Canaan's Legacy

Donna F. Phillips

Description

Two women, several generations apart, share a familial connection that stretches back to the American Civil War and the hidden history of a world in tumult.
This is the story of a family during the civil war with a time travel beginning and end. The story centers around the young plantation daughter and the ravages that the war presents. She is forced at an early age to deal with these atrocities.

Sujets

• Religious
• Civil War
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 04 octobre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489744098
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

CANAAN’S LEGACY
DONNA F. PHILLIPS


Copyright © 2022 Donna F. Phillips.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
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www.liferichpublishing.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4406-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4405-0 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4409-8 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022917083
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 09/12/2022
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
1

Carrie Miller was angry—no, she was furious—as she drove her little red convertible along the country roads leading to Fairville. The scenery was breathtaking, with wooded areas and beautiful, lush fields of green grasses, white balls of cotton, and soybeans, but she was not in a mood to enjoy it.
She could not imagine what was so important that her mother and grandmother had summoned her to immediately come to the old family place, but she knew the way by heart. She’d spent the summers there as a child.
The old place, known in the Civil War era as Oaklawn, had sat empty for several years. Perhaps her mother and grandmother had finally decided to sell it. They should have done that years ago; now, Carrie was sure that it was not in good shape. I guess I’ll see how bad it is when I arrive , she thought.
As she got closer to Fairville, memories started to flood over her. She remembered spending lots of time at the skating rink and the five-and-dime store soda fountain. Later, as a teenager, she had worked at that same soda fountain, serving mostly teenagers younger than she was. Then her mother had moved them to yet another city, and she had to make all new friends again.
Turning onto the lane that led to Oaklawn, Carrie noticed that the trees lining the lane were huge. Some were dead and sorely needed to be removed. As the old mansion came into view, it took her breath away, even in its state of disrepair. It was a majestic place, no matter how decrepit it had become. The outbuildings looked the worse for wear and were all but falling down.
Carrie parked her convertible by the side of the house and got out. She looked around at the vast grounds as memories came to her. She remembered running across the wide, expansive lawn to the grove behind the house and wandering through the rose garden on the side. She also remembered going to the stable to saddle her pony, Lucy, and riding her across the meadows.
Now, though, the stable was falling down, and the lawns and gardens were overgrown and in shambles. She walked to the side of the house and entered the glassed-in porch that was attached to the kitchen. More memories invaded her as she thought of helping her grandmother prepare meals and bake cookies in the kitchen.
As Carrie entered the kitchen, though, she was shocked to find that it had recently been renovated. There were gleaming new cabinets everywhere and the very latest in appliances, including a huge dishwasher. This renovation certainly will make the place sell better , Carrie thought.
She called out to her mother and heard her distant answer. Within a few minutes, her mother and grandmother appeared, somewhat breathless.
“What on earth are you doing?” Carrie asked them. “Are you finally getting this old place ready to sell?”
“Oh, dear, we were just polishing the paneling in the library,” her mother explained.
“And no, we are not getting this place ready to sell—quite the opposite,” her grandmother said.
Carrie was totally confused. “What do you mean? You aren’t getting the place ready to sell? I can see that you renovated the kitchen, which would improve the selling price greatly, but there’s so much that needs to be done.”
“Why, dear, we are going to make Oaklawn into an exclusive getaway retreat or a bed-and-breakfast. Your grandmother and I have pooled our money from the sale of the business, and we think we can get it ready in a few months. And we are well aware of all the repairs that need to be done. We’ve been working on them for several weeks now and are making progress. As you can see, the kitchen has turned out wonderfully. We cleaned all of the paneling in the dining room and library, and now it gleams again. Some of the floors had to be refinished, but the others just had to be cleaned and coated with polyurethane. And we are working on the upstairs rooms now.
“We’re adding four bathrooms, so that all the bedrooms will have one close. Of course, the bedrooms will share facilities, but it will work out fine. We are also going to add on to the back of the house, where the little bedroom is, for your grandmother and me to have as our own quarters. And the pond is going to be cleaned out, enlarged, and stocked with fish. The stables are too bad to save, but we figured a new, smaller barn would do, with maybe four or five horses for riding. We are going to bring Oaklawn back to life, with some semblance of the old plantation.”
“OK, so is this what was so important that you had to drag me away from my work at my busiest time?” Carrie asked. “You could have just explained this over the phone, and I could have come later to see it. Do you really think that this can be a success? The hotel business is one of the hardest ones there is, and you are out in the middle of nowhere. What will be the enticement for people to come here? I don’t believe you two have thought this through. Have you compiled any kind of a prospectus on what it will cost to get this up and going? And then, what kind of expected revenues will you have?”
“Of course, we have done all that. You forget that your grandmother and I owned our business for years, and we were quite successful, as you know,” her mother said. “Fairville itself is being revitalized, as I’m sure you noticed on the drive in. They are adding all sorts of little shops and eateries, which will attract people. They are hoping to model it after Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and you know what a success that town is.”
“But I still can’t believe that you insisted that I come here immediately to tell me this. I could have told you on the phone how crazy I think this is.”
“Oh, honey, this is not the only reason we wanted you to come right away. The other reasons are in the attic,” her grandmother said.
“The attic? What could possibly be so important in the attic that I had to come here?” Carrie asked.
“Well, you’ll just have to come up with us and see.”
The three of them set off for the attic and the treasures that were in store for them there. Carrie vaguely remembered playing there as a little girl and thought it just had old furniture in it. As they reached the top of the stairs, her mother lit an oil lamp and led them into the main area, where she lit another lamp, both of which giving an eerie glow to the room. As Carrie glanced around, she saw various pieces of furniture, such as old dressers, rockers, and a beautiful old cradle. She touched the cradle and thought of the babies it must have held.
Her mother must have read her thoughts because she said, “That cradle was handmade, and it was the one that your great-great-grandmother and her brother used. Then, your great-grandfather and grandmother were rocked in it. Somehow, I was never put in that cradle. Perhaps it was forgotten, but it is still sturdy and ready for another baby. I was hoping it would be yours someday.”
“Whoa, Mom, I’m not ready for any of that stuff yet. I’m only twenty-six years old. I have my whole life ahead of me. Maybe someday I’ll be ready, but not now,” Carrie said emphatically.
“Well, I hope you don’t wait too long. Your grandmother and I would like to have a child to spoil again,” her mother told her.
“Honey, you see this old trunk here?” her grandmother asked. “We found so many things in here, and that is why we needed you to some back. Come over here and let us show you.”
“Well, OK, but then I must head back to the city,” Carrie said.
Carrie sat down on a cleared spot, and her grandmother gently opened the lid of the trunk—and it was like looking at a treasure trove from an antique store. There were old hats with all sorts of feathers and plumes on them. There were some old watches, some dainty and small; others were pocket watches of gold with their fobs. There were dresses of the finest silks, laces, and embroidery which Carrie was sure were very fashionable in their day.
There were a couple of journals from the plantation business dealings, and then there were journals that must have been written by a female because the writing was so petite and feminine. There were baby items too.
Finally, her grandmother pulled out a small velvet pouch. She caressed it lovingly as she said, “We found this quite by accident when we were looking through this old t