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diff --git a/40541-8.txt b/40541-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3d7b458..0000000 --- a/40541-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11396 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Brother Against Brother, by John Roy Musick - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Brother Against Brother - or, The Tompkins Mystery. - -Author: John Roy Musick - -Release Date: August 20, 2012 [EBook #40541] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER *** - - - - -Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -+-------------------------------------------------+ -|Transcriber's note: | -| | -|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. | -| | -+-------------------------------------------------+ - - -BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER - -OR, - -THE TOMPKINS MYSTERY. - -_A Story of the Great American Rebellion._ - - -BY JOHN R. MUSICK, - -_Author of "The Banker of Bedford," "Orland Hyde," -"Calamity Row," Etc._ - -(COPYRIGHT, 1887, BY J. S. OGILVIE & CO.) - -FIRESIDE SERIES, No. 28. JULY, 1887. -Issued Monthly, Subscription, $3 per year. -Entered at New York Post-Office as second-class matter. - -J. S. OGILVIE & COMPANY, -57 Rose Street, New York; 79 Wabash Ave., Chicago. - - - - -LIST OF POPULAR NOVELS - -CONTAINED IN THE FIRESIDE SERIES, - -The Cover of which is Printed in Colors, and is very attractive. Each -one contains from 200 to 480 pages. - - -No. 1. The Mohawks, by Miss M. E. Braddon. - " 2. Lady Valworth's Diamonds, by the Duchess. - " 3. A House Party, by Ouida. - " 4. At Bay, by Mrs. Alexander. - " 5. Adventures of an Old Maid, by Belle C. Greene. - " 6. Vice Versa, by F. Anstey. - " 7. In Prison and Out, by Hesba Stretton. - " 8. A Broken Heart, by author of Dora Thorne. - " 9. A False Vow, by author of Dora Thorne. - " 10. Nancy Hartshorn at Chautauqua, by Nancy Hartshorn. - " 11. Beaton's Bargain, by Mrs. Alexander. - " 12. Mrs. Hopkins on her Travels, by Mrs. Hopkins herself. - " 13. A Guilty River, by Wilkie Collins. - " 14. By Woman's Wit, by Mrs. Alexander. - " 15. "She," by H. Rider Haggard. - " 16. The Witch's Head, by H. Rider Haggard. - " 17. King Solomon's Mines, by H. Rider Haggard. - " 18. Jess, by H. Rider Haggard. - " 19. The Merry Men, by R. L. Stevenson. - " 20. Miss Jones' Quilting, by Josiah Allen's Wife. - " 21. Secrets of Success, by J. W. Donovan. - " 22. Drops of Blood, by Lily Curry. - " 23. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. - " 24. Dawn, by H. Rider Haggard. - " 25. Me. A companion to "She." - " 26. East Lynne, by Mrs. Henry Wood. - " 27. Allan Quartermain, by H. Rider Haggard. - " 28. Brother against Brother. A Story of the Rebellion, - by John R. Musick. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER. PAGE. - I. In the Stage-Coach and at the Inn, 5 - - II. A New Arrival, 17 - - III. Dinner Talk, 28 - - IV. More of the Mystery, 36 - - V. The Mud Man, 46 - - VI. A Transition Period, 52 - - VII. The Election and the Result, 62 - - VIII. Mr. Diggs in a New Field, 69 - - IX. The Chasm Opens, 81 - - X. The Beginning of Soldier Life, 89 - - XI. Mr. Tompkins' Peril, 102 - - XII. Foraging, 108 - - XIII. Uncle Dan Means Business, 114 - - XIV. Mrs. Juniper Entertains, 120 - - XV. Mr. Diggs Again in Trouble, 127 - - XVI. Yellow Steve, 143 - - XVII. A Soldier's Turkey Hunt, 151 - - XVIII. Mr. Tompkins Receives Strange News, 158 - - XIX. Irene's Dilemma--The Brothers Meet, 162 - - XX. War in the Neighborhood, 174 - - XXI. Crazy Joe's Mistake, 182 - - XXII. Diggs Gets out of His Scrape Again, 193 - - XXIII. The Abduction, 201 - - XXIV. He is My Husband. Oh, Spare His Life, 209 - - XXV. At Home Again, 219 - - XXVI. Another Phase of Soldier Life, 223 - - XXVII. A Prisoner, 227 - -XXVIII. Olivia, 231 - - XXIX. The Alarm--The Manuscript, 236 - - XXX. Yellow Steve's Mysterious Story, 242 - - XXXI. The Reconciliation, 247 - - - - -BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -IN THE STAGE-COACH AND AT THE INN. - - -Thick, misty clouds overcast the sky; peals of thunder in the distance -came rolling nearer and nearer, until they burst into one prolonged roar -just above a lumbering old stage-coach slowly making its way over the -muddy roads of a Virginia post route, the driver incessantly cracking -his long whip over the backs of his jaded horses, and urging them, with -shouts and exclamations, to accelerate their speed. - -This scene occurs in what is now West Virginia. It is west of the -mountain range, but where, on every hand, are frowning precipices, deep -gorges and swift-flowing torrents. On the right, the jutting headlands -are crowned with huge old bowlders, just peeping out from the thicket of -evergreens and creeping vines which surround them. Although not called -mountainous, it is a country whose picturesque heights and umbrageous -valleys would excite a degree of enthusiasm in the bosom of a lover of -the beautiful. Down in those lonely valleys, almost hidden in their -leafy groves, was the home of many an old Virginia aristocrat. The -great, gnarled oak standing upon the verge of some miniature precipice, -and glooming sullenly through the misty rain, seems but part of some -pictured scene. Far in the distance, faintly penciled against the misty -sky, rise headlands to what seems an enormous height, about them a dark -mass of clouds, like some giant's garment caught upon the peaks and -blown about at the will of the wind. It envelops and conceals the -highest peaks, leaving the imagination to add to the belief in their -stupendous height. - -It has been raining all day, and the driver of the stage-coach is -anxious to reach his destination. - -"Gee-up! If we don't git to Lander's Hill before dark, I be hanged if we -don't stick there for the night," he exclaimed. - -The stage-coach moves slowly along, and the shades of evening are -closing in. Six or seven passengers are seated within, and are about as -uncomfortable as stage-coach travelers could well be. There is but a -single lady among them, and the chivalric spirit of the Southron has -assigned to her the most comfortable place in the coach. We are -interested in but one of these travelers, a man about forty-five or -fifty years of age, something over medium size, whose appearance stamped -him as a well-to-do Virginia planter. His face was smooth-shaven, and -his hair, once dark, was silvered with the flight of years. His was a -handsome face, and a pleasant one to look upon; there was something -pleasing and attractive about its expression, and the mild gray eyes -burned with no ambitious designs or fiery passions; his dress was plain -gray homespun, commonly worn as the traveling dress of a Southerner at -the time of which we write. His hat was of the finest silk, -broad-brimmed and low-crowned, such as Southern planters invariably -wore. Though unostentatious in manner, he was evidently a man accustomed -to the manifold comforts of Southern life. He was, moreover, a man -accustomed to looking at both sides of a question, and arriving at -conclusions without bias or prejudice. His frame was a fine type of -manhood, and his muscular arms showed him possessed of more than an -ordinary degree of strength. - -This man alone of all the passengers maintained a silent and thoughtful -mood as the coach passed on its way. A constant conversation was kept up -by the other passengers on the weather, the roads, the journey, its -termination, and last, but not least, the politics of the day. However, -while the gentleman whom we have more particularly described, and now -introduce to our readers as George W. Tompkins, of Virginia, sat moody -and silent, and seemingly utterly oblivious of the discomforts within -or the gloomy prospect without, his fellow passengers were continually -talking, and continually jostling against him, without rousing Mr. -Tompkins from his reverie. - -His mind was clouded by a horror that made him careless of present -surroundings. He looked worn and weary, more so than any of the other -passengers, and occasionally, when the coach rolled over smooth ground, -he would lean back in his seat and close his eyes. No sooner done, -however, than a thousand fantastic shapes would glide before his mental -vision, that seemed to take delight in annoying him. Whenever he became -unconscious to his real surroundings, shrieks seemed to sound in his -ear, and he seemed to hear the cry: - -"Search, search, search! Your task's not over, your task's not over!" - -"And where shall I search?" he mentally asked. - -"Ah, where?" the voice wailed. - -Then the planter would rouse himself, and glance at the passengers and -out of the window in the endeavor to keep his mind free from the -annoyances. For a few moments he would succeed, but days and nights of -exertion, horror and excitement were telling upon him; once more he -would succumb and once more the fantastic shadows thronged about him, -and the voice, mingling strangely with the grating roar of the coach's -wheels, smote on his ear: - -"Search, search, search! Your task's not over! Your task's not over!" - -"Where shall I search?" - -"Ah, where?" - -"You don't seem to be well, friend," remarked a fellow-traveler, -observing the startled and restless manner of Mr. Tompkins. - -"Yes, I am well; that is--no, I am not; I am somewhat wearied," Mr. -Tompkins answered. - -"So are we all," rejoined the passenger. "This journey has been enough -to wear out men of iron, and the prospects for the night are far from -cheering." - -"I had expected to reach home to-night," said the planter, "but I shall -fail by a good dozen miles." - -"You live in this State?" - -"Yes, sir," answered Mr. Tompkins, settling himself in his corner. - -The gentleman, evidently a Southern man, seeing that Mr. Tompkins was -indisposed to carry on any further conversation, relapsed into silence. -With another effort Mr. Tompkins conquered the stupor which, with all -its fantastic concomitants, was once more overcoming him, and sat bolt -upright in his seat. - -"This has been a fearful week," he soliloquized, "but I have done all I -could." - -The gentleman by his side, catching the last part of the remark, and -supposing it had reference to the present journey, remarked: - -"Yes, it is not the fault of the passengers, but of the managers of this -line. They should be prepared for such emergencies, and have a supply of -fresh horses." - -Observing that his exclamation, though misinterpreted, had arrested -attention, Mr. Tompkins, to guard against its recurrence, lest he should -divulge the subject of his disturbed thoughts, aroused himself and -resisted, with determination, the stupor that was overcoming him. It was -while thus combating the fatigue that weighed him down that the -stage-coach came to a very sudden stop. - -The driver, pressing his face to the aperture at the top of the coach, -cried out: - -"Here we are at Lander's Hill, and I be hanged if the hosses are able to -drag ye all up. They are completely fagged out, so I guess ye men -folks'll hev to hoof it to the top, an' occasionally give us a push, or -we'll stick here until mornin'." - -"How far is it to where we can stop over night?" asked the passenger who -had endeavored to draw Mr. Tompkins into conversation. - -"After we git on top of the hill it's only 'bout three miles to Jerry -Lycan's inn, where we'll stop for the night, an' it's down hill 'most -all the way," replied the driver. - -With much grumbling and many imprecations on the heads of the managers -of the stage line, the passengers clambered out of the coach. A long, -muddy hill, in places quite steep, lay before them. It was nearly half a -mile to the top, and portions of the road were scarcely passable even -in good weather. - -"These are public roads in Virginia!" exclaimed one gentleman, as he -alighted in the mud. - -"We can't have railroads to every place," essayed a fellow-traveler, -evidently a Virginian; "but you will find our soil good." - -"Yes, good for sticking purposes," said the first speaker, trying to -shake some of the mud from his boots; "I never saw soil with greater -adhesive qualities." - -"Now look 'ee," said the driver, "we'll hev some purty smart jogs, where -the hosses 'll not be able to pull up, and you'll hev to put your -shoulders agin the coach an' give us a push." - -"May I be blessed!" ejaculated the Southerner. "They are not even -content to make us walk, but want us to draw the coach." - -"Better to do that an' hev a coach at the top to ride in than to walk -three miles," said the driver. - -After allowing his horses a brief rest, the driver cracked his whip and -the lumbering coach moved on, the passengers slowly plodding along -behind. None seemed pleased with the prospect of a walk up the long, -muddy hill, but the grumbling Southerner manifested a more decided -repugnance than either of the others. - -"This is worse than wading through Carolina swamps waist deep," he -exclaimed, as he trudged along, dragging his weary feet and -mud-freighted boots after him. - -The coach had not proceeded more than a dozen rods when it came to one -of the "jogs" in the hill alluded to by the driver. "Now help here, or -we'll stick sure. Git up!" cried the driver, and the poor, tired horses -nerved themselves for the extra effort required of them. The ascent here -was both steep and slippery, and it required the united strength of -horses and passengers to pass the coach over the place. - -Here the passengers discovered the prodigious strength which lay in the -broad shoulders of Mr. Tompkins. Not a murmur had escaped his lips when -required to walk up the hill, and he was the first to place his shoulder -to the wheel to push the coach over the difficult passage. To still -further increase the discomforts of their position they were thoroughly -drenched by a passing shower which overtook them before they reach the -summit of the hill. Here they again climbed into the coach, and resuming -their seats, were whirled along through the gathering darkness toward -the inn. - -Old Jerry Lycan stood on the long porch of his old-fashioned Virginia -tavern, and peered down the road through the gloom. It had been dark but -a few moments. The old man's ears caught the sound of wheels coming down -the road, and he knew the stage was not far off. - -"The roads are just awful," said the landlord, "and no wonder it is -belated." - -The night was intensely dark; not a star was to be seen in the sky; an -occasional flash of lightning momentarily lit up surrounding objects, -only to render the blackness more complete. Far down the road the old -man's eyes caught a glimpse of the coach-lights bobbing up and down as -the ponderous vehicle oscillated over the rough roads. Approaching -slowly, like a wearied thing of life, the cumbrous stage at last -appeared, made visible only by its own lamps, which the driver had -lighted. The splashing of six horses along the miry roads and the dull -rolling of the huge wheels made the vehicle heard long before it was -seen. - -"Rube haint no outside passengers to-night," said the landlord, seeing -that the top seats of the coach were vacant. "'Spose nobody'd want to -ride out in the rain." - -"Here ye are at Lycan's inn," called out the driver to the inmates of -the coach as he reined in his weary horses in front of the roadside -tavern. - -Uncle Jerry as he was called, with his old, perforated tin lantern, came -to open the stage door and show his guests into the house. Rube, the -driver, tossing the reins to the stable-boy, climbed down from his lofty -perch, and went into the bar-room to get "something hot" to warm his -benumbed body. - -The landlord brought the wet and weary men into the room, where a great -fire was blazing, and promised that supper should be ready by the time -they were dry. The Southerner declared that he was much too dry within, -though he was dripping wet without. Uncle Jerry smiling invited him -into the bar-room. The Southerner needed no second invitation, and soon -returned, saying that Virginia inns were not so bad after all. - -The lady had been shown to a private apartment, while the gentlemen were -attempting to dry their clothing by the fire in the public room. The -Southerner, who had been in much better humor since his visit to the -bar, seemed now to look very philosophically upon his soaking and other -inconveniences of travel. - -Our planter, Mr. Tompkins, sat in front of the pile of blazing logs, -gazing at the bright, panoramic pictures constantly forming there. -Sleeping or waking, darkness of the stage-coach and in those glowing -embers, he saw but one picture, and its horrors were constantly haunting -his mind. - -The other guests talked and laughed while their soaked clothes were -drying, but Mr. Tompkins was silent, whether sitting or standing. Almost -before their clothes were dry supper was announced, and they all -repaired to the long, low dining room and seated themselves at the -table. The supper, plain and substantial, was just suited to the needs -of the hungry guests. - -The evening meal over, they returned to the sitting room. The Southerner -had lit a cigar, and kept up a constant flow of conversation. - -"Virginia is too near the Free-soilers," he said, evidently directing -his remarks to Mr. Tompkins; "don't they come over here and steal your -niggers?" - -"They never have," Mr. Tompkins answered. - -"I take it for granted you own slaves?" - -"Yes, sir; I have a number on my plantation, and never have had one -stolen yet." - -"Don't the 'Barnburners,' 'Wooly Heads' and Abolitionists from Ohio and -Pennsylvania come over here and steal them away?" - -"They have never taken any from me." - -"Well, that's a wonder. I know a number of good men on the border who -find it impossible to keep niggers at all." - -"Perhaps they are not good masters," said Mr. Tompkins. - -"They were the best of masters, and they lost their niggers, though -they guarded them with watchful overseers and bloodhounds." - -"But do you think that a good master needs to guard his slaves with -armed overseers and dogs?" said Mr. Tompkins. - -"Of course," the Carolinian answered; "how else would you keep the black -rascals in subjection? Are we not horrified almost every week by reports -of some of their outrages? Swamps and canebrakes have become the haunts -of runaway blacks, who, having murdered their master, seek to wreck -vengeance on innocent children or women." - -Mr. Tompkins started at these assertions, as though he felt a pang at -his heart. - -"My friend, what you say is true, too true," he said; "but is the master -always blameless? The negro possesses feelings, and even a beast may be -goaded to madness. Is it not an unrighteous system which is crushing and -cursing our beloved country?" - -"What system?" - -"Slavery." - -"Why, sir, you are a singular slave-holder," cried the Southerner. "Are -you going to turn a Martin Van Buren and join the Free-soilers?" - -"There is a great deal in that question, sir, outside of politics. I -believe in slavery, else I would not own a slave; but, if our slaves are -to be treated as animals, it were better if the institution were -abolished." - -"How would you treat them?" - -"Discharge the overseers, to begin with." - -"I am sure, you would fail." - -"The plan has succeeded well on my plantation," said Mr. Tompkins, "and -I do not own a single negro who would not die for me." - -Here were met two men, both believing in the institution of human -slavery, but carrying out its principles, how differently! The one with -cool Northern blood and kindly feelings, advocating a humane mode of -ruling the helpless being in his power. The other, representing the -extreme type of refined cruelty and oppression. The mind of the one grew -more and more in harmony with the idea of abolition, while the other -came to hate, with all the fierceness of his Southern heart, the idea of -universal freedom; became willing, even, to strike at that flag which -had failed to protect his interests and his opinions. - -The date at which we write was directly after the election and -inauguration of Taylor as President of the United States. The opposition -to human slavery had steadily been gaining ground, regardless of taunts -and sneers, and the ranks of the Abolitionists were hourly on the -increase. Slavery was peculiarly a selfish institution. It is folly to -say that only men born and reared in the South could be numbered among -the upholders of this "peculiar institution," for many Northern men went -South and purchased plantations and slaves, and in 1861 many of these -enlisted on the Confederate side, and fought under the Confederate flag, -not from principle, but from self-interest. - -Mr. Tompkins, who was Northern born, believed in slavery simply because -he owned slaves, and not from any well defined principle. Even now the -same conflict that later convulsed the Nation was raging in his -heart--the conflict between self-interest and the right. Press and -pulpit, the lecturer's rostrum and the novelist's pen, had almost -wrought out the doom of slavery, when the politician took up the stormy -dispute. - -The discussion in the Virginia inn was warm but friendly, the Carolinian -declaring that God and Nature had ordained the negro for slavery; that -his diet should be the ash-cake, his stimulant the whip, his reward for -obedience a blanket and a hut, his punishment for rebellion chains and -death. Doubtless his passion over-reached his judgment in the heat of -argument, and his brain, perhaps, was not so cool since his visit to the -bar-room. - -"My dear sir," Mr. Tompkins finally said, hoping to end the discussion, -which was drawing to them the attention of all, "the policy you suggest -will, I fear, plunge our whole country into trouble. Few men are born -rulers, and history has never shown one successful who ruled by harsh -measures only. Admitting that a negro is not a rational being, kindness -with a beast can accomplish more than harshness. It is cruel masters who -make runaway slaves. The parting of parent and child, husband and wife, -torn ruthlessly asunder, never to see each other again, will make even a -negro furious. I fear, sir, that slavery is a bad institution, but it is -firmly established among us, and I see no way at present to get rid of -it." - -The other guests at Jerry Lycan's inn had gathered in groups of two and -three, and were listening silently to the differing views of these two -upholders of slavery, for there were factions in those days among the -slavery men. The landlord had entered the room, and, being a politician -himself, drank in the discussion with deepest interest. - -Just as the argument was at its height the outer door of the inn opened -and a boy, wild-eyed, but handsome, entered. A glance at the strangely -wild eyes and disheveled hair convinced all present that he was insane. -He was about twelve years of age, with a slender figure and a -well-shaped head, but some great shock had unseated his reason. His -mania was of a mild, harmless type. Walking directly up to Mr. Tompkins, -he said: - -"Have you seen my father? You look very much like my father, but I know -he has not yet come into Egypt." - -The voice was so plaintive and sad that it touched at once the hearts of -all, and happily put an end to the conversation. - -"Who is your father?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"Jacob is my father. I am his favorite son. My brothers sold me a slave -into Egypt, and told my father I had been slain by wild beasts. Have you -seen my father?" - -"He is crazy. Humor him, say something to him," whispered the landlord. - -"Your father is not yet ready to come into Egypt," said Mr. Tompkins. - -"And my brother Benjamin--did you see him?" the lad asked. - -"Yes." - -"Is the famine sore in the land where my father dwells?" - -"Yes." - -"And does he suffer--is he old? Oh, yes, I remember; my father must be -dead." He seated himself on a low stool by the fireside, and, bowing his -head in his hands, seemed lost in thought. - -"He does that twenty times a day," said the landlord. - -"Who is he?" asked one of the travelers, "and where does he come from?" - -"He has been here only a few days, and I know nothing about him. His -first question was, 'Have you seen my father Jacob?'" - -"Have you tried to find out about him?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"Yes, but to no purpose," answered Uncle Jerry. "He came one morning and -said he was fleeing from Potiphar's wrath. After inquiring for his -father, he remained silent for some time. I tried to find where he came -from, but no one knows and he can not tell. I should judge by the -clothes he wore that he was from the South, and, from the worn condition -of his shoes, that he came a great way. He is of some respectable -family, for he has been well educated, and I fancy it's too much book -learning that has turned the boy's head. He talks of Plato and Socrates -and Aristotle, and all the ancient philosophers, and his familiarity -with historical events shows him to have been a student; but he always -imagines that he is Joseph." - -"Where does he live?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"Oh, he stays here at the inn, and shows no disposition to leave. He -makes himself useful by helping the stable-boy and carries in fuel, -imagining himself a servant of the high priest." - -"Has he lucid intervals?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"No, not what could be called lucid intervals. Once he said to a girl in -the kitchen that it was books that made his head dizzy, and said -something of a home a great ways off, from which he had fled to escape -great violence. They hoped then to clear up the mystery, but the next -moment his mind wandered again and he was Joseph sold into Egypt, -bewailing his father Jacob and his brother Benjamin." - -"What is his name?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"We can't get any other name than Joseph, and the boys here call him -Crazy Joe." - -"His malady may be curable; have you consulted a physician about it?" -inquired the Californian, who was very much interested in the strange -case. - -"Yes, sir; a doctor from the State Lunatic Asylum was here day before -yesterday, but he pronounced him incurable." - -"Could not the doctor tell how long he had been in this condition?" -asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"Not with certainty, but thought it only a few weeks or months. He said -he had probably escaped from his guard and ran away." - -At this moment the subject of conversation rose from the low stool and -looked about with a vacant stare. - -"Do you want to go home to your parents?" Mr. Tompkins asked. - -"When the famine is sore in the land they will come for me." - -"Why did you run away?" - -"My brothers sold me to the merchants with their camels. They made my -father believe I was killed, and brought me here and sold me; but I know -it is written that my brother Benjamin will come and bring my father to -me." - -"Is it not written that Jacob did go down into Egypt with his whole -family, and that he wept on Joseph's neck, and said he was willing to -die?" said Mr. Tompkins, to lead him out of this strange hallucination. - -"Yes, yes--oh, yes!" the boy cried, eagerly. - -"Did not Moses deliver the children of Israel from bondage long after -Jacob's death?" - -"I remember now that he did," said Joe. - -"Then how can you be Joseph, when he died three or four thousand years -ago?" - -The boy reflected a moment, and then said: - -"Who can I be, if I am not Joseph?" - -"Some one who imagines himself Joseph," said Mr. Tompkins. "Now, try to -think who you really are and where you came from." - -"I am not Socrates, for he drank the hemlock and died, nor am I Julius -Caesar, for he was killed by Brutus," the poor lunatic replied. - -"Try to think what was your father's name," persisted Mr. Tompkins, -hoping to discover something. - -"My father's name was Jacob, and I was sold a slave into Egypt by my -brothers; but there must be something wrong; my father must be dead." - -Again he seated himself on the low stool and buried his face in his -hands. - -"It's no use," said the landlord; "that's as near as you'll ever come to -knowing who he is from him. I have advertised him in the Pittsburg -daily, but no one has come yet to claim him." - -"A very strange hallucination," said the Carolinian. "Is he always -mild?" - -"Yes; he is never cross or sullen, and seems delighted with children. He -answers them in many ways." - -It was growing late, and the weary travelers were ready to go to bed. -The landlord assisted by Crazy Joe and another boy, took lighted candles -to the various rooms for the guests. - -By the combined aid of a good supper, a warm discussion on slavery, and -his interest in the insane boy, Mr. Tompkins had succeeded in fighting -away the legion of gloomy thoughts that harassed his mind, and a few -minutes after retiring was sleeping peacefully. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -A NEW ARRIVAL. - - -Forty years ago a Virginia planter was a king, his broad acres his -kingdom, his wife his queen, his children heirs to his throne, and his -slaves his subjects. True, it was a petty kingdom and he but a petty -monarch; but, as a rule, petty monarchs are tyrannical, and the Southern -planter was not always an exception. In those days men were measured, -not by moral worth, mental power, or physical stature, but by the number -of acres and slaves they owned. The South has never possessed that -sturdy class of yeomanry that has achieved wonders in the North. Before -the war labor was performed by slaves, now it is done by hired help, the -farmer himself there seldom cultivating his soil. - -The home of Mr. George W. Tompkins, our acquaintance, was a marvel of -beauty and taste. Located in the Northwestern portion of the State, -before its division, it was just where the heat of the South was -delightfully tempered by the cool winds of the North. No valley in all -Virginia was more lovely. To the east were hills which might delight any -mountain lover, all clothed and fringed with delicate evergreens, -through which could be caught occasional glimpses of precipitous bald -rocks. Over the heights the sun climbed every morning to illuminate the -valley below with a radiance of glory. Mountain cascades came tumbling -and plunging from mossy retreats to swell a clear pebble-strewn stream -which afforded the finest trout to be found in the entire State. - -The great mansion, built after the old Virginia plan, with a long stone -piazza in front, stood on an eminence facing the post-road, which ran -within a few rods of it. The house was substantial, heavy columns, -painted white as marble, supporting the porch, and quaint, old-fashioned -gables, about which the swallows twittered, breaking the lines of the -roof. In the front yard grew the beech and elm and chestnut tree, their -wide-spreading branches indicating an existence for centuries. A little -below the structure, and south-west from it, was a colony of low, small -buildings, where dwelt the slaves of Mr. Tompkins. One or two were -nearer, and in these the domestics lived. These were a higher order of -servants than the field-hands, and they never let an opportunity pass to -assert their superiority over their fellow slaves. - -Socially, as well as geographically, Mr. Tompkins' home combined the -extremes of the North and South. He, with his calm face and mild gray -eyes, was a native of the green hills of New Hampshire, while his -dark-eyed wife was a daughter of sunny Georgia. - -Mrs. Tompkins was the only child of a wealthy Georgia planter. Mr. -Tompkins had met her first in Atlanta, where he was spending the Winter -with a class-mate, both having graduated at Yale the year before. Their -meeting grew into intimacy, from intimacy it ripened into love. Shortly -after the marriage of his daughter, his only child, the planter -exchanged his property for more extensive possessions in Virginia, but -he never occupied this new home. He and his wife were in New Orleans, -when the dread malady, yellow-fever, seized upon them, and they died -before their daughter or her husband could go to them. - -Mr. Tompkins, a man who had always been opposed to slavery, thus found -himself the owner of a large plantation in Virginia, and more than a -hundred slaves. There seemed to be no other alternative, and he accepted -the situation, and tried, by being a humane master, to conciliate his -wounded conscience for being a master at all. - -He and his only brother, Henry, had inherited a large and valuable -property from their father, in their native State. His brother, like -himself, had gone South and married a planter's daughter, and become a -large slave-holder. He was a far different man from his brother. -Naturally overbearing and cruel, he seemed to possess none of the -other's kindness of heart or cool, dispassionate reason. He was a hard -task-master, and no "fire-eating" Southerner ever exercised his power -more remorselessly than he, and no one hated the Abolition party more -cordially. But it is not with Henry Tompkins we have to deal at present. - -It was near noon the day after the travelers reached Jerry Lycan's inn. -Mrs. Tompkins sat on the piazza, looking down the road that led to the -village. She was one of those Southern beauties who attract at a first -glance; her eyes large, and dark, and brilliant; her hair soft and -glossy, like waves of lustrous silk. Of medium height, though not quite -so slender as when younger, her form was faultless. Her cheek had the -olive tint of the South, and as she reclined with indolent grace in her -easy chair, one little foot restlessly tapping the carpet on which it -rested, she looked a very queen. - -The Tompkins mansion was the grandest for many miles around, and the -whole plantation bore evidence of the taste and judgment of its owner. -There seemed to be nothing, from the crystal fountain splashing in front -of the white-pillared dwelling to the vast fields of corn, wheat and -tobacco stretching far into the back-ground, which did not add to the -beauty of the place. - -On the north were barns, immense and well filled granaries and stables. -Then came tobacco houses, covering acres of ground. One would hardly -have suspected the plain, unpretentious Mr. Tompkins as being the -possessor of all this wealth. But his house held his greatest -treasures--two bright little boys, aged respectively nine and seven -years. - -Abner, the elder, had bright blue eyes and the clear Saxon complexion of -his father. Oleah, the younger, was of the same dark Southern type as -his mother. They were two such children as even a Roman mother might -have been proud to call her jewels. Bright and affectionate, they -yielded a quick obedience to their parents, and--a remarkable thing for -boys--were always in perfect accord. - -"Oh, mamma, mamma!" cried Oleah, following close after his brother, and -quite as much excited. - -"Well, what is the matter?" the mother asked, with a smile. - -"It's coming! it's coming! it's coming!" cried Oleah. - -"He's coming! he's coming!" shouted Abner. - -"Who is coming?" asked the mother. - -"Papa, papa, papa!" shouted both at the top of their voices. "Papa is -coming down the big hill on the stage-coach." - -Mrs. Tompkins was now looking for herself. Sure enough there was the -great, old-fashioned stage-coach lumbering down the hill, and her -husband was an outside passenger, as the sky was now clear and the sun -shone warm and bright. The clumsy vehicle showed the mud-stains of its -long travel, and the roads in places were yet filled with water. - -The winding of the coachman's horn, which never failed to set the boys -dancing with delight, sounded mellow and clear on the morning air. - -"It's going to stop! it's going to stop!" cried Oleah, clapping his -little hands. - -"It's going to stop! it's going to stop!" shouted Abner, and both kept -up a frantic shouting, "Whoa, whoa!" to the prancing horses as they drew -near the house. - -It paused in front of the gate, and Mrs. Tompkins and her two boys -hurried down the walk. - -Mr. Tompkins' baggage had just been taken from the boot and placed -inside the gate, and the stage had rolled on, as his wife and two boys -came up to the traveler. - -"Mamma first, and me next," said Oleah, preparing his red lips for the -expected kiss. - -"And I come after Oleah," said Abner. - -Mr. Tompkins called to a negro boy who was near to carry the baggage to -the house, and the happy group made their way to the great piazza, the -two boys clinging to their father's hands and keeping up a torrent of -questions. Where had he been? What had he seen? What had he brought home -for them? The porch reached, Mrs. Tompkins drew up the arm-chair for her -tired husband. - -"Rest a few minutes," she said, "and then you can take a bath and change -your clothes, and you will feel quite yourself once more." - -The planter took the seat, with a bright-faced child perched on each -side of him. - -"You were gone so long without writing that I became uneasy," said his -wife, drawing her chair close to his side. - -"I had a great deal to do," he answered, shaking his head sadly, "and it -was terrible work, I assure you. The memory of the past three weeks, I -fear, will never leave my mind." - -"Was it as terrible as the message said?" asked Mrs. Tompkins, with a -shudder. - -"Yes, the horrible story was all true. The whole family was murdered." - -"By whom?" - -"That remains a mystery, but it is supposed to have been done by one of -the slaves, as two or three ran away about that time." - -"How did it happen? Tell me all." - -The little boys were sent away, for this story was not for children to -hear, and Mr. Tompkins proceeded. - -"We could hardly believe the news the dispatch brought us, my dear, but -it did not tell us the worst. The roads between here and North Carolina -are not the best, and I was four or five days making it, even with the -aid of a few hours occasionally by rail. I