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If I Had a Hammer

Written by Kevin H. and Karen C. Evans

April 1635

East of Arpke village

Dieter Schwarzkopf crouched on one knee and looked up at his partner, Finn Kelley O'Donnell.

"Ah, there you are." The huge Irishman raised his hammer with both hands. "Hold still, my lovely." He swung the hammer down and smashed his target in the head.

Dieter jumped back out of the way. "You didn't have to hit it so hard, you know. Half-way with one blow. You're making the rest of the crew look like slackers. Besides, you'll wear yourself out in an hour doing that. "

Finn raised his hammer to his shoulder and took a couple of steps down the line, with Dieter following. "No, Dieter, it's like smashing clods in the field. My brothers and I did that all day every day; and picked up rocks, and planted, and hoed. Much easier working as a mercenary, if you ask me. As for this small job, I'm just here to pass the time away."

Finn and Dieter were no longer mercenaries. They were now working for the Grantville Central Railroad. When Dieter Schwarzkopf was released from his mercenary company, he heard from a cousin that there were jobs building roads. This road they were building was unlike any other road they had ever seen, though. Instead of packed dirt or cobblestones, this one was made of steel.

So he and his good friend, Finn Kelley O'Donnell, originally of Ireland, now worked as a spike team. Finn was the driver, and Dieter was the setter. To be sure, hauling steel rails and swinging a hammer was hard work. But it put silver in their pockets, and no one was shooting at them.

Another swing, and another spike was snug up against the rail. Before Dieter could set another spike, the blast of a horn shattered the air. Finn wiped his face with his kerchief, and glanced at the sun. "Looks to be lunchtime. I wonder if she'll talk to me today?"

Dieter frowned. Finn talked of nothing else lately. "She didn't talk to you yesterday, or the day before. What's so special about today? Do you think she will notice you among the four hundred men on this site?"

Finn's face spread into a huge grin. "Dieter, my lad, Wednesday has always been lucky for me."

As they stacked their tools, Dieter worried. That look on Finn's face always meant trouble. But he said nothing as they hurried into line at the cook tent.

They stepped up to the serving tables and Dieter started complaining. He was always more comfortable when he was complaining. "You be careful, Finn. Your Wednesday luck has only gotten me into trouble so far."

He was served a pile of boiled turnips and cabbage from the first pot. "I heard that the Dutchman has an eye for her. He's told anyone who will listen that she is his. And he's the captain of this job site. If you want to keep your job, you'll stay out of his way. They say he killed a man last month for speaking to her."

Finn was just ahead. "I'm not worried about the Dutchman." He grinned. "You didn't see the way she looked at me yesterday. I think she loves me already."

****

The woman filling the steins was the subject of Finn's obsession. Her red hair and green eyes were not the only things that held everyone's attention, there was also her smile. Roselynde was truly a beauty.

She was aware of her affect on the men, but tried to ignore their attention. Roz wanted neither their puppy-like adoration, nor their lascivious attentions.

Today, as Dieter and Finn approached, she hardly even looked up. She smiled at the man ahead of them. "You must have really worked up a thirst out there this morning. Careful, now, or you'll slop it all out of the stein."

The man ducked his head, blushing, then gingerly picked up his tray and his beer, and hurried off out of her sight.

Roselynde filled two more steins. "Well, come along, then. Who's next? You're holding up the line." She smiled most of the time. But it was a kind of impersonal smile that didn't quite touch her eyes. She was determined to avoid attachments at this point in her life, so she was a little surprised when one of the men addressed her directly.

"Mistress, you're as lovely as this warm spring day." He stepped up and treated her to a winning smile.

It kind of reminded Roz of a hungry wolf. It was huge, and had lots of white shiny teeth. "My, aren't you the largest creature I've seen today."

He swelled a little larger at her compliment. "And you the bright ray of sunshine that lights our way."

