Chapter Fifteen: Hopes Destroyed
The next morning was bright and cheerful, a welcome change from the cold drizzle of the previous night. Matthew woke up slowly, forgetting for a moment that his brother had gone the night before to help Joseph and Mr. Smith flee to safety across the Confederate lines. As soon as the thought flashed through his mind, he jumped out of bed and dashed to his brother’s room. He found the blankets and pillows molded in the shape of the sleeping boy to fool their mother if she looked in on him late at night. But Ryan was nowhere to be seen! He had never returned home!
I should never have fallen asleep last night, he thought to himself. Ryan was supposed to be home by midnight. Something serious must have gone wrong! Matthew sat on the bed and gathered his thoughts. Did his brother get lost on the way back from the lines? Did the pickets arrest him and the Smiths? One thing was clear—he would have to tell his parents…and quickly.