February 13, 1861

Jessie got me in trouble today.  She ran to Papa 
this afternoon and said, "Master Riley, Miss 
Fleurette's been listenin in on yo conversations.  
You tell her I said stop.  She gettin an earful of
nothin good, I guess."

Papa was angry with me and said I couldn't go to 
Whitehall tomorrow, but that I had to stay right 
here at Kirkwood.  I'm so mad at her. But I did 
hear something interesting.  Papa and Hall are 
going to enlist if it comes to war.  Papa says 
it's inevitable now.  He says we can't afford to 
let the Northerners come South with their armies 
and take our homes.  Why would they want to do 
that anyway?  Don't they have homes up North?