Roselynde smiled as she always did. But she turned around quickly toward the tun. She could feel the heat on her face and didn't want anyone to see her blush. What am I doing blushing? I can't let any of these rough men think they can have their way with me! "Don't you be thinking that I'm fooled by your silliness, now."

He reached for one of the steins. "Silly it's not, mistress. I'm blinded by your loveliness."

Roselynde watched as he and his friend started to walk away from the serving line. She couldn't take her eyes off of the big one. He truly was a sight. He stood at least a head and a half over most of the men around him. Few were as broad of shoulder, either. And his dark hair and blue eyes drew her attention more than she wanted to admit. Why hadn't she noticed this man before?

The sounds of a disturbance across the track from the mess tent drew her back into reality. Crashes and oaths rattled out of the shanty housing the company office. The Dutchman, captain of the work crew, stepped out into the sunshine, still shouting. The office was a small shed on skids so it could be dragged to the next site every time the road crew moved.

Roz hurried to pick up some dirty steins, but the Dutchman plowed through the crowd toward the food line. "You there, that big Irish oaf. You've no right to speak to Roselynde. She is a lady, and above the likes of you."

All the sounds of laughter and conversation around the mess tent dropped into silence as deep as a snowy morning. Roz turned and saw the big man carefully set down his tray and stein. He smiled, but this time the wolf look was a little more prominent.

The Dutchman was not as large, but his anger seemed to make him almost as tall. His speed increased as he stepped forward, and his beard bristled as he glared into the icy blue eyes of the Irishman.

"Roz, is this man bothering you?" He tried to put his hand protectively on her arm.

Roselynde avoided his touch. "Now that's quite enough. This young man wasn't bothering me, but you are. Go back into the office and pick up the mess you made of your lunch. If you want any more, you'll have to come and get it yourself. I'm busy."

His mouth opened and closed as he tried to think of something else to say.

Roselynde turned her back. "Get out of my sight, all of you." She carefully didn't look at him or anyone else.

****

Dieter watched the whole confrontation from the hillside where he ate his lunch. Finn finally joined him and threw himself down, but didn't eat. Dieter let him fume for a moment, then said, "I told you to be careful. Did you see how much the Dutchman wanted to kill you?"

Finn wasn't listening. As usual.

"Ah, Dieter, it was wonderful. I was right, she already loves me. I knew it the first moment ever I laid eyes on her. And now . . ."

Dieter interrupted. "And now what? She stopped the Dutchman from killing you because it would shut down the road crew for the rest of the day. She doesn't care a pfennig for you."

Dieter watched Finn pick at his food, and worried again. "Finn, you're really going to get us in trouble this time, I can just feel it."

 

West of Arpke village

After midnight

 

Gijsbert Keese watched a man in a black cloak appear from the trees and slip across the meadow in the moonlight. Then the man blended back into shadow.

He was nervous, and when he didn't see the cloaked man for a moment, he whispered, "Are you alone?"

The cloaked man edged into the moonlight, and pushed off his hood. "Of course, you fool. I know that we can't be found out. After all, we are conducting illegal activities."

Gijsbert said, "It's always good to check. I have the shipment for you. But I couldn't get it all . . ."

The man in the cloak exploded. "What? I told you I needed it all. The war continues on the coast, and we have men to feed. And they're paying a pretty penny." He started pacing.

Gijsbert kept silent. He was afraid of the man in the cloak. And he knew from experience that it was better to wait out the temper than to try to explain.

Finally the pacing stopped. The cloaked man's eyes were piercing in the pale moonlight. "I guess I'll have to take what I can get. How much do you have?"

"I was saying that I couldn't get it all because the woman who runs the kitchen was counting everything. And I've been unsuccessful convincing her to cooperate. But I brought everything I got before she started inventory. There are several barrels of flour, salt pork, and wine. I didn't get the beer."

"Yes, yes. That will have to do. Let's get it loaded on the carts and out of here. I don't like meeting you so close to the village. It's too likely that we'll be seen."

