The Ludlow grandsons had a leader at both ends: 10-year-old Andrew was called “Lil' Captain,” for he was the most notably organized and disciplined like his grandfather, Capt. R.E. Ludlow, and as concerned about his siblings as Capt. Ludlow had been about the needs of his men. Andrew Ludlow would someday be CEO of The Ludlow Bubbly as opposed to a military leader, but, the same natural ability of leading people through inspiration and servanthood was already marked in him.
But then there was Lil' Robert – Robert Edward Ludlow III, five years old, a little ball of blazing charisma and will – he was his grandfather stripped to the invisible core, the drive underneath the leadership.
Andrew, like his grandfather, would generally steer you right, as best as a 10-year-old could seek understanding of what that was. He and his 58-year-old grandfather had in common that they were ferocious researchers and tried hard to come up with the best answer for the needs of the family.
Lil' Robert would steer you in whatever direction he was moving in, always at 1,000 miles an hour, and he had as much influence over the four littlest Ludlow grandchildren as Andrew did.
Andrew and his 11-year-old sister Eleanor, however, had higher-level duties in the household and family business, so they were not always available to help Lil' Robert course correct early enough.
Thus, the appearance of a red fox casually coming through the yard and sniffing around the strawberry tree was left to Lil' Robert to figure out how to handle it, while Capt. Ludlow, Eleanor, and Andrew had gone down to the neighborhood commissary drop box.
Mrs. Ludlow was cooking dinner, and all she saw was Lil' Robert and six-year-old Grayson working with their Legos in one of those fits of energy they sometimes had, and nine-year-old George was in the pile too. Seven-year-old Amanda and eight-year-old Edwina were playing with their dolls.
Life comes at you fast when you are custodial grandmother to seven grandchildren under 12. Mrs. Ludlow's good ears alerted her that something was changing, and by the time she came out into the living room, her five youngest were running outside and building a Lego wall around the very tree that Lil' Robert, Grayson, and George were trying to pull down the day before, thinking it was some kind of big weed.
“So, what's going on?” she said when she came out.
“Foxes, Grandma,” Lil' Robert said, his little face looking just like a miniature of his grandfather's at his most serious. “We know they steal fruit and eggs. If this was just a weed, that would be okay, but, we like this fruit and we want to have it.”
“Yeah!” George, Grayson, Edwina, and Amanda said.
“Are you sure that wasn't Goldie, in the sunset light?”
Goldie, the big ginger cat of their neighbor the Trents, was prowling, and when she passed through a late evening sunbeam, she was quite red indeed.
Sgt. Trent was out on the porch – “Melissa, will you come look at this!” and both of them were trying not to laugh.
Lil' Robert ran this around his five-year-old mind.
“Just in case, Grandma, just in case.”
“Yeah!” George, Grayson, Edwina, and Amanda said, and returned to their building project.
At about this time, Capt. Ludlow walked up with Andrew and Eleanor, their faces all in astonishment.
“What in the world?”
Mrs. Ludlow explained and then gave her husband a sweet smile.
“You're a conservative, so you know my place is in the kitchen, right?”
Capt. Ludlow turned pink as he received the invisible baton, and Eleanor waved goodbye to Andrew as she and Mrs. Ludlow walked off.
“You know, Grandpa,” Andrew said, “this must be what the chaplain was saying on Sunday when he said, 'Beliefs have consequences.' ”
“Yes, young sir, it is,” Capt. Ludlow said. “Later on, Andrew, you might consider being more of a moderate, politically. The women sense their need to help more, that way.”