Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (58 page)

“
That
’
s right, Miss Bartholomew
. Y
ou
’
re sweet on that Yankee, ain
’
t ya?
”
he growled.
“
Yep…Justin told my Tilly that you
’
re sweet as sugar on that Yankee.
”

“
Johnny Tabor didn
’
t kill that soldier!
”
Savannah
exclaimed.
“
Why are y
’
all plannin
’
on lynchin
’
Johnny?
He hasn
’
t done anything! You can
’
t
—”

“
Your own boy said that Yankee knew the dead man,
”
Mr. Winder interrupted.
“
Justin told Sheriff Pidwe
ll just this mornin
’
…that him and Johnny Tabor knew the dead boy at
Andersonville
.
Justin said he was probably huntin
’
down your Yankee for crimes he committed at that prison camp.
”

“
Justin?
My Justin did that?
”
Savannah
breathed.
Savannah
swayed
and
crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Mr. Winder reached out and took hold of Vivianna
’
s chin.

“
You best hurry, Miss Bartholomew,
”
he growled.
“
You don
’
t wanna miss the hangin
’
of your murderin
’
Yankee, now do ya?
”

“
Don
’
t you touch her, you dirty Reb!
”
Lowell
shouted, kicking Mr. Winder hard in one shin and causing him to release Vivianna.

“
Get your hands off her, Mr. Winder!
”
Nate growled.
“
Else you
’
ll have to answer to Johnny Tabor!
”

Mr. Winder laughed.
“
Johnny Tabor will be too busy answerin
’
to heaven, boy.
Or maybe sittin
’
down to dinner with the devil instead.
”

Vivianna didn
’
t wait.
Lifting her skirts
,
she ran toward town, calling over her shoulder,
“
You boys stay here with your mama!
”

“
Vivianna!
”
Lowell
called.
“
I
’
m comin
’
too!
”

Vivianna didn
’
t argue as the boy joined her in running toward town.
She knew Nate and Willy would look after
Savannah
.
She knew
Lowell
loved Johnny too much to stay behind.

“
They won
’
t hang him, will they, Vivi?
”
the boy asked.

Vivianna angrily wiped the tears from her cheeks, shaking her head a
s
she ran.
“
Not unless they hang us first, darlin
’
,
”
she sobbed.

They were nearer to town
,
and Vivianna could hear the commotion.
The sound of an angry mob echoed through the air.

“
I told ya I heard somethin
’
!
”
Lowell
told her.
“
I
’
ve seen lynchin
’
s before.
They just can
’
t lynch Mr. Johnny, Vivi!
”

“
They won
’
t,
”
Vivianna promised.

It was not difficult to determine where Johnny was.
A mob of townsfolk was gathered outside the jail. Sheriff Pidwell was standing at the door, shouting at the mob.
Men with ropes
,
axes
,
knives
,
and guns were shouting.
Women were crying out in anger—screaming.

As Vivianna drew closer, she saw Caleb standing near to the
s
heriff on the steps of the jail.
He was armed—obviously attempting to help the sheriff calm the mob.

“
It
’
s Caleb!
”
Lowell
cried.
“
Caleb won
’
t let
’
em hang Mr. Johnny!
”

“
No, he won
’
t,
”
Vivianna breathed.
In that moment, she thanked the heavens for Caleb—for the good man he was.

“
They probably got Mr. Johnny in the jailhouse,
”
Lowell
said.
He looked to Vivianna
,
his eyes frightened and pleading.
“
What do we do, Vivi?
Oh, what do we do?
”

“
I
’
m goin
’
to try and help him,
”
she said.
“
You stay here.
Johnny loves you, Lowell.
He wouldn
’
t want to see you hurt…especially on his account
.
”

“
He loves you too, Miss Vivianna,
”
Lowell
sniffled.

“
I know,
”
she said.
She kissed him on the forehead and hurried toward the jailhouse.