With a good deal of grunting and struggle, they rolled the barrels over to a waiting cart. Without another word, the man in the cloak climbed up to the seat, and gathered the reins. "I expect to see you next week with the full order. Don't disappoint me again."

****

Dieter's week went from bad to worse. Finn worked as hard as ever, but all he could talk about was Roselynde. "She has the sweetest voice. Wouldn't she sing like a whole choir of angels?" Even worse, "Never have I seen such eyes. Dieter, have you ever seen anything as beautiful as Mistress Roselynde's eyes?"

Dieter worried more and more. Should he push Finn into action, or was it better to endure the constant talk?

One evening when Finn began washing up for dinner, he was telling Dieter in great detail everything he had noticed about Roselynde from her small feet to the wispy hair that slipped out of the pins.

The more Finn talked, the more a frown threatened to pull Dieter's brows together into one great dark brow. Finally, he could stand it no more. "Finn, I've listened to you talk about that woman for days now. Are you just going to talk me to death, or are you going to do something about it?"

Finn stood up straight, and wiped the water streaming in his eyes. "Well, I've been talking very politely to her each day. Isn't that enough?"

"You clod, of course not. All the men in the lunch line speak politely with Roselynde. In fact, I greeted her myself this morning. But you've been too busy acting like a mooncalf to know that. Finn, do you hear me?"

There was a pause. "Yes, Dieter, I do. You're saying that I need a plan. I need to do more than enjoy speaking to her at lunch."

Finn was silent for the rest of the evening. And that night Dieter was surprised when Finn went right to sleep.

Friday afternoon, Dieter was still worried. Finn still wasn't talking. Not a word as they placed spikes in the long rail.

Finally, the horn blew for quitting time. Dieter watched Finn washing up, and decided he needed to know what was going on in his head. So he threw a wet towel at him.

Finn pulled the wet towel off his face, and whirled. There was mayhem in his icy blue eyes. "Dieter, what's the matter with you?"

"Are you all right? Not a word about Roselynde, or anything else for that matter. Have you decided that you don't love her after all?"

Finn smiled sadly. "Of course not. I love her still. But you were right to tell me to make a plan. And I think I have one."

If Dieter had been worried before, he was downright fearful now. "What sort of plan, Finn? You aren't going to do anything that I'll have to save you from, are you? Remember that time in Rothenberg when you found . . ."

Finn laughed. "This is nothing like that time. And those two girls were really exaggerating when they . . ."

"Whether they were exaggerating or not is not the issue. What I need to know is how much trouble I'm going to get into trying to save your worthless neck this time."

Finn said nothing.

"Okay, Finn, what is this amazing plan? Does it involve killing anyone, because the company frowns on that."

"Of course not. It's really very simple. I'm going to get some flowers, go over to the women's tent, and tell Mistress Roselynde that I want to marry her."

He was inordinately pleased with himself. Dieter could tell that Finn thought this was the perfect and flawless plan. "That's your plan? Give her flowers and propose marriage? You know nothing about her. What if she's married already? What are you going to do then?"

It was obvious that Finn had never thought such a thing. "Why would a married woman be working in a place like this, I ask you?"

"Because, you lummox. Maybe her husband is working here too. Or maybe she really is the Dutchman's intended."

"Bite your tongue, Dieter Schwarzkopf. She would never consent to marrying a man like that. She's a much better sort."

Dieter plowed on, ignoring all objections. "You like Roselynde because she is a very good woman. Isn't it possible that someone of this high caliber will already be spoken for?"

Finn sounded a little deflated. "Yes, I suppose you're right. She is a quality woman. And why wouldn't a good woman like that be already married? She probably even has babies at home."

Keeping an eye on Finn was a day and night job. No wonder Dieter felt so dour all the time. "Sorry, Finn. I guess you'll have to come up with a new plan tonight. Don't worry, we'll be working on this stretch of road for a least another week or two. You have time for a really good plan."

