure would be good to have him here with the rest of us.” Fred asked.

“We got a letter from him a few months back, he is living in San Francisco now, he claims he is doing well, yet he didn’t explain how or what he is doing to earn money.” Johann replied.

“I guess him making a fortune in the gold fields didn’t pan out,” Fred joked, causing the others to groan at his pun.

“How have you been doing Papa?” Peter asked, changing the subject since he knew his father was disappointed with Henry.

“Oh, he’s been doing fine.” Gottlieb responded. “I must watch over him when we go up to the farm to supervise the workers. Every time I turn around, he grabs a shovel, spade or rake and starts working! He’s supposed to be taking life easy because of his heart, and he thinks he’s still young. Between my job and helping him oversee the farm hands, I get no rest at all having to keep watch over him.” Gottlieb complained.

“Papa, you know better, and if you keep it up, we’ll tell Mama and then you’ll really be in for it!” Fred scolded him.

“I know, boys, having worked hard all my life, it’s really hard to sit by and watch everyone else work.” Johann admitted.

“The farm is doing well; we have some good fellows working on it. The crops are coming along very well; the smokehouse is overflowing with pork, ham and bacon, enough for all of us for the winter. Also, we have them cutting down trees in the northern part of the property for firewood, enough for us and some to sell. The hogs are reproducing as fast as Peter and Elizabeth, so we’ve been selling those that we don’t need to keep.” Gottlieb explained, getting a laugh from the group except for Peter.

“The other day, I stayed up there so late that I spent the night there, and it was a good thing that I did. In the middle of the night we heard the pigs squealing so I grabbed the shotgun and ran out and there was a man trying to get away with one of the hogs. He didn’t go away with one, but he did run away with an arsch full of buckshot! He’ll be picking that buckshot from his butt cheeks for the next week!” Gottlieb exclaimed, which made the others laugh.

“What will happen if our workers go off to war, who will you get to replace them? There are several workers where I work leaving. The owner has hired some runaway darkies and they seem to be working out alright, so bear that in mind.” Peter interjected.

“That brings up a serious topic for tonight’s talk boys. I hope none of you are getting anxious about joining the army and going off to war. Don’t think about becoming like the Teutonic Knights of old in the stories you read about growing up. There has been a lot of fighting in Missouri and Virginia mostly and with last month’s defeat at Manassas, Virginia, this is not going to be over anytime soon. Now if you are inclined to enlist, do not go together, do not get in the same unit. It would be hard enough on your mother and me to lose anyone of you, but if you go together and get killed together, I don’t think she would survive something like that.” Their father cautioned.

“We have talked about it a few weeks ago, and if we do not go voluntarily, it’s likely that the government will start conscripting men, and we would be prime candidates for that.” Christian interjected.

“I understand and believe that this war was not asked for however this country is worth fighting for. You jungen all grew up here in this country and have benefited from what it has to offer and the freedoms that you have. It wasn’t so in the old country. The rulers were always trying to over tax us, there was still problems between the Catholics and Lutherans, and just a few years ago there were what was called the Socialist...