found my brother's next -neighbor, Mr. Clayborne, at the village waiting for me. On the way he -told all that he or any one seemed to know of the affair. My brother had -a slave who was half negro and part Indian, with some white blood in his -veins. This slave had a quadroon wife, whom he loved with all his wild, -passionate heart. She was very beautiful, and a belle among the negroes. -But Henry, for some disobedience on the part of the husband, whose -Indian and white blood revolted against slavery, sold the wife to a -Louisiana sugar planter. The half breed swore he would be revenged, and -my brother, unfortunately possessing a hasty temper, had him tied up and -severely whipped--" - -"Served the black rascal quite right," interrupted the wife, who, being -Southern born, could not endure the least self-assertion on the part of -a slave. - -"I think not, my dear, though we will not argue the question. After his -punishment the black hung about for a week or two, sullen and silent. -Several friends cautioned my brother to beware of him, but Henry was -headstrong and took no man's counsel. Suddenly the slave disappeared, -and although the woods, swamps and cane-breaks were scoured by -experienced hunters and dogs he could not be found. Three weeks had -passed, and all thought of the runaway had passed from the minds of the -people. Late one night the man who told me this was passing my brother's -house, when he saw flames shooting about the roof and out of the -windows. He gave the alarm, and roused the negroes. As he ran up the -lawn toward the house a bloody ax met his view. On entering the front -door my brother Henry was found lying in the hall, his skull cleft in -twain. I cannot repeat all that met the man's horror-stricken gaze. They -had only time to snatch away the bodies of my brother, his wife and two -of the children when the roof fell in." - -"And the other two children?" asked Mrs. Tompkins. - -"Were evidently murdered also, but their bodies could not be found. It -is supposed they were burned to ashes amid the ruins." - -"Did you cause any extra search to be made?" - -"I did, but it was useless. I have searched, searched, -searched--mountain, plain and swamp. The rivers were dragged, the wells -examined, the ruins raked, but in vain. The oldest and the youngest of -the children could not be found. A skull bone was discovered among the -ruins, but so burned and charred that it was impossible to tell whether -it belonged to a human being or an animal. I have done everything I -could think of, and yet something seems to tell me my task is not -over--my task is not over." - -"What has been done with the plantation?" Mrs. Tompkins asked. - -"The father of my brother's wife is the administrator of the estate, and -he will manage it." - -"And the murderer?" - -"No trace of him whatever. It seems as though, after performing his -horrible deed, he must have sank into the earth." - -Mrs. Tompkins now, remembering that her husband needed a bath and a -change of clothes, hurried him into the house. The recital of that -horrible story had cast a shadow over her countenance, which she tried -in vain to drive away, and had reawakened in Mr. Tompkins' soul a -longing for revenge, though his better reason compelled him to admit -that the half-breed was goaded to madness and desperation. - -The day passed gloomily enough after the first joy of the husband and -father's return. The next morning, just as the sun was peeping over the -gray peaks of the eastern mountains and throwing floods of golden light -into the valley below, dancing upon the stream of silver which wound -beneath, or splintering its ineffectual lances among the branches and -trunks of the grand old trees surrounding the plantation, Mr. Tompkins -was awakened from the dreamless sleep of exhaustion. - -"What was that?" he asked of his wife. - -Both waited a moment, listening, when again the feeble wail of an infant -reached their ears. - -"It is a child's voice," said Mrs. Tompkins; "but why is it there?" - -"Some of the negro children have strayed from the quarters; or, more -likely, it is the child of one of the house servants," said Mr. -Tompkins. - -"The house servants have no children," answered Mrs. Tompkins, "and I -have cautioned the field women not to allow their children to come here -especially in the early morning, to annoy us." - -Mr. Tompkins, whose morning nap was not yet over, closed his eyes again. -The melodious horn of the overseer, calling the slaves to the labors of -the day, sounded musical in the early morning air, and seemed only to -soothe the wearied master to sleep again. Footsteps were heard upon the -carpeted hallway, and then three or four light taps on the door of the -bedroom. - -"Who is there?" asked Mrs. Tompkins. - -"It's me, missus, if you please." The door was pushed open and a dark -head, wound in a red bandana handkerchief, appeared in the opening. - -"What is the matter, Dinah?" Mrs. Tompkins asked, for she saw by the -woman's manner that something unusual had occurred. Dinah was her -mistress' handmaid and the children's nurse. - -"If you please, missus," she said, "there is a queerest little baby on -the front porch in the big clothes-basket." - -"A baby!" cried the astonished Mrs. Tompkins. - -"Yes'm, a white baby." - -"Where is its mother?" - -"I don't know, missus. It must a been there nearly all night, an' I -suppose they who ever left it there wants you to keep it fur good." - -"Bring the poor little thing here," said Mrs. Tompkins, rising to a -sitting position in the bed. - -In a few minutes Dinah returned with a baby about six months old, -dressed in a faded calico gown, and hungrily sucking its tiny fist, -while its dark brown eyes were filled with tears. - -"It was in de big basket among some ole clothes," said Dinah. - -"Poor, dear little thing! it is nearly starved and almost frozen. -Prepare it some warm milk at once, Dinah," said the kind-hearted -mistress. - -The girl hurried away to do her bidding, leaving the baby with Mrs. -Tompkins, who held the benumbed child in her arms and tried to still its -cries. - -Mr. Tompkins was wide awake now, and his mind busy with conjecture how -the child came to be left on their piazza. - -"What is that?" called Oleah, from the next room. - -"Why, it's a baby," answered Abner, and a moment later two pairs of -little bare feet came pattering into their mother's room. - -"Oh, the sweet little thing!" cried Oleah; "I want to kiss it." - -His mother held it down for him to kiss. - -"Isn't it pretty!" said Abner. "Its eyes are black, just like Oleah's. -Let me kiss it, too." - -The little stranger looked in wonder at the two children, who, in their -joy over this treasure-trove, were dancing frantically about the room. - -"Oh, mamma, where did you get it?" asked Oleah. - -"Dinah found it on the porch," the mother answered. - -"Who put it there?" - -"I don't know, dear." - -"Why, Oleah," said Abner, "it's just like old Mr. Post. Don't you know -he found a baby at his door? for we read about it in our First reader." - -"Oh, yes; is this the same baby old Mr. Post found?" asked Oleah. - -"No," answered the mother; "this is another." - -"Oh, isn't it sweet?" said Oleah, as the child cried and stretched out -its tiny hands. - -"It's just as pretty as it can be," said Abner. - -"Mamma, oh, mamma!" said Oleah, shaking his mother's arm, as she did not -pay immediate attention to his call. - -"What, dear?" she asked. - -"Are we goin' to keep it?" - -"Yes, dear; if some one who has a better right to it does not come to -claim it." - -"They shan't have it," cried Oleah, stamping his little, bare foot on -the carpet. - -"No," added Abner; "it's ours now. They left it there to starve and -freeze, and now we will keep it." - -"You think, then, that the real owner has lost his title by his -neglect?" said the father, with a smile. - -"Yes, that's it," the boy answered. - -"It's a very good common law idea, my son." - -Dinah now came in with warm milk for the baby, and Mrs. Tompkins told -her to take the two boys to their room and dress them; but they wanted -to wait first and see the baby eat. - -"Oh, don't it eat; don't it eat!" cried the boys. - -"The poor little thing is almost starved," said the mother. - -"Missus, how d'ye reckin it came on the porch?" Dinah asked. - -"I cannot think who would have left it," answered Mrs. Tompkins. - -"That is not a very young baby," said Mr. Tompkins, watching the little -creature eat greedily from the spoon, for Dinah had now taken it and was -feeding it. - -"No, marster, not berry, 'cause it's got two or free teef," said the -nurse. "Spect it's 'bout six months old." - -As soon as the little stranger had been fed, Dinah wrapped it in a warm -blanket and laid it on Mrs. Tompkin's bed, where it soon fell asleep, -showing it was exhausted as well as hungry. Dinah then led the two boys -to the room to wash and dress them. - -"Strange, strange!" said Mrs. Tompkins, beginning to dress. "Who can the -little thing belong to, and what are we to do with it?" - -"Keep it, I suppose," said Mr. Tompkins; and, stumbling over a -boot-jack, he exclaimed in the same breath, "Oh, confound it!" - -"What, the baby?" - -"No, the boot-jack. I've stubbed my toe on it." - -"We have no right to take upon ourselves the rearing of other people's -children," said Mrs. Tompkins, paying no attention to her husband's -trifling injury. - -"But it's our Christian duty to see that the little thing does not die -of cold and hunger," said Mr. Tompkins, caressing his aching toe. - -Soon the boys came in, ready for breakfast, and inquired for the baby; -when told that it was sleeping, they wanted to see it asleep, and stole -on tiptoe to the bed, where the wearied little thing lay, and nothing -would satisfy them until they were permitted to touch the pale, -pinched, tear-stained cheek with their fresh, warm lips. - -The breakfast bell rang, and they went down to the dining-room, where -awaiting them was a breakfast such as only Aunt Susan could prepare. -They took their places at the table, while a negro girl stood behind -each, to wait upon them and to drive away flies with long brushes of -peacock feathers. The boys were so much excited by the advent of the -strange baby that they could scarcely keep quiet long enough to eat. - -"I am going to draw it on my wagon," said Oleah. - -"I'm going to let it ride my pony," said Abner. - -"Don't think too much of the baby yet, for some one may come and claim -it," said their mother. - -"They shan't have it, shall they, papa?" cried Oleah. - -"No, it is our baby now." - -"And we are going to keep it, ain't we, Aunt Susan!" he asked the cook, -as she entered the dining-room. - -"Yes, bress yo' little heart; dat baby am yours," said Aunt Susan. - -"It's a Christmas gift, ain't it, Maggie?" he asked the waiter behind -him. Oleah was evidently determined to array everyone's opinion against -his mother's supposition. - -"Yes, I reckin it am," the negro girl answered with a grin. - -"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Abner. "Why, Oleah, this ain't Christmas." - -Seeing his mistake, Oleah joined in the laugh, but soon commenced again. - -"We're goin' to make the baby a nice, new play-house, ain't we, Abner?" - -"Yes, and a swing." - -The baby slept nearly all the forenoon. When she woke (for it was a -girl) she was washed, and dressed in some of Master Oleah's clothes, and -Mrs. Tompkins declared the child a marvel of beauty, and when the little -thing turned her dark eyes on her benefactor with a confiding smile the -lady resolved that no sorrow that she could avert should cloud the -sweet, innocent face. - -When the boys came in they began a war dance, which made the baby -scream with delight. Impetuous Oleah snatched her from his mother's lap, -and both boy and baby rolled over on the floor, fortunately not hurting -either. His mother scolded, but the baby crowed and laughed, and he -showered a hundred kisses on the little white face. - -A boy about twelve years of age was coming down the lane. He entered the -gate and was coming towards the house. Mr. Tompkins, who was in the -sitting-room, in a moment recognized the boy as Crazy Joe, and told his -wife about the unfortunate lad. He met the boy on the porch. - -"How do you do, Joe?" he asked, extending his hand. - -"I am well," Joe answered. "Have you seen my father Jacob or my brother -Benjamin?" - -"No, they have not yet come," answered the planter. - -For several years after, Joe was a frequent visitor. There was no -moment's lapse of his melancholy madness, which yet seemed to have a -peculiar method in it, and the mystery that hid his past but deepened -and intensified. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -DINNER TALK. - - -America furnishes to the world her share of politicians. The United -States, with her free government, her freedom of thought, freedom of -speech and freedom of press, is prolific in their production. One who -had given the subject but little thought, and no investigation, would be -amazed to know their number. Nearly every boy born in the United States -becomes a politician, with views more or less pronounced, and the -subject is by no means neglected by the feminine portion of the -community. That part of Virginia, the scene of our story, abounded with -"village tavern and cross-roads politicians." Snagtown, on Briar creek, -was a village not more than three miles from Mr. Tompkins'. It boasted -of two taverns and three saloons, where loafers congregated to talk -about the weather, the doings in Congress, the terrible state of the -country, and their exploits in catching "runaway niggers." A large per -cent of our people pay more attention to Congressional matters than to -their own affairs. We do not deny that it is every man's right to -understand the grand machinery of this Government, but he should not -devote to it the time which should be spent in caring for his family. -Politics should not intoxicate men and lead them from the paths of -honest industry, and furnish food for toughs to digest at taverns and -street corners. - -Anything which affords a topic of conversation is eagerly welcomed by -the loafer; and it is little wonder that politics is a theme that rouses -all his enthusiasm. It not only affords him food, but drink as well, -during a campaign. Many are the neglected wives and starving children -who, in cold and cheerless homes, await the return of the husband and -father, who sits, warm and comfortable, in some tavern, laying plans for -the election of a school director or a town overseer. - -Snagtown could tell its story. It contained many such neglected homes, -and the thriftless vagabonds who constituted the voting majority never -failed to raise an excitement, to provoke bitter feelings and foment -quarrels on election day. - -Plump, and short, and sleek was Mr. Hezekiah Diggs, the justice of the -peace of Snagtown. Like many justices of the peace, he brought to the -performance of his duties little native intelligence, and less acquired -erudition; but what he lacked in brains he made up in brass. He was one -of the foremost of the political gossipers of Snagtown, and had filled -his present position for several years. - -'Squire Diggs was hardly in what might be termed even moderate -circumstances, though he and his family made great pretension in -society. He was one of that rare class in Virginia--a poor man who had -managed by some inexplicable means, to work his way into the better -class of society. His wife, unlike himself, was tall, slender and sharp -visaged. Like him, she was an incessant talker, and her gossip -frequently caused trouble in the neighborhood. Scandal was seized on as -a sweet morsel by the hungry Mrs. Diggs, and she never let pass an -opportunity to spread it, like a pestilence, over the town. - -They had one son, now about twelve years of age, the joy and pride of -their hearts, and as he was capable of declaiming, "The boy stood on the -burning deck," his proud father discovered in him the future orator of -America, and determined that Patrick Henry Diggs should study law and -enter the field of politics. The boy, full of his father's conviction, -and of a conceit all his own, felt within his soul a rising greatness -which one day would make him the foremost man of the Nation. He did not -object to his father's plan; he was willing to become either a statesman -or a lawyer, but having read the life of Washington, he would have -chosen to be a general, only that there were now no redcoats to fight. -Poor as Diggs' family was, they boasted that they associated only with -the _elite_ of Southern society. - -'Squire Diggs had informed Mr. Tompkins that he and his family would pay -him a visit on a certain day, as he wished to consult him on some -political matters, and Mr. Tompkins and his hospitable lady, setting -aside social differences, prepared to make their visitors welcome. On -the appointed day they were driven up in their antiquated carriage, -drawn by an old gray horse, and driven by a negro coachman older than -either. Mose was the only slave that the 'Squire owned, and though sixty -years of age, he served the family faithfully in a multiform capacity. -He pulled up at the door of the mansion, and climbing out somewhat -slowly, owing to age and rheumatism, he opened the carriage door and -assisted the occupants to alight. - -Though Mrs. Tompkins felt an unavoidable repugnance for the gossiping -Mrs. Diggs, she was too sensible a hostess to treat an uninvited guest -otherwise than cordially. - -"I've been just dying to come and see you," said Mrs. Diggs, as soon as -she had removed her wraps and taken her seat in an easy chair, with a -bottle of smelling salts in her hand and her gold-plated spectacles on -her nose, "you have been having so many strange things happen here; and -I told the 'Squire we must come over, for I thought the drive might do -me good, and I wanted to hear all about the murder of your husband's -brother's family, and see that strange baby and the crazy boy. Isn't it -strange, though? Who could have committed that awful murder? Who put -that baby on your piazza, and who is this crazy boy?" - -Mrs. Tompkins arrested this stream of interrogatories by saying that it -was all a mystery, and they had as yet been unable to find a clew. -Baffled at the very onset in the chief object of her visit, Mrs. Diggs -turned her thoughts at once into new channels, and, graciously -overlooking Mrs. Tompkins' inability to gratify her curiosity, began to -recount the news and gossip and small scandals of the neighborhood. - -'Squire Diggs was in the midst of an animated conversation on his -favorite theme, the politics of the day. The slavery question was just -assuming prominence. Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, and others, had at -times hinted at emancipation, while John Brown and Jared Clarkson, and a -host of lesser lights, were making the Nation quake with the thunders of -their eloquence from rostrum and pulpit. 'Squire Diggs was bitter in his -denunciations of Northerners, believing that they intended "to take our -niggers from us." He invariably emphasized the pronoun, and always spoke -of _niggers_ in the plural, as though he owned a hundred instead of one. -'Squire Diggs was one of a class of people in the South known as the -most bitter slavery men, the small slaveholders--a class that bewailed -most loudly the freedom of the negro, because they had few to free. At -dinner he said: - -"Slavery is of divine origin, and all John Brown and Jared Clarkson can -say will never convince the world otherwise." - -"I sometimes think," said Mr. Tompkins, "that the country would be -better off with the slaves all in Siberia." - -"What? My dear sir, how could we exist?" cried 'Squire Diggs, his small -eyes growing round with wonder. "If the slaves were taken from us, who -would cultivate these vast fields?" - -"Do it ourselves, or by hired help," answered the planter. - -"My dear sir, the idea is impracticable," said the 'Squire, hotly. "We -cannot give up our slaves. Slavery is of divine origin. The niggers, -descending from Ham, were cursed into slavery. The Bible says so, and no -nigger-loving Abolitionist need deny it." - -"I believe my husband is an emancipationist," said Mrs. Tompkins, with -a smile. - -"I am," said Mr. Tompkins; "not so much for the slaves' good as for the -masters'. Slavery is a curse to both white and black, and more to the -white than to the black. The two races can never live together in -harmony, and the sooner they are separated the better." - -"How would you like to free them and leave them among us?" asked the -'Squire. - -"That even would be better than to keep them among us in bondage." - -"But Henry Clay, in his great speech on African colonization in the -House of Representatives, says: 'Of all classes of our population, the -most vicious is the free colored.' And, my dear sir, were this horde of -blacks turned loose upon us, without masters or overseers to keep them -in restraint, our lives would not be safe for a day. Domineering niggers -would be our masters, would claim the right to vote and hold office. -Imagine, my dear sir, an ignorant nigger holding an important office -like that of justice of the peace. Consider for a moment, Mr. Tompkins, -all of the horrors which would be the natural result of a lazy, indolent -race, incapable of earning their own living, unless urged by the lash, -being turned loose to shift for themselves. Slavery is more a blessing -to the slave than to the master. What was the condition of the negro in -his native wilds? He was a ruthless savage, hunting and fighting, and -eating fellow-beings captured in war. He knew no God, and worshiped -snakes, the sun and moon, and everything he could not understand. Our -slave-traders found him in this state of barbarism and misery. They -brought him here, and taught him to till the soil, and trained him in -the ways of peace, and led him to worship the true and living God. _Our_ -niggers now have food to eat and clothes to wear, when in their native -country they were hungry and naked. They now enjoy all the blessings of -an advanced civilization, whereas they were once in the lowest -barbarism. Set them free, and they will drift back into their former -state." - -"A blessing may be made out of their bondage," replied Mr. Tompkins. -"As Henry Clay said in the speech from which you have quoted, 'they will -carry back to their native soil the rich fruits of religion, -civilization, law and liberty. And may it not be one of the great -designs of the Ruler of the universe (whose ways are often inscrutable -by short-sighted mortals) thus to transform original crime into a single -blessing to the most unfortunate portions of the globe? But I fear we -uphold slavery rather for our own mercenary advantages than as a -blessing either to our country or to either race." - -"Why, Mr. Tompkins, you are advocating Abolition doctrine," said Mrs. -Diggs. - -"I believe I am, and that abolition is right." - -"Would you be willing to lose your own slaves to have the niggers -freed?" asked the astonished 'Squire. - -"I would willingly lose them to rid our country of a blighting curse." - -"I would not," said Mrs. Tompkins, her Southern blood fired by the -discussion. "My husband is a Northern man, and advocates principles that -were instilled into his mind from infancy; but I oppose abolition from -principle. Slaves should be treated well and made to know their place; -but to set them free and ruin thousands of people in the South is the -idea of fanatics." - -"I'm mamma's Democrat," said Oleah, who, seated at his mother's side, -concluded it best to approve her remarks by proclaiming his own -political creed. - -"And I am papa's Whig," announced Abner, who was at his father's side. - -"That's right, my son. You don't believe that people, because they are -black, should be bought and sold and beaten like cattle, do you?" asked -the father, looking down, half in jest and half in earnest, at his -eldest born. - -"No; set the negroes free, and Oleah and I will plow and drive wagons," -he replied, quickly. - -"You don't believe it's right to take people's property from them for -nothing and leave people poor, do you, Oleah?" asked the mother, in -laughing retaliation. - -"No, I don't," replied the young Southern aristocrat. - -"You are liable to have both political parties represented in your own -family," said 'Squire Diggs. "Here's a difference of opinion already." - -"Their differences will be easy to reconcile, for never did brothers -love each other as these do," returned Mr. Tompkins, little dreaming -that this difference of opinion was a breach that would widen, widen and -widen, separating the loving brothers, and bringing untold misery to his -peaceful home. - -"What are you in favor of, Patrick Henry?" Mrs. Diggs asked, in her -shrill, sharp tones, of her own hopeful son. - -"I'm in favor of freedom and the Stars and Stripes," answered Patrick -Henry, gnawing vigorously at the chicken bone he held in his hand. - -"He is a patriot," exclaimed the 'Squire. "He talks of nothing so much -as Revolutionary days and Revolutionary heroes. He has such a taste for -military life that I'd send him to West Point, but his mother objects." - -"Yes, I do object," put in the shrill-voiced, cadaverous Mrs. Diggs, -"They don't take a child of mine to their strict military schools. Why, -what if he was to get sick, away off there, and me here? I wouldn't stop -day or night till I got there." - -Dinner over, the party repaired to the parlor, and 'Squire Diggs asked -his son to speak "one of his pieces" for the entertainment of the -company. - -"What piece shall I say?" asked Patrick Henry, as anxious to display his -oratorical talents as his father was to have him. - -"The piece that begins, 'I come not here to talk,'" said Mrs. Diggs, her -sallow features lit up with a smile that showed the tips of her false -teeth. - -Several of the negroes, learning that a show of some kind was about to -begin in the parlor, crowded about the room, peeping in at the doors and -windows. Patrick Henry took his position in the centre of the room, -struck a pompous attitude, standing high as his short legs would permit, -and, brushing the hair from his forehead, bowed to his audience and, in -a high, loud monotone, began: - - - "I come not to talk! You know too well - The story of our thraldom. We--we--" - - -He paused and bowed his head. - -"We are slaves," prompted the mother, who was listening with eager -interest. Mrs. Diggs had heard her son "say his piece" so often that she -had learned it herself, and now served as prompter. Patrick Henry -continued: - - - "We are slaves. - The bright moon rises----" - - -"No, sun," interrupted his mother. - - - "The bright sun rises in the East and lights - A race of slaves. He sets--and the--last thing"-- - - -The young orator was again off the track. - -"And his last beam falls on a slave," again the fond mother prompted. - -By being frequently prompted, Patrick Henry managed to "speak his piece -through." - -While the mother, alert and watchful, listened and prompted, the father, -short, and sleek, and fat, leaned back in his chair, one short leg just -able to reach across the other, listening with satisfied pride to his -son's display. - -"The poor child has forgotten some of it," said the mother, at the -conclusion. - -"Yes," added the father; "he don't speak much now, and so has forgotten -a great deal that he knew." - -Mr. Tompkins and his wife, inwardly regretting that he had not forgotten -all, willingly excused Patrick Henry from any further efforts. And -though they had welcomed and entertained their guests with the cordial -Southern hospitality, they felt somewhat relieved when the Diggs -carriage, with its ancient, dark-skinned coachman, rolled away over the -hills towards Snagtown. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -MORE OF THE MYSTERY. - - -We have seen the perfect harmony which prevailed in the household of Mr. -Tompkins, though his wife and himself were of totally different -temperaments, and, on many subjects, held opposite opinions. He, with -his cool Northern blood, was careful and deliberate, slow in drawing -conclusions or forming a decision; but, once his stand was taken, firm -as a rock. She had all the quick Southern impetuosity, that at times -found rash expression, though her head was as clear and her heart as -warm as her husband's. Her prejudices were stronger than his, and her -reason was more frequently swayed by them. - -The great Missouri Compromise was supposed to have settled the question -of slavery forever, and abolition was regarded only as the dream of -visionary fanatics. Though a freeholder by birth and principle, -circumstances had made Mr. Tompkins a slave-holder. He seldom expressed -his sentiments to his Southern neighbors, knowing how repugnant they -were to their feelings; but when his opinions were asked for he always -gave them freely. The movements on the political checker-board belong -rather to history than to a narrative of individual lives, yet because -of their effect on these lives, some of the most important must be -mentioned. While the abolition party was yet in embryo, the Southern -statesmen, or many of them, seeming to read the fate of slavery in the -future, had declared that the Union of States was only a compact or -co-partnership, which could be dissolved at the option of the -contracting parties. This gave rise to the principle of States' rights -and secession, and when the emancipation of the slaves was advocated, -Southern politicians began to talk more and more of dissolution. - -Not only in political assemblies was the subject discussed, but even in -family circles, as we have seen. Mrs. Tompkins, of course, differed -from her husband on the subject of "State" rights, as she did on -slavery, and many were their debates on the theme. Their little sons, -observing their parents' interest in these questions, became concerned -themselves, and, as was very natural, took sides. Abner was the Whig and -Oleah his mother's Democrat. Still, love and harmony dwelt in that happy -household, though the prophetic ear might have heard in the distant -future the rattle of musketry on that fair, quiet lawn, and the clash of -brothers' swords in mortal combat beneath the roof which had sheltered -their infancy. - -Little did these fond parents dream of the deep root those seeds of -political difference had taken in the breasts of their children, and the -bitter fruit of misery and horror they would bear. Their lives now ran -as quietly as a meadow brook. All the long Summer days they played -without an angry word or thought, or if either was hurt or grieved a -kiss or a tender word would heal the wound. - -The tragic fate of his brother's family, and his unavailing efforts to -bring the murderers to justice, directed Mr. Tompkins' thoughts into new -channels. The strange baby grew in strength and beauty every day. Its -mysterious appearance among them continued to puzzle the family, and all -their efforts failed to bring any light on the subject. The servant to -whom was assigned the washing of the clothes the baby had on when found -was charged by her mistress to look closely for marks and letters upon -them. When her work was done, she came to Mrs. Tompkins' room, and that -lady asked: - -"Have you found anything, Hannah?" - -"Yes, missus; here am a word wif some letters in it," the woman -answered, holding up a little undershirt and pointing to some faint -lines. - -Mrs. Tompkins took the garment, which, before being washed, had been so -soiled that even more legible lines than these would have been -undistinguishable; it was of the finest linen, and faintly, yet surely, -was the word "Irene" traced with indelible ink. - -"As soon as all the clothes had been washed and dried, bring them to -me," said Mrs. Tompkins, hoping to find some other clew to the child's -parentage. - -"Yes, missus," and Hannah went back to her washing. - -"Irene," repeated Mrs. Tompkins aloud, as she looked down on the baby, -who was sitting on the rug, making things lively among a heap of toys -Abner and Oleah had placed before her. - -The baby looked up and began crowing with delight. - -"Oh, bless the darling; it knows its name!" cried Mrs. Tompkins. "Poor -little thing, it has seldom heard it lately. Irene! Irene! Irene!" - -The baby, laughing and shouting, reached out its arms to the lady, who -caught it up and pressed it to her heart. - -"Oh, mamma!" cried Oleah, running into the room, with his brother at his -heels, "me and Abner have just been talking about what to call the baby. -He wants to call it Tommy, and that's a boy's name, ain't it, mamma?" - -"Of course it is--" - -"And our baby is a girl, and must have a girl's name, musn't it, mamma?" - -"Yes." - -"I just said Tommy was a nice name; if our baby was a boy we'd call it -Tommy," explained Abner. - -"But the baby has a name--a real pretty name," said the mother. - -"A name! a name! What is it?" the brothers cried, capering about, and -setting the baby almost wild with delight. - -"Her name is Irene," said Mrs. Tompkins. - -"Oh, mamma, where did you get such a pretty name?" asked Abner. - -"Who said it was Irene?" put in Oleah. - -"I found it written on some of the clothes it wore the morning we found -it," answered the mother. - -"Then we will call it Irene," said Abner, decisively. - -"Irene! Irene! Little Irene! ain't you awful sweet?" cried the impetuous -Oleah, snatching the baby from his mother's arms and smothering its -screams of delight with kisses. So enthusiastic was the little fellow -that the baby was in peril, and his mother, spite of his protestations, -took it from him. As soon as released, little Irene's feet and hands -began to play, and she responded, with soft cooing and baby laughter, to -all the boys' noisy demonstrations. - -A youth, with large sad eyes and pale face, now entered the door. - -"Oh, come, Joe, come and see the baby!" cried Oleah. "Isn't it sweet? -Just look at its pretty bright eyes and its cunning little mouth." - -Joe had visited the plantation frequently of late, and Mr. Tompkins -having given orders that he should always be kindly treated, had finally -established himself there, and was now considered rather a member of the -household than a guest. - -The poor, insane boy came close to Mrs. Tompkins' side and looked -fixedly at the baby for a few moments. An expression of pain passed over -his face, as though some long forgotten sorrow was recalled to his mind. - -"I remember it now," he finally said. "It was at the great carnival -feast, and after the gladiators fought, this babe, which was the son of -the man who was slain, was given to the lions to devour, but although it -was cast in the den, the lions would not harm a hair of its head." - -"Oh, no, Joe; you are mistaken," said Abner; "it was Daniel who was cast -into the lions' den." - -"You are right," said Crazy Joe. "It was Daniel; but I remember this -baby. It was one of the two taken by the cruel uncle and placed in a -trough and put in the river. The river overflowed the banks and left the -babes at the root of a tree, where the wolf found them, and taking -compassion on the children, came every day and furnished them -nourishment from his own breast." - -"No, no," interrupted Abner, who, young as he was, knew something of -Roman mythology. "You are talking about Romulus and Remus." - -"Ah, yes," sighed the poor youth, striving in vain to gather up his -wandering faculties; "but I have seen this child before. If it was not -the one concealed among the bulrushes, then what can it be?" - -"It's our baby," put in Oleah, "and it wasn't in no bulrushes; it was in -the clothes-basket on the porch." - -"It was a willow ark," said Joe; "its mother hid it there, for a decree -had gone forth that all male children of the Israelites should be -exterminated--" - -"No; it was a willow basket," interrupted Oleah. "Its mother shan't -have it again. It's our little baby. This baby ain't a liverite, and it -shan't be sterminated, shall it, mamma?" - -"No, dear; no one shall harm this baby," said Mrs. Tompkins. - -"It's our baby, isn't it mamma?" - -"Yes, my child, unless some one else comes for it who has a better right -to it." - -"Who could that be, mamma?" - -"Perhaps its own father or mother might come--" - -"They shan't have it if they do," cried Oleah, stamping his little foot -resolutely on the floor. - -Joe rose from the low chair on which he had been sitting, and went out, -saying something about his father coming down into Egypt. - -"Mamma," said Abner, when Joe had gone out, "what makes him say such -strange things? He says that he is Joseph, and that his brothers sold -him into Egypt, and he calls papa the captain of the guard. He goes out -into the fields and watches the negroes work, and says he is Potiphar's -overseer, and must attend to his household." - -"Poor boy, he is insane, my son," answered Mrs. Tompkins; "he is very -unfortunate, and you must not tease him. Let him believe he is Joseph, -for it will make him feel happier to have his delusion carried out by -others." - -"The other day, when we were playing in the barn, Joe and Oleah and me, -I saw a great scar and sore place on poor Joe's head, just like some one -had struck him. I asked him what did it, and he said he fell with his -head on a sharp rock when his brothers threw him into the pit." - -Oleah now was anxious to go back to his play, and dragged his brother -out of the house to the lawn, leaving Mrs. Tompkins alone with the baby. - -Several weeks after the baby and Crazy Joe became inmates of Mr. -Tompkins' house, a man, dressed in trowsers of brown jeans and hunting -shirt of tanned deer skin, wearing a broad-brimmed hat and heavy boots, -came to the mansion. The Autumn day was delightful; it was after the -Fall rains. The Indian Summer haze hung over hill, and mountain, and -valley, and the sun glowed with mellowed splendor. The stranger carried -a rifle, from which a wild turkey was