****

Dieter watched his partner carefully through the weekend. Finn spent a lot more time listening than he did talking, something very unusual for him. He and Dieter sat in the tavern, listening to all the gossip. Dieter found him under a tree outside the latrine, listening. One night when Finn didn't come home, Dieter went to search for him, and found him asleep outside the woman's tent.

Sunday afternoon, Dieter was trying to nap when Finn suddenly appeared and sat on his cot. Finn sighed, but didn't say anything. He definitely didn't look like someone who was happy. "So, Finn. Have you devised another plan?"

Finn shook his head. "I have no plan. I haven't found out if she is married, or even if any of the working women are married. Sometimes I've heard them talking about men and husbands. But I never could tell if they were talking about real husbands, or imaginary ones. I really don't understand women at all."

"I've been thinking. Maybe your first plan was the best. Maybe it would be a good idea to take her flowers and strike up a conversation. But I would suggest that you ask her if she wants to go to the tavern for some beer or go for a walk. Don't just come out and ask her to marry you. That'll scare her away right off."

Finn brightened. "Do you really think that will work?"

"I don't see why not."

****

Sunday afternoon was a good time for some rest. Most of the girls in the women's tent were sleeping or reading letters. Roz was finishing a letter to her father. She wrote one every Sunday, and put it in the post on Monday morning.

Just as she had sealed the letter and set it aside, she heard a deep voice say, "Hello?"

Elsa went to the door and Roz could still hear the man's voice. "Good afternoon, Elsa. Is Mistress Roselynde in?"

"Roz, someone's here to see you."

"Well, if it's the Dutchman, tell him my last answer still stands. I am not available. I'm washing my hair."

Elsa's smile became a full-blown grin. "It's not the Dutchman. Come see for yourself. I think it's precious."

Elsa held the flap a little wider.

"Elsa, I swear, if you're playing some kind of joke on me, I'll . . ."

Then she saw Finn. He reminded her of a huge forest troll, standing in the doorway with a bunch of flowers. Not that he was ugly like a troll, but he was so huge.

"Good afternoon, Mistress Roselynde. How are you this fine day?" Finn smiled, and Roselynde remembered the day at the beer tun, when she saw all of those teeth for the first time.

Elsa grinned again. "If you throw him back, let me know. I think he's cute."

Roz didn't really know what else to do, so she stepped past Elsa and shooed her away, then reached back and closed the tent flap. Finn looked up from the ground, and held out a bouquet of flowers. It was a little mussed and starting to wilt. "Mistress, these are for you. But they pale next to your beauty."

"How nice. Thank you very much. I need to get these in water. Can you wait here?" When Finn nodded, she stepped back and handed the flowers to Elsa. "Take care of these for me, please? I'm going to be busy the rest of the afternoon. You're in charge of dinner."

Before Elsa could object, or even comment, Roz was back outside the tent, talking to Finn. "Why don't we walk for a little while? What was your name again?"

Finn fell into step beside her. "I'm Finn Kelley O'Donnell, named after my grandfather's younger brother. My mother's one of the Kelleys, so I carry her name myself. My father's from the O'Donnells of Limerick, if you've ever heard of them. Not too well known in these parts, but everyone at home knows what sort of workers the O'Donnells are."

Something in his voice reminded Roz of her own hometown. They fell into conversation as if they had known each other all their lives.

****

Late that night, when Finn returned to the crew tent, Dieter was waiting. He wanted to be ready in case someone showed up with a drunken Irishman in hand. But when the tent opened and Finn entered, Dieter could tell that he had not been drinking.

"How did it go? Did you get to talk to her? She didn't slap you, or anything, did she?"

Finn moved across the tent as if he were floating on air. He drifted over, and lay down on his bunk. "Dieter, it was wonderful. She is a fine and beautiful woman."

"Yes, I know that. But what happened. Did you go to the tavern? Did she like the flowers? What did she say?"

