Across Five April

Across Five Aprils
Irene Hunt
Historical novel
100/212

Reflect

Creighton family faces a big problem. After the price of coffees rose, Ellen tries to stop being dependent on them. As a result, Ellen gets an unbearable pain from coffee supplies running out . So, Jethro goes to John's wife, Nancy to borrow some. Nancy gives some to Jethro and requests him to play with her lonely sons more often because they are lonely since John has gone to war and wishes that the war would be soon over for that reason. Nancy, who is usually calm, becomes abnormally talkative because of anxiety. Jethro takes the coffee home and Jenny makes a steaming coffee and Ellen drinks it. Although she has escaped the pain, she still looks weak and fragile from the incident.
That night, his parents asks him to drive to a town to buy some coffee and other things. Jethro, happy that he is entrusted with a man's job takes the task. Next morning, Jethro wakes up early, receives instructions and money, and sets off to town. 3 miles south of Rose hill, an old man stops Jethro and asks him to bring a newspaper from him. He also asks him about Bill joining the Rebs. Jethro hesitates a little and answers that he doesn't know for sure and leaves. After he finishes the 15 miles to town, he eats his food and envies other people in the restaurant. He meets Travis Burdow and other men at a store. One of the men talks about Bill joining the Rebs and says that Matt Creighton should be punished although he has 3 other sons in the Union. Jethro stands up for him. Jethro leaves after finishing his business and one of the men Ross Milton, an editor of local news, apologizes to him for the quarrel. He says that he wants to help and that he knows his brothers well. He asks one of his men to take care of his team and takes him to a restaurant and talks about many things. Jethro receives extra goods from him and is told to leave early in order to avoid Burdow. He leaves and faces extreme exhaustion on the way home. He sees Dave Burdow when he passes the Burdows' place. He says that he wants to ride with him. Jethro approves although he is afraid. After some time, a man on a horse whips Jethro's team but Burdow's strong hands on the rein stops his horses from running around in terror. Then Jethro and Burdow drives a little longer until Burdow unloads himself. Jethro gives the newspaper to the man he met before and returns home safely.

Passage

At first, the miles seemed to pass faster than they had on the trip into town, but for all that, Jethro began to grow tired after three hours or so had gone by.

This passage show how Jethro became tired and vulnerable because of exhaustion when he met Dave Burdow that it makes me imagine what might have happened if Burdow was willing to hurt him or did not help him when the horses were whipped and running around in terror.