Panic and fear the like she
’
d never known w
ere
gripping her!
Even for all that had happened during the war—even when the Union had tried to occupy
Florence
—in all her life she
’
d never known such fear and panic.
Yet she
’
d never known a love like the love she owned for Johnny Tabor either
,
and it drove her forward—forward into an angry mob—forward into the bowels of danger.

Vivianna pushed and shoved—struggled to get to the front of the mob.
At last she managed it, but only because the angry men of
Florence
were still
S
outhern boys whose mamas had taught them to allow a lady to pass.

“
Where
’
s Johnny?
”
Vivianna screamed once she was at the front of the mob.
“
Caleb! Caleb!
Is he all right?
”

Caleb saw her
,
frowned
,
and shook his head.

“
Caleb!
”
she cried as fresh tears flooded her cheeks.

“
He didn
’
t kill him!
I didn
’
t say he killed him!
”

Vivianna glanced to one side.
Justin was there
,
shouting at the mob
.

“
I said he knew him!
That
’
s all I said!
”
Justin shouted.

But the mob was in a frenzy
,
and his confessions went unheard.

Anger as she had never known owned Vivianna then.
She pushed and shoved her way to Justin
,
and when he looked up—startled at seeing her—she slapped him hard across one cheek.

Justin gasped
,
his eyes wide with hurt and guilt.

“
I didn
’
t tell
’
em Johnny killed the man,
”
he said.

“
You as good as did, and you know it,
”
she said.

“
I…I
’
m lost, Viv,
”
he said, tears welling in his eyes.
“
I lost my way a long time ago.
This war…it did things to a man.
”

“
I know that,
”
Vivianna said.
“
It wounded them…left them with a bad leg and a limp like it did Caleb.
It ate at their bodies like the lice and disease at
Andersonville
, Justin.
But it
’
s no excuse.
Other men came home with just as many wounds as you did, Justin Turner
—m
any with more.
But they didn
’
t come home to be what you
’
ve become.
”

“
They beat him bad,
”
Justin said
,
tears in his eyes.
“
After all he done for me…I stood there and let them beat him.
”

Vivianna sobbed a moment—but only for a moment. There was no time for weakness.
The slap she
’
d delivered to Justin had distracted the mob—but only for a moment.

“
But…but he
’
s still alive?
”
she asked.

Justin nodded.

Suddenly the mob surged forward.
Vivianna was knocked to the ground. She heard a gunshot—heard the mob become more frenzied as they broke down the jailhouse door.

Struggling to her feet
,
she turned to see a group of men exchanging blows with Caleb and Sheriff Pidwell.

“
Stop!
”
she cried.
But the beating continued.

Justin shouted
,
pulled a man away from his brother
,
and began beating him.

There were suddenly cheers of triumph
,
and Vivianna gasped as two men
dr
a
g
ged
a bloodied and beaten Johnny Tabor from the jailhouse.
Vivianna recognized one of the men
—
Mr. Sidney.

“
We need a rope!
”
Mr. Sidney shouted.
“
We
’
ll hang him at the gallows…where all Yankees oughta hang!
”

Vivianna brushed the tears from her cheeks as she looked to Johnny.
His face was bruised and swollen
,
his lip bleeding.
His hands were tied at his front and were cut and bleeding.
She glanced around and noticed that several of the
men in the mob were bleeding fro
m their noses and lips—including the two men restraining him.
Johnny Tabor was not a man to be dr
a
g
ged
to the gallows without a mean fight.
It was obvious some of the men in the mob
k
new it.

She was helpless!
Panicked!
The lynch mob would hang Johnny if she didn
’
t find a way to save him
.

Frantic, she raced forward, throwing herself against Johnny.

“
Vivi!
”
Johnny panted.
He began to struggle
,
trying to free himself from his captors.

“
Johnny!
”
she screamed.

“
I love you, Vivi,
”
he breathed.