CHAPTER TWELVE

Scarlett and Melanie could not believe it, but Ashley had somehow made it home. He had walked many miles to find Tara. Sadly, he came back to find his old home, Twelve Oaks, burned to the ground by the Northern soldiers. The old South that he had known a few years ago was gone forever.

Ashley had changed a lot in the past few years. He had always been quiet and serious, but now he seemed not to have any hope. He was extremely happy to see Melanie and his new son, Beau. Scarlett thought that his eyes looked strange and sad, but she didn't understand why. The truth was that in this new South, people had to work hard to survive. The kind of family a person was from did not matter any more. It was only important how hard you could work: growing food and helping your family survive. Ashley believed that he did not belong there any longer. All the things he had loved in the old South, like poetry, music, and books, were not important in the new South. He believed in his heart that he was a useless person.

However, Scarlett was just happy to have Ashley near her again. She believed he still loved her, even though he was so sad all the time. Scarlett felt she would do anything to help Ashley become happy again, even if it meant helping Melanie also. To practical Scarlett, all Ashley needed was lots of money and a nice house to be happy. Many nights she thought about how she could help him.

The family was growing. Now Scarlett, Wade, Will, Suellen, Carreen, Melanie, Ashley, and little Beau lived at Tara, as well as the servants Mammy, Pork, Dilcey, and Prissy. The larger amount of people meant that more food had to be found. Therefore, they needed money! Money was still Scarlett's greatest worry in life, and she was always thinking about it. Often she had nightmares about being cold, alone, and hungry in the darkness. She was beginning to think that, as long as you had money, you had no worries in life. Money was the most important thing in the world!

Finally, after many long hours of thinking, Scarlett came up with a plan. With Will and Ashley working at Tara, Scarlett could rest a little. She decided to return to Atlanta for some time. There had to be some way she could make money for the family, lots and lots of money! Scarlett had many ideas, but she did not discuss them with Will or Ashley. If they knew what she was really thinking, they would never let her go.

Scarlett needed a new dress to wear for her trip, but of course there was no money for the cloth. So, she decided to use the lovely green curtains in the living room to make a new dress! Of course, Mammy disagreed with this idea. "Miss Scarlett, don't go and ruin Miss Ellen's nice curtains!"

"Mammy, be quiet. I need a new dress, and I'm going to have a dress! What do the curtains matter now?" said Scarlett, pulling the curtains down.

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