Return to Tinnin. Jasper S. Lee
wanted an honest man of high morals for a long-term relationship. She wanted a loving husband who would care for her, protect her, father children, and be kind. She wanted a good provider. Ellen and Jasper kept sitting at the table and talking. War had created so much destruction and uncertainty, and it was always on her mind. A time of calmness with an interesting man was good.
Ellen told a little about herself. She began by telling about her family and that she lived with her parents and seven younger siblings. Next, she told about her home and farm. The farm had 1,200 acres of hills and creek bottoms. The Shepards planted cotton (their main source of money), corn, and other southern crops. She told about the little community of Tinnin, where they lived. She told Jasper that he needed to come see it for himself, and he said he might. And, what about him?
Jasper told Ellen that he was in Brandon working to upgrade railroad structures to the east that were damaged by Confederate troops as they left. These structures were toward a little town known as Pelahatchie. The Confederates did not want Union troops to find a usable railroad. On the other hand, they did not want to completely destroy the rails, as they might need them in the future. So Jasper got paid at the rate of $1.75 a day and was provided food and lodging in a nearby boarding house, known as Sister Annie's.
The music was beginning to start under the brush arbor by the church building. The music was provided by an elderly man with a fiddle, a young woman playing a wash tub, a man with a guitar, and former slave named Sam playing a beat-up old piano. There were some chairs around the music group and an open area for dancing.
Jasper took Ellen's hand and asked her to go over near the music. Something new for Ellen--no man had ever taken her hand and asked her to go with him anywhere. She smiled at him. They arose from the bench seat at the table and walked together, holding hands, to the brush arbor. She had a certain feeling of infatuation or something about her that she couldn't readily explain to herself in her mind. She looked at Jasper and tried to size him up. He was kind of tall, relatively thin, but with ample muscles. He was whiskered, and his clothing needed care, though it appeared relatively clean. Something she liked was that he did not have body odor, as did the pungent soldiers she had experienced earlier. His teeth looked okay. Jasper didn't appear sickly. He was well tanned, with calloused hands and blue eyes.
One big question Ellen had was his age: How old was he? He kind of looked almost as old as Pa, but, she thought, he couldn't be. She was reluctant to ask. So, she asked where he was from, and he replied, "Another state back east of here."
Then she asked how long he had been in Brandon, and he answered, "Going on three weeks." Ellen told him she was from the Tinnin community in Hinds County and that she was in Brandon with friends.
Just as Ellen was getting up courage to ask Jasper his age, the old man with the fiddle announced that it was time for a singing. The songs were mostly religious--church hymns such as "Rock of Ages" and "My Faith Looks Up to Thee." Other songs included "Goober Peas," "I Wish I Was in Dixie," and "Yellow Rose of Texas." This last one would be of particular note in their future, but Ellen and Jasper didn't know it.
Ellen knew some of the words to the songs; Jasper knew a few. They both enjoyed trying to sing. She observed that he knew the words of songs from the South better than those of songs from the North. Of course, Ellen's Pa was from Indiana and had taught his family a few of the songs he knew from the North.
After about 45 minutes, the fiddler announced that the singing was over and that the band would play more music. "Dance if you want to," he said. On the second number, Jasper tugged Ellen's hand, and they were up getting into the dancing. Some numbers were fast; others slow. After a couple of dances, they decided to walk outside. It was getting dark. They would walk into the woods near the church.
Just as they were going out the door, Beatrice and her man were coming inside. No eye contact was made. Beatrice had a couple of pieces of straw in her hair. They went to the dance floor and began doing their do. Susan and her man weren't to be seen.
Ellen and Jasper strolled on their way out holding hands. After they had taken a couple of steps into the woods, Jasper said that Sister Annie's Boarding House was only a short walking distance. He asked Ellen if she would go to the house with him; she said yes. But, "yes" made her quite nervous.
They entered the parlor at Sister Annie's and sat on a sofa. Across the room sitting on another sofa was a couple obviously falling in love or something--maybe the emotion wasn't love but passion. Ellen had all kinds of feelings about this experience. She did not know what Jasper's next suggestion might be, but she kept holding his hand.
Ellen did not have to wait long for Jasper's next suggestion: "Want to see my room?"
She said, "Yes, I would like to briefly see your room." All the while flashing in Ellen's mind was her commitment to herself and family that her "specialness" would wait until her wedding night. She saw in his room and quickly looked around and said, "It is time for me to go back to the church to get with my friends and leave."
Jasper asked, "Are you sure?"
Ellen answered, "Yes, but let's hold hands and talk some more." She did not want this to end. Something about the situation made her want it to last a while longer.
When Ellen and Jasper got back to the Presbyterian Church, both Susan and Beatrice were sitting with their men at one of the barbecue tables. The band had stopped playing for the night. Susan's aunt would soon be there to pick them up.
Jasper told Ellen that he would like to see her tomorrow. Ellen said that she was staying on the edge of town toward Gulde. "We will be leaving early to catch the train to Clinton and home."
Jasper promised he would come early to talk and tell her goodbye. Ellen indicated that she would also like to see him. She told Jasper goodnight and went with Susan and Beatrice to get in the wagon to ride away. Ellen waived at Jasper until they were out of sight--longer than usual because of the bright harvest moon.
Was Ellen excited! She had met a man for whom she had almost immediate feelings. She barely slept that night and was up extra early the next day to see Jasper. Of course, she didn't know if he was a man of his word and would show up. He did; Ellen rushed to greet him. They talked; she told him to write and to visit her in Tinnin. He agreed to do so (even though he wasn't much at writing).
The threesome caught the 11:32 a.m. train in Brandon for Jackson and Clinton. Robbie was there at the depot to meet them at 2:30 p.m. and drive them home in the wagon.
Thoughts kept going through Ellen's mind: Would she ever see Jasper again? Little did she know that Jasper had some of the same feelings for her. He immediately wrote and mailed a letter to her in Tinnin. She got it about the first of December. He wanted to come see her in late December. He said he thought he was falling in love with her. She wrote back and said it would be fine to come for a visit. "I can introduce you to Pa and Ma and my sisters and brothers."
After another exchange of letters, things were set for Jasper to visit the day after Christmas. Ellen talked Pa into letting her use the wagon to go get a young man at the Clinton depot that she had met in Brandon. She talked her sister Rachel into going with her. The horse and wagon with Ellen and Rachel arrived at the depot on December 26 about a half hour before the train.
The train stopped; passengers were getting off and on. No Jasper. Did he stand her up? And, then, he appeared with a small bouquet of camellia blossoms. He was late getting off because he was helping an elderly preacher at the Women's Institute get off. Ellen thought to herself that Jasper was a kind man. She rushed to greet him. And, they hugged. She had never hugged a man other than her father before, but this was a different kind of hug. There was a romantic feel to it. Jasper handed Ellen the camellia bouquet; she looked at the colorful flowers and adored their beauty. She thanked him. Ellen introduced Jasper to Rachel, and they got in the wagon for the five-mile ride to the home in Tinnin.
They arrived at the Shepard home in Tinnin about 4:30. Bummer came from under the house to bark ferociously at the stranger. Rachel jumped from the wagon to calm Bummer by patting his head. She and Ellen knew he could be mean