From a wooded area north of town, a man watched as Della dragged a body through the field. She had pictured herself throwing him over her shoulder, but reality would not allow it. Though thin, indeed bony with the starvation of the war, he was too heavy for her. For she, too, was malnourished and weaker than she had been when she first left Boone. But she was sure, in healthier times, she could have easily carried him. The sound of gunfire can travel long distances. But it grew fainter and fainter still while Della took John’s broken body southward through the valley. She fought discouragement. But the exhaustion was harder to overcome. Seeking to lighten her load, she laid down her pack and her rifle. Surely there would be some soldier who would put it to good use. And she looked forward to the moment when she could discard every last thing that had made her a soldier. When she was far enough f...