Finn sighed, still occupied in his gossamer dreams. "Say? Oh, she said a lot of things. I found out that she was born in Scotland, so she and I are almost kin, the Scots and the Irish being cousins after all. We talked for a long time. We didn't go to the tavern; we sat on the hill behind the cook tent until after dark. And then we walked out by the lake to see the moonlight. She liked the flowers."

There was a moment of silence. Finn relived his encounter, and Dieter imagined what it would have been like. "And Dieter, you're wrong. She's not married. She's working here to support her old, sick father. He was crippled in an accident at the mill, and as she has no brother, she is doing her best for her family. Her father's living in a village near Magdeburg now. She has no fortune, but is an honest working woman."

Dieter was drawn into his partner's recount of his romance. "What about the Dutchman? Is it true that they are engaged to marry?"

Finn sat up at that, looking angry. "It is not. The Dutchman started showing up at her door and pestering her since the day he got here. She doesn't even understand his interest in her. There are a lot of girls who would follow his money anywhere. He waves it around, and tries to convince her that she should be seen with him. And he spreads wicked rumors about her."

As Finn spoke, he became more and more agitated. Dieter could see that he might have created a monster. It was time to get a handle on the situation before Finn threw himself out into the night to beat down the Dutchman's door and call him out in some sort of duel.

"You're right, Finn. He's a dirt clod compared to Roselynde. But if you want to keep this job and continue to see her, you need to calm yourself. Morning is coming soon, and the horn will be blowing. You need to get some sleep."

Finn deflated a little, and then yawned. "You're right. Can't get fired now, when I almost have her convinced that marrying me would be the best thing in the world."

Dieter was a little disappointed that Finn was asleep so quickly. He would have liked to listen to more gossip, but he didn't want to get fired either.

****

Before lunchtime on Monday, Roz looked up to see a group of five men entering the kitchen tent. "We're not ready for lunch yet. You'll have to go out with everyone else and wait your turn."

The group of men stopped and whispered among themselves for a moment. Then one of them stepped forward and bowed. "My name is Carl, ma'am. We're a delegation of the crew, and we've come to file a complaint. We've noticed that for the past several days, the quality of the food we've been served has not been up to company standards, if you understand my meaning."

He stopped a moment. Roselynde had nothing to say that would help.

"What I mean, ma'am, is that we aren't getting very much to eat compared to what we had before. There's still stew and bread, but the bread runs out before everyone gets some, and the soup's too thin. If we wanted to eat this kind of rations, we'd just go back to our mercenary companies."

Roselynde listened until he seemed to have run down. She forced herself to be calm. "I understand your concerns, but the supply train should have been here day before yesterday. I bought all the supplies I can from the village, but it's spring, and they have as little as we do right now. If you all want something to eat for the rest of the week, we have to stretch everything."

Carl glared at her. He seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to argue, but his politeness won out. He turned on his heel and stomped back to the men's tent, with his "delegation" fluttering behind him.

****

Dieter was still worried. Not about Finn this time. What he worried about most was the morale of the camp. There was more grumbling, more boasting and threats. And the worst of it was that if violence broke out, it could very well be Dieter and Finn defending Roselynde against the rest of the camp. The odds were not in their favor.

****

Saturday night, Finn and Roselynde were walking along the finished railroad. She was brooding so deeply that she didn't notice that Finn wasn't really talking.

He finally broke the silence. "What is worrying you so?"

Roz looked up into Finn's eyes, and saw the concern there. "Oh, it's nothing I want you to get involved in. It 's just that things have gotten very complicated."

Finn nodded, but said nothing.

"You know about the supply problem. I've been cutting back on things so that I have enough until the next supply train shows up. I'm not in dire straits yet. I have the chickens out back, and they are laying lots of eggs this spring. They're finding a lot of bugs and worms and the fresh grass is helping. So even though I'm out of any fresh meat and we don't have any more sausages, I can still serve something."