suspended, and wore the usual -bullet-pouch and powder-horn of the hunter slung across his shoulder. He -was tall and wiry, about thirty-five years of age, and, to use his own -expression, as "active as a cat and strong as a lion." - -Daniel Martin, or "Uncle Dan," as he was more generally known, was a -typical Virginia mountaineer, whose cabin was on the side of a mountain -fifteen miles from Mr. Tompkins' plantation. He was noted for his -bravery and his bluntness, and for the unerring aim of his rifle. - -He was the friend of the rich and poor, and his little cabin frequently -afforded shelter for the tourist or the sportsman. He was called "Uncle -Dan" by all the younger people, simply because he would not allow -himself to be called Mr. Martin. - -"No, siree," he would say; "no misterin' fur me. I was never brought up -to it, and I can't tote the load now." He persisted in being called -"Uncle Dan," especially by the children. "It seems more home-like," he -would say. - -Why he had not wife and children to make his cabin "home-like" was -frequently a theme for discussion among the gossips, and, as they could -arrive at no other conclusion, they finally decided that he must have -been crossed in love. - -Mr. Tompkins, who chanced to be on the veranda, observed the hunter -enter the gate, and met him with an extended hand and smile of welcome, -saying: - -"Good morning, Dan. It is so long since you have been here that your -face is almost the face of a stranger." - -"Ya-as, it's a'most a coon's age, and an old coon at that, since I been -on these grounds. How's all the folks?" he answered, grasping Mr. -Tompkins' out-stretched hand. - -"They are all well, and will be delighted to see you Dan. Come in." - -"Ye see I brought a gobbler," said Dan, removing the turkey from his -shoulder. "I thought maybe ye'd be wantin' some wild meat, and I killed -one down on the creek afore I came." - -Mr. Tompkins took the turkey, and calling a negro boy, bade him take it -to the cook to be prepared for dinner. Then he conducted his guest to -the veranda. Uncle Dan placed his long rifle and accoutrements in a far -corner, and sat down by Mr. Tompkins. - -"Wall, how's times about heah, any how, and how's politicks?" he asked, -as soon as seated. - -The mountain air in America, as in Switzerland, seems to inspire those -who breathe it with love of liberty. The dwellers on the mountains of -Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee were chiefly Abolitionists, who -hated the slave-holder as free men do tyrants, and when the great -struggle came on they remained loyal to the Government. As a rule, they -were poor, but self-respecting, possessing a degree of intelligence far -superior to that of most of the lower class of the South. - -The secret of the friendship between the planter and the hunter was that -both were, at heart, opposed to human bondage, and though they seldom -expressed their real sentiments, even when alone, each knew the other's -feelings. - -Before Mr. Tompkins could reply to the mountaineer's question, Abner and -Oleah ran up to the veranda with shouts of joy and noisy demonstrations -of welcome. Uncle Dan placed one on each knee, and for some time the -boys claimed all his attention. - -"Oh, Uncle Dan, you can't guess what we've got," Oleah cried. - -"Why, no; I can't. What is it?" asked Uncle Dan, abandoning attempt to -return to the social chat the boys had interrupted. - -"A baby! a baby!" cried Oleah, clapping his hands. - -"A baby?" repeated Uncle Dan, in astonishment. - -"Yes, sir; a bran new baby, just as sweet as it can be, too." - -The puzzled mountaineer, with a suspicious look at Mr. Tompkins, said: -"Thought ye said the folks was all well?" - -"They are," answered Mr. Tompkins, with an amused smile. - -"Dinah found the baby in a clothes-basket," put in Abner. - -"Oh, it's a nigger baby, is it?" asked Uncle Dan. - -"No, no, no; it's a white baby--a white baby," both boys quickly -replied. - -"What do the children mean?" asked Uncle Dan, bewildered, looking from -the boys to their father. - -"They mean just what they say," said Mr. Tompkins. "A baby was left at -our door a short time ago in the clothes-basket by some unknown person." - -"Don't you want to see it, Uncle Dan?" Master Oleah eagerly asked. - -"To be sure I do. I always liked babies; they are the perfection o' -innocence." - -Before he had finished his sentence, Oleah had climbed down from his -knee, and was scampering away toward the nursery. Abner was not more -than two seconds in following him. - -"Wall, now, see heah," said the hunter; "while them young rattletraps is -gone, jest tell me what all this means. Hez someone been increasin' yer -family by leavin' babies a layin' around loose, or is it a big doll some -one haz give the boys?" - -"It's just as the boys say," Mr. Tompkins answered. "Some one did -actually leave a baby about six months old on this porch, and no one -knows who he was, where he came from, or where he went." - -"That's mighty strange. How long ago was it?" - -"About six weeks." - -"Wall, now, ain't that strange? Have you any suspicion who done it?" - -"Not the least." - -"Wall, it is strange. Never saw no un sneakin' about the house, like?" - -"No one at all." - -"Humph! Well, it's dog gone strange." - -At this moment the two boys, with Dinah in attendance, came out, bearing -between them little Irene. - -"Here it is; here is our baby! Ain't she sweet, though?" cried Oleah, as -they bore their precious burden toward the mountaineer. - -"Why it's a spankin' big un, by jingo! Ya-as, an' I be blessed ef I -ain't seen that baby before," cried Uncle Dan. - -"Where?" asked Mr. Tompkins, eagerly. - -Uncle Dan took the little thing on his lap, and, as it turned its large -dark-gray eyes up to his in wonder, he reflected a few minutes in -silence and then said: - -"I saw a baby what looked like this, and I'll bet a good deal it is the -same one, too." - -"Where did you see it?" again demanded the planter. - -"That's jest what I'm tryin' to think up," said Uncle Dan. "Oh, yes; it -war in the free nigger's cabin, on the side o' the east Twin Mountain. -You know where the old cabin stands, where we used to camp when we war -out huntin'!" - -"Yes." - -"Wall, I war roamin' by there one day, and found two nigger men and a -woman livin' there. They had this baby with them, and I questioned them -as to where they war gwine, but one nigger, who had a scar slaunch-ways -across his face," here the narrator made an imaginary mark diagonally -across his left cheek to indicate what he meant by "slaunch-ways," "said -they war gwine to live thar. I asked 'em whar they got the baby, and -they said its people war dead, and they war to take it to some of its -relations. I left 'em soon, for I couldn't git much out o' them, but I -detarmined to keep an eye on 'em. The next time I came by that way they -were gone, bag and baggage." - -"The free nigger's cabin is at least twenty miles from here," said Mr. -Tompkins. "It is strange why they should bring the baby all that way -here and leave it." - -"It do look strange, but I guess they war runaway niggers what had stole -the child out of spite, and when they got heah give out an' left it. I -kinder think these niggers war from the South." - -"Have you ever seen or heard of them since?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"Neither har nor hide." - -At this moment a stranger to Uncle Dan came sauntering up the lawn, and, -stepping on the porch, addressed them with: - -"Can you tell me where my brothers feed their flocks?" - -"He's crazy," whispered Abner to the hunter. "He's crazy, and mamma says -pretend as if he was talking sense." - -"Oh, they are out thar somewhar on the hills, I reckin'," Uncle Dan -answered. - -Joe looked at the mountaineer for a moment, carefully examining the -hunting jacket of tanned skins, the hair of which formed an ornamental -fringe, and then said: - -"I know you now. You are my Uncle Esau; but why should you be here in -Egypt? It was you who grew angry with my father because he got your -birthright for a mess of potage. You sought to slay him and he fled. -Have you come to mock his son?" - -"Oh, no, youngster; yer pap and me hev made up that little fuss long -ago. I forgive him that little steal, an' now we ar' all squar' agin." - -"But why are you in Egypt? You must be very old. My father, who is -younger than you, is old--bowed down--" - -"Poor boy," said Mr. Tompkins, with a sigh, "he has been a close -student, and perhaps that was what turned his head." - -"Does he ever git rantankerous?" asked Uncle Dan. - -"No; he is always mild and harmless." - -"Have you seen my father?" Joe now asked. "He has long white hair and -snowy beard." - -"No, youngster; I ain't got a sight o' the old man fur some time," said -Uncle Dan. - -"Potiphar resembles my father, but my father must be dead," and he sank -into a chair, with a sad look of despair, and, burying his face in his -hands, groaned as if in pain. - -"He does that way a dozen times a day," Abner whispered to Uncle Dan. - -"It's maughty strange," said Uncle Dan, shaking his head in a puzzled -manner. - -The next day, when the mountaineer was about to return to his lonely -cabin, Crazy Joe asked permission to accompany his Uncle Esau. Consent -was given, and he went and stayed several weeks. For years afterward he -stayed alternate on Mr. Tompkins' plantation and at the home of the -mountaineer. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE MUD MAN. - - -Sixteen years, with all their joys and sorrows, all their pleasures and -pains, have been numbered with the dead past. Boys have grown to be men, -men in the full vigor of their prime have grown old, and creep about -with bent forms and heads whitening, while men who were old before now -slumber with the dead. Girls are women, and women have grown gray, yet -father Time has touched gently some of his children. - -Abner and Oleah Tompkins are no longer boys. Only the memory is left -them of their childhood joys, when they played in the dark, cool woods, -or by the brook in the wide, smooth lawn. Happy childhood days, when -neither care nor anxiety weighed on their young hearts, or shadowed -their bright faces. - -Abner is twenty-five--a tall, powerful man, with dark-blue, fearless -eyes, light-haired, broad-chested and muscular. - -Oleah, two years younger, and not quite so tall, is yet in physical -strength his brother's equal. He has the dark hair and large, dark, -lustrous eyes of his Southern mother. - -The brothers were alike and yet dissimilar. They had shared equally the -same advantages; they had played together and studied together. -Playmates in their childhood, friends as well as brothers in their young -manhood, no one could question a doubt of their brotherly love. Where -one had been, the other had always been at his side. No slightest -difference had ever yet ruffled the smooth surface of their existence. -Yet they were dissimilar in temperament. Abner was slow and cool, but -perhaps more determined than his brother, and his reason predominated -over his prejudice. Oleah was rash, impetuous and bold, and more liable -to be moved by prejudice or passion than by reason. Abner was the exact -counterpart of his Northern father, Oleah of his Southern mother. - -Their political sympathies were different as their dispositions. -Although of the same family, they had actually been taught opposite -political creeds--one parent in a half-playful way, unconsciously -advocating one idea; the other as firmly and unconsciously upholding -another, and it was quite natural that the children should follow them. -But this difference of opinion had bred no discord. - -Sixteen years have wrought a wonderful change in Irene, the foundling. -Her parentage is still a mystery, and she bears the name of her foster -parents. She is just budding into womanhood, and a beautiful woman she -promises to make--slender and graceful, her small, shapely head crowned -with dark brown hair, her cheeks dimpling with smiles, mouth and chin -firm and clear-cut and large, dark-gray eyes beneath arching brows and -long silken lashes filled with a world of tenderness. - -Irene could not have been loved more tenderly by the planter and his -wife had she been their own child. They lavished care and affection upon -her and filled her life with everything that could minister to her -comfort and delight, and every one knew that they would make generous -provision for the little waif who had gained so sure a place in their -hearts. - -Sixteen years had made some change in the planter. His hair had grown -whiter, his brow more furrowed with care, and he went about with a heavy -cane; yet he was vigorous and energetic. He had grown more corpulent, -and his movements were less brisk than of yore. Father Time had dealt -leniently with his wife. Her soft, dark hair was scarcely touched with -silver; her cheeks were smooth and her eyes were still bright and -lustrous. Her voice had lost none of its silver ring, her manner none of -its queenly grace. - -No ray of light had pierced the darkened mind of Crazy Joe. All these -long, weary years he had been waiting, waiting, waiting, for his father -Jacob to come down into Egypt, but he came not. He still talked as if it -was but yesterday that he had been cast into the pit by his brethren, -and then taken out and sold into Egypt. He spent his time in turns at -the planter's and Uncle Dan's cabin. He was well known throughout the -neighborhood, and pitied and kindly treated by all. His strange -hallucination, although causing pain and perplexity to his shattered -mind, worked no change in his gentle disposition; his sad eyes never -flashed with anger; no emotion varied the melancholy monotone of his -voice. When at the home of the planter, Joe divided his time between the -stables, the garden and the library. He would have been a constant -reader of the Bible, Josephus, Socrates, Milton's "Paradise Lost," had -it not been discovered by Mrs. Tompkins that these books only tended to -increase the darkness in which his mind was shrouded, and she had them -kept from him. At Uncle Dan's mountain home he passed his time in -hunting and trapping, becoming expert in both. - -Sixteen years had wrought a great change in Uncle Dan, bowing his tall -and sinewy form. His face, which he had always kept smooth shaven, had -grown sharper and thinner, and his long hair hanging about his -shoulders, had turned from black to gray; yet his eye was as true and -his hand as steady as when, in his youthful days, he carried away the -prize at the shooting match. His visits to the plantation became more -frequent and his stays longer, for the old man grew lonesome in his hut, -and he was ever a welcome guest at the Tompkins mansion. - -Sixteen years had made a wonderful transformation in the politics of the -country. The Whig party had been swallowed up by the Republican or -Abolition organization. The seeds of freedom, sown by Clarkson, Brown -and others, had taken root, and, in the Fall of 1860, bade fare to ripen -into a bounteous harvest. The Southern feeling against the North had -grown more and more bitter, and the low, rumbling thunders of a mighty -storm might have been heard--a storm not far distant, and whose fury -naught but the blood of countless thousands could assuage. - -"In the beginning, God created Heaven and the earth, and all that was in -them, in six days, and rested on the seventh." - -The speaker was Crazy Joe, the time, midsummer of 1860, the place the -banks of a creek at the foot of the mountains, not more than two or -three hundred feet from Uncle Dan's cabin. - -"Then the book says God made man out of clay. Josephus says he called -the first man Adam, because Adam means red, and He made him out of red -clay. Now, if man could once be made out of clay, why not now? Maybe God -will let me make a man, too." - -Filling his hands with mud, he set vigorously to work. No sculptor could -have been more in earnest than was Crazy Joe. He rolled and patted the -mud into shape, first the feet, then the legs, then the body. -Occasionally the body would tumble down, but he patiently set to work -again, persevering until he had body, arm and head all completed. His -mud man was a little over five feet in height, and greatly admired by -his maker and owner. - -"Now I have accomplished almost as much as God did," soliloquized Joe. -"I have made a man of clay; it only remains for him to speak and move, -and he will be equal to any of us." - -He went to the cabin and acquainted Uncle Dan with the wonderful work he -had performed, and asked him to come and see it. The next day he went to -view the object of poor Joe's two days' labor, greatly to Joe's delight. -Uncle Dan then returned to his cabin for his gun, and Joe went to -Snagtown, which was between Mr. Tompkins' plantation and the hunter's -cabin. - -Joe there informed the storekeeper, the village postmaster, and a few -others, of his remarkable piece of handiwork, and asked them to come and -see it. They promised to go the next day, if Joe would stay all night in -the village. - -Joe stayed, and that night there came a heavy rain. The creek overflowed -and Joe's mud man was washed away. He conducted a party of hunters to -the spot next morning, but the man of clay had vanished. - -"He must have walked away," said Joe shaking his head in a puzzled -manner. "He has gone off, though I cautioned him to wait until I came -back." - -The hunting party explained to Joe that his mud man had become tired of -waiting, and left, and went off themselves, leaving the mortified Joe -searching about the soft soil for tracks of the missing mud man. His -search for the trail took him to Snagtown. - -Patrick Henry Diggs, whom we met in his boyhood as the youthful orator -at Mr. Tompkins' was, in 1860, a lawyer. His parents were dead, leaving -him a limited education, a superficial knowledge of law, and a very -small property. The paternal homestead was mortgaged, but Mr. Diggs -still kept old Mose, for the sake of being a slaveholder and maintaining -aristocratic appearance. Mr. Diggs had but little practice, and found it -a difficult thing to make his own living. He was about twenty-eight -years old, short and plump like his father. The most peculiar portion of -his anatomy was his head. The forehead was low, and the small round head -more nearly resembled a cocoanut painted white, with hair on its top, -than anything else to which we can compare it. The hair was very thick -and cut very short. The eyebrows were heavy and close together, the eyes -dark gray and restless, the nose small and straight. The most admirable -portion of his physiognomy, Mr. Diggs thought, were his side-whiskers, -which were short and dark, growing half-way down his small, red cheeks -and coalescing with his short mustache. Mr. Diggs was exceedingly -aristocratic, and wore gold-rimmed spectacles on his short nose. These -glasses, which gave him a ridiculous appearance, were removed when he -wanted to read or exercise his unobstructed vision. His friends tried to -persuade him to give them up, but in vain. And with his glasses on his -nose, his head thrown back in order to see persons of ordinary height, -and his fat little hands in his pockets, he strutted about the streets -of Snagtown. - -Mr. Diggs, like his father, was a politician. In the campaign of 1860 he -was a candidate for the district attorneyship of his county. His dingy -little office, with its scant furniture and exceedingly small library, -was deserted, and he spent most of his time on the streets, discussing -the political issues. On the day that Crazy Joe was in search of his mud -man, Mr. Diggs, as usual was strutting about the streets, his hands in -his pockets, his glasses mounted on his nose, wherefrom a very evident -string extended to his neck. - -"I tell you," said Mr. Diggs, closing his little fat right hand and -striking therewith the palm of his little fat left hand, "I tell you, -sir, I--I do not favor outlawry, but I do believe one would be doing our -country a service by hanging every man who votes or attempts to vote the -Abolition ticket." - -"Oh, no, Mr. Diggs," said Abner Tompkins, who chanced that day to be in -Snagtown, and overheard the remark; "the ballot is a constitutional -privilege, and no man should be deprived of his right." - -"Yes--ahem--ahem! but you see, when there is a man on the track who, if -elected, will set all _our_ niggers free, we should object. You -know--no, you don't know, but _we lawyers_ all know--that private -property can not be taken for public use without a just compensation, -and still the Abolition candidate will violate this portion of our -constitutional law." - -"You don't know yet; Mr. Lincoln has not yet declared what he will do," -replied Abner. - -"Has not? Hem, hem, hem!" Mr. Diggs stumped about furiously, his head -inclined backward in order to see his companion's face through his -ornamental glasses, while he cleared his throat for a fresh burst of -thunder. "Has not, hey? Hem, hem! He might as well. We all know what he -will do if elected. And I'll tell you something more," he added, walking -back and forth, his hands plunged in his pockets, while seeming to grow -more and more furious, "if Lincoln is elected there will be _war_!" -(Great emphasis on the last word.) - -At this moment Crazy Joe, who had reached the village in search of his -mud man, came up to the excited Diggs, and, laying his hand on his arm, -in a very serious voice said: - -"Say, why didn't you stay where I put you until I showed you?" - -"What do you mean?" demanded Mr. Diggs, pausing in his agitated walk, -and gazing furiously into the lunatic's face, for he suspected some one -of attempting to play a joke on him. - -"What made you go away before I showed you?" said Joe, earnestly, gazing -down upon the furious little fellow. - -"I--I don't understand what you mean," said the puzzled Mr. Diggs, -drawing himself up to his full height, which was hardly imposing. - -"When I make a man of mud, and go off and leave him, to get people to -come and look at him, I don't want him to go off, as you did, before I -come back." - -Abner Tompkins, and several others, who had heard the story of Joe's mud -man, were now almost bursting with suppressed merriment. - -"I can't tell what the deuce you mean?" said the angry Mr. Diggs. - -"I made you out of mud and clay, and left you standing by the big tree -at the creek while I went to get some people to show you to, that I -might convince them that man was made out of clay, but before I got back -you walked off. Now, why didn't you stay until I showed you?" - -The men gathered about Mr. Diggs could no longer restrain themselves, -and burst into peals of laughter, which made Mr. Diggs furious. - -"This is some trick you are playing," he cried, and, turning upon his -heel, he strutted away to his office, where he shut himself up for the -next two hours. - -The joke spread rapidly, and in two hours every one in the village knew -that Crazy Joe claimed Mr. Diggs as his mud man; while poor Joe, -satisfied that he had found the object of his creation, consented to go -home with Abner. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A TRANSITION PERIOD. - - -All Snagtown was astonished one day when a flaring handbill announcing -that Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas would speak in that -unpretentious little village. Their presence there was due to the -accident of missing connections in passing from one city to another. - -It would have been hard to say whether the citizens of Snagtown were -more astonished or indignant. A public meeting was called the day before -the Abolitionists were advertised to speak, to determine what means -could be taken in this emergency. The Mayor presided, and the residents, -not only of the village, but of all the surrounding country, were urged -to be present. - -"I tell you, gentlemen--hem! hem!--it will never do," said Mr. Diggs, as -he strutted about, his glasses on his nose, casting upward glances into -the faces of those who were discussing the question. "Hem! hem! hem! I -tell you it will not do at all," and he expectorated spitefully upon the -pavement. "We must prevent Lincoln's speaking here, if we have to mob -him. He comes not only to deprive us of our slaves, but to destroy the -flag of Washington and Marion, the glorious Stars and Stripes! I, for -one, am in favor of saying he shall not speak." - -"So am I," said another. - -"And so am I," said a third. - -"And I, and I, and I," came responses from many voices. - -"Hem, hem, hem!" began Mr. Diggs, shrugging his shoulders, and moving -about furiously, indicating thereby how much in earnest he had become. -"I tell you we must not permit it. Why, it's treason. Yes, sir; he -teaches treason, and it's our duty, as law-abiding citizens, not to -permit him to speak." - -"Well, now, do you make them pints, when we have our meetin' to-morrow -night," said an illiterate Virginian. - -"Hem, hem, hem!" began Mr. Diggs, thrusting his hands deep into his -pockets, his head on one side, kicking his feet alternately one against -the other. "I will. Hem, hem! I am going to make a speech just about an -hour long--ha! ha! ha!--so that no one else will get a chance to put in -a word, and we shall have it all our own way." The young lawyer, highly -pleased with the favor that he flattered himself he was gaining -politically, finished his sentence with a gleeful chuckle, and strutted -about, swelling with his own importance. - -All over the village could be seen groups of men, from five to twenty in -number, discussing the propriety of allowing "Abe Lincoln" to speak in -the village. A majority seemed opposed to it, and a few of the more -reckless spirits talked of tar and feathers and fence rails. - -The evening for the public meeting, which was to decide the -all-important question, arrived. The town hall was crowded to its utmost -capacity. Mr. Tompkins and his two sons were present, and so was Uncle -Dan, the mountaineer. The meeting was called to order and the Mayor took -the chair. He was a man past the meridian of life, a slaveholder and a -royal Southerner. The long, white beard falling down upon his breast -gave him a patriarchal look. - -The uproar and confusion of tongues were hushed, and all awaited the -speaker in anxious silence. - -A call was made on any one present to state the object of the meeting. A -man sprang at once to his feet, and succinctly informed the chairman -that the "object of this meetin' is to determine the question whether or -not it is best to 'low Abraham Lincoln, the great Abolitionist, to speak -in the town. I believe them's all the pints to be discussed," and he sat -down. Another and more voluble speaker arose and addressed the meeting. -He was of the class called "fire-eaters," and was strongly and directly -opposed to Lincoln's visit to Snagtown. His speech was replete with the -vilest vituperations his brain could conceive, or his tongue utter, -against the Republican party. He regarded them as robbers, as enemies -who should be shot down at sight, and he was in favor of greeting Abe -Lincoln with tar and feathers if he dared show himself in Snagtown. - -Several others spoke in the same vein, and then Mr. Diggs rose. His -speech of an hour proved not half so long. It was full of empty-sounding -words and borrowed ideas, for there was little originality about Mr. -Diggs. - -All, so far, had been against the proposed debate between Lincoln and -Douglas, but now a man rose in the audience whose word always carried -weight. It was Mr. Tompkins, the planter. - -"Mr. Chairman," he began, in even, modulated tones, "I am, indeed, -surprised that men of intelligence should give vent to such expressions -and such feelings as we have heard this evening--men who know the law, -and claim to be law abiding citizens. Are we savages or border -ruffians, that we must be swayed and controlled by mob law? Have we not -a Constitution and Constitutional privileges? Have we not statute laws -to protect us against wrongs which others may inflict? Then why resort -to mob law? Why disgrace our fair State and put the blush of shame on -all good citizens by attacking, like outlaws, a stranger among us? Our -Constitution gives to all freedom of speech, and we have no right to -deny any man this Constitutional privilege." - -Mr. Tompkins proceeded quietly but forcibly, pointing out to the -malcontents the error of their plans. In conclusion, he said: - -"I may be the only one in the house who opposes these views, but as one -I say this, though I be alone. I will oppose with violence the attempt -to injure Mr. Lincoln. You are not compelled to vote for him, even to -hear him speak; but if Mr. Lincoln comes here, by Heaven! he shall -speak." - -"So say I, an' I swar if any sorry hound attempts the mobbin' business, -he'll have to cross my carcass fust." The speaker was Uncle Dan, and as -he spoke he drew up his tall figure by the side of Mr. Tompkins, holding -his ominous-looking rifle in his hand. - -Abner also rose and took his place at his father's side, but Oleah kept -his seat. This was the first visible difference of opinion between the -brothers. - -Several who had been emboldened by Mr. Tompkins' words now declared that -they thought it best not to oppose Mr. Lincoln's speaking there, as it -would increase his popularity in other localities. - -One or two of the more fiery replied, maintaining that their case was -beyond the remedy of civil law; that mob law was the only law which -should be meted out to scoundrels and Abolition thieves, and if some of -the citizens intended to espouse the cause of Abe Lincoln, and fight for -him, now was as good as any to settle the matter. A riot seemed -inevitable, but a laughable event now happened, changing anger into -mirth. - -Mr. Diggs, fearing that his legal knowledge would be called into -question, now rose and said: - -"I wish to make one other statement, in order to put myself right -before the people. I knew the Constitutional law referred to by Mr. -Tompkins, giving every man freedom of speech, and I can give you the -book and the page--" - -"Oh, you need not," said a wag in the audience. "Answer this question -instead: Are you Crazy Joe's mud man, and why did you leave before he -came back to exhibit you?" - -"Oh, stop that nonsense! I came here to talk sense, not to hear of a -fool's ravings," cried the indignant Mr. Diggs. - -But everybody had heard the story of the mud man, and hostile feelings -now gave way to laughter. The laugh was kept up until Mr. Diggs became -enraged and left the assembly, swearing that they were "all a pack of -fools." - -A compromise was effected. Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas were to be -permitted to speak in a grove near the village, but not in the village -itself. The next day Mr. Tompkins and Abner, and a few others, with the -aid of their negroes, erected a speaker's stand, and arranged seats for -an audience of over two thousand persons. There were still low murmurs -of discontent, but the most bitter malcontents had been overawed by the -firm stand taken by Mr. Tompkins. Many others had caught his spirit, and -defied the hostile threats of the opponents of free speech. - -The occasion had been so thoroughly advertised by the meeting and the -threats and opposition of those who wanted to prevent it, that the whole -country for miles around turned out. People on foot, on horseback, in -carriages and in wagons, came until thousands were assembled on the -spot, many prompted by curiosity to see the bold Abolitionist who dared -invade the sacred soil of Virginia and propound his infamous doctrine. - -About ten o'clock two carriages rolled in from the nearest railroad -station, bearing the two disputants, with friends of each in attendance. -There was an eager craning of necks, and a hushed whisper went through -that vast audience as the two opponents for the highest political honors -of the country descended from the carriage. - -"Who are they?" "Where are they?" "Is that big, -two-hundred-and-fifty-pounder Douglas?" "Is that short, stout-built man -with big burnsides Lincoln?" and a hundred other questions of a like -character were asked. - -A few preliminaries were arranged. Mr. George Washington Tompkins was -chosen chairman, and took his place on the stand. Two New York reporters -were present with note-books and pencils. - -The first speaker introduced was Mr. Stephen A. Douglas. His -speech--eloquent, patriotic and straightforward--generously concluded -with an exhortation to the audience to listen calmly, without any -expression of bitterness, to his opponent, who chanced to differ from -him on the great question of the day. When Mr. Douglas took his seat, -Mr. Tompkins rose and introduced Mr. Abraham Lincoln, a tall man, -wearing short, dark whiskers on his chin, and with hair slightly -streaked with gray. - -A subdued hiss from many lips was heard as the great "Abolition -candidate" arose. - -After a smile as of compassion upon his audience, Mr. Lincoln began -speaking. He talked mildly and candidly, yet freely, notwithstanding the -feeling evinced by some of his hearers. Those deep, rich tones rang -through the surrounding grove as he clearly and forcibly expounded the -principles of the Republican party, showing them to have been either -misunderstood or misrepresented by his opponent. Many who had come to -prevent the hated Abolitionist from speaking now listened with interest. -This was not such iniquitous doctrine after all. Every point made by Mr. -Douglas was successfully met, and his own argument arrayed against him. -Mr. Lincoln spoke for two hours, and at the conclusion of his address -his bitter enemies were forced to admit that he was a man of immense -power. His oratory was so grandly sublime in effect that when he took -his seat an outbreak of applause, which could not be suppressed, could -not be restrained, burst from the spell-bound audience. - -Mr. Tompkins went to the meeting a Douglas man, but he left with the -full determination to vote for Abraham Lincoln at the coming Fall -election, as did Uncle Dan and many others. This was truly a transition -period, as the whole world was to learn in a few short months. The Whig -party was dwindling away, and slavery was withered and scorched before -the fiery eloquence of Lincoln, Sumner, and other similar orators. -Freedom was dawning, but it was to be ushered in with fire, and sword, -and death. - -Mr. Tompkins and his sons were late in coming home that evening. Abner -and Oleah sat side by side in the family carriage, yet neither spoke. -Hitherto, every event had been fully discussed; every feeling shared by -the brothers; but a silence that was almost coolness now sealed their -lips. A thousand conflicting thoughts swept through their minds. - -Abner was convicted, converted, by the new doctrine to which he had -listened, and the melodious voice of the orator was still ringing in his -ears as the carriage rolled homeward. He still seemed to see the tall, -rugged form and plain face, lit up with something rarer than beauty by -his eloquent pleading for four millions of enslaved human beings. - -Oleah was in a gloomy mood. He had listened with angry impatience to the -exposition of views so different from his own, and that his father -should have presided over the meeting, and stood openly side by side -with the Abolitionist, stung his Southern prejudices and vexed him to -the soul. - -The trio were driven home in silence, and parted for the night, without -any reference to the events of the day. - -At the table the next morning the discussion of the day before was first -alluded to. Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins, Abner and Oleah, sat for some moments -in silence--a silence both painful and awkward, and, in this family -circle, unusual; but Irene entered the breakfast room, bright and -unconscious, eager to know all that had passed at Snagtown the day -before. - -"We heard an excellent speech," said Abner. - -"Yes; Douglas did well," put in Oleah. - -"I mean Mr. Lincoln," said Abner. "Douglas' speech was good, but his -position was entirely demolished by Mr. Lincoln's eloquent reasoning." - -"You don't call the harangue of that contemptible old demagogue -reasoning, do you?" asked Oleah, astonished and indignant. - -"I certainly do," replied Abner. "His reasoning appeared to me clear, -and his conclusions logical." - -"And I," cried Oleah, laying down his knife and fork in his excitement, -"I declare I never before heard so much sophistry, and not very -plausible sophistry, either." - -"You are prejudiced," said Abner, coolly. - -"It is you who are prejudiced. Why he actually asserted we would be more -prosperous if there was not a slave in the United States." - -"Yes, and proved his assertion," said Abner. - -"Oh, you let him pull the wool over your eyes." There was a sneer in his -voice. "I tell you there was neither logic nor reason in what he said. -No logical conclusions can be drawn from false premises; no assertions -can stand unsupported by proof." - -"What did he assert that he did not prove?" asked Abner. - -"What did he prove that he asserted?" - -"You evade my question by asking another." - -"Precisely the same plan Mr. Lincoln adopted," replied Oleah. - -"You are prejudiced against Mr. Lincoln, Oleah. Now, tell me what he -said that any fair-minded man in the world can not agree to?" - -"He said that slavery should not wither and blight another inch of -territory if he could help it." - -"What objection can even a believer in slavery have to that? We have an -immense scope of country where slavery is permitted; then why extend it -to Territories where it is unpopular?" - -"But can you not see what lies in the background?" said Oleah, bitterly. -"Mr. Lincoln lifted the curtain high enough for one who was not blinded -by his eloquence to see what was behind it. I would not fear to wager -everything I own that Mr. Lincoln, if elected, will set free every slave -in the United States, before he has been in the presidential chair a -twelvemonth." - -"Did he not say that such emancipation would be unwise policy?" - -"He said so, but his tone and manner belied his words." - -"Confess now, Oleah, that you are a little prejudiced against Mr. -Lincoln," said the father, good-humoredly. - -"You may call it prejudice or what you like, father," Oleah answered, -his flushed face showing how deep was his feeling; "but if Mr. Lincoln -is elected you will not have a nigger when his term is over, if he -should be permitted to take his seat." - -"Why, my son, you can't think he would not be permitted to take his -seat?" - -"That is a question, father. Each State has its rights. Southern people -have rights, and rather than be cheated of them they may resort to -force." - -"Now, Oleah," said Abner, "you don't for a moment suppose that if Mr. -Lincoln should be chosen President by the voters of the United States, -that any considerable body of intelligent people could be found who -would be unfair enough, or foolhardy enough, to attempt to prevent him -from taking his seat?" - -"I certainly do," answered Oleah, with an air of conviction. - -"You are a Democrat; do you not hold with us Democrats that the majority -should rule?" - -"That has nothing to do with it," said Oleah, hotly. "The North and the -East outnumber the South, and they have formed a combination for her -ruin, and the impoverishment of her people. They have nothing at stake -in Lincoln's election; we have everything. They have nothing to -lose--we, all. Our interests conflict. They see an opulent and growing -South, and have set their inventive Yankee genius at work to compass its -ruin. Our cotton fields, our rice fields, our sugar crops, our tobacco -crops, are the production of slave labor, and the abundant wealth of the -South excites the emulation of the cold and envious North. If they can -deprive us of this slave labor, they will have killed the goose that -lays our golden eggs, and may surpass us in wealth and power. This they -have determined to do. They have tried it by legislation, and so far -have failed. They outnumber us in votes, because there every worthless -fellow's vote counts as much as that of a Governor or a man who owns a -thousand slaves. How can they accomplish our ruin? By electing as -president a man whose every breath is poison to slavery; a man who may, -at any time, under the fancied exigencies of the moment, declare all -slaves free. Their plans are deep and shrewd, but there are heads in the -South as wise as theirs, and eyes that can see the danger in time to -avert it." - -"You are crazy, Oleah," said Abner; "your very words are treason." - -"If treason, then his mother is infected with the same disease, and, in -the language of Patrick Henry, 'If this be treason, make the most of -it,'" said Mrs. Tompkins, with a laugh, in which all joined. - -"I am sure we ought to get at the truth of this question," said Mr. -Tompkins; "we have both sides represented." - -"Who will judge between us?" asked Mrs. Tompkins. - -"All have taken sides except Irene. Which side are you on?" asked Oleah. - -"I know nothing about either side," the girl answered, lightly; "so how -can I choose?" - -Mrs. Tompkins' love for her sunny land was next in her heart to her love -for her husband, and forced her to espouse a cause which, to her, seemed -patriotic. This was the only question on which she and her husband -differed, and it was avoided by both as much as possible, yet sometimes, -in spite of their precautions, it would creep into their family -conversations. - -"Irene is the proper one to act as judge," said Abner. - -"Why?" Irene lifted her eyes in wonder. - -"Because you know nothing about it." - -"Do they make the best judges who know the least?" - -"Frequently; and a juror who knows anything of the case he is to pass a -verdict on is incompetent, so you are a competent juror, any way, Irene; -and as one woman is equal to twelve men you can complete the entire -panel." - -"I beg pardon of the court," said Irene, rising from the table, "but I -can not sit on this jury. I am prejudiced on both sides. I have friends -on both sides, and I could not render an unbiased verdict." - -"That's no excuse," said Abner. - -"If it's not, the new piece of music you bought me is, so I leave you -to your discussion, and hope you may effect a happy compromise." She was -gone. - -There was a moment's silence, and then the rippling music of her voice -filled the halls and rooms of the great house. - -"I wish the name she bears was rightfully hers, though I am glad she is -not my sister," Abner said to himself. The same thought flashed through -Oleah's mind, and, as usual, the mobile face betrayed his thoughts. -Every one seemed always to understand his feelings. - -Irene had just returned from school, an accomplished beauty and an -acknowledged belle. - -No wonder strange emotions stirred the hearts of the brothers, and that -thoughts gained entrance in their breasts which might prove more -disastrous than mere political differences. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE ELECTION AND THE RESULT. - - -The election of 1860 was an exciting one. No means were spared to poll -every possible vote. Lincoln was the Republican candidate, Douglas a -Northern, and Breckinridge a Southern Democrat, and Bell the Whig and -"Know-Nothing" candidate, and all four parties worked vigorously. - -Mr. Tompkins and his sons reached Snagtown early in the morning. The -village was already alive with the stir and excitement. The polls opened -at sunrise, and men were soon crowding around them, quarreling, -disputing, joking. The morning air was crisp and frosty, and the people -were compelled to walk about briskly to keep from being chilled. - -A dirty faced urchin, with a pumpkin under one arm and some turnips -under the other, paused in front of the polls, and, stretching out his -neck like a young rooster achieving his first crow, bawled out: - -"Hurrah for Douglas!" - -It was the first patriotic wave which had caused an undulation of his -infantile breast. - -There chanced to be another boy, more dirty than the first, sitting on a -fence near by gnawing an apple-core. His "pa" was a Breckinridge man, -and, regarding this outburst as a challenge, he threw away the -apple-core and fell with fury upon him of the pumpkin and turnips. -Coming head first into the stomach of the Douglasite, he sent boy, -pumpkin, and turnips into the gutter. - -The enraged young Douglasite scrambled to his feet, and, leaving his -vegetables behind, started in hot pursuit of the now fleeing -Breckinridgeite, while shouts and cheers went up from the many -spectators. - -Mr. Diggs came along, engaged in conversation with a farmer whom he was -trying to persuade to vote for himself and Breckinridge, for Mr. Diggs -was a candidate for the office of District Attorney. On account of his -small stature, the candidate was compelled to walk with upturned face, -in order to watch the effect of his words upon the tall Virginian. The -sidewalk being crowded, they had taken the middle of the street, and Mr. -Diggs struck his toe with such force against the abandoned pumpkin that -he was thrown down, and, falling on the pumpkin, he rolled with it into -the gutter, which was half full of mud and water. Shouts and yells of -laughter greeted Mr. Diggs as he scrambled to his feet and picked up the -glasses which he had lost in his fall. - -"By jingo, Diggs, ye look like Crazy Joe's mud man now!" cried some one -from the crowd. - -This was too much for the candidate, and, with something very much like -an oath, he hurried away to change his clothes. - -As the day advanced, the crowd increased, and as electioneering -progressed, the crowd became very noisy. - -There was Mr. Snag, a direct descendant of the founder of Snagtown, who -claimed political honors. He was a candidate for County Judge. He had -been one of the pioneers, had fought Indians, bears, wolves, panthers, -and rattlesnakes, to establish this growing country. He had always been -the workingman's friend, and was now ready to sacrifice himself on the -official altar. - -Mr. Snag had been a clothing merchant, noted for close dealings with his -customers and oppression of his employes; but two or three months before -he announced himself a candidate, a change came over him. His harshness -of voice and manner grew subdued. He became not agreeable only, but -accommodating and charitable. He attended church and the bar-rooms -regularly, and was developing into a general favorite. He was welcomed -in the most select circles, yet he was not exclusive. No man was too -ragged, too dirty, or too drunk to cause Mr. Snag to be ashamed of his -society. He was more than changed; he was completely metamorphosed. - -On election day he was more affable than ever. He was at hand to lift up -a drunken rowdy who had fallen over the pumpkin, and led him at once to -the voting place, to poll his vote for himself and Breckinridge. But the -pumpkin remained. - -Later in the day, two rowdies, from the country, having imbibed too much -of the electioneering beverage, got in a quarrel. One struck the other, -and he fell by the pumpkin. A friend of the fallen man seized the -pumpkin, and broke it into fragments over the other man's head, bringing -him to the ground, of course. A general melee was averted only by the -appearance of some good-natured candidate, who tried to restore peace, -followed by a couple of constables, who at once arrested the -malcontents. - -In the afternoon Abner and Oleah went up to the polls. The two brothers -had been silent during the forenoon, both seeming to avoid the political -question which was agitating the Nation. - -"Who are you going to vote for, Abner?" asked Mr. Diggs, strutting up to -the young planter with a smile he thought becoming a District Attorney. -"Is it Breckinridge, Douglas, or constitutional unionist Bell?" - -"Neither," Abner answered. - -"Who, then, is your man?" asked the inquisitive Mr. Diggs, thrusting his -hands deep into his pockets, and tipping first on his heels then on his -toes, as he looked up, with an engaging smile, into the face of the man -before him. - -"I shall vote for Abraham Lincoln," Abner answered firmly. - -"Pshaw! you are joking," said Mr. Diggs, his little eyes twinkling -idiotically behind his glasses. - -"I was never more in earnest." - -"Why, man, they'd hang you if you voted for Lincoln!" - -"I shall risk it, at all events." - -His brother's words brought a sharp pain to Oleah's heart. He stopped -suddenly, and laid a detaining hand on Abner's arm. - -"Abner, you surely do not intend to vote for that Abolitionist?" he -said, with a ring of defiance in his voice. - -"I do," was the firm reply. - -"For heaven's sake, think what you are about. Do you want to ruin the -country?" Entreaty and distress was melting his indignation. - -"No, I want to save it," was the calm reply. - -"How can it be that you will vote for an abolitionist?" - -"Because his principles and mine are the same," said Abner, earnestly. - -The brothers were nearer a quarrel than they had ever been in their -lives. Oleah's feelings were wounded, and he turned away, leaving his -brother to go his way alone. - -But three votes were polled in Snagtown for Abraham Lincoln, and Abner -Tompkins, his father, and Uncle Dan, were supposed to have cast them. - -Late that evening Mr. Tompkins and his sons rode home. The trio were -silent and thoughtful, but they little dreamed what that day's work -would bring forth. - -Great was the consternation of the Southern leaders when the result of -the election became known. Reports were fluctuating from the first, yet -soon began to show favorable returns for Lincoln. Betting was heavy in -Snagtown. In a few days the leaders began to threaten a dissolution, -and, no sooner was it ascertained beyond a doubt that Mr. Lincoln was -elected than they proceeded to put their menaces into execution. At this -time secession was rife, the very air was full of it. Southern -politicians alleged that Mr. Lincoln was a sectional candidate, pledged -to the overthrow of slavery. On the 20th of December, 1860, a -convention in Charleston declared that "the union before existing -between South Carolina and other States, under the name of the United -States of America, was dissolved." - -By the 1st of February, 1861, through the influence of the press and the -devices of a few leaders, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, -Louisiana, and Texas, following the example of South Carolina, had -passed ordinances of secession, and their Senators and Representatives -left their seats in the American Congress. - -On the 4th of February, delegates from six of the seceded States met at -Montgomery, Alabama, and formed a union under the title of the -"Confederate States of America." For provisional President they elected -Mr. Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, who had been a Colonel of some note -in the Mexican War, a member of Pierce's cabinet, and a prominent -advocate of Southern rights in the United States Senate. - -But we must now attend to the individuals in this history, whom other -historians have neglected. - -On the evening of the 23d of December, 1860, Mr. Tompkins and his family -were assembled in the large, cheerful sitting-room. The fire-place was -piled with blazing logs, and the light and warmth of the room seemed -more pleasant, contrasted with the soughing winds and falling snow -without. - -No thought of the approaching holidays seemed to have entered the minds -of any of the group. The brothers were silent and sat apart. The cloud, -so small as to be scarcely discernable, was growing larger and -overshadowing each. It had first been visible on election day, when they -parted on the way to the polls. Though no allusion had ever been made to -this conversation, their brotherly union had been shaken. They drove, -rode, and hunted together as usual, but there was one question they -could never approach without disagreeing, and disagreement was apt to -produce disagreeable feelings. - -There was a ring at the bell, and the girl who answered the summons -ushered in Uncle Dan, closely followed by Crazy Joe. - -"Good evenin' to ye all," said the old man, as he entered the cozy -sitting room. "How do you all do?" - -"Pretty well, Uncle Dan. How are you and Joe this evening?" returned -Mr. Tompkins, rising and grasping the hard, rough hand of the old -hunter. - -"We ar' both purty well," said Uncle Dan, shaking hands with all -present. "I tell ye what's a fact, it's gettin' cold out, an' no -mistake, snowing just like blazes." - -Joe, who was in no talkative mood, took a seat in a corner, and fixed -his gaze on the fire. - -"I thought from the way the wind whistled it had grown colder. Come, -Maggie, fix Uncle Dan and Joe some supper," said the planter. - -"Ya-as, fur I'm hungry as a wolf," returned the old man, with the -familiarity of a frequent and welcome guest. - -"Are you hungry, Joe?" asked Mrs. Tompkins. - -"I am, but it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by -every word of God." - -"I'll put that ar' fellur agin any preacher in the settlement for -quotin' Scriptur. He jest seems to know the whole thing by heart." - -"Have you heard any news recently?" Mr. Tompkins asked. - -"News! Don't talk about news! Jist wait till I've had some supper, an' -I'll give ye a little mess o' news that'll make ye hair stand on ye -head." - -After the mountaineer had partaken of a warm meal, and returned to the -comfortable sitting-room, Mr. Tompkins asked: - -"What is that remarkable news, Uncle Dan?" - -"Wall, I kin tell it now," he answered, resuming his seat, "but I sw'ar -it war too much for a empty stomach. About two hours ago the news first -come to Snagtown, an' now the whole place is wild. The convention, which -met at Charleston, South Carliny, three days ago, passed ordernances o' -secession, and declar' the State out o' the Union." - -"Oh, pshaw! it must be a mistake," said Mr. Tompkins. - -"Mistake? Not by a jug full. It ar' a actual fact. The news came in as -straight as a crow flies. There war rumors o' it before, but now it's -sartin." - -"Great heaven! that means civil war." - -"It means war, but it wont be civil, not by a jug full. They ar' -already talkin' about musterin' men and gettin' ready to fight. Thar's -to be a grand muster and speakin' at Snagtown next Saturday. They say -that Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas ar' -sure to foller South Carliny, in a few weeks, and maybe all them slave -States, even Virginia and Missouri." - -"Have the people gone crazy?" cried Mr. Tompkins. - -"It's no more than might be expected," said Oleah. "The North has set -her foot on the South, and if she feels like withdrawing from the -partnership, she certainly has a right to do so." - -"Partnership?" put in Abner, with an astonished look. - -"It is merely a confederation of States, formed by a compact, and, if -one wishes to withdraw, she has the right," answered Oleah. - -"Our Government is formed by the people, and not by the States," said -Abner. - -"Then, why is it not called the United People, and not the United -States? Each State is a separate corporation, capable of suing and being -sued, contracting and dissolving contracts. They were originally -colonies, but when they freed themselves from Great Britain, for -protection and safety, they united. Who can doubt that South Carolina -has not the right, when she has become capable of taking care of -herself, to withdraw from others?" - -"There is a great difference between corporations and governments," said -Abner. "Our Constitution does not say, 'We, the United States,' 'As the -people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union.' -When they belonged to England, they were considered as a whole and not -as a part. In the Declaration of Independence, declaring the Colonies -free and independent States, does so in the name and by the authority of -the good people whom they represented, and not of the States." - -"All that sounds very well, Abner," said Oleah, bitterly, "but words -will have no effect on an oppressed and downtrodden people. The South -will be free--" - -"Yes, if they have to enslave one-half of humanity to do so," -interrupted Abner. - -"That's just the point Abolitionists are driving to, though few are as -honest as you to admit. The slaves make the South wealthy and powerful. -The North is jealous and wants to deprive us of the means of wealth. -There is but one remedy left us--the same remedy adopted by the Colonies -when oppressed by Great Britain--withdraw, rebel." - -"You are too hasty," said Abner, more coolly. "You have no assurance -that when Abraham Lincoln does take his seat, the 4th of March next, he -will abolish slavery. Wait and see." - -"Wait and see?" cried Oleah. "Wait until he has withdrawn every gun and -armed vessel from the South? Wait until he has overrun the whole country -with armed soldiers? Wait until he has bound us hand and foot? Then what -can we do? No! Now is the time for action." - -"I don't believe Lincoln will free the negroes," said Abner. - -"I will stake my life as the wager," said Oleah, "that before his term -of office expires, he declares _every negro in the United States a free -American citizen_, war or no war. Mark my words and see if I am not a -true prophet." - -"Come, come, boys, we have had political discussion enough for the -present," said Mr. Tompkins. - -"Ya-as," said Uncle Dan, "we don't want the civil war to commence -to-night; least of all places, heah. One thing sure about it, you -youngsters had better let us old folks talk 'bout these things, we can -do it without gettin' so red in the face. The whole country is in a bad -fix, an' ef it comes to a smash up, I swar I don't want to see it begin -between brothers." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -MR. DIGGS IN A NEW FIELD. - - -Mr. Diggs was defeated for the office of county attorney by a large -majority, but he was young and buoyant, and after a few days of repining -began to revive. - -A new excitement took possession of him. Strange talk came to his ears, -and his little round eyes glistened with delight from behind his -glasses, and his little round lips parted with smiles of pleasure. War -on a gigantic scale--a new Nation, with new men at its head--was the -all-absorbing topic. The Union was shattered, and a new Nation was -rising out of the ruins and fragments of the old. - -Mr. Diggs concluded to espouse the cause of the new Nation. He would -raise a company of volunteers to fight its battles; he would be captain. -From captain he would be promoted for his bravery to colonel, from -colonel to brigadier-general, or commander-in-chief. Mr. Diggs' fertile -imagination planned a glorious future for himself. Other men had risen -from obscurity to renown, and why not he? - -He strutted about with his hands thrust deep into his pockets, reveling -already in his future greatness. The new and powerful Nation was his -all-absorbing theme. When he met any one he would say: - -"Well, what's the news, and what's the prospect of war?" - -The prospect was very good, every one thought. - -One day, talking with a young man about his own age, but cooler and less -blood-thirsty, Mr. Diggs said they were too slow about fighting. Since -the surrender of Twiggs in Texas no other event had transpired, and such -indifference was monstrous. - -"Don't be in a hurry, Diggs," said his friend. "Let them have time for -consideration." - -"There's no need of consideration. I am ready now. I will go, like -Marion, to avenge my country's wrongs," said Diggs. - -"This is war against our own countrymen," said his friend, "and I don't -think there is any place in either rank for me." - -"There is a place for me," said Diggs, strutting about with his hands in -his pockets and expectorating profusely. "My country needs me, and I -reckon there's a place for me." - -"Will you take a colonelcy to commence with?" his friend asked, with a -smile. - -"I don't expect a colonelcy at first," said Diggs. "I want to start at -the foot of the ladder, as captain, and gradually rise until I am -commander-in-chief." - -"You would make such a noble-looking general!" said a bystander, -surveying the fat little fellow. - -"You can talk, Howard Jones, but I--hem! hem!--have always had a taste -for military life." - -"You would make such a fine-looking commander," said Jones. "Mounted on -a tall charger you would yourself strike terror to the enemy." - -"I can prove that all generals were small men," said Diggs, strutting -about. - -"Of course they were; but you--you would kill all your enemies. They -would die with laughter when they saw a general on a horse seventeen -hands high, looking like a bug on a log." - -"Oh, talk sense, Jones." - -"On a big war-horse you would look very much like a bug on a log," said -Jones. "But wouldn't it be grand for Crazy Joe's mud man to turn out a -general?" - -"Can't you talk sense, or are you a fool?" roared the exasperated Diggs; -and, unable longer to endure the ridicule of his companions, he turned -abruptly around and left the crowd gathered about him. - -The Winter of 1860-61 passed away; but little had been done in Snagtown -save mustering and speech-making. Those in favor of open rebellion were -in the minority in the neighborhood, but those in favor of neutrality in -the majority; but those in favor of standing for the Stars and Stripes -the smallest class of all. - -Patrick Henry Diggs was in a dilemma. His ambition pointed him to the -battle-field, that his great abilities, which no one seemed to -appreciate, might be shown to the world. The idea of a new Nation -dazzled him and showed a path as splendor for his willing feet to -follow. But he felt reluctant to draw his sword against the flag of -Washington and Marion. He was sure, however, that these turbulent times -meant something great for himself. He never lost an opportunity to -muster in the ranks of the Home Guards or to make a speech. - -The eastern part of Virginia seceded on April 17, 1861, but the -northwestern portion, about Snagtown, was at peace, save from the -mustering of Home Guards to protect home and families from the -incursions of either army. - -Oleah Tompkins was an avowed secessionist, attended the Meetings of the -Knights of the Golden Circle, and was already sworn to support the -Southern cause. Secret meetings were taking place all over the country, -and night meetings held three or four times a week. - -Mr. Diggs joined one of these secret organizations, and met with them -one night in an old school-house which stood on the side of an abandoned -road, about four miles from Snagtown in the direction of the Twin -Mountains. About forty in all had assembled there, among them Howard -Jones and Seth Williams, two men who seemed, Mr. Diggs thought, to live -only to annoy him. - -Mr. Diggs had come to the meeting with the intention of making one of -his most patriotic speeches; but when he discovered his old enemies, -their eyes sparkling with mischief, his heart sank within him. - -Nearly all present were armed with shot-guns, rifles and pistols, and a -guard was placed about the school-house. Preliminary matters settled, -Howard Jones rose and addressed the chairman of the meeting, stating -that, as they had with them the distinguished attorney, Patrick Henry -Diggs, who was in sympathy with the cause, he would like to hear from -him. - -Despite the stirring times, everybody present was eagerly expectant of -fun. Cries for Diggs were heard all over the house. Mr. Diggs' opinion -of Jones rose rapidly. - -"Mr. Speaker," began Mr. Diggs, rising and gazing about through his -glasses, "in the language of one of old - - - "'I come not here to talk. You know too well - The story of our thralldom.--'" - - -Here he made a gesture with both hands, which Jones declared looked like -a turtle trying to crawl up hill. - - - "'We are slaves.'" - - -A solemn pause. - - - "'The bright sun rises to his course, and lights - A race of slaves; he sets, and his last beam - Falls on a slave. - Friends, Romans, countrymen--'" - - -"I say," interrupted Seth Williams, in an audible whisper, nudging the -orator, "s'pose you leave Rome, and come down to our present age. Give -us something about the new Confederacy." - -"That's just what I am coming to," said Mr. Diggs, "and I hope you will -not interrupt me again." After a short pause he resumed: - -"It is no common cause which brings us here to-night. Tyrants and -traitors are abroad in the land. A gigantic foe is invading the fair -soil of Virginia, and we are here to protect our firesides. All law -writers, from Blackstone down, agree that all men should protect their -homes. Now, fellow-citizens, remember our forefathers all fought, and -bled, and died for this glorious Union." [Applause.] - -"Touch lightly on that," whispered Jones. - -"I repeat" said Mr. Diggs, "that Washington was the greatest man that -ever lived." And now, grown eloquent and excited, he mounted a bench and -whipped his left hand under the tails of his coat, while he waved his -right in vehement gesture. - -All the efforts of Seth Williams and Howard Jones to keep him on the -track were unavailing. He commenced to speak about the Stars and -Stripes. - -"Oh, thunder! go back to Rome if you can't make a better secession -speech," said Jones. - -The truth was that Mr. Diggs, like a great many others at this time, -hardly knew which side he was on. When he swore to preserve the Union at -all hazards, his astonished friends pulled him down. - -A call was made for volunteers, and Mr. Diggs was the first to enroll -his name. Though calling themselves a Home Guard, these volunteers were -really enrolled in the army of the Southern Confederacy. Oleah Tompkins -was among the first to thus espouse the Southern cause. - -The clouds of war grew darker and darker every hour. At any moment the -storm might burst in all its fury. Snagtown was in a constant state of -excitement as the crisis approached. Her more timid citizens trembled -with dread. - -Henry Smith, a farmer's son, a young man of limited education, but of -strong common sense, stood in the street one bright morning, engaged in -conversation with Seth Williams. - -"Come, now, Harry," said Williams, persuasively, "you had better come in -with us. The time has come, or will soon come, when our homes will have -to be defended. We shall be overrun with soldierly hirelings, who will -rob and burn and murder as they go. Our families will need protection, -and this duty devolves on us." - -"But, Seth, some say the Home Guard will be marched South into the -Confederate army." - -"Oh, nothing of the kind," said Williams. "Our only object is to protect -our homes from the soldiers of both sides, and to meddle with neither -unless they invade our State." - -"I think we are justified in protecting our own interests; but, though I -despise Abraham Lincoln, I cannot raise my hand against the old Stars -and Stripes." - -"Oh, there is no danger that you will be forced into the Confederate -army. We are only organizing a Home Guard now; if we raise troops for -the South, that will be another thing." - -"When do you meet again?" asked Harry. - -"To-morrow night; we go into camp next week in real earnest." - -"Where?" - -"On Wolf Creek, about three or four miles away, between here and the -Twin Mountains." - -"Where do you meet to-morrow night?" - -"At the school-house on the road between here and Twin Mountains." - -"I will be there," said Harry. - -As Williams walked away, a young man who had been observing the two with -keen interest, approached Harry and said: - -"I can tell what you and Seth Williams were talking about." - -"I will give you three guesses, Abner," said Harry, laughing. - -"He was trying to persuade you to enlist in the Home Guards." - -"That was just it," replied Harry. - -"Don't do it, Harry, or you will repent it. I tell you the name Home -Guard is only a cover, and every one who enlists will be in the -Confederate army in three months. Unless you mean to take up arms -against your country, keep clear of the Home Guard." - -"I don't want to fight in Lincoln's army, nor do I want to enter the -confederate ranks, so I thought the Home Guards would be the place for -me." - -"Don't you enlist," said Abner Tompkins, "or you will repent it." - -As Harry walked away, Mr. Diggs came along, his short legs, in rapid -motion, resembling the thick spokes of a wheelbarrow, and his head -inclined backward at an angle of forty-five degrees, and his glasses, as -usual, on his nose, and his little fat hands thrust deep into his -pockets. - -"Hold on, Diggs!" said Abner. "I want to speak to you." - -"Hem, hem, hem!" began Mr. Diggs. "Good morning, Mr. Tompkins. -Well--hem--I am--that is, I am--hem--glad to see you. I was just going -to have my man drive me out to your house. Have a little important -business with--that is with one member of your family, he--he he!" - -"Diggs, I hear that you have enlisted in the Confederate army; is it -so?" asked Abner, abruptly. - -"Well, sir, I expect--that is, I apprehend, my dear sir, -that--you--perhaps are correctly informed." - -"Why, Diggs, what in the world do you mean?" asked Abner. - -"Oh, our country is too large; should be divided. We intend to build up -a vast Southern empire. The North has always trampled on our rights, and -it is time for us to resist." - -"But how do you intend to resist? By overthrowing the best government -the world has ever known? Build up a Southern empire! Is not the grand -old republic established by Washington good enough for you? The North is -not trampling on your rights. Your wrongs are imaginary. And as to our -country being too large, can a nation like ours grow too powerful? -Think, Diggs, before you act, or, like Calhoun, you may expect -Washington to come to you in sleep, and place the black spot on your -hand which Arnold wears in the other world. Think Diggs! Don't raise -your hand against your country without well considering the matter." - -Diggs, for a few minutes, was silent, and then he said: - -"I think you are right, Abner. I will not prove a traitor to my country. -I shall ask to have my name taken off the roll to-morrow night." - -"Do so, or you will surely repent it as you live. If you want military -honors, seek them in the ranks of your country. There is a call for -seventy-five thousand volunteers." - -"You are right, you are right. I will go and volunteer. Where shall I -go?" - -"We are raising a company at the junction, about twenty miles from -here." - -"I will go day after to-morrow, but I am in a hurry now. I am going to -your house on business. The fact is--I don't mind telling the facts to -you--I am going on purpose to see Miss Irene. He, he, he! I am -determined to see how I stand there, he, he, he!" - -Abner started back in amazement, but Mr. Diggs hurried away, without -observing his movement. - -"The consummate fool!" muttered Abner. "The idiot! To think of our -Irene!" - -Mr. Diggs hurried off with an air of much importance, and ordered Mose -to make ready the carriage, and drive him to the Tompkins mansion. - -Mose was not as quick of movement as he had been fifty years before, but -he managed to have the equipage in readiness by four o'clock in the -afternoon. - -At Mr. Tompkins' door Mr. Diggs alighted, to be informed by Miss Irene's -maid that her mistress was calling with Mrs. Tompkins, and would not -return for an hour. - -"I will wait," said Mr. Diggs. "I must--hem, hem--must see Miss Irene." - -After a few moments of waiting Mr. Diggs became tired of sitting in the -house and sauntered out to the piazza, and there met the ladies on their -return. - -"Miss Irene,--hem, hem, hem," he began advancing. "I am delighted to see -you, I--hem--that is--hem--I came on purpose to see you, and--and talk -with you, and bid you good-by before I leave for the field of glory. I -have joined the Confederate army--hem--no, I mean to say I am going to -join the Union army in a day or two. That is, I don't know exactly which -army I shall join yet--and I come to bid you adieu." - -Irene looked a little puzzled and felt not a little annoyed at this -address. There was something she did not like about Mr. Diggs' manner. - -"Will you come in?" she said, "and I will see you presently." - -Mr. Diggs accordingly re-entered the house, and Irene went up to her -room to change her dress. She managed to detain herself until tea was -announced and then invited Mr. Diggs to the dining-room. - -After tea the little fellow followed her back to the parlor, and she -resigned herself to be bored for an hour or more by him, but did not yet -suspect the real cause of his visit. - -"Hem--hem," began Mr. Diggs, "Miss Irene, these are troublous times." - -"They are indeed," answered Irene, from her seat opposite the loquacious -Mr. Diggs. - -"We don't know one minute what will happen the next." - -"No, we do not," said Irene, who really did not imagine what was to -happen on this occasion. - -"Hem, hem! two large armies are raising." - -"So I am informed," said Irene. - -"And they mean destruction to each other." - -"I fear some damage will be done." - -"Hem, hem! Sumter has fallen." - -"So I have heard." - -"Deuce take it!" thought Mr. Diggs aside, "she is as cool as an -iceberg, and I am getting flurried. What had I better say or do next?" -Then a short pause. - -"Some of your friends will doubtless take part in the coming struggle," -he finally said. - -"I fear they will be rash enough to do so," she replied. - -"And some may go to return no more,"--voice and eyes were growing -pathetic. - -"Alas! such is too often the fate of war." - -"I have concluded to enter the army." - -"A great many young men are now talking of going into the army." - -"I feel that my country needs my services." - -"You are patriotic." - -Mr. Diggs felt flattered. - -"You are--hem--hem, very kind, Miss Irene, to attribute patriotism to -me. Patriotism, true patriotism is one of man's most noble attributes." - -"I agree with you." - -"But, Miss Irene, it is hard to go, even to our country's aid, and leave -behind friends dearer to us than life." - -"Mercy!" mentally ejaculated Irene, "does the little fool mean to -propose?" Then, still without any encouraging warmth in her tone, she -asked, "When do you expect to leave Snagtown?" - -"In two or three days at most, and I feel--hem--pardon me, Miss Irene." -He rose and drew his chair nearer hers. - -"He really means it!" thought Irene, her eyes bright, half with -mischief, half with annoyance. - -"I have something--hem, hem, hem!--I wish to say to you. I--I--that -is--hem--I cannot leave for the field of danger until I--have--hem, hem! -until I have revealed to you my feelings." - -Mr. Diggs paused, and tried to look sentimental; but a more sheepish, -simple-looking specimen of humanity Irene was sure she had never before -beheld. - -The farce had been carried too far, and she said coldly: - -"Your manner and words are quite incomprehensible, Mr. Diggs." - -"I will make myself plain," said Mr. Diggs, swallowing something in his -throat, and taking hope. "You shall understand me. I say I cannot leave -for the field of battle, cannot face the cannon's mouth, in this -suspense--" - -"Then don't go, Mr. Diggs," interrupted Irene, with difficulty -restraining her merriment, all her pity put to flight by his affectation -and conceit. - -"I should almost feel inclined to turn a deaf ear to the 'obstreperous -trump of fame,' and 'only list to love and thine,' should you command me -to stay." - -"Sir, you are growing more and more incomprehensible. Let us leave this -subject." - -"Not yet, oh no, not yet! Wait until you have heard all. I love you, -Irene, dearest, and--and--ah! come to my arms and say you will be mine!" - -Down he went on one knee, with upturned face and out-stretched arms. -Poor Irene felt an almost irresistible impulse to laugh, and for a -moment dared not speak. - -He mistook her silence and again began to plead. - -"Speak, O brightest sylph, fairer than the angels, sweeter than--hem, -hem!--than the honey in the honey-comb!" - -"For mercy's sake, stand up, Mr. Diggs!" said Irene. - -"Not until you say you will be mine!" and his arms expanded, like an -opened double gate. - -"Then Mr. Diggs, I fear you will never reach the field of glory, for the -war will be over before you rise from your knees," said Irene. - -"Oh! ah! Hem, hem! You cannot be so cruel,"--still kneeling, and leaning -further forward, as though to compel her to his embrace. - -"Mr. Diggs, you can never be to me more than a friend. Pray, do not -pursue the subject further." - -"Miss Irene, dear, dear Miss Irene, you utterly wreck my life! I care -not a straw for it now!" whined little Mr. Diggs, turning, still on his -knees, towards Irene who had crossed the room, the most pitiful of -faces. - -No answer. - -"You are--hem, hem!--very cruel, Miss Irene," he rose and awkwardly took -his seat. - -"I regret to have given you pain," said Irene graciously, as, at Mr. -Diggs' request, she rang for his carriage, "but I am sure you will soon -forget it, and will see that you had mistaken your feelings." - -As Mr. Diggs was in the act of getting into his carriage the sound of -horse's feet came to his ear, and a moment later Oleah Tompkins galloped -up to the side of the old rockaway. - -"Halloo, Diggs! are you just leaving?" asked Oleah. - -"Yes--hem, hem!--I am going home," said Diggs. - -"Well, be on hand to-morrow night without fail, now. We want every -member of the company there, as we shall go into camp in a day or two." - -"Well,--hem, hem, hem!--Oleah, I have almost concluded not to go. I can -not--hem, hem!--take up arms against the flag of Washington." - -"Oh, that's abolitionist nonsense! What care you for a flag that will -not protect you?" - -"That's so," said Diggs. - -"Then why should we consent to bow our necks to tyrant's heels simply -because the great and good Washington fought under a rag with certain -stripes and certain stars upon it?" - -"That is so. Hem, hem, hem! 'They first have breathed treason.'" - -"Yes, they stole our property. The interests of the North and South are -directly opposite. They want to ruin us, and we must protect ourselves -while we can. We can not live in peace with the North; the next best -thing is to separate." - -"That's so,--hem, hem!--that's so," said Mr. Diggs. - -"Then why refuse to enter the Confederate army? The South is your -country, and if you want military renown seek it in the ranks of your -country. If they call you a rebel be proud of the name. Washington and -Marion were rebels." - -Mr. Diggs was completely won back to the Southern cause; and, assuring -Oleah he would be with them the next night, drove away. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE CHASM OPENS. - - -The storm clouds were gathering dark about the Tompkins mansion. The -heads of the household were silent on the question, each knowing the -different feelings and sympathies of the other. Their sons were also -silent, but there was a sullenness in their silence that foretold the -coming strife. There was one member of the once happy household who -could not comprehend the trouble, whose very gentleness kept her in -ignorance of the threatened danger. - -Yet neither love nor loving care could keep her from knowing that -trouble was brewing. She could not but notice the coldness gradually -growing between the two brothers. Brothers whose affection she once -thought no earthly power could lessen, were growing daily colder and -more and more estranged. Every morning each mounted his horse, and rode -away alone, and it was always late in the night when they came home, -never together. Gloomy and silent, the morning meal was hurried through, -the pleasant conversation that had always accompanied it, was heard no -more, if we except the efforts of Irene, who strove with all her power -to infuse some of the old-time harmony and brightness into the altered -family. - -It was the evening of Mr. Diggs' visit to the Tompkins mansion, one of -those clear bright evenings when the curtains of night seem reluctant to -fall, and the fluttering folds seem held apart to reveal the beauty of -the dying day. Irene sat by the window, gazing up at the dark blue -vault, and listening to the far-off song of a whip-poor-will upon the -lonely hillside. Nature to her had never seemed more calm or lovely. The -moon, serenely bright, shed mellow light over the landscape, and the -dark old forest on whose trees the early buds had swelled into green -leaves, lay in a quiet repose. Only man, of all created things seemed -unresting. Far down the road she heard the clatter of horses' hoofs. At -all times now, day and night, she heard them. - -Clatter, clatter, clatter--sleeping or waking, it was always the same, -always this beat of hoofs. To her it seemed as if ten thousand dragoons -were constantly galloping, galloping, galloping down the great road: -somewhere their marshalled thousands must be gathering. Horsemen singly, -horsemen in pairs, horsemen in groups, were galloping, galloping, until -her ears ached with the awful din. - -As she looked, a horseman came dashing down the hill; he passed through -the gate and down the avenue. - -"That must be either Abner or Oleah," thought Irene. "Six months ago, -they would have gone and returned together." - -When he stepped on the piazza, the moon fell on his face and revealed -the features of Abner Tompkins. He came rapidly up the steps and into -the house. Staying only a few moments in the room below, where his -parents were, then came directly to Irene's door and knocked. - -She bade him come in. - -"Irene," he said in tremulous tones, "I have strange news for you. I -must leave to-night for months perhaps, perhaps forever, my home, my -parents--and you." - -Irene sprang to his side eager and excited. - -"Why, Abner, what do you mean?" - -"Is it such a surprise to you? I will try to speak calmly, but I have -only a few moments to stay. I have a load on my heart that I must -unburden to you." - -"What is it?" she said, drawing a low stool to his feet and seating -herself she took both his hands in her own. "Tell me what troubles you, -let me share it with you. Who should share your troubles if not your -sister?" - -"Irene, what I have to say will shock you." - -"No, no, it will not. If you have done anything wrong, I shall be sure -it was not your fault--" - -"No, you misunderstand me; it is nothing I have done," he interrupted. - -"Then what is this secret, brother?" - -"_I am not your brother._" - -Irene had promised that his secret should not shock her, yet had a -bombshell burst at her feet, she could not have been more astonished. - -She sprang from the low stool, and stood with clasped hands, the color -fading from her face, her slight form swaying as though she had received -a blow. - -Abner, alarmed, sprang from his chair, and caught her in his arms. - -"Irene, Irene, don't take it so," he said, bending tenderly over the -white face. - -"_Not my brother?_ Why you must be mad!" she gasped. - -"Irene, I am not your brother, but I love you a thousand times more -fondly than a brother could love. It was this I wanted to tell you -before I leave you. What, Irene, weeping--weeping because I am not your -brother! My darling, let me be nearer and dearer than a brother!" - -"Abner, I can not realize it, I can not think!" she said, pressing her -hands to her throbbing temples. - -"Think of it when I am gone, Irene, for I must go. To-morrow's sun must -find me miles from here. But through all the coming strife I shall -cherish your image. I shall hope for your love if I return. Now, -good-by, my love, my Irene!" - -He caught her in his arms, but it was only a sisterly embrace that Irene -returned. She could not yet believe that Abner was not her brother. - -He went down stairs, she heard his mother's sobs, his father's broken -voice; the door opened and closed, and from her window she saw him pass -down the avenue, out of sight. Soon she heard a horse galloping down the -road, and knew that Abner was riding swiftly away in the gathering -darkness. - -Completely overcome, and not daring to meet Mr. or Mrs. Tompkins till -she had controlled herself, Irene, throwing a light shawl about her -shoulders, went down stairs, stepped through an open window out on the -broad piazza. The cool night air fanned her cheeks and revived her -spirits. She walked through the grounds to a summer house covered with -trailing vines whose fragrant flowers filled the air with sweetest -odors. - -"It can not be, it can not be," she murmured. "He was surely jesting. I -an outcast or foundling or a oh! merciful Heaven! I can not endure the -thought!" and her beautiful eyes filled with tears. The whip-poor-will's -call still sounded from the distant hillside, and soon another sound -broke the evening stillness--the tread of a man's feet on the graveled -walk. Irene turned her head quickly, and saw Oleah standing in the -doorway. - -"I thought I should find you here, Irene," he said. "You always choose -this arbor on moonlight evenings." - -"You have been absent all day, Oleah. What fearful business is it that -keeps both my brothers from my side!" - -"Ah! Heaven be praised, Irene, darling Irene, that you know nothing of -it!" - -"Abner left to-night, perhaps never to return he said," she went on, -wiping the tears from her face. - -"I see you have been weeping, dear Irene. I have more news for you. I -too have to bid you what may prove a long farewell. I leave to-night for -our camp, and shall soon march to join the main army. But I can not -leave you, Irene, without telling you of something I have long kept a -secret." - -Irene could not speak; sobs choked her voice. Then from Oleah's lips -fell those same startling words: - -"I am not your brother." - -She sat motionless. Then it must be true. They could not both be -mistaken, could not both possess the same hallucination. If anyone was -mad, it was herself. But Oleah went on in his quick passionate way: - -"You are not my sister, dearest Irene, and that you are not gives me -only joy. When you were left at our house a tiny baby, I claimed you for -my sister, and when I learned you could not be my sister, I said you -should one day be my wife. I loved from the first time those bright eyes -laughed into mine, and that love has grown with my growth and -strengthened with my strength, until it has taken possession of my -entire being. O, Irene, Irene, you can never know how deep is the love I -have born you from early childhood. I could not leave this old home -without telling you that I loved you with more than a brother's love." - -He paused, and Irene remained silent. - -"Speak, Irene! Will you not speak?" - -She was still silent, her large dark eyes fixed and staring, her white -lips motionless, her whole form rigid as a statue. She thought of -Abner's parting words, and pain and terror filled her soul. Had she -entered this happy home only to bring discord, to widen the breach -between the two brothers? - -"O Irene, Irene," he pleaded, "by the memory of our happy childhood I -implore you, speak once more before I go. Say that you will love me, -that you will pray for me--pray for my safe return, pray for my soul if -I fall in battle!" - -The marble statue found voice. - -"I will pray for you, Oleah, to heaven day and night, for your safe -return." - -"But will you give me your love? O Irene, if you only knew how dear you -are to me, you will surely learn to love me!" - -"I have always given you a sister's warmest love, Oleah," she replied, -"and this is all too new, too strange, for me to change so suddenly." - -"But you promise you will change?" he asked eagerly. - -"I can not promise yet," she said. "I do not know myself, and neither do -you comprehend your own feelings." - -"Irene, dearest, I have known myself for years. Try to love me, and pray -for me," he said, and taking both her hands as she came to his side, -"for now I must go." He stooped and pressed a kiss on those white lips, -and Irene was alone. Soon she heard again the hoof beats of a flying -horse, and knew that Oleah had left his home. - -When he had returned to bid farewell to his home, Abner Tompkins, before -entering the house, walked down the long gravel walk, through the avenue -of grand old elms, until the outer gate was reached. Here he paused a -moment, and gazed up at the moon riding through the dark blue, -fathomless vault of heaven; then he turned his gaze upon the spacious -pillared mansion, his pleasant home, that he was to leave that night, -perhaps forever. It was the home of his childhood; beneath its roof -dwelt those he loved; and feelings of sadness filled his heart as he -realized the fact that he must leave it. On his right lay the great -road, the road that, in his boyhood, he had imagined, led to far-off -lands and fairy kingdoms; the road he had thought must be endless, and -had desired to follow to its end. Across the road was the forest where -he and his brother had so often wandered. Every spot seemed hallowed -with sacred remembrances of childhood, and associated with every object -and every thought was that brother from whom he was gradually drifting -away. He stood beneath the old hickory tree, whose nuts they had -gathered, and whose topmost branches they had climbed in their -adventurous boyhood. To-night all were fading away. He was going to -different scenes, to see strange faces, to meet hardships, danger, -perhaps death; worse than all to draw his sword against that very -brother whose life had so long been one with his. - -"Oh, what a curse is civil war," said Abner, with a sigh, "dividing -nations, people and kindred." And, leaning against the trunk of the -giant old hickory, he stood for a moment lost in painful reverie. - -The beat of a horse's hoofs aroused him, and he saw his brother -approaching. To reach the house he was compelled to pass within a few -feet of the hickory tree, and must inevitably discover Abner, who, -however, made no effort to conceal himself. Standing in the shade of the -tree as he was, Oleah did not see his brother until he was within a few -feet of him, and then could not distinguish his features. - -"Halloo, whom have we here?" he said, reining in his horse abruptly. - -"Who is there? Speak quick, or it may be the worse for you," cried -impetuous Oleah, not receiving an immediate answer. - -"It is I, Oleah," said Abner, stepping from under the branches of the -old tree. - -The two brothers had grown more and more estranged, but as yet there had -been no open rupture between them. - -"Well, I might inquire what you are doing there?" said Oleah. - -"And I might ask what you are doing here, and where you are going, and -a hundred other questions. If I were to tell you I was star-gazing you -would not believe me." - -"I don't know; I might," said Oleah. "You were sentimental at times when -a boy, and the habit of looking at the moon and stars may have followed -you into maturer years." - -"I was just thinking," said Abner, "that this tree is very old, yet very -hale." - -"It is," answered Oleah; "it was a full grown tree when I first remember -seeing it." - -"Yes, and we have often climbed its branches or swung beneath them." - -"That is all true," said Oleah, restlessly, "but why talk of that, above -all other times, to-night?" - -"It brings pleasant memories of our happy childhood. And why not -to-night as well as any other time?" said Abner. - -"I have reasons for not wishing to talk or to think of the past -to-night," said Oleah. "I have enough to trouble me without bringing up -recollections that are now anything but pleasant." - -"Recollections of childhood are always pleasant to me," said Abner, "and -when storms of passion sway me, such thoughts calm the storm and soothe -my turbulent mind once more to peace." - -"Have you been in a rage to-night?" asked Oleah, with a smile. - -"No." - -"Then why are you conjuring recollections of the past?" - -"I have not conjured them up; they come unbidden. This night, _above all -others_, I would not drive the thoughts of our past away." - -"And why?" asked Oleah, uneasily. - -"Because this night we part, Oleah, perhaps forever." - -Oleah, rash, hot-headed, fiery Oleah, had a tender heart in his bosom, -and now he was trembling with emotion, although he made an effort to -appear calm. - -"How do you know that we are to part to-night?" he asked. - -"We are both going from our home, and going in different directions. We -are standing on opposite sides of a gulf momentarily growing wider." - -A fearful suspicion crossed Oleah's mind. "Do you leave home to-night?" - -"Yes." - -"Where are you going?" - -"To join the army of my country and the Union." - -Oleah started back as if he had received a stunning blow in the face. -Abner was aware that Oleah had enlisted in the Confederate army, but -Oleah did not dream that his brother would enter the army of the North. - -"Abner, Abner," he cried, hurriedly dismounting from his horse and -coming to his brother's side, "for heaven's sake say that it is not -true!" - -"But it is true," said Abner sadly. "To-night we separate, you to fight -for the cause of the South, I for the preservation of the Union." - -"O Abner, O my brother, how can you be so blinded? It is a war between -the North and South, the only object of the North being to give freedom -to our slaves. You will see if the North _should_ be successful, that -every negro in the land will be freed." - -"And you will see that the North has no such intentions. Mr. Lincoln, -although a Republican, was born in a slave State, and he will not free -the slaves. But, Oleah, it is useless for us to discuss these matters; -we part to-night, and let us--" - -"But should we meet," said Oleah, his hot blood mounting to his face, -"it will be as enemies. You are my brother now, but when you don the -hated uniform of an Abolition soldier you will be my enemy; for I have -sworn by the eternal heavens to cut asunder every tie of friendship or -kindred when I find them arrayed against our cause." - -"Oleah," said Abner, "be not too rash in your vows. Do not make them -just yet." - -"I have already made them; and whoever confronts me with a blue coat and -a Yankee musket is an enemy, whatever blood runs in his veins." - -"I pray that we may never meet thus," said Abner. "Rather would I have -you find among the slain the body of one you no longer own as a -brother." - -One of the stable men now appeared, leading Abner's horse. Oleah's hot -passion was gone; his eyes were misty, his voice was choked. The -brothers clasped hands in silence, and five minutes later Abner was -galloping down the great road. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE BEGINNING OF SOLDIER LIFE. - - -A curious scene presented itself at the Junction. But before we attempt -to describe the former, we will give the reader some idea of the latter. -The Junction was the terminus of one railroad and the junction of two -others. One of the railroads led to Washington, one to Pittsburg, and -one to Baltimore. It was not a large town; a village of perhaps twelve -or fifteen hundred inhabitants, blackened by the smoke of engines. The -surrounding country was broken and rough, with hills rising upon hills, -deep ravines, rocky gorges, and winding streams, lined with a luxuriant -growth of pine and maple, while far away in the distance the gray peaks -of mountains could be seen. - -The Junction was about twenty miles north-east of Snagtown, there being -no railroad to the latter place, though there was a hard beaten -turnpike, with a daily mail-coach running between the two. Some of the -houses about the Junction were of brick, but the majority of wood. There -were neat little cottages, looking like fairy abodes, amid the green -vines and blooming flowers of Spring-time, and there were cottages -neither neat nor fairy-like in aspect; the log hovel, showing signs of -decay and neglect. But the village, taken as a whole, was a very pretty -place. - -It was about the 1st of May. The President had called for eighty-two -thousand more men, finding seventy-five thousand wholly inadequate to -put down the rebellion. Virginia was at this period in a constant state -of alarm. Sumter had fallen, Harper's Ferry and Norfolk Navy-yard were -in the hands of the rebels, while a mob, in the city of Baltimore, had -attacked Massachusetts and Pennsylvania troops on their way to the -defense of Washington. - -The Federal Government, on the other hand, was straining every nerve. It -had collected about Washington, as speedily as possible, under General -Scott, the veteran hero of Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, and the Mexican War, -the volunteers who flocked to their country's defense in answer to the -President's call. Volunteer companies were raising all over the country. -In the extreme Northern States, in the defense of the Federal -Government; in the extreme Southern States, in defense of the -Confederate Government, and in some of the Middle and Western States, -companies were raised for both sides. In fact, there were men in some of -the more Northern slave States, who mustered with the rebels and were -actually in the Confederate service before they knew it. - -In Virginia, as we have shown, both sides were represented. The -Junction, on account of its railroad facilities, was an important point -to guard, and about three hundred volunteers, under Colonel Holdfast, -were here stationed. Of these raw recruits, there was but one company -that was a complete organization, uniformed and armed at the expense of -the Government. It was a company of mounted infantry, under command of -Captain Wardle, armed with musket, uniformed in the Government blue, and -furnished with horses in order to scout the country. - -The Government found it impossible to turn out arms and clothing fast -enough to supply the volunteers at once, and it was late in the Summer -of 1861 before they were all equipped. Many armed themselves, as was the -case with two hundred of those at the Junction. Their arms consisted of -rifles, shot-guns, and such other weapons as they were able to furnish -themselves with. - -The Junction, as we have said, presented a curious scene. Five tall, -white army tents had been erected for Captain Wardle's men, and there -were a score or more enclosures, ambitious to be known as tents, made -from Virginia wagon-covers, sail-cloth, oil-cloth, sheeting, and -bed-ticking. They were of various sizes and shapes; some so small that -four men would fill them; others large enough to hold twenty-five. Some -of them were square, some round, like Indian wigwams, and others more -like a circus canvas than anything we can compare them to. - -The tents were a motley assemblage, and so, and to a greater extent, -were the men therein sheltered. There was first the company of Captain -Wardle, properly uniformed and armed, and intensely military in -appearance and behavior. They were always drilling when not scouting the -country; the raw recruits standing by, overwhelmed with admiration at -their easy proficiency in the manual of arms, or the intricate and -mysterious movements of the company drill. - -It was early morning, and the smoke was ascending from half a hundred -camp-fires. The scene was a constantly varying panorama of straw hats, -linen coats, broadcloth coats, colored, flannel and white shirts. An -orderly sergeant was trying to initiate a squad of raw recruits into -some of the mysteries of drilling. - -"Remember the position of a soldier," said the orderly. "Heels close -together, head up, the eyes striking the ground twenty paces away. Now, -shoulder arms! Great Moses! Tom Koontz, can't you learn how to handle a -gun? Keep the barrel vertical. Do you call that vertical?" - -"What d'ye mean by sayin' vartical?" asked Koontz. - -The orderly explained for the hundredth time, that vertical meant -straight up and down. He had them then count off by twos, beginning at -the right, then he instructed them that at the order of "right face," -number one was to take a half step obliquely to the right, and number -two a step and a half to the left, bringing them in double file at right -face. But when he gave the order, half of the men had forgotten their -number. Confusion and dismay resulted, and the long suffering orderly -sat down and swore until he was exhausted. - -Camp-life was new to all, and its novelty kept all in a perpetual -excitement. There was but little discipline. Officers ordered men and -men ordered each other. Every one had suggestions to make, and those who -knew the least offered the most of them. - -"I tell you," said Sergeant Swords to Corporal Grimm, "that tent is not -strong. The center pole is too weak, and the guy ropes are rotten. It'll -go down." - -"I always knowed them boys didn't know how to fix a tent," said -Corporal Grimm, plying his jaws vigorously on a huge piece of pig-tail -tobacco. - -"Yes, sir; they've got a good deal to learn yet," said Sergeant Swords, -with a sigh. - -"I do hate to see any one, who don't know anything about soldier life, -pretend to know so much," said Corporal Grimm, who had had ten days' -experience before he enlisted in his present company. - -"So do I," said Sergeant Swords, who had seen at least six days' -service. "They'll find yet they had better take some one else's advice -what's had experience. Why, when I was with Captain Strong's men, and we -marched forty miles to Goose Creek Bridge to keep the rebels from -burnin' it, we fixed a tent up like that, and the first night after we -encamped, there came up a rain-storm, and blowed the thing a quarter of -a mile into a brush heap." - -"Did I ever tell you what a hard time we had when I was under General -Preston;" asked Corporal Grimm, by way of introduction to a story which -should redound to his own greatness. - -"No, I believe not," answered Sergeant Swords, with more courtesy than -truthfulness, for he had heard the story at least a dozen times. - -"Well, sir, them was tryin' times," said Corporal Grimm, shaking his -head and masticating his quid with the air of a man who has suffered. -"Why, sir, we marched eighty-five miles on foot, and all the rations we -got was dried bacon, hams, and crackers. Oh, I just thought I would give -anything for something substantial to eat, or a drink of coffee! The -boys all run out of tobacco, too, an' we had an awful time." The thought -of these hardships brought to his face an expression of extreme agony. - -"Why didn't you press something to eat? You passed through a country -where there was plenty, didn't you?" asked Sergeant Swords. - -"Yes, but what could fifteen hundred men do at pressin'? Why, they -couldn't a got enough to feed one brigade, let alone our whole army," -answered Corporal Grimm, who, as much service as he had seen, did not -exactly know how many men it took to constitute a brigade. - -"We soldiers have hard times," said Sergeant Swords, brushing some of -the mud off his blue jean coat. "Wonder how soon we'll draw our clothing -and arms?" - -"Don't know, but hope soon. I'm tired of these farmer brown breeches. I -want a blue coat with stripes on the sleeves." - -At this moment there came a blast from the bugle. - -"Roll call," said Sergeant Swords. - -A general gathering of each company about the Captain's tent followed. - -Abner Tompkins was First Lieutenant of the company of which Sergeant -Swords and Corporal Grimm were members. He had been with the company now -for over a week. - -The morning drill was over, and the volunteers were lounging about the -tents, on the grass; Abner was leaning with his arm across the -saddle-bow of his faithful horse, that he was about to turn out to -graze. The mind of the young lieutenant was full of fancies and -memories. His sudden departure from home, his interview with Irene, the -parting with his brother, all were fresh in his thoughts, and his eyes -naturally wandered back toward the road that led to his home. A familiar -sight met his view. Coming down the hill, attended by a member of his -own company, who had been on picket guard, was his father's carriage -driven by the family coachman. - -Abner started. Why was he coming to the Junction? The carriage drove up -to Abner's tent, and the guard, making what he meant for a military -salute, said: - -"Lieutenant, here is a man as says he wants to see you." - -"All right, Barney, you can leave him here." - -The guard turned, and hurried back to his post as though the Nation's -safety depended on his speed. - -The driver opened the carriage door, Mr. Tompkins alighted, and father -and son met with a cordial hand-grasp. Abner led his father into the -officers' tent which was at present deserted by its usual occupants. - -"Have you seen Oleah since?" asked Abner. - -"I have," was the reply. - -"Where?" - -"At his camp." - -"Why, father, how dare you go there, when your sentiments are known to -be directly opposed to their cause? It was very dangerous." - -"Not very dangerous, since I have a son who is an officer in that army." - -"What office does Oleah hold?" - -"Second Lieutenant." - -"I suppose Seth Williams and Howard Jones are there?" - -"Yes, and Harry Smith." - -"Harry Smith?" - -"Yes." - -"Why, he is no Confederate at heart." - -"So are not a great many who are in their ranks." - -"I have been daily expecting Diggs here," said Abner. - -"Diggs, Henry Diggs?" asked Mr. Tompkins curiously. - -"Yes; he promised me he would come here and join our company," said -Abner. - -"He is on the other side," replied Mr. Tompkins. - -"What?" - -"He is on the other side. He is a corporal in Oleah's company." - -"Why, the contemptible little scamp! He promised me faithful he would -come here and enlist." - -"He is a man who cannot resist persuasion, and someone on the other side -got the last persuade of him." - -"True, Diggs has no mind of his own," said Abner. - -"I have sometimes wished that my sons' minds were not quite so decidedly -their own," said the planter with a sad smile and a doubtful shake of -the head. - -"Did you try to persuade Oleah to leave the Southern army?" - -"No; he has conscientiously espoused the cause, and I would not have him -do violence to his conscience. I talked to him mostly about you." - -"About me?" - -"Yes. I told him, as I now tell you, that if he had a principle which he -thought right, he was right to maintain it; but while he fought in one -army to remember always that he had a brother in the other, and, if by -chance he should meet that brother in the struggle, to set brotherly -love above party principle." - -"What did he say?" - -"He promised that he would, and now I have come for your promise also." - -"I make it freely, father. It has always been my intention to meet Oleah -as a brother whenever we meet." - -"This is now a sundered Nation," said Mr. Tompkins, "and its division -has divided many families. It may be that brothers' swords shall drink -brothers' blood, but, oh Abner, let it not be your fate to be a -fratricide." - -Mr. Tompkins lingered until late in the day, when he entered his -carriage, and was driven towards his home. - -That night the Colonel sent for Captain Wardle and told him that he had -been informed of a body of rebels collecting on the headwaters of Wolf -creek, not more than three or four miles from Snagtown, and instructed -him to take sixty of his own company and fifty of the new recruits and -proceed there the next day, starting early in the morning, to break up -the rebel camp, and capture every person found there. - -There was another motley and undisciplined body of men encamped on Wolf -creek. Wolf creek was a clear rapid stream, whose fountain-head was in -the Twin Mountains. It came dashing down their craggy sides in many -small rivulets, which, at their base, united to form this beautiful -stream that flowed through a dark, dense forest in the valley, passing -at one place within a half a mile of Snagtown. - -The camp, however, was three or four miles further up the stream, in -what the military leaders considered a more advantageous location, on -the main road that led from Snagtown by the Twin Mountains to a village -beyond. - -The numbers of the Confederates were increasing daily. As soon as the -volunteers went into camp, those in sympathy with the cause came in from -all the country round, until between three or four thousand men had -assembled, ill armed, undisciplined, confident, and full of enthusiasm. -But one company had yet elected officers. Colonel Scrabble, an old -Mexican soldier, was commander-in-chief of this force. Of the organized -company, Oleah Tompkins was second lieutenant and Patrick Henry Diggs -was corporal. - -Mr. Diggs had experienced considerable disappointment when the company -failed to elect him captain; when a vote was taken for first lieutenant, -he made a speech which secured him two votes; for second lieutenant, -Oleah Tompkins was chosen. He was about to retire from the field and -from the army, and had even applied for his discharge, when the captain -appointed him corporal. - -He did not like to accept a position so insignificant, but, when he -reflected that there were a number of corporals who had risen to be -generals, and that the prospect for his promotion was good, he became -pacified, and very reluctantly assumed the office. - -The spot where the Confederates were encamped had formerly been used for -holding camp meetings; it was a grove, surrounded on every side by a -dense forest and the high road, which led past the place, approached it -in so circuitous a manner that it could not be seen fifty rods either -way. - -The Confederates had chosen so secluded a spot that it was evident they -wished their camp concealed. Wolf Creek bounded their camping ground on -one side. The tents were fantastic affairs, and could vie even with -those of the Junction in variety of shape and material, and showed quite -as great a lack of skill in arrangement. The men were of almost every -class, dress, and nation; but the dark, sharp-cut Southern feature -predominated. - -They were firey, quick-tempered men, whose rashness nearly always -excelled their judgment. Most of them were dressed in the garb of -Virginia farmers, without any appearance or pretense to uniform. Their -arms were shot-guns, rifles, and ancient muskets--a few of them -excellent, but the majority inferior. As a class, they were men who -enjoyed fox chases, wolf hunts, and horse races, and the present phase -of their life they appeared to regard as a frolic. - -Camp fires were smoldering, and camp kettles hung suspended over them. -As at the Junction, there was a great deal of talk about camp life, and -suggestions by the score were indulged in. The sergeants walked about -with much dignity, and our corporal had grown to feel the importance of -his office; he had the drill manual constantly in his hands, and conned -its pages with the uttermost diligence. - -Corporal Diggs was a general in embryo, and his name was yet to ring -through the trump of fame, until, among all nations it should become a -household word; he felt within his soul the uprising of greatness, as he -looked through his glasses with the air of one born to command. And to -think that he was an officer already--a corporal, men under him, to whom -his word was law! Truly, the dream of his life was now beginning to be -realized, his dearest desire was about to be fulfilled. - -Corporal Diggs had, from his earliest boyhood, thirsted for military -glory; he had pored over the pictures of famous generals represented as -leading the dashing cavalry on their charge, amid blind smoke and -flashing swords, or guiding the infantry by a wave of the hand, and had -longed for an opportunity to do likewise. True, he was a mere corporal, -but it took only a few sweeping strides from corporal to general. The -soldiers did not seem at present to regard him with awe and admiration, -but they had not yet seen him under fire; they did not know how cooly he -could undergo so trying an ordeal. He longed for battle as the war horse -that already sniffs the fray. Once in battle, he would so signalize -himself by his coolness and daring as to be mentioned in the colonel's -report, and would undoubtedly be at once promoted. - -Corporal Diggs was full of fire and running over with enthusiasm. No man -in all the camp seemed as busy as he; his tireless, short legs stumped -about from place to place continually, his head thrown back, his eyes -shining brilliantly through his glasses, a rusty, naked sword in his -right hand. Occasionally the official duty of Corporal Diggs brought him -to a standstill and then he would thrust the point of his sword in the -ground, and lean upon it. As the sword was a long one when standing upon -end, it came near reaching the chin of the born warrior who carried it. - -No one could appreciate the greatness of this great man. "Why did you -leave before I showed you?" and other such frivolous phrases were -constantly sounded in his ears. The gallant soldier sometimes became -highly indignant, but he soothed himself with the reflection that all -this would be changed after they had once witnessed his powers on the -battle-field. - -It was the middle of the afternoon. The recruits had exhausted all their -means of amusement, and were lounging about under the shade of the -trees, or cleaning their rusty guns. - -"What shall we do to keep awake this evening?" said one fellow, lazily, -reclining flat on his back under the broad branches of an old elm. - -"Dunno," said another, who was almost asleep. - -"Let's get up a scout," proposed a third. - -"I'll tell you how we can have some fun," said Seth Williams, his eyes -twinkling. - -"How?" asked half a dozen at once. - -"Get Corporal Diggs to make a speech." - -"Good, good!" cried a number springing to their feet. "The very thing." - -It was finally decided to present to Corporal Diggs a written petition -to address the members of his company on the question of the day, and -enthuse them with his magnificent and stirring eloquence. The Sergeant -himself circulated the petition, and had half a hundred names to it in -less than fifteen minutes. - -Corporal Diggs had just returned from inspecting the guard when the -petition was presented to him. - -"Well, yes--hem, hem!" began the soldier, orator, and general in embryo, -"I have been thinking for some time that I ought to make the boys a -speech. They--hem, hem!--should have something of the kind occasionally -to keep--to keep their spirits up." - -"Well, come right along now," said the Sergeant pointing to where nearly -a hundred had gathered around a large elm stump. "They're waiting for -you." - -Corporal Diggs felt that his star had risen, and with a face full of -becoming gravity, which the occasion and his official position demanded, -he went toward the place indicated, dragging his long sword after him, -much in the same way a small boy does the stick he calls his horse. - -The crowd received him with enthusiastic cheers, and Corporal Diggs -mounted the stump. - -"Hem, _hem_, HEM!" he began, clearing his throat by way of commencement. -"Ladies and gentlemen"--a slight titter in the audience--"I mean fellow -citizens, or, perhaps, fellow soldiers or comrades would be more -suitable terms for addressing those who are to share my toils and -dangers." [Cheers.] "'I come not here to talk,' as one of old said, 'for -you know too well the story of our thralldom.' What would the gentlemen -have? Is life so dear or peace so sweet that they must be bought with -slavery and chains? There are those who cry 'Peace, peace!' but there is -no peace! The next gale that sweeps down from the North will bring to -our ears the clash of resounding arms. [Cheers.] But, my comrades, -I--hem, hem!--feel it my imperative duty to tell you that the foe is -near at hand, and battle, glorious battle, where 'flame and smoke, and -shout and groan, and sabre stroke' fill the air." [Vehement cheering, -and Seth Williams trying to kick the bottom out of a camp kettle.] - -"Gentlemen of the jury--hem, hem!--No, fellow comrades, I mean, gird on -the armor of determination, the helmet of courage, the shield of unity, -the breast-plate of honesty, and with the sword of the right never fear -to hew your way through the ranks of injustice." The orator paused for a -moment for the cheering to subside that not a word of that sublime -speech should be lost. All the soldiers in the camp, not on duty, had by -this time gathered about the speaker. - -"Gentlemen of the jury, or fellow soldiers, I should say, hem!" he -resumed, "it may be that some day I shall have the honor of leading you -to battle. Then, fellow citizens, I hope, nay, I verily believe, that -not one in this camp will be found skulking or hiding. [Cheering, and -cries of, "No, no!"] May that day come that we may all prove to the -world that we have a principle, and that we can defend it. [Cheers and -cries of, "Let her come!"] Gentlemen, hem!--comrades, liberty is in the -very air, and the citizens of the South breathe it, and now that the -tyrants of the North have seen fit to loose the war dogs, not one of the -swords of Columbia's true sons shall be returned untarnished to its -sheath. [Long continued cheering.] While this voice has power to speak, -and this tongue power of proclaiming the truth, the wrongs of the South -shall be told. [Cheers and cries of "You bet."] And while this eye has -the power of sight to aim the gun, and this arm strength to wield the -sword, they shall be used wholly for the South." [Cheers and cries of -"Hurrah for Diggs."] Some scamp propounded the long unanswered question, -"Why didn't you wait till I had shown you?" but the orator is unmoved by -this attempt at ridicule. "Gentlemen of the jury, or, rather, fellow -comrades, when I think of all our wrongs, I long for the day to come, -when we may meet the foe face to face. Yes, face to face, with bristling -steel between, and canopies of smoke rolling above and mixing with the -clouds of the heavens. Then shall they feel the arm of vengeance. Oh, ye -boasters of the North," growing very loud and eloquent, while his right -hand, with fingers all apart, cleft the air, "if you would know with -whom you have to deal, come on! [Cheers and cheers of "Come on!"] -Cowards, boasters, how I long to meet you where the canon roars--the -glad thunders of war. [Cheering, and one young recruit trying to stand -on his head.] I tell you that we can now say with the poet: - - - "'Hark, hark, the trump of war awakes - And vengeance from the vigil breaks, - The dreadful cry of carnage sounds, - It seems that hell's let loose her hounds.' - - -"My brave comrades, remember Marion and Washington of old, and be like -them, ready to lay down your life for your country. [Wild cheering.] I -am ready to die in defense of the land that gave me--" - -Bang, bang, bang! went three muskets about two hundred yards up the -creek. - -"Oh, Lordy!" yelled Corporal Diggs, and he performed a leap which a frog -might have envied, alighting from the stump on his hands and knees on -the ground. - -_Bang_, _bang_, CRASH! went half a hundred guns in the same direction, -and the air seemed alive with whistling balls. - -"What is that?" cried Seth Williams. - -"To arms! We are attacked!" shouted Colonel Scrabble. - -"Run for your lives," cried the four pickets who now came in sight, -setting the example. - -As the pickets had seen the enemy, and the Colonel had not, the men -considered that the former knew more of their number. As for the gallant -Corporal Diggs, after one ineffectual attempt to spring on a tall horse, -he ran rapidly away to the woods as fast as his short legs would carry -him, which Seth Williams afterward declared was faster than any horse -could. It was in vain that the officers attempted to rally their men. -The blue-coated soldiers of Captain Wardle, after the first fire, came -galloping into view out of the woods, and, dismounting, fell into line -of battle just in the edge of the cleared space where Corporal Diggs, -not two minutes before, had been entertaining the entire camp with his -eloquence. They poured another volley into the camp, which awoke the -echoes of the forest and seemed to the terrified recruits to shake the -Twin Mountains to their very center. They then charged down on the -enemy. - -"Oh, Lordy, Lordy, have mercy on my soul!" gasped Corporal Diggs as, -impelled by the roar of fire-arms in his rear, the whistling of bullets -among the trees, and the thunder of plunging horses on every side, he -went over the ground at a rate of speed which almost took away his -breath. He ran as he never did before. He crushed through underbrush, -tore through thorns, dodged under limbs, and leaped logs, in a manner -that would have astonished any one who took into consideration the -shortness of his legs. He was leading the entire force, as, in his -speech a few minutes before, he had said he would. He was the first to -start, and as yet was ahead of any footman. - -Many of the horses, about four hundred in number, which had been -picketed about the camp, had broken loose during the firing and were -running, plunging, and snorting through the thick woods, much to the -terror of poor Diggs, who imagined a Union soldier on every horse, and -supposed that there could not be less than fifty thousand of them. - -On, on, and on he ran, for about three miles, when, coming up to a steep -bank of the creek, he found it impossible to check his headlong speed, -and tumbled head first into it. Down into the mud and water he went, -sticking his head so deep into the latter, that it was with some -difficulty he extricated himself. When he washed the mud out of his -eyes, he espied a drift a few feet away, and going to it managed to -conceal himself amid the brush and logs. - -"Oh! Lordy! Lordy! have mercy on me! Oh, I know I shall be killed!" - -"Thump, thump! crash, crash! splash!" It was simply one of the -frightened horses that had broken away from the camp, but it put -Corporal Diggs in extreme terror as he supposed it to be a regiment of -Union cavalry. - -"Oh, I ought never to have engaged in this unholy cause! I thought I was -in error. I'll leave the Southern army sure, if ever I get out of this." - -For hours Corporal Diggs was kept in a state of perpetual terror by -fleeing men and horses. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -MR. TOMPKINS' PERIL. - - -Since the rebellion had assumed such proportions, and men, who had made -war with pen and tongue had taken up the sword, Mr. Tompkins had been -careful not to allude to the merits of either cause in his family. He -had been made to feel the bitterness of the strife that, in dividing the -Nation, had divided his home. He felt most keenly a parent's agony at -having his two sons in hostile armies. That, at any hour or moment, they -might meet in opposing ranks, was a horrible possibility, which, do what -he would, he could not banish from his mind. He knew, too, that the -companion of his life held views antagonistic to his own on the question -of the war. So he was reticent on questions on which every one else was -eagerly expressing opinions; but in his heart, he was firmly convinced -of the justice of the Union cause. Though Mrs. Tompkins, like her -husband, was silent as to her belief, she was as firmly convinced that -the cause of the South was just. How could she, with all her native -pride and prejudices, look on the subject in any other light? Her sunny -home, the home of her childhood, the pride of her maturer years, was to -be the field of contest. One side must win. On one side were arrayed the -cold, calculating strangers of the North; on the other the warm-hearted, -generous people of the South; but what endeared to her, more than any -other circumstance, the Southern cause, was that it was based on -principles which she believed just and right. - -Americans, more than any other Nation on earth, fight from principle. -Other Nations blindly follow king or emperor, regardless of right or -wrong, but the American fights from principle approved by his judgment -and based upon his earnest convictions. - -Mr. Tompkins did not reflect on the dangers that might arise to himself -from visiting two hostile armies. It was the day after his visit to the -Junction that he chanced to be at Snagtown. He found the village in a -state of excitement in consequence of "a large army of United States -soldiers" having passed on their way to Wolf Creek. The villagers, -unaccustomed to the sight of large bodies of men, put the number of -Captain Wardle's command at several thousand, when in reality it did not -exceed, including his own company and the others with him, one hundred -and fifty. - -"Where were they going?" inquired Mr. Tompkins of the village grocer. - -"Dunno," was the reply. - -"Which way did they go?" - -"Towards the Twin Mountains." - -"There is no question as to where they was goin'," said the blacksmith. -"They was takin' a bee line for the camp on Wolf Creek, and they're -going to gobble up our boys along there; but although they outnumber -them twenty to one, they'll find the boys game." - -"Where did these troops come from?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"From the Junction." - -Mr. Tompkins very well knew that the entire force at the Junction did -not number over four hundred men. - -While the loungers and others were attempting to estimate the number of -the troops, and discussing the probable result of their visit to Wolf -Creek, a volley of musketry saluted their astonished ears. - -"There, they are at it!" said the blacksmith, smoking his pipe more -vigorously. - -The volley was quickly followed by another, another, and another. After -this, for a quarter of an hour, an occasional shot was heard, but no -more regular firing. Various were the conjectures as to the result of -the battle. A frightened farmer, who had been near the camp at the time -of the attack, came galloping in, declaring that the ground was strewn -with dead bodies; that the Confederates were killed to a man, and other -reports almost as wild, increasing the excitement and alarm of the -villagers. - -To say that Mr. Tompkins did not share the general anxiety would be to -say he was not human. He knew that his youngest son might be lying in -the woods either dead or dying. And Abner--had he accompanied the troops -sent to the Junction? A thousand conflicting emotions stirred the heart -of the planter, and a double care weighed on his mind. His first impulse -was to go at once to the scene of the conflict; but a moment's -reflection showed him that such a course would be not only dangerous, -but foolish. He resolved to return home and await the development of -facts in regard to the attack at Wolf Creek. - -Mr. Tompkins found his wife awaiting him on the piazza, and he knew by -the troubled look on her face that she had learned of the attack. He -said nothing about it, for a single glance from each explained all. - -"You look wearied, husband," said the wife as he sank into a chair at -her side. - -"I am wearied," he replied, the troubled look deepening on his face. - -A moment's silence ensued. Mrs. Tompkins was the first to break it. - -"There has been trouble at the camp on Wolf Creek. I heard the firing." - -"Yes," said the husband, "a body of Union troops passed through Snagtown -to-day to attack the camp there. There has been some sharp firing, but -nothing definite has been heard of the affair." - -An hour or so later there came a clatter of hoofs down the road, and a -dozen horsemen paused in front of the gate, opening into the avenue that -led to the house. Mr. Tompkins sent to ascertain what they wanted. The -leader inquired if Mr. Tompkins lived there, and being answered in the -affirmative, he said, with an oath: - -"Well, tell him to come out here." - -The speaker was a thick-set, low-browed man, dressed in homespun gray, -and armed with a sword and revolver. His companions, as coarse as -himself, were armed with rifles; each wore the broad-brimmed black hat -then common in the South. - -"Does yer want ter see my master?" asked the negro, his black face -turning almost white, and his frame shaking with apprehension. - -For answer, the leader snatched a holster from his saddle so vehemently -that the darkey needed no other inducement to return with all speed to -the house. - -"What is the matter, Pompey?" asked Mr. Tompkins, as the boy stood -breathless before him. - -"Oh, gracious, mars, don't know, 'cept they be's a band o' brigantines -as wants to see you down at the gate." - -Mr. Tompkins smiled at Pompey's terror, and rose to go, but Mrs. -Tompkins, who did not like the angry gesticulations of the strangers at -the gate, accompanied her husband. - -"Is your name Tompkins" asked the ferocious-looking leader, as the -planter and his wife paused just inside the gate. - -"It is, sir. Whom have I the honor of addressing?" returned Mr. -Tompkins. - -"I am Sergeant Strong of the Independent Mounted Volunteers of Jeff. -Davis, and I have come here to hang you, sir." - -Mrs. Tompkins gave a scream and clung to her husband. - -"The men are only joking, Camille; can't you see they are only joking?" -said Mr. Tompkins, to soothe his terrified wife. - -"You'll find out that we're not joking," said the leader of the band, -dismounting and fastening his horse to an ornamental tree on the lawn. -Six of his men followed his example, leading their horses inside the -gate, and hitching them to the fence or trees. - -"Men what do you mean?" said Mr. Tompkins, who took great pride in his -shrubbery. "I do not allow horses to be tied near my trees." - -"We'll tie you to one of your trees soon and see how you like it, with a -dance in the air." - -Mrs. Tompkins clung to her husband, half dead with terror, and Irene -came hurrying from the house. - -"Go back, Camille; go back with Irene, and wait for me in the house," -said Mr. Tompkins. "This is nothing serious." - -"Ye'll see, sir, if it ain't somethin' serious," said Sergeant Strong, -unstrapping a rope from behind his saddle, and uncoiling it. "The law -says spies shall suffer death, and we're going to make an example of -you, sir." - -"I am no spy," returned the planter. - -"Don't suppose I saw ye hangin' 'round our camp, and then shootin' off -after sojers at the Junction to come down and lick us! And they just -come to-day an' cleaned us most all out, and you shall hang for it." As -he spoke he threw one end of the rope over the projecting branch of a -large maple tree. - -"Those terrible men mean what they say," whispered Irene in Mrs. -Tompkins' ear. She had comprehended all in a moment's time. "I will run -for the overseer and the field hands." - -She turned to fly, but her motive was interpreted, and one of the men -seized her around the waist, saying: "No, my purty gal, ye' don't do -nothin' o' the kind jist yit awhile." - -In vain she struggled to free herself; she was powerless in the man's -hands. - -Mrs. Tompkins, completely overcome, had fainted. - -"Now, boys, we are ready; bring him here," said Sergeant Strong. - -Three or four men laid hands on the planter, but he felled them -instantly. They did not expect such resistance from a man of his age, -and were not prepared for it. It was not until Mr. Tompkins was stunned -by a blow from the butt of a rifle that he was secured and bound; he was -then led under the tree and the noose thrown over his neck. Mrs. -Tompkins lay still and white on the greensward, and Irene was struggling -with her captor and screaming for help. No one noticed the horseman who -came dashing furiously down the hill. - -"Up with him!" cried the Sergeant, and he seized the rope. At this -moment the horseman thundered through the open gate, and just as Strong -cried, "Now pull all!" the butt of a heavy pistol struck him on the -head, and he fell like a beef under the hammer. - -Then, with his hand still uplifted, he rode toward Irene's captor, but -the fellow had released her and fled; the horseman fired a shot after -the rapidly retreating figure. Then, turning on the remainder of the -band, he asked in a voice of thunder, "What, in heaven's name, does this -mean?" - -Mr. Tompkins, for the first time, saw the horseman's face, and -recognized his son, Oleah. - -"Why, it's the Leftenant," stammered one of the men, his teeth -chattering with fear. - -"What does this mean, I say?" he again demanded. - -"Why, Lieutenant," said one man, who had the rope in his hand when Oleah -came up, "Strong said he was a spy, and he had set the sojers on us -to-day, and ordered us to punish him; be we didn't intend to hang him." - -Oleah's hot temper got the better of him, and he would have shot -Sergeant Strong, who was still insensible, and the other ringleaders, on -the spot, had not Irene and his father interfered. All danger being -over, the servants came flocking to the scene, and Mrs. Tompkins was -carried into the house. These men were a part of Oleah's own company. He -ordered them to take the Sergeant, who was beginning to recover, and -retire into the woods until he should join them. They obeyed and rode -over the hill, quite crestfallen, conveying their wounded sergeant. - -Oleah briefly told his father of the attack made on their camp. He said -they were taken by surprise, their forces scattered through the woods, -but he believed not one drop of blood had been shed, although Diggs was -missing, as well as several others. It was thought they had been taken -prisoners. Then he again mounted his horse and dashed off, to gather up -his scattered forces. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -FORAGING. - - -Captain Wardle's campaign had been a complete success. He had made -twenty prisoners, he had secured most of the arms and the camp equipage, -with one hundred and six horses. Vain search was made for the bodies of -the dead who had been slain in the fight, none could be found; and from -the marks of the bullets on the timber one would judge that no one had -been touched, as no trees had been struck lower than twenty feet. - -Camp-kettles, tents, rusty fire-locks, and weapons of nearly every -description, were scattered about over the ground. The soldiers, the -ununiformed especially, entertained themselves with the very -exhilarating amusement of shattering against the trees these old -fire-locks and such other weapons as could not be conveniently carried -off. The plundering of the camp was an interesting -occupation--interesting, even, to those who took no part in it. The -ununiformed took the lead in this business. Perhaps they regarded it as -their especial duty to be foremost now, since they had been in the rear -during the attack. - -Corporal Grimm and Sergeant Swords were both present, very busy, and -trying to look very soldier-like, though their brown homespun suits and -broad-brimmed hats gave them anything but a military appearance. -Corporal Grimm kept his jaws in lively motion on a huge piece of -pig-tail, while he kept up a lively conversation with Sergeant Swords -and others immediately about him. Somehow the scene reminded him of his -ten days' experience as a soldier with "General Preston," and he related -that experience at length. The scene also vividly impressed Sergeant -Swords with his experience under Captain Floyd, and he impelled to tell -his comrades of that. - -All were in excellent spirits. Captain Wardle congratulated the men on -their coolness and gallant conduct, and the men congratulated Captain -Wardle on his coolness and good generalship--all congratulating each -other. - -About three hours were spent on the late camping ground of the -Confederates, and then the entire force, with their twenty prisoners and -the plunder they could carry, started on their return to the Junction. -Night overtook them about five miles after they had passed Snagtown, -and, selecting a suitable place, they encamped. There was but one thing -to dampen their ardor, but one thing had been overlooked. Their arms -were in excellent condition, and they were all well mounted; but even -riotous soldiers must eat, and this little fact had been overlooked. -When night came they were tired and hungry, but there were rations only -for about one-half of their force, and many went supperless to bed, with -a fine prospect of having nothing to eat before noon the next day. - -Captain Wardle felt most keenly his mistake in not bringing supplies, -and spent most of the night in examining an old backless drill book to -see how the thing could be remedied. Not finding anything in the -tactics, he thrust it in his pocket and, throwing himself on his -blanket, closed his eyes and in a few moments solved the problem. He -then went to sleep, and it was not until his lieutenant had dragged him -several feet from under his covering that he awoke next morning. - -The sun was up, and so were the men, the latter hungry and ill-natured. - -"Never mind! Tell the boys I've got this question fixed. They shall all -have their breakfast. Tell the bugler to sound the roll-call." - -The blast of the bugle called the men together, and the roll was soon -called. - -"Now," said Captain Wardle, who had been holding a conversation with -Captain Gunn, "I think you are hungry--" - -"You bet we are, Capen," put in a red-faced private. - -"Shet up, sir, or I'll have you court-martialed and shot for contempt." - -All became silent; the men looked grave and appeared willing to learn -from the old, time-honored soldier, Captain Wardle. - -"We haven't got enough in camp to feed more than about twenty-five men, -so the rest o' ye will have to forage. Go in gangs of ten or fifteen and -hunt your breakfast where yer can. The people all around here are -secesh, and it will be a good thing to make them feed Union soldiers -once in a while." - -This announcement was received with applause, and the troops commenced -dividing into small squads, the uniformed mixing promiscuously with the -ununiformed, and waiting only for instructions where to join the main -force, which now, consisting of twenty-five men and the prisoners, -mounted their horses and rode off. - -The eastern sun, like a blazing ball, was rising higher and higher in -the sky as twelve men, among whom were Corporal Grimm and Sergeant -Swords, galloped down a wooded road, keeping a sharp lookout for -"bushwhackers." Six of these men wore the uniform and carried the arms -of the United States Infantry, and six were dressed in citizens' attire -and armed with rifles or double-barreled shot-guns. All rode at a -furious pace, splashing through the mud and frightening the birds in the -woods on either side. - -A boy was riding down the road in the opposite direction. He was mounted -on a thin, slow-moving mare, of an indistinct color, which might have -been taken for a bay, yellow or sorrel. The boy was barefooted, had on a -straw hat, rode on a folded sheepskin instead of a saddle, held an empty -bag before him, and certainly did not look very warlike. - -"Halt!" cried Sergeant Swords, drawing an old, rusty sword from its -sheath and waving it in the air. - -"Halt!" cried Corporal Grimm, drawing a many-barreled pistol, commonly -known as a pepper-box, which he flourished in a threatening manner. - -"Halt!" again cried both, "or we will fire." - -The boy, being overawed by numbers, felt constrained to pull up the thin -mare. - -"Advance and give the countersign!" said Corporal Grimm. - -"Shet up, Grimm! I command this squad," said Sergeant Swords. - -Grimm chewed his pigtail in silence. In the meantime the boy seemed -undecided whether to fly or to stand his ground, though his face -betrayed a strong inclination in favor of the former proposition. - -"Who comes there?" said Sergeant Swords, bringing his rusty sword to a -salute. - -"Who are ye talkin' to?" asked the boy, looking around to see if he -could possibly be addressing any one else. - -"I am talkin' to you, sir," said the Sergeant, sharply. - -"What d'ye want?" asked the boy. - -"Who comes there, I said?" answered the Sergeant more sharply. - -"Me." - -"Advance, then." - -"Do what?" - -"Come here." - -The boy understood this. He had it delivered in just such a tone when he -had been violating the domestic law. He advanced. - -"What d'ye want?" he asked again. - -"Where can we get our breakfast?" - -"Dunno," he replied, wonderingly. - -"Well, how fur is it to the next farm-house?" - -"Taint more'n a mile." - -"Who lives there?" - -"Old Ruben Smith; but he ain't there now." - -"Where is he?" - -"Dunno; says he's gone to the war, him and his two boys." - -"Which army?" - -"Dunno." - -"Are they Union or secesh?" - -"Lor bless ye, we're all secesh here." - -"You are? Well, we are Union. We'll take ye prisoner, then," said -Corporal Grimm. - -"Oh, but I ain't secesh." - -"Well, then, you are a good boy," said the Sergeant. "Where are ye -going?" - -"Gwine to Snagtown to git the mail and buy some sugar and coffee." - -"Well, you may go on," said the grim soldier, winking at the Corporal; -the boy trotted on, looking curiously back at the men and their blue -uniforms and big guns. - -The cavalcade now galloped on towards the house of Ruben Smith. The -steep gable roof soon loomed up in the distance, and after dashing down -the lane, around a pasture, through a small wood, they pulled up in -front of the house. - -"Dismount!" commanded the Sergeant. The men were on the ground in an -instant. "Now hitch where you can, and two of you stay on guard while -the rest are eating." - -"Who are ye, and what do ye want," demanded a sharp-visaged, ill-natured -looking woman, coming out on the porch as the soldiers entered the yard. - -"We are Union soldiers, and we want our breakfast," said Corporal Grimm, -as the Sergeant was busy giving orders to the men. - -"You low, nigger-lovin', aberlition thieves, I wouldn't give ye a bite -if ye were starvin'," said the woman. - -"Mother, don't talk that way to them," said a pretty, red cheeked girl -of about fifteen, standing by her side. - -"We want breakfast for twelve," said Sergeant Swords, now coming -forward. - -"Well, sir, ye won't git it here. Go to some nigger shanty and let them -cook for ye." - -"Oh, no, my good woman, we want you to get our breakfast. You are a good -lookin' woman, and I know you can get up a good meal." - -"If I was to cook for ye scamps, I'd pizen the last one o' ye," she -fairly shrieked. - -"We shall have you eat with us, my good lady, and we can eat anything -you do," said Sergeant Swords, good-humoredly. The young girl was all -the while persuading her mother to be more calm. - -"Come now, I'll help you. I'll kindle the fire and carry the wood and -draw the water," said the corporal. - -"Come in my house an' I'll pour bilin' hot water in yer face, and scald -yer eyes out!" - -"Don't talk so, mother," urged the pretty daughter. - -At this moment the kitchen door opened, and a negro girl peeped out. - -"Say, kinky head, stir up the kitchen fire and get us some breakfast -right soon," said Corporal Grimm. The black face withdrew, and the two -non-commissioned officers entered the house to see that their bidding -was performed. - -While the latter were discussing the possibility of bushwhackers being -in the neighborhood, they were suddenly startled by a loud cackling of -hens and screaming of chickens; at the same instant a flock came rushing -around the house with half a dozen soldiers in close pursuit. - -"Good idea, boys! We will have chickens for breakfast," said Corporal -Grimm. - -A dozen or more chickens were caught and killed and carried to the cook. -The soldiers politely inquired of the lady of the house if they could be -of any further assistance, and then most of them returned to the front -yard, where their arms were stacked or strewn promiscuously about. Three -of them, with Corporal Grimm, remained to pick the chickens and prepare -them for the cook, while their very amiable hostess was sullenly -grinding away at a large coffee mill. The negro girl and the -rosy-cheeked daughter of the house were both very busy hurrying up the -fire, putting on the kettles of water, making biscuits, and attending to -the various culinary duties. - -"Where is your husband?" asked Corporal Grimm. - -"None of your business," was the quick reply. - -"Where are your sons?" asked Grimm. - -"In Jeff Davis' army, to shoot just such thieves as you are." - -"How long have they been in Jeff Davis' army?" - -"Ever since the war commenced." - -"How old is this hen I am picking?" - -"I hope she is old enough and tough enough to choke ye to death," said -the women, giving the coffee mill a furious rap. - -"Your husband must be a very happy man," said Corporal Grimm. - -"If he was here, you wouldn't be very happy," she replied, testily. - -"No, I am happier with his amiable spouse." - -"There, I hope that'll pizen ye," she said, emptying the ground coffee -into a coffee-pot, and pouring boiling water over it. - -"Make it strong enough to bear up an iron wedge," said Corporal Grimm; -then, addressing his men: - -"Watch the old vixen, for she may pizen us if she gets a chance." - -The men needed no second bidding, and as the cooking progressed, they -watched more keenly. They were all very hungry, yet none wanted to be -poisoned. - -Breakfast being prepared, the reluctant hostess was compelled to eat -with the soldiers, who, being thus convinced that none of the viands -were poisoned, did full justice to the really excellent meal. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -UNCLE DAN MEANS BUSINESS. - - -Colonel Scrabble found his forces, when the attacking party had retired, -somewhat scattered. With Lieutenant Whimple he had sought safety in a -hollow tree, whence, after waiting four hours, he issued orders to the -lieutenant to go forth and see if the Federal troops had retreated. The -lieutenant took a circuitous route, walking on tiptoe, lest he should -disturb the slumbers of the dead, until he reached the camp, which the -Union soldiers had just left. - -Lieutenant Whimple then started to return, meeting on his way Captain -Fogg. One by one they picked up men, behind logs, in tree-tops, and -thick cluster of bushes, until they arrived twenty in number at the -colonel's head-quarters, in the hollow tree. Here a council of war was -held, and it was decided to send runners through the woods to notify -their scattered forces that the enemy was gone; by night one hundred -and fifty men had assembled around the hollow tree. They talked, in low -determined tones, and all swore to avenge their lost comrades. - -Lieutenant Whimple and a score of resolute men were still scouring the -woods in search of fugitives. They had approached very near the bank of -the creek when the foremost man started back, saying: - -"My God! Just look at that!" - -"Where?" asked a dozen voices, peeping through the underbush, expecting -to behold a masked battery at the least. The sun was low in the Western -horizon, and our soldiers could not see the object at first. - -"There," said the first speaker, "sittin' right on the bank of the -creek, is the devil come out to sun himself." - -They could now describe an object that might be a huge mud turtle, or -might be almost any thing a lively fancy could suggest. A closer -examination, however, showed it to be a little man somewhat larger than -an apple dumpling, but so plastered from his head to his heels with mud -that one could hardly tell whether he was black or white. - -The men drew nearer the strange object and finally rushed from their -concealment. The poor fellow went down on his knees and threw up his -hands imploringly. He was covered with the very blackest of Virginia -mud, except great, white rings around the eyes and mouth, which gave a a -most horrible expression to the features. - -"Oh! have mercy, mercy--hem, hem!--have mercy!" he gasped, clasping his -hands and closing his eyes, "and I will quit this unholy cause." - -"Why, hallo, Corporal Diggs?" cried Lieutenant Whimple. At sound of that -familiar voice, Mr. Diggs bounded to his feet, smeared as he was, threw -his arms round the speaker's neck and wept for joy. - -"Oh! Whimple, Whimple, Whimple! I never expected to behold your face -again. Oh! my dear, dear Whimple, you're not killed, are you? Tell me -that you are not dead!" - -Whimple assured him that not only was he alive but in good health; after -allowing the corporal time to recover, they picked up a few more men in -the woods, also about forty horses, and returned. - -Lieutenant Tompkins, who had been out in search of scattered men, now -returned with the sergeant's squad, the Sergeant's head bandaged. - -A hundred curious eyes were turned toward Whimple's squad as they came -in; but it was not so much the numbers of the squad that attracted their -attention, as the mud covered object that walked in their midst, in -regard to which various conjectures were hazarded. - -About three hundred and seventy-five men were gathered around the -Colonel's head-quarters, the hollow tree, before nightfall. Something -must be done, all agreed. There were several men in the country, the -Colonel said, who must either take the oath of allegiance to the -Southern cause or suffer death for their disloyalty. Several names were -mentioned, among them that of Dan Martin. - -"The hunter of Twin Mountains?" asked Oleah Tompkins. - -"Yes," said Lieutenant Whimple, who had suggested the name. - -"He is an old friend of mine," said Oleah. - -"Well, but, Lieutenant Tompkins, we can't afford to screen all your -friends," said the Colonel. - -"Of course, no one can blame you for saving your father, but you can't -expect all your Abolition friends will be left unmolested. Lieutenant -Whimple, take twenty men and wait on old Dan Martin to-morrow." - -When morning came, nearly all the horses were needed for the work of -collecting the balance of the scattered forces, foraging for provisions -and for arms and horses. - -Corporal Diggs was second in command of Whimple's force, and, as he -mounted his tall horse, he heard Seth Williams making audible comments -on his appearance. - -The mounted force galloped away toward the foot of Twin Mountains, where -Uncle Dan lived, a distance of about ten miles from the camp. - -It was near the middle of the forenoon when Uncle Dan, who was sitting -in his door-yard, saw a cavalcade approaching. Crazy Joe was in the -house drawing a map of Egypt, showing by lines how far the famine had -extended. - -Uncle Dan's fierce mastiff and his hounds seemed to scent coming -danger, the latter sending up mournful howls and the former uttering -low, fierce howls of anger. - -"By hokey, I don't like the looks o' that," said the old man, as he -observed the armed band approaching his lonely cabin. "Seems like they -ain't honest. They're secesh, sure as gun's made o' iron, for there is -Jake Whimple leading 'em, and right here, too. Guess it won't do any -harm to keep old 'Broken Ribs' handy, in case they should be ugly." - -As the old man concluded he entered the house, and, taking his rifle -from the rack over the door, leaned it against the wall while he took -his seat in the door-way, his gun within easy reach. He had also placed -a large navy revolver by his side. - -The horsemen had now caught sight of him, and, with exultant yells, -galloped up the slight elevation from the creek toward the cabin. - -"Say, I reckin you'd better stop now and let a fellow know what ye -want," cried Uncle Dan, snatching his rifle, and bringing it to a poise. - -The cavalcade halted, the men looking apprehensively at the unerring -rifle and then at one another. Finally, by common consent, all eyes were -turned on Lieutenant Whimple. - -"What do ye want, Jake Whimple?" demanded Uncle Dan in sharp, imperative -tones. - -"We have come to administer the oath of allegiance to you," said -Whimple, riding a little nearer, his comrades following close behind. - -"Then stop," cried the old hunter, "or I will make it hot for you, for I -won't take no oath of allegiance from any one to the Southern -Confederacy, 'specially such a sorry cuss as you." - -"Then I shall take you a prisoner and bring you to camp," said -Lieutenant Whimple, trying to throw some sternness in his voice. - -"I'll drop some o' you fellars afore ye do that. Now jist advance one -step further and see if I don't." - -Although they were fifty yards away, they could distinctly hear the -ominous click of that rifle which never failed. - -"I've lost something down here," muttered Corporal Diggs, striving in -vain to keep his teeth from chattering, "and I believe I'll go back and -see if I can't find it." - -The Corporal wheeled his big horse around, and galloped down the hill -for about one hundred yards, and, dismounting, set about examining very -intently the ground behind a large oak tree. - -"Whoa, January," he said shivering, perhaps from cold, as the -thermometer was only 65° above in the shade. - -"If you don't come along peaceably with us we shall have to use force," -said Lieutenant Whimple, in a tone of as much severity as he could -command. - -The old man sprang to his feet and brought his gun to his face, "Now, -turn about and git from here, or I'll drop some of ye where ye stand," -he shouted. - -Lieutenant Whimple spurred his horse, which reared, and wheeled and as -he turned he fired his pistol at the hunter. The ball passed high over -the old man's house, missing its aim by ten feet. - -"Shoot the old rascal!" he frantically cried, as he saw the fatal rifle -aimed at himself. The discharge of the pistol had frightened the horses; -they had broken ranks and were now rearing and plunging in every -direction. - -"Crack!" went Uncle Dan's rifle, and a bullet went through the -Lieutenant's hat, knocking it from his head. - -With a wild cry, the Lieutenant threw up his hands, and fell forward on -his horse's neck, believing, as did the others, that he was killed. The -horse tore down the hill, followed by the entire company. - -Uncle Dan's blood was up and snatching his revolver he fired three more -shots at the retreating cavalcade. At the last shot he saw the dust -arise from the back of one man's coat and heard a wild cry. - -"Take me by force," said Uncle Dan, "May be," and re-entering the house -he reloaded his weapons, to be ready for another assault. - -Corporal Diggs was still searching for the treasure he had lost, when he -heard the shots, and, looking from behind the tree, he saw the whole -troop come tearing down the hill, retreating, as it seemed to him, in -the midst of a storm of shot fired from a six pounder. - -The Corporal made a spring for his saddle (as he afterward declared), to -rally his men, seeing that the Lieutenant was wounded, but he could only -succeed in grasping the horn of his saddle. Thus clinging, he managed to -slip one foot into the stirrup, when the flying horsemen thundered by. -The Corporal's long-legged horse gave one snort and started at headlong -speed. - -"Whoa, January! whoa, January! _whoa January!_" frantically cried the -Corporal, clinging to the side of the tall horse, able neither to get on -or off, while the excited beast seemed to be trying to outstrip the -wind. - -"Whoa, January," cried the Corporal, trying to stop his flying steed, -but unable to touch the bridle. - -"Whoa, January," his arms and legs extended, and his short coat-tail -flying, made him look like a spider on a circular saw. "Whoa January! Oh -Lordy, won't no one stop this horse? I'll--hem, hem--be killed against a -tree! Help, help! Whoa January." - -January by this time had passed the foremost horse in the fleeing -cavalcade, and his rider presented such a ludicrous appearance that the -men, badly frightened as they were, roared with laughter. - -Lieutenant Whimple, after swaying for some time in the saddle, plunged -off in a helpless heap on the side of the road. Three or four of the men -paused to pick him up. The man who had been wounded in the back, fainted -and fell from his horse, when another halt was made. - -But on thundered January, his rider still clinging to his side and -crying vigorously for help. The creek was reached, and January, by one -tremendous leap, cleared the ford. The stirrup broke, so did Corporal -Diggs' hold. There was a great splash, and those nearest saw a pair of -short legs disappear beneath the surface of the water. - -When the party came up, they beheld a mud-stained, water-soaked -individual crawling up the opposite bank, sputtering and groaning, and -swearing he would quit such an unholy cause. - -The Lieutenant soon recovered, though he acted for hours like a man -dazed. The severely wounded private was carried to the nearest house, -where he was left and medical aid sent for. Corporal Diggs rode behind -one of the soldiers until they came upon the fractious January nibbling -the fresh grass in a piece of bottom-land. He then mounted his own steed -and took command of the company, which he led straight back to camp. - -No sooner had the Confederates left Uncle Dan's residence than the -latter packed up his few valuables, and, telling Crazy Joe to go to Mr. -Tompkins, turned loose his dogs and set out through the woods to the -Junction. Uncle Dan surmised the rebels would return in force and burn -his dwelling to the earth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -MRS. JUNIPER ENTERTAINS. - - -Mrs. Julia Juniper was a wealthy widow, of easy conscience and uncertain -age. Courted and flattered alike for her charms and her wealth, for Mrs. -Julia Juniper had both, she was the acknowledged belle of the country, -the leader of the elite and the ruler of fashion. When Mrs. Julia -Juniper gave a party it was sure to be successfully attended, and it -needed only to be known that she was to be at a ball to ensure the -presence of the very best society in the neighborhood. - -The widow was a little above medium height, slender and graceful, with -dark, sparkling eyes, clear white complexion, and black hair. She was -vivacious as well as beautiful, and her sparkling wit was sufficient to -enliven the dullest assemblage. - -Mrs. Julia Juniper owned and possessed (as the lawyers say) a large -plantation, and the granite mansion she had furnished with lavish -elegance. - -Two or three weeks have passed since the occurrences last recorded, and -many startling events have taken place. Colonel Holdfast, with his force -at the Junction, had joined McClellan, and fought gallantly at -Phillippi, on the 3d of June. Abner Tompkins had been promoted to a -captaincy, and Sergeant Swords and Corporal Grimm wore uniforms. Uncle -Dan Martin accompanied the army as guide and scout, and was of -invaluable service, as he knew every inch of the ground over which they -had to pass. Colonel Scrabble had been compelled to fall back with his -force about forty or fifty miles south, where a large force was -assembling near Rich Mountain. The colonel's regiment had been -recruited, refitted, and furnished with arms by the Confederate States, -and the colonel himself now held a commission. Owing to the fact that -Lieutenant Whimple had been disabled, perhaps for life, by his fall from -his horse in the race from Uncle Dan's cabin, Oleah Tompkins had been -promoted to first lieutenant. - -The regiment was now encamped in the neighborhood of Mrs. Julia Juniper, -and Mrs. Juniper, a Southern lady with all a Southern lady's prejudices -and passions, and intense likes and dislikes, loved her sunny South, and -loved every one who was engaged defending it against the cold-blooded -Northern invader, and, desirous of doing all she could to cheer the -brave hearts of her country's defenders, resolved to give a reception in -honor of the regiment. It was at the same time a first meeting and a -farewell, for the colonel hourly expected orders to march further east -and join the troops massing in the valley of the Shenandoah under -Johnston and Beauregard. - -It was the evening of the 9th of July, 1861, and the grand mansion of -Mrs. Julia Juniper was ablaze with light and splendor. The -drawing-rooms, parlors, reception rooms, and the spacious dining hall -were lighted early in the evening, festooned with flags, and lavishly -adorned with flowers. The piazza, the lawn, the conservatory, and even -the garden, on this evening, were filled with a gay, laughing throng. -Mrs. Julia Juniper had ordered all form and ceremony to be laid aside, -and desired that her guests should consider her house their home. She -met officer and private, as they entered, clasping the hand of each with -a fervent "God save our sunny South." More than one young soldier, -looking on that lovely face, resolved to fight till death for a cause so -dear to her. Corporal Diggs was present, and as Mrs. Julia Juniper's -hand clasped his, and he heard her say: "God bless, you, my dear friend -and make your arm strong to defend our beloved country!" He felt proud -that he had not deserted, as he declared he should, after the retreat -from Twin Mountain. Mrs. Juniper was everywhere, shedding on all the -light of her countenance, enlivening all conversation with the rich, -warm tones of her voice or her merry, musical laugh. - -At least two hundred officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, fell -in love with the widow, and twice as many privates were willing to lie -down and have their heads amputated for her sake. Many of our Southern -soldier friends were present, among them Howard Jones and Seth Williams, -both sergeants now. Corporal Diggs was in ecstacies of delight, but the -presence of his old tormentor, Seth Williams, was a slight drawback at -times to his happiness. Mrs. Juniper had introduced the corporal and -Seth Williams to two charming young ladies, Miss Ada Temple and Miss -Nannie Noddington, both of them bright, lively girls, fond of sport. -Miss Temple made herself particularly agreeable to the little -apple-dumpling of a corporal. - -Mr. Corporal Diggs had on a neat little suit of gray, without shoulder -straps, but with yellow braid enough on his coat sleeves to indicate his -office and rank. His thick hair was parted exactly in the middle, his -burnside whiskers were neatly trimmed, and his glasses were on his nose. -He tried to appear witty, making him appear silly enough to enlist the -sympathy of any one except Seth Williams. - -Seth was bent on fun and mischief, and in Miss Nannie Noddington he -found an able accomplice and ally. - -Corporal Diggs was making an extraordinary endeavor to make himself -agreeable to Miss Temple, who laughed at his witticisms in a coquettish -way that was wholly irresistible, and Corporal Diggs became brilliant, -drawing continually on his immense fund of knowledge, talking science, -physics, and metaphysics, history, literature, and art, at last touching -on the theme, sacred to love and lovers, poetry. - -"Hem, hem, hem! Miss Temple, I presume--hem--you are very fond of -poetry," he said, leaning back in his chair, his soleful eyes gleaming -through his glasses. - -"I am passionately fond of poetry, corporal," said the blonde beauty, -with a winning smile. - -"I--hem, hem!--before I entered the army, used to be passionately fond -of poetry, but the multifarious duties of an officer during these -exciting times will allow no thought of polite accomplishments." - -"He is inflating now," whispered Seth Williams to Miss Noddington. "He -will explode soon in a burst of poetical eloquence." - -Mr. Diggs, as we have seen, had a peculiar stoppage in his speech, -occasioned more by habit than by any defect in the organs of -articulation. - -"Yes, Miss Temple, I--hem, hem, hem!--admire, or rather I adore poetry. -The deep sublimity of thought--hem, hem, hem!--given forth in all of -poetical expression and--hem, hem!--as the poet says 'the eye in fine -frenzy rolling.'" - -"That was in his 'Ode to an Expiring Calf,' was it not?" said Seth -Williams, who was one of the group. - -No one could repress a smile, and Miss Noddington was attacked by a -convulsive cough. - -"You always have a way of degrading the sublime to the ridiculous, Mr. -Williams," said the little corporal, loftily. - -"Who of the English poets do you like best, Corporal Diggs?" asked Miss -Temple, pretending not to notice Williams' sally and the consequent -discomfiture of her companion. - -"I--hem, hem!" said the little fellow, leaning forward and locking his -hands, with all the dignity that he assumed when about to give one of -his opinions. "I--hem--am rather partial to Scott. I don't know why, -unless his wild poems rather suit my warlike nature. I like to read of -Marmion, the Lady of the Lake, and the Vision of Don--Don--hem--Don--" - -"Quixote," put in Seth Williams. - -The bright black eyes of Miss Noddington twinkled, but Miss Temple -feigned sympathy with the corporal, whose memory was evidently bad. - -"But--hem, hem!--Miss Temple," he went on, heroic to the last, "that is -a sublime as well as a truthful thought of Scott, who says,--hem, -hem!--how does it begin? Oh yes: - - - "O, woman, in our hours of ease - Uncertain, coy, and hard to--" - - -"Squeeze," put in Seth Williams, who was really boiling over with -mischief. - -Miss Temple looked shocked, but Miss Noddington only buried her blushing -face in her handkerchief. - -The discomforted Corporal Diggs cast a furious glance at Seth Williams, -who sat with a face as solemn as any judge on the bench. - -"Mr. Williams, such talk is very unbecoming any gentleman," said he, -rising and looking as furious, to use Seth Williams own words, "as an -enraged potato bug." - -"I beg the pardon of all the company," said Seth, whose face was gravity -itself. "I wanted to find some word that would rhyme with ease, and -spoke the first that came to my mind." - -"The word, sir, is 'please,'" said Corporal Diggs, re-seating himself -after entreaty from the ladies, who assured him that it was only a -_lapsus linguæ_ on the part of Sergeant Williams. - -"Now, corporal, do go on and repeat the entire verse, for I do so admire -Sir Walter Scott," pleaded Miss Temple, whose roguish blue eyes were -sparkling almost as brightly as those of her friend, Nannie Noddington. - -"Yes, Corporal Diggs," said the beautiful Nannie, "do go on and give us -the entire stanza." - -"Yes, the entire canto," put in Seth. - -There was no refusing the appeal from those blue eyes of Miss Temple or -the sparkling black eyes of Miss Noddington, so, after a few "hems" and -a moment spent in bringing the poem to his memory, the corporal began -again: - - - "O, woman, in our hours of ease - Uncertain, coy, and hard to please; - Yet seem too oft, familiar with her face, - We first endure, then pity, then embrace." - - -This time both ladies laughed outright, and even Seth Williams could -not restrain a smile, while the corporal wondered what in the world -could be the matter with them. - -"Your version is no better than mine," said Seth Williams. - -"Oh! Corporal Diggs, you are too cute, you made that mistake on -purpose," laughed Miss Temple. - -The corporal, hearing his witty blunder praised on all sides, concluded -to pretend it was an intentional joke, originating from his own fertile -brain; Miss Temple smiled on him, Miss Noddington declared him -charmingly cute, and the corporal felt himself quite a hero. - -After further favoring the company with choice selections, he launched -out on history, which he brought down to the present time by allusions -to his adventures since he had been in the army. - -"Have you ever been in any engagement, corporal?" asked sweet Miss -Temple. - -"Yes, Miss Temple, I have been where bullets flew thicker--hem, -hem!--than hail stones; replied Corporal Diggs. - -"Where was it?" asked the blonde. - -"Once at Wolf Creek." - -"Were you not frightened?" - -"I was as cool as I ever was in my life," replied Corporal Diggs, -leaning back in his chair, and looking very brave. - -"That was because you were so deep down in mud and water under the -drift-wood," put in Seth Williams. - -Corporal Diggs turned a look of wrath on his companion. "Who said I was -in the mud and water?" he demanded, fiercely. "Who saw me in the mud and -water?" - -"No one, I don't suppose; but Lieutenant Whimple found you on the bank, -looking very much as though you had just left the hands of Crazy Joe." - -Before Corporal Diggs could reply, Miss Temple, rising, begged him to -walk with her on the piazza. - -As the two went away, Seth laughed for the first time during the -evening, and told his companion the story of Crazy Joe's mud man. - -The lawn had been converted into a dining-room, and long rows of tables -were spread there; Chinese lanterns hung from all the trees, and an army -of black waiters was in attendance. - -The dining hall had been cleared and fitted for dancing, and already the -soft sound of music was heard there, and gay dancers were gliding -gracefully through the waltz. - -It was nearly two o'clock in the morning, when Oleah Tompkins tired of -dancing walked into the conservatory, and from there into the garden. -His thoughts naturally flew back to his home, to his parents, and to her -he had learned to love with all the warmth and ardor of his Southern -heart. A hand touched him on the shoulder. He turned and beheld standing -behind him a mulatto, one who had played the leading violin in the -orchestra. He was between forty and fifty years of age, a man of grave -and somber countenance. - -"Well, sir, what will you have?" demanded the lieutenant, turning -sharply about. - -"Is your name Tompkins?" asked the man. - -"Yes. What is your business with me?" - -"I was anxious to be sure," said the mulatto, "for I assure you, -Lieutenant Tompkins, that I may sometime be able to give you some -valuable information." - -"If you have any information to give, why not give it now?" demanded the -young officer. - -"I have reasons that I can not give. To tell the reasons would be to -give the information." - -Oleah looked fixedly into the mulatto's face. There was something -unusual about him, something that impressed the young lieutenant -strangely, yet, what it was, he could not tell. - -"What is your name?" he asked. - -"They call me Yellow Steve." - -"How long have you been in this State?" asked Oleah, after a pause. - -"About two years," was the answer. - -"Have I ever known you before?" - -"I don't think you ever saw me before." - -"Well, have you ever seen me before?" - -"No." - -"Then what can you have to tell me that would interest me?" - -"I can tell you something of the early history of her you call your -sister, something that no one on earth but myself knows. You shall know -it in the future." - -The mulatto turned, pushed open the door of a Summer house near by, and -disappeared. - -"Stay!" cried Oleah. "By heavens, if you know anything of her, I will -not wait, I will know it now." - -He sprang through the door after the mulatto, but the Summer house was -vacant. The strange musician had disappeared as suddenly as if he had -sank into the earth. After searching vainly through the grounds Oleah -returned to the house. The other musicians (all colored) knew the -"yaller man who played first fiddle," but, as "he lived no where -particularly, but about in spots," no one could tell where he would most -likely be found. - -It was late that night before Lieutenant Tompkins sought his tent, and -sleep came not to his eyes until nearly daylight. When he did sleep, the -strange mulatto was constantly before his eyes--his yellow skin, his -yellow teeth, and yellow eyes all gleaming. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -MR. DIGGS AGAIN IN TROUBLE. - - -McClellan, in the meanwhile, had been sweeping the Western portion of -Virginia. On the 11th of July, he gained a victory over the unorganized -or at most half organized Confederates under Colonel Pegram at Rich -Mountain, which was at no great distance from the Widow Juniper's. - -Colonel Scrabble then endeavored to reinforce General Garnett at Laurel -Hill, but the latter was on his retreat toward the Shenandoah to join -Johnston's army, when Scrabble and eight hundred men, three hundred of -which were cavalry, came up with him. - -The fight at Rich Mountain had taken place just two days after Mrs. -Juniper's reception, and it was partly this reception that had delayed -Scrabble, for, by forced marches, he might have reached Pegram before -his defeat. While he and his officers were basking in the smiles of the -ladies of West Virginia, General McClellan, under the excellent guidance -of Uncle Dan, had slipped in between the two forces and defeated the -larger. Having been thus reinforced and, seeing escape almost -impossible, General Garnett resolved to make one more stand against the -enemy. At Carrick's Ford, on Cheat river, is a small winding stream, -flowing through the central part northward of what is now West Virginia. -It has its foundation-head near Rich Mountain, and the towns of -Philippi, Grafton, and Beverly are on its banks. - -The main army, under General Garnett, took position near the road on a -bluff eighty feet high, where he planted his cannon. Colonel Scrabble, -with his eight hundred troops, was on a bluff covered with thick almost -impenetrable forest trees. - -Oleah Tompkins and many others of the company had on more than one -occasion shown superior courage, and the raw troops, with very few -exceptions, promised excellent behavior on this occasion. - -Corporal Diggs was there; he had fastened January to a small tree, near -a stump that would enable him to mount. Mr. Diggs was very cool on this -occasion. He sat behind a tree, his gun across his lap, and although he -felt some uneasiness, yet, when he looked about him and saw the many -strong, armed men standing in front of him in double ranks, he felt -almost brave. Occasionally a shudder would pass through his frame, -especially when he heard that the Yankees were in sight. - -The roar of cannon shook the air, and a ball, whizzing through the -tree-tops, just over the heads of Colonel Scrabble's raw troops, -scattering leaves and clipping branches in its course, shivered a tree -to splinters in the rear. - -"Steady, boys!" shouted the colonel. "Never mind that. Don't fire till -you get the word." But a few of the more nervous did fire. - -"Steady!" cried the captains as they heard the shots. - -"Steady!" repeated the file-closers in trembling tones. - -"Stop that firing, you fools! Wait for the word," cried the enraged -colonel, galloping furiously up and down the line. - -"Steady!" said Corporal Diggs, in a hoarse whisper, lying flat on the -ground behind his tree, the branches of which still trembled from the -passage of the ball. - -Soon a long line of blue coats could be seen on the opposite side of the -small stream; fire belched from their guns, and a shower of leaden hail -fell among the regiment of Colonel Scrabble. - -"Steady!" cried the colonel. "Wait for the word." - -"Steady!" cried the captains and lieutenants. - -"Oh! Lordy, I'll be killed, I know I shall," wailed poor Diggs, -crouching close to the ground. - -"Aim! Fire!" was the command given on the Confederate side, and their -guns returned the leaden storm with effect. The whole line was engaged, -and peal followed peal, shot followed shot, thunder-clap followed -thunder-clap, while the white smoke rose in canopying folds above the -woods. The dead and wounded lay on both sides of the stream. The trees -were shattered by the flying balls. The engagement became general. - -After the first two or three rounds, Corporal Diggs, finding himself as -yet unhurt, ventured to peep around the tree. He observed a number of -blue coats on the opposite side of the stream and saw a number lying -motionless on the ground. Snatching his carbine, he fired, he knew not -at whom, because he closed his eyes as his finger pressed the trigger. -Then, as if convinced that his shot would turn the tide of battle, he -sprang once more behind his tree--to reload. - -Among the new officers most noted for their daring was Oleah Tompkins, -who was everywhere the shots fell thickest, encouraging his men by word -and act. Through the flash of guns and clouds of smoke he occasionally -caught a glimpse of a familiar form in the enemy's lines. It was a Union -captain, upon whose coolness and courage seemed to rest the fortunes of -his entire regiment. There was no mistaking that form, he had known it -since his earliest recollection. That brave young officer, in an enemy's -ranks, had been his playmate in childhood, his companion in boyhood, -his schoolmate, his college chum, his constant associate in manhood, and -was still his brother. A mist swam before the young Confederate's eyes, -as he thought a single chance shot might send that brother into -eternity. Little thought had Oleah for himself. He saw his comrades fall -about him and heard groan and cry ascend from the blood stained grass, -the balls of the enemy whistled about, shattering the tender bark of the -trees, but the lieutenant had no thought save of his playmate, companion -and brother on the other side of the stream. - -"Lieutenant Tompkins, you expose yourself needlessly," said Harry Smith, -touching his officer on the sleeve. "The other officers do not stand -constantly in front." - -Oleah lowered the field-glass, through which he had been looking at the -young captain in blue across the river, and with a sad smile turned -toward the speaker. - -"Harry," he said, "do you know who we are fighting, who those men are -across the river?" - -"No," said Harry, "only that they are enemies." - -"Once they were neighbors, friends and brothers. That is the company -commanded by my brother Abner and raised in and about our village. Every -shot we fire, whose aim is true, drinks the blood of one who was once a -friend." - -"Once friends," said Harry, "but enemies now." - -Harry, who at first could not brook to take up arms against the Stars -and Stripes, had joined the Home Guards, under the belief that they were -only to protect their homes. He found himself in the Confederate army as -many others did, and determined to make the best of it. - -Blood is thicker than water, and--in spite of the fierce hatred Oleah -Tompkins had for the Northern armies--it was with a sinking heart that -he entered into combat with Colonel Holdfast's regiment. - -While McClellan's main body was pressing Garnett's army closely in -front, and threatening each moment to cross the ford, a portion of two -Indiana regiments crossed about three miles above the ford and came -crashing down on the Confederate's right wing. In a few minutes the -right flank of the rebels was turned and the Union soldiers, with wild -cheers, dashed into the stream and pushed across to the opposite side. -The whole rebel line began to waver. General Garnett, seeing the danger -his army was in, rode gallantly forward, and strove to rally his -panic-stricken men. It was in vain, and, in the midst of his useless -efforts to turn the tide of battle, he was struck by a ball and fell -dead to the earth. His fall completed the panic which had already begun. - -Corporal Diggs, who had displayed a vast amount of coolness, as he lay -crouched behind his tree shivering in every limb, was the first in his -regiment to determine how the battle would go. No sooner had the right -flank been struck by the Hoosier troops than, with far-seeing military -judgment, he declared the day lost and, bounding to his feet, sprang -toward his horse which was snorting and plunging in its endeavors to get -away. - -"Whoa, January, you old fool!" cried the corporal. - -Whiz zip, went a musket ball past his ear, clipping a twig which fell at -his feet, and causing January to prance and rear. - -"Oh Lordy, I'll be killed, I know I shall! Whoa, January!" and his -trembling fingers struggled to unloose the knot of his halter. - -Harry Smith, who had fought with desperate bravery, was, with Lieutenant -Tompkins, among the last to leave the field. As he was in the act of -mounting his horse, he cast a glance down toward the ford, where the -mass of Union troops were forming and beheld the Stars and Stripes -streaming above the long line of blue coats. Harry turned pale for the -first time during the fight. A shock, as of a galvanic battery, seemed -to strike his frame. - -"Oh! Heavens!" he thought, "why am I in these ranks, a rebel and a -traitor, fighting against the best government this world has ever -known?" - -"Mount quickly, Harry, or we shall be taken," cried Oleah, who was -already in the saddle. - -Harry sprang into the saddle, and they galloped away after their now -flying comrades, the enemy's cavalry pursuing them closely and firing an -occasional shot into the retreating ranks, as they rushed and crowded -down the road through the lanes and over the hills in the direction of -Beverly. - -Corporal Diggs finally succeeded in untying the halter-knot, that held -January to his post, and after some trouble got into the saddle. The -bullets were whistling around his ears, and January was plunging through -the underbrush and out into the road, where he struck off in a western -direction at a rapid rate. The corporal did not try to restrain him, and -they were soon over the hill, three miles away from the battle ground. - -"Oh Lordy, I know they are all killed!" murmured the little corporal, -looking back as he galloped down the road. For an hour he rode on, in -what direction he knew not, but away from both armies. His mind was full -of wild fancies. He saw six men coming like the wind down a cross lane, -and, although they were a mile or two in his rear, he knew by their dark -clothes and bright flashing guns that they were Union cavalry. - -"Oh Lordy! I shall be killed, I know," he thought, as he used whip and -spur, crying: "Get up, January! Oh! for the Lord's sake, run!" - -Corporal Diggs glanced back again, and saw the six dark horsemen in the -lane, directly behind him, and coming on as fast as their horses could -carry them. He thundered down the lane, which was bordered on either -side by a hedge fence about five feet high. The ground for about one -mile was level, and then came some hills, steep and abrupt as only -Virginia hills are. - -The corporal unbuckled his saber and threw it away, threw away his -pistols, and everything that might in the least impede his flight. -January flew over the mile stretch and dashed down the hills at a -break-neck speed. Corporal Diggs, who was not an experienced rider, -clung to his horse's mane, and several times came very near being -unseated. The soldiers in his rear came nearer, and their shouts could -be heard by the poor flying wretch, but when he descended the hill they -were out of sight. - -January, coming to a ditch at the side of the road, made a fearful leap, -and Corporal Diggs, losing his seat, was plunged head-foremost into a -hedge, which closed completely over him. - -"Oh, Lordy, I know I shall be killed!" he groaned, as he lay, bruised -and bleeding, in the midst of the hedge. January never for a moment -stopped his flight, and soon the six pursuers swept by. Immediately -after this the corporal became unconscious. - -Daylight had passed into night when Corporal Diggs recovered -consciousness; lying in his thorny bed bleeding, sore at every joint, -and with face and hands frightfully lacerated, it was needless to say -that this brave soldier was very uncomfortable. His first thought, on -regaining his senses, was to extricate himself from the thorns, and this -was by no means an easy task. Thorns above, thorns below, thorns on all -sides, made moving without additional laceration an impossibility. With -great care and many a smothered imprecation, groan and prayer, he at -last emerged on the meadow side of the hedge. - -The sky was clear and dark, and studded with innumerable stars. Each -silent watcher seemed twinkling with merriment as the tattered -Confederate stood by the hedge, pondering which way to go. On the -opposite side lay the broad, dark lane, leading he knew not where, and -before him stretched the wide meadow. He chose the latter, and was in -the act of starting on his journey, when the tramp of hoofs coming down -the lane struck his ear, and he again crouched down under the shelter. - -It proved to be a small body of Union cavalry, and their arms clanked -ominously as they rode by. They passed on over the hill, and the -corporal rose once more and scanned the broad, dark green meadow, whose -waving grass was soaked with a heavy dew. But wet grass was nothing -compared with Union cavalry just then, and he pushed boldly across the -meadow, regardless of its dampness. The meadow was much wider than he -had supposed; he traveled for a mile or more through the tall, damp -grass before he came to a stone fence, on the opposite side of which he -saw a thick wood. - -After carefully reconnoitering the premises, Corporal Diggs scaled the -stone fence and dropped down on the other side. He paused a few minutes -to remove the thorns from his arms and legs, wrung some of the water out -of his clothes, and then selecting one of many narrow paths, he walked -down into the forest. He traveled for several hours, avoiding public -roads, and at last came out in the rear of what seemed to be an -extensive plantation. He found some stacks of new made hay, which -offered quite a comfortable sleeping place, and in a few minutes, after -he had crawled into one, he was asleep, and slept soundly until the sun -was up. Then, stiff and sore and bruised, he crawled from his bed and -looked about him. The place has a familiar look. There was a magnificent -stone mansion to his left, and those broad fields and numerous -plantation houses he had seen before. _It was the plantation of Mrs. -Julia Juniper._ - -The corporal knew, that in the widow, he would find a warm and -sympathizing friend, and he consequently made his way toward the house. -It was certainly with no martial bearing that he presented himself at -the door of the widow's mansion. He asked to see Mrs. Juniper, but was -told by her maid, that it was too early for her mistress to be out of -bed. She brought him to the kitchen fire to dry his stained and -dew-soaked clothes. - -The corporal dried his clothes, washed and bound up his wounds with such -linen as the cook would furnish, and tried to make himself presentable. -Seeing Mrs. Juniper's maid he desired her to inform her mistress that -Corporal Diggs wished to see her as early as possible. - -Mrs. Juniper, supposing that some important message had been sent by -Colonel Scrabble, allowed herself to be hastily dressed, and sent to -tell the corporal she would receive him. Diggs lost no time in obeying -the summons. At sight of the lacerated and bandaged being who entered, -Mrs. Juniper, who had risen to receive her guest, utter a scream, and -sank back into her chair. - -"Corporal Diggs," she cried, "what has happened?" - -"We have met the foe," said Diggs, with a tragic tone and manner. "Hem, -hem, hem!--yes, Mrs. Juniper, we have met the foe--" He paused, overcome -with emotion. - -"With what result?" - -"I alone am left to tell the tale." - -"Oh, heavens! Corporal Diggs, it can not, it can not be true!" - -"Alas! lady, it is but too true. Our brave army is now no more. I, -wounded and hunted like a hare, have come to you for a few hours of -peace and shelter." - -Diggs endeavored to look the character of a wounded knight from Flodden -Field. - -"Pray, Corporal Diggs, tell me all; our cause is not, must not be lost. -The South--but, pardon me, you are wounded, weak, and faint--" - -Diggs had put one of his arms in a sling and had bound a bandage on his -head. - -"Sarah, bring wine here at once. Ah! you must have been very closely -engaged with the enemy from the number of your wounds." - -The wine was brought, and Diggs, now refreshed, gave eager Mrs. Juniper -a glowing account of the battle at Carrick's Ford. As the account given -by history does not, in all respects, agree with that of Corporal Diggs, -we will give his version of the conflict. - -"Madam," said the little corporal, "yesterday occurred one of the most -bloody battles that the world has ever known. Our regiment joined -General Garnett, and we met the enemy at Carrick's Ford, some seven -hundred thousand strong, headed by old Abe Lincoln himself. They had a -hundred to our one, but we fought, oh, my dear Mrs. Juniper, we fought -like lions, like whirlwinds, like raging hurricanes--hem, hem"--broke -off Corporal Diggs, trying to think of some stronger term, "yes, my dear -Mrs. Juniper, like cyclones--hem, hem! We piled the ground around us -several feet deep with their dead, and Cheat river overflowed its banks -with the blood, but--hem, hem! it was no use. They came on, and their -cannon shot, musket shot, and grape shot mowed men down. I--hem, hem--I -was last to fall, I fought the whole of them for some time alone, but, -surrounded, wounded, faint and bleeding, I fell from my horse and was -left on the field for dead. When I came to my senses I--hem, -hem!--crawled away and came here, believing that, wounded and faint as I -was, you would not refuse me rest and shelter, and--and--hem, hem--I am -very weak from loss of blood, Mrs. Juniper." - -"Poor fellow, I don't doubt that you are. Sarah, bring water and fresh -linen. My own hands shall dress your wounds!" - -"No, no, dear Mrs. Juniper, I would not permit a delicate lady to look -upon the rude gashes of war. If you will permit me, I will retire and -dress my wounds." He tried hard to convulse his features with pain. - -"I will not allow that," said the widow. "These wounds were received in -defending my country against the cruel Northern invader, and I shall -dress them with my own hands." - -"No; oh! no, dear lady, you can not know how a soldier, rough and used -only to the roar of cannon and clash of steel, must shrink from -inflicting on a lady such needless pain." - -"Then I will have a surgeon brought," persisted kind-hearted Mrs. -Juniper. - -"Quite unnecessary, my dear lady, as they are only flesh wounds--what we -soldiers call mere scratches." - -Mrs. Juniper had his breakfast brought to the parlor and insisted on his -reclining on the sofa. She asked a thousand questions, which Mr. Diggs -answered in his extravagant manner. The day passed, and rumor after -rumor, almost as wild and extravagant as Corporal Diggs' report, came -from the battle-field, confirming the defeat, at least, if not the utter -annihilation, of the army. - -As bodies of Union men were scouring the country, picking up stragglers -from the Confederate army, who were fleeing in every direction, Mrs. -Juniper suggested that Corporal Diggs had better have a bed prepared and -sleep in the cellar, as her house might be entered and searched. The -Corporal although asserting that, if armed, he would not be in the least -afraid of half a hundred of the cowardly Yankees, consented, merely out -of regard for the lady's feelings. Such scenes of carnage and bloodshed -as must ensue, if an attempt should be made to capture him, would be too -terrible for a delicate lady to witness. The corporal had no arms, all -had been taken from him as he lay unconscious on the field, but Mrs. -Juniper sent out among the hands and confiscated three guns, two old -horse-pistols, and a long trooper's sword, which she had conveyed to the -"brave soldier" in her cellar. - -A horse had that morning been found with saddle and bridle on, looking -hungrily at the barn and trying to make the acquaintance of the sleek, -well-fed equines, who answered his neighs from its windows. The negro, -who found the horse, had put him in the barn and given him all the oats -and corn he desired, which was a considerable amount. The corporal, -hearing of the horse, went to see him, and at once recognized in that -tall, raw-boned creature his noble January. The meeting of knight and -steed was of course very touching, as the wealthy, handsome widow was -present to witness it. - -As he walked back to the mansion he related many of the noble qualities -of his horse, how he had fought over his master long after he lay -insensible upon the battle-field. There was one little matter the "brave -soldier" failed to explain, and that was, how, while insensible, the -master knew what the horse was doing. - -"What a brave man he must be," thought the widow as she sat in her -boudoir after the corporal had retired to the cellar, where he put the -guns and pistols at the extreme corner of the room, least they should -accidentally go off and kill him. "What a brave man he is, who has -fought so many men! On him alone now depends the success of our cause. -He is the Alfred the Great, the Charles the Second, who must gather an -army and strike when our foe least expects it. Brave, brave man!" And -the widow dreamed that night that she saw Corporal Diggs lead a vast -army against the enemy, and that victory crowned his attempts. She saw -the glorious South an independent nation and honors heaped upon the man -she had succored. He was seated on the throne of the new kingdom and -became a wise and good ruler. - -Waking, the widow actually wept with joy, for she would not believe that -her vision was anything else than a direct revelation, and was sure that -the fate of her beloved South hung upon the sword-point of the brave -man, who was then sleeping in her cellar. True, he was small of stature, -and, when mounted on January, did, as Seth Williams had said, look much -like a bug on a log, but then he was brave, and many of the great -military men were small. - -The corporal spent three or four days in concealment at the widow's, -and, although his thorn scratches were entirely healed, he still kept -the bandage on his head and carried his arm in a sling. He had -discovered that, wounded and suffering, he elicited more sympathy from -the beautiful widow. They usually walked out at twilight, and spent an -hour in the spacious ground. - -Upon one occasion the widow told her dreams, and asked the brave man by -her side what he thought of it. - -"Think of it? Hem, hem! Why, my dear Mrs. Juniper--hem, hem, hem!--why, -it will be fulfilled to the very letter. Yes, my dear lady--hem, -hem!"--and Diggs turned his face aside in a reflective manner, and his -little eyes glowed with meaning, "it is my design to gather another army -and hurl back the tide of adversity. My dear Mrs. Juniper, the world yet -knows not Corporal Diggs, but it shall, it shall," and he struck the end -of a stout stick which he carried in his hand into the pebble-covered -earth. "Oh, if these scratches would but heal, so that I once more could -take the field and lead an army on to victory; then they should -know--hem, hem, hem!--they would learn that the Cæsars are not dead." - -"Oh! what a loss it would have been to our beloved South if you had been -slain!" said the enraptured widow. - -"Fear not--hem, hem, hem--my dear madam, I shall not be slain. I have my -destiny to fulfill. And now--hem, hem!--my dear madam, my dear Mrs. -Juniper, my dear Julia, let me call you by that sweet name, I have -something of great importance to speak of." - -An ambuscade could not have startled the widow more than this brave -man's manner. She elevated her eyebrows, and her large dark eyes grew -round with wonder as she said: - -"Why--why, Corporal Diggs, what can it be! What can you mean?" - -"Do you not comprehend me? Say, has love no sharper eyes? Oh, my dear, -dear--Julia--" here Corporal Diggs' manner became demonstrative; he -seemed to forget the severe wounds, and, starting from the garden seat, -down he went on one knee, and drawing from the sling the arm that had -been shattered by grapeshot, he clasped his hands as if in prayer. "Oh, -my dear--hem, hem, hem!--my darling Julia, I love you! I have loved you -ever since I first saw you, and I ask you--hem, hem!--to become mine. -Accept this heart, which you have captured, and give me yours in -return." - -His speech delivered, the little corporal remained on his knee, with his -eyes closed and his lips pursed, in his endeavor to appear absorbed and -earnest. - -"Mr. Diggs, your behavior is very unbecoming the brave soldier I took -you to be," said the lady, after a moment's hesitation. "This is no time -to talk of love." - -At this rebuke Mr. Diggs rose from his knees, abashed and confused, and -resumed his seat. - -"We have enough, Corporal Diggs, to engage our minds for the present. -While our beloved country is in peril we must forget all personal -feelings. Let its dangers and its salvation be paramount." - -"But when this cruel war is over, and peace returns once more, will you -then consent to become my wife?" persisted the corporal. "I--I--love -you, and I--I--I can't help it. Say you will be my wife!" - -"It is growing rather late, Mr. Diggs, and the air is chilly. We will -return to the house." - -They accordingly rose, and Diggs, walking in sullen, abashed silence by -the widow's side, entered the great stone mansion. Mrs. Juniper retired -to her own room, and Corporal Diggs to the cellar. - -Mrs. Julia Juniper had a tall, lantern-jawed, ill-disposed, and envious -neighbor, who was a Union man for no other earthly reason than that all -his neighbors were Confederates. He lived in a wretched little hovel, -had a sickly wife, and eight children. He might have made a living on -his little farm, but was too lazy to work, and continually engaged in -petty lawsuits with his neighbors. Josiah Scraggs was a communist at -heart, and he felt sure that, as he was such an excellent Union man and -Mrs. Julia Juniper so decidedly "secesh" in principles, that eventually -her magnificent mansion and large plantation would be taken from the -widow and given to him. He had confided his hopes to his sickly wife and -dirty children, and all were anxious for the happy change. Josiah -Scraggs was constantly reporting the conduct of his neighbors, -especially of the widow Juniper, to any Union soldiers who might be in -the neighborhood. He had been watching the mansion since the battle of -Carrick's Ford, for he suspected that she was "harboring secesh -soldiers." Sure enough, one evening he saw the widow and Corporal Diggs -walking together in the garden, and away he went to the headquarters of -Colonel Holdfast, who was about ten miles away, to give information that -secesh soldiers were concealed in the widow's mansion. - -He rode the old gray mare into the camp, and called for the colonel. -Being shown to his tent, he quickly made the object of his visit known, -magnifying many fold what he had seen, and leaving the colonel to infer -that many more might be in the house. - -Scraggs, having made his report, was dismissed by the colonel. He -loitered outside the tent, waiting hungrily for the colonel to execute -to him and his heirs and assign forever a title in fee simple to the -vast plantation and magnificent stone mansion of Mrs. Julia Juniper. -Instead, the colonel sent for Captain Abner Tompkins, and ordered him to -take his company, with as many more men as he needed, and proceed at -once to Mrs. Juniper's to take prisoners the rebel soldiers lying -concealed there. - -"My own company will be sufficient, I think, colonel," said Abner. - -"All right, then," replied the former, and turned to his papers without -having issued the deed to Scraggs. - -As Abner was mustering his men, Scraggs re-entered the colonel's tent, -and, reaching out a long, bony, finger, touched the officer on the -shoulder. Colonel Holdfast looked up from his papers with a "Well, what -now?" - -"What do I get for reportin' on this ere secesh woman?" - -"The consciousness, sir, of having done your duty," replied the colonel. - -"Well, but don't I git no pay?" asked Scraggs, his face darkening with -disappointment, the house and plantation of Mrs. Juniper vanishing from -before his mental vision. - -"None, sir; so good a Union man as you are surely would ask no -compensation for doing his duty." - -"Well, but ain't you a goin' to give me her farm and house?" asked -Scraggs, the disappointment on his face deepening into agony. - -"My dear sir," said the colonel, "I have no authority to give you any -one's property. If you want a plantation you must purchase it of the -owner." - -"Well, but she harbors secesh." - -"If her house becomes a nuisance in that way we shall be justified in -burning it, but we can not take it from her and give it to any one -else." - -The colonel again turned to his papers, and Scraggs, his long-cherished -hopes blasted, left the tent, mounted his old gray mare, and rode home. - -Scraggs was only one of the many, on both sides, who reported their -neighbors' deeds and misdeeds to reap reward therefrom. - -As Mrs. Juniper sat in her room that evening, the tramp of hoofs came to -her ears. She extinguished her light and, going to the window, looked -out into the night. The pale rays of the moon fell upon a large body of -cavalry dismounting at her gate, and, oh horrors! surrounding her house. -Swift as the wind the widow flew down two flights of stairs to the -cellar, where she acquainted the "brave soldier" of the fact, and -implored him to be merciful, should they discover him, and not kill any -more than was necessary in self-defense. Poor little Diggs sat cuddled -up in one corner, his round face pale as death, looking anything in the -world but dangerous. - -Then came loud knocking at the front door. - -"There," said the widow, "they are at the front door. I will try to send -them away; but you are armed, and you are a brave man and there are not -more than fifty; so, of course, you will not fear them." - -The widow turned and left, while poor Diggs sat cowering and mentally -ejaculating: - -"Oh! Lordy, I'll be killed, I know I shall!" - -Mrs. Juniper went herself to the door and opened it. - -Captain Abner Tompkins stood there, sword in hand. Behind him were -twenty or more of his men, all armed, while the others were scattered in -different portions of the yard. - -"What will you have, gentlemen?" asked the widow, holding the lamp above -her head and looking fearlessly down into their faces. - -"Pardon me, madam," said the young captain, bowing, "but we have been -informed that some rebels are quartering here, and have come for them." - -"Your informant was both meddlesome and ignorant. There are no rebel -_soldiers_ in the house," was the widow's reply. - -"I beg your pardon, madam," said Abner, entering unbidden, and followed -by several of his men. "I have no cause to doubt, yet my orders are -imperative, and I must search your house." - -The widow had the tact to yield without more argument, and the search -commenced. From her bedroom to the kitchen, all the house was thoroughly -searched. The Captain laid his hand on the cellar door. - -"Hold!" said the widow, laying her hand on his arm. "I told you there -were no rebel soldiers here, and I told you the truth. There is, -however, one of them in the cellar, but for humanity's sake I warn you -not to encounter him. He is a host in himself, a perfect tornado, when -roused. You will be all killed if you venture, for he is well armed." - -The young captain smiled. - -"You say he is a tornado; we are each a cyclone, and together we may -raise a hurricane. But do not fear, madam, for, I assure you, we shall -take him without the firing of a shot." - -Opening the door, Captain Tompkins boldly walked down the flight of -stairs, leading to the cellar, a light in one hand and a drawn sword in -the other--a number of his men following him. A sight met their view at -the foot of the stairs, calculated rather to excite laughter than to -strike terror to their hearts. A small man in gray uniform, rushing -aimlessly about trying to scale the cellar wall, to hide beneath the -boxes, to find some way--any way--of escape. His actions were more like -that of a rat in a trap than a brave soldier. - -Mrs. Juniper, left in the room above, faint with terror, sank upon the -nearest chair and clasped her hands to her ears to shut out the sounds -of conflict that must inevitably follow. - -"Halloa, Diggs! what are you doing here?" cried Captain Tompkins, who -could not restrain his laughter. Mr. Diggs had been performing leap -after leap, in his vain endeavors to get away, ejaculating all the -while: - -"Oh, Lordy, Lordy! I know I shall be killed, I know I shall be killed!" - -At the sound of a familiar voice, he looked around, and, discovering who -his captors were, he sprang forward and threw his arms around the neck -of the captain, crying: - -"Oh! Abner, Abner, Abner, my dearest friend Abner, you will not let me -be killed! Oh! say you will not let me be killed! Although I was -persuaded into the rebel army, I am not a Confederate. I have always -thought that it was wrong to fight under any but the flag of Washington -and Marion. Oh! don't let them kill me! Oh, Abner, Abner, for Heaven's -sake, say you will protect me. I have suffered death a thousand times -since I entered this unholy cause." - -Abner, still laughing, assured him that he should not be injured, that -he should be treated as a prisoner of war. - -Corporal Diggs, assuring men and officers that there was no stronger -Union man living than he, that he was ready to enlist and fight until he -died for the Union, followed the troops out of the house. The widow -fixed a gaze of astonishment on the "brave soldier," upon "whom the fate -of the South rested," and when she heard his imploring tones and his -avowed determination to fight for the Union till he died, her proud lips -curled with scorn, and, without a word, she passed from the room. - -The corporal mounted January, and rode away in good spirits toward the -Union camp. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -YELLOW STEVE. - - -Mr. Diggs fulfilled his determination to enlist in the Union army, -insisting, the very day after his capture, on becoming a member of -Abner's company. Abner told him that he had better consider the matter, -but he declared he needed no further time; that now he was freed from -error, and the pernicious influence of Seth Williams, who had persuaded -him into espousing an unholy cause, and having wronged his beloved -country by taking up arms against it, he wanted to atone by fighting for -it. As the Union cause needed soldiers, Mr. Diggs, not corporal now, did -not offer his services in vain. He was at once enrolled, and the same -day the regiment started, by forced marches, to join the Union forces -under Generals Scott and McDowell, where Mr. Patrick Henry Diggs was -likely to see service in earnest. - -On the 20th of July, the next after the day that Abner's regiment had -joined the main army, and the day before the terrible battle of -Manassas, or Bull Run, Abner Tompkins sat alone in his tent. It was -late. The last picket had been stationed, the last order given, waiting -for the morning to advance on the terrible foe, that lay sleeping over -the hills only a few miles distant. It was but natural that his thoughts -should wander back to his home. He drew out a small, many-folding -locket, into which he gazed with looks of infinite tenderness. It -represented the features of those whom his heart held most dear--his -father's face, grave and most earnest, full of kindliness and honesty of -purpose; his mother's face, beautiful and proud and tender; the third -face on which the young officer gazed was young and fresh and fair. He -seemed to look through the clear eyes into the pure, spotless soul. He -gazed long and steadfastly, murmuring: "O Irene, Irene, shall we ever -meet again?" - -The next and last face was that of a young man--a dark, fearless face; -firmness was in every lineament, determination in every line. Fearless, -yet frank; proud, yet tender; the face was that of one who would be -powerful for good or evil, who would scorn alike death and dishonor. - -"War has severed the ties that bound us, my brother," spoke the captain. -"Why can not political differences be settled without resort to arms? It -is the ambitious and the great who stir up strife, and their humble -followers fight their battles. They dwell in ease and safety, while my -poor brother and I cross swords and shed each other's blood to uphold -them in their greatness." - -He closed the locket and placed it in his breast pocket, and the look -of sadness deepened on his face. There came a gentle knock on the board -that took the place of a door to the captain's tent. - -"Come in," said Abner. - -The board was set aside, and a pale, fair youth, about eighteen years of -age, entered. - -"Anything stirring yet, Willie?" asked the captain. - -"Nothing, captain, except an occasional picket's shot," replied the boy. -"But, if you please, there is a fellow out here who wants to see you." - -"Who is he?" asked Abner. - -"I don't know, captain. I never saw him before. He is a bright mulatto, -and he says he must see you. He is dressed in citizen's clothes and -unarmed." - -"Let him come in, Willie." - -The youthful soldier touched his cap lightly and withdrew, and a moment -later a tall, yellow mulatto entered. He looked sharply about the tent, -as though fearing that some secret foe might suddenly spring upon him. - -"Have a seat," said Abner, pointing to the only unoccupied camp-stool -that the tent afforded. - -The mulatto took the proffered seat and fixed his bright, yellowish dark -eyes on the young officer. - -"Well, sir, what can I do for you?" asked the captain. - -"Nothin'," replied the mulatto with a grin on his shriveled yellow face. - -"Well, then, what can you do for me?" - -"Nothin'," the grin broadening. - -"Then, sir, what is your business here?" asked Abner, beginning to lose -patience. - -"I came to tell you that I was--here," said the mulatto, with provoking -coolness. - -"Well, what do you propose, now that you are here?" asked Abner, smiling -in spite of himself. - -"Your name is Tompkins--you are Captain Abner Tompkins?" said the -mulatto. - -"Yes." - -"You have a brother Oleah, who is a captain in the Confederate army, -that is right across the hill here?" - -"Yes. What of him?" - -"Oh, he is well," said the mulatto. - -"What else have you to say?" asked Abner. - -"Your father is George W. Tompkins, who lives on a plantation near -Snagtown?" - -"Yes. What of him?" - -"Oh, he's well, too." - -"Well, if you have anything to say, say it and be off," said Abner. - -"Your sister as you call her, who was left at your door when a baby--" - -"What of her?" cried Abner, eagerly. "Do you know anything of her?" - -"Yes, she is well, too." - -Abner, who had been started from his seat in his eagerness, sank back, -and looked at his visitor in blank amazement. At length he said, -sternly: "If you have nothing of importance to communicate, leave me. I -have no time for pleasantry. From your manner I expected news--bad -news--" - -"And was disappointed," said the mulatto, with a smile. - -"Who are you?" demanded Abner. - -"I don't mind letting you know my name. I am called Yellow Steve--got no -other name. I just come to say I shall be around, and if you should ever -need me it is most likely you will find me right at hand. I am -everywhere. Can come as near as possible being in three places at once." - -"You must be a remarkable person," said Abner. - -"I have a remarkable story to tell you at some time." - -"Why not tell me now? I may fall in to-morrow's fight." - -"Then I will tell your brother." - -"But he may fall. Does it concern me?" - -"It is the waif, the foundling, you call sister, my story concerns. Some -time you shall have it--not now." - -The man disappeared through the door as he spoke, and, though Abner -rushed out after him, he was gone. - -He inquired of Willie Thornbridge which way the man had gone, but Willie -declared he had not seen him come out of the tent. He pursued his search -and inquiries, but no one else had seen Yellow Steve at all. - -Abner Tompkins, on the morning of the battle, was early astir, and, -breakfast over, the bugle sounded boots and saddles. Abner kept his -lines well dressed, and awaited the order to advance. The skirmish lines -had already been thrown out, and the distant roar of guns could be -heard. - -Diggs declared that war was a cruel "institution," and that he was ready -to retire at as early a date as possible. - -"You present a nice figure on that horse," said Corporal Grimm. "Darned -if a cannon-shot could afford to miss you." - -"Yes," added Sergeant Swords, "you'll present as nice a mark for the -sharpshooters up on that camel's back as if you were a squirrel in a -tree." - -"You'll come out all right yet, Henry," said Uncle Dan, the scout, -riding up at this moment, with his trusty rifle on the pommel of his -saddle. - -"Do you think I'll be shot, Uncle Dan?" asked Diggs, shuddering in spite -of himself. - -"No, not if you do enough shooting yourself," replied the old man. "Ye -must watch yer chance and pop it to them so fast they can't git a chance -to pop back." - -At this moment a pale, fair youth, mounted on a bright bay horse, came -galloping up to Captain Tompkins. He was dressed in the uniform of a -United States cavalryman, with a saber and carbine at his side, and -pistols in his holsters. The sight of this youth, and the nearness of -the coming battle, brought sad reflections to Abner's mind. Willie -Thornbridge was just eighteen, the only comfort and support of his -widowed mother. Abner remembered well the bright, sunny morning when -Willie bade his mother farewell, and the mother, with tear-streaming -eyes and aching heart, admonished Abner to take care of and protect him. - -"What have you, Willie?" asked Abner, as the youth drew rein at his -captain's side. - -"Something the adjutant gave me," said Willie, handing a paper to Abner, -who read and, carefully folding it, put it in the breast-pocket of his -coat. At this moment the bugle sounded "forward." - -"Fall in by my side, Willie," said Abner, and the boy wheeled into line -by his captain, with Uncle Dan on the other side of him. - -"Forward!" came the order, and the vast columns of men were in motion, -moving on toward those black lines of the foe that lay in the distance. -The far off firing of skirmishers became more rapid. - -"Are you afraid?" asked Abner of the boy soldier. - -"No. With you on one side and Uncle Dan on the other, I have no fear," -and he smiled in such an assuring way that Abner could not doubt him. - -Uncle Dan, as we have before said was an army scout, and not a regular -soldier. However, he had volunteered on this occasion to accompany -Abner's company. He was well mounted, his dress was half civil and half -military, and his arms were his trusty rifle and a pair of holsters. - -The vast columns were rapidly moving when Diggs exclaimed: - -"Oh, Lordy! I feel very sick!" - -"You will feel better soon," said Corporal Grimm, his file-leader. - -"Ye'll have enough soon to take up yer attention," put in Sergeant -Swords. - -By nine o'clock the fight began in earnest. Colonel Holdfast's cavalry -was at first held in reserve at the foot of the hill. When it was -ordered to advance, just as the top of the hill was reached, January -became frightened at the flashing guns, and, wheeling about, dashed down -the hill with Diggs' saber dangling at his side. - -The bugle rung out the fearful note--a wild dash, a moment's delirious -excitement--and they were at the rebel's guns. The battery was captured -with but little loss, and the guns turned on the retreating foe. The -whole army now advanced, and a stubborn fight ensued, which resulted in -the Confederate lines slowly falling back. - -Cheer upon cheer arose along the Union lines, as the foe retreated and -pursuit commenced. Mr. Diggs, who had viewed the battle afar off, seeing -victory perched upon the banner of the Union forces, prevailed on -January to join in the pursuit, and galloping up to his regiment, waved -his sword high in the air, shouting: - -"Hip, hip, huzzah, huzzah, huzzah! for the old Stars and Stripes, the -flag of Washington and Marion! Charge everybody! I want to get among -them! They shall know that Patrick Henry Diggs can fight." - -The crest of the hill was reached, and the whole Confederate army -suddenly burst into view, drawn up in a line of battle, a thunderclap -shook the earth, and a huge volume of smoke seemed to enwrap it. Death -and destruction was hurled among the advancing ranks. The ground was -strewn at the first fire with dead and wounded. Out from these columns -of smoke came the fearful Black Horse Regiment, bearing down like a dark -storm on the already stunned Union lines. - -Retreat was the only thing, and retreat became rout and panic. It was -the arrival of General Johnston, who, having eluded Patterson, had come -up with reinforcements that so suddenly turned the tide of battle, -making defeat out of almost certain victory. - -Abner saw his men and horses rolling in the dust from the deadly fire. A -score of saddles were emptied at the first volley, and a score of -riderless horses dashed back frightened, to spread panic in the rear. No -bugle sounded the retreat, there was no need for any. It was vain to -attempt to stem the current, for his men had lost all self-control. - -As Uncle Dan wheeled his horse to follow the flying regiment, he saw -Willie Thornbridge sink in his saddle. Reaching out his strong arm, he -drew the slight boyish figure before him on his own horse. - -"Are you hurt, Willie?" the old man asked. - -The boy made no reply, but the uproar and confusion doubtless drowned -the old man's words. He kept steadily on, bearing the slight burden, -passing the infantry, the artillery, the baggage and ammunition trains, -and on, until he reached the outskirts of the retreating army. - -"Is he hurt?" asked Abner Tompkins, who had drawn up a portion of his -shattered company. - -"I don't know," said Uncle Dan, "he has not spoken during our entire -ride. Can you get down, Willie?" - -There was no answer. Captain Tompkins sprang from his horse and went to -assist the boy. As the old man released his hold, the young soldier -fell into the captain's arms and they saw he was dead. - -Dead without a pang. Dead without a moment's preparation, without one -word of endearment or farewell to his lonely and widowed mother. - -Just behind Willie's left ear was a small, dark-red hole, from which the -purple life-blood was still oozing. The small insignificant speck, as it -seemed, had opened a door, through which his young soul had taken its -everlasting flight. - -Taking up the corpse, the cavalcade rode sadly on for a few miles, to -where the tired Union army, or a portion of it, encamped for the night. - -Mr. Diggs was in the very height of his patriotism and bravery, when the -arrival of the re-enforcements so suddenly changed the tide of battle. - -"Oh, Lordy! I'll be killed, I know I shall!" he shrieked, and January -again turned and fled before the tempest. Taking a course to the left of -that pursued by the regular army, Diggs soon found himself on the -outskirts of the battle. As he looked over his shoulder, he beheld a -powerful cavalryman in full uniform, mounted on a horse black as -midnight, in hot pursuit of him. - -"Oh, Lordy! he'll kill me, I know he will," yelled the miserable Diggs, -as he urged January on at the top of his speed. Casting back occasional -glances, he saw that the huge black horse was gradually gaining on him. - -Things had really become serious, and Diggs was in momentary danger of -the ponderous saber, which the cavalryman flourished threateningly in -the air as he came on like the wind. They had been flying over a level -piece of cleared land, but now a thick body of timber and brush loomed -up before them. There was yet a chance. Once in the timber, Diggs might -elude his dangerous pursuer. The Confederate cavalryman evidently -understood this, for, with a whack he sent his saber into the scabbard, -and drew his pistol, without once slacking his speed. - -"Oh, Lordy! I shall be killed this time sure," bawled Diggs. Again he -glanced toward the cavalryman and saw him raise his deadly weapon. Diggs -yelled, screamed, and implored, all the while urging January to greater -speed. The wood was almost at hand. - -"Bang!" went the pistol, and Diggs felt a sharp pain, as if a red-hot -iron had been suddenly jerked across the top of his left shoulder. - -"Oh, I am killed! I am killed!" he yelled, as January plunged into the -thick underbrush. - -The Confederate evidently believing he had killed the Yankee (having, -indeed, the Yankee's own word for it), turned and dashed away. - -January had not gone twenty yards in his mad race through the woods -before he plunged into the mill-stream. Diggs' wound was not serious and -the water was shallow, so he soon managed to crawl out on the opposite -side, where he seated himself for a moment at the foot of a tree, -gasping, spitting, and sneezing, the water running from his clothes in -rivulets. "This soldier business don't suit me," he muttered, "and I -know I shall be killed if I don't quit it. It is nothing but duckings, -falls, being torn with thorns and shot with guns--" - -A sharp firing in the woods roused him to a reality of his situation, -and, mounting the dripping January, he galloped away to join his -regiment. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -A SOLDIER'S TURKEY HUNT. - - -The armies of the North and the armies of the South had been -concentrating for months prior to the battle of Bull Run, resulting in -the defeat of the Northern troops and in heavy loss to both sides; after -collision came recoil, as of mighty waves dashing against a rock bound -coast. Predatory bands of disorganized soldiers from both sides roamed -the country, and, in many instances, not plundering merely, but -ruthlessly destroying what they could not seize. - -Mr. Diggs had found his company the day after the battle, and narrated -to his comrades his hair-breadth escape and the many heroic deeds which -he had performed, among others, the deadly attack on the Confederate -cavalryman, who had wounded him in the shoulder. He became quite a hero -in Corporal Grimm's eyes, his experience at Bull Run reminding the -corporal of incidents that had happened in his ten days' military -service under General Preston, also recalling to the mind of Sergeant -Swords details of his own service under Captain Strong, all of which was -circumstantially narrated for the edification of Mr. Diggs, who again -rejoiced that he had not carried out his rash threat of leaving the -army. Laurels yet, he knew, must crown his brow. Already he had become a -hero. True, when faced by danger and death and sorely tried, he -acknowledged to himself that he wavered; but, in the quiet of camp, his -patriotism returned and he again felt ready to meet the foe. - -The day after the battle, the body of Willie Thornbridge was consigned -to its last resting-place. There were but two mourners gathered over -that little mound of earth--his captain and Uncle Dan, the scout, who -felt, not only grief for the brave young life so early ended, but a -deeper pain for the widowed mother at home, now childless. - -Colonel Holdfast's regiment was falling back toward the Junction, its -old head-quarters. Their movements were necessarily slow, as they were -constantly recruiting, and they were compelled to be wary, for small -parties of stragglers were occasionally picked up by independent -companies of Confederates. - -One evening Corporal Grimm suggested to Sergeant Swords that they form -an independent foraging corps of half a dozen and make a raid on the -turkeys of an old rebel, about a mile from the camp, that night. The -sergeant acquiesced--we never knew a sergeant who would not acquiesce in -such a plan, even at the risk of being reduced to the ranks--and they -were not long in finding plenty of volunteers. The corps must not exceed -six, as the secret could not be so well kept among more, and a larger -force could not be so well handled. - -Our friend Diggs was easily persuaded to enter into the project. For the -last two days he had been contemplating writing a book, to be entitled -"Camp Life," narrating his own experiences. This freak, he thought, -might afford a diverting incident. - -Great caution and secrecy were necessary, for, if knowledge of their -project reached head-quarters, it would have put an end to their sport. -At dark, having provided themselves with a dark lantern, they passed the -guard and wended their way over the long hill toward the barn-yard of -the old rebel. The night was very dark with a rainy mist or fog, which -made darkness and discomfort more intense. - -"Now, boys," said Sergeant Swords, "this is an old rebel, and we have a -perfect right to confiscate his turkeys; but let us be quiet about it, -so as not to disturb the old man." - -"Of course," said Corporal Grimm, "let him rest in peace, and dream -sweet dreams of the coming glory of the Southern Confederacy." - -They stole noiselessly over the damp ground, occasionally chuckling with -delight at the thought of their coming feast. The long hill was passed -over and the barn reached, where the unsuspecting rebel turkeys were -roosting. - -"This is delightful," thought Mr. Diggs, his short legs moving rapidly, -in order to keep up with the rest of the company. "What an entertaining, -amusing, and instructive chapter this will furnish for my book! This is -one phase of soldier life. Night so black, so intensely black--hem--that -one might write his name in chalk upon it. Dark, wild clouds and howling -winds with thick banks of fog almost blocking the way, as six resolute, -determined, dare-devil soldiers, of whom the modest writer was one--He, -he, he!" chuckled Diggs to himself. "I'll make it capital." - -His ruminations were brought to a close by arriving at the tall, dark -barn, where Sergeant Swords called a halt and solemnly informed his -command that the desired turkeys were inside. - -"I say--hem, hem, hem!" began Mr. Diggs. - -"Well, don't make so much noise about it!" whispered Corporal Grimm, -clutching him by the arm, "or we will have the old rebel and his five -hundred niggers on us in no time." - -The door of the barn was locked, but this slight obstacle was soon -overcome. - -"Quick!" whispered Sergeant Swords, and the men glided in. - -The loud barking of a dog from the house came to their ears, and the -sound of angry voices. Tom Scott closed the large double door just as -the nose of a ferocious dog came thump against them. - -"Hist!" said the sergeant. "I believe we are discovered." - -"What is it, old man?" came in shrill accents from the house. - -"Some one's in the barn stealing hosses." - -At this moment the turkeys, becoming alarmed at the very evident -expressed intentions of the intruders, set up a loud "Quit, quit!" - -"They're stealing the turkeys. It's some of them thievin' -Aberlitionists," said the old woman. - -"You bring the lantern, and I'll see," answered a deep voice, evidently -that of the cross old rebel himself. - -"We're in for it now, boys," said Sergeant Swords, turning on the light -from his dark lantern. "Hunt holes somewhere." - -Tom Scott had enough to do to hold the doors against the dog, which -seemed determined to force an entrance. Corporal Grimm sprang into a -meal chest, which he saw at the far end of the barn, and the lid closed -down on him; two others found concealment behind a hay-mow, and Sergeant -Swords and Mr. Diggs sprang up among the rafters, where the turkeys were -roosting. - -"Oh, Lordy! I shall be killed, I know I shall!" wailed poor Diggs, as he -scrambled up. - -The turkeys were now remonstrating loudly. - -"Stop your chin music!" said the sergeant. - -Tom Scott was still holding the doors when the old man and his wife came -to them. - -"Some one is in the barn," said the voice of the old man. "See here, the -lock is broken off." - -In a moment, in spite of Tom's efforts, the door was pushed open, and -the bull dog, with loud, deep yelps, sprang in. - -Tom kept well behind the door, and pulled it close against him. The old -woman held up a lantern, and the sergeant and our friend Diggs were both -discovered by the man and the dog at the same time. - -The dog announced his discovery by angry growls, and his master, a man -about fifty years of age, by closely examining an old, ugly musket in -his hand. - -"Hulloa, you thieves; I've cotched you now?" he said, advancing. - -"Good evening, sir," said Swords. - -"What are you doing up there, you scamps?" - -"Roosting," was the cool response. - -"Shoot them!" said