Roz picked up her apron, and pressed it against her face. "I don't want to alarm anyone else, but we're not waiting for one shipment, we're waiting for two. When the supply trains come out here to the end of the line, they've been carrying steel and ties for the road, but not one barrel of food for the men."

She was sniffling hard now, and there was a catch in her voice. "And now I have almost nothing. Only one flour barrel, and we only have enough salt pork left for three more days. Arpke village has no more flour to spare without starving their children. It takes almost a ton of food to feed all four hundred of you every week. I don't know what to do." She began to sob in earnest, then turned and buried her face in his chest.

"Have you heard at all from the company? Have they said why everything is late?" Finn asked.

Roselynde's voice was muffled in his shirt. "I've only spoken to the Dutchman about it. He says that bandits are stealing things before they can get loaded on the train. I pointed out that the men cannot work without food, but he says it's not my place to worry."

Finn could feel her shudder. "That's not all he said to you, is it?"

Roselynde gulped, and got herself under control. She stepped away from Finn, and started walking again. "No, it's not. He grabbed my hand, and told me that if I really wanted to support my family, all I had to do was consent to marry him. He yelled that if I didn't, I would get what I deserved. And when I tried to pull my hand away, he became angry, and looked as if he would strike me."

She stopped walking, and turned back toward Finn. "I didn't want to tell you, as it always seems to upset you so."

Before he could say anything, she planted her hand squarely on his chest. "Now you listen to me, Finn Kelley O'Donnell. Don't even think about confronting the Dutchman. He's a wicked man and doesn't believe in a fair fight. He'll do his best to kill you."

"Don't worry about that. The Dutchman never fought in the wars, as I have. He's nothing but a back alley scrabbler. I wouldn't even need my pike to deal with him."

Roselynde whirled around suddenly, and started walking again. She was speaking as she moved. "I don't know why we're even talking about all this. Odds are that food supplies will arrive on the morning train. I'm just worrying for nothing. I worry like this all the time, with no reason at all. Don't pay any attention to me."

Her voice sped on and on, and her feet kept rhythm. "And, you know, it's not like we are really out of things. Why, for lunch tomorrow, I've found some fresh greens. That will be so wonderful after a winter of dried fruit and salted pork. It's not like either of us has to . . ."

Finn caught her hand, and stopped her headlong rush. "Don't take on so. I promise not to speak to the Dutchman about this if it will make you happy. Everything's going to be all right, I promise."

****

Roselynde looked up into Finn's blue eyes. Her heart fluttered as she realized for the first time how important he had become to her. "Yes, you're right. Everything will be all right. And you just remember your promise, Finn. You're not to talk to the Dutchman at all."

****

That evening, Finn recounted the conversation to Dieter. This had become something of a ritual. Finn enjoyed telling the events of the day, and Dieter enjoyed the romance by proxy.

When Finn came to the end of his tale, he said, "And I had to promise her again at her doorstep not to talk to the Dutchman. She knows that if I promise it, I won't talk to him. I've given my word."

Dieter sighed in relief. If Finn didn't talk to the captain, it was much more unlikely that trouble would erupt.

Unfortunately, it was a little too soon for him to be relieved. Finn swung his feet off the bunk. "Dieter, going out tonight and looking around his office isn't talking to him, is it?"

"What exactly are you planning?"

Finn picked up the candle and smiled like a wolf. "Well, now. The Dutchman's up to something, I can feel it in my bones. His office would be an interesting study, and since I promised not to talk to him, I have to look at it when he isn't there, like right now."

Dieter felt as if he were trying to hold onto moonlight. Finn dodged around him, then stopped outside the door of the tent. "You're coming, aren't you? Just to keep me out of trouble, as it were?"

****

The moon was dark, and the clouds were thick. It was difficult to see anything except in the open spaces. The blackness of the empty buildings was deeper than the darkness of the landscape around it. Dieter knew that appearing to sneak called attention to you, so he strolled across the yard as if he owned it.

Finn was already at the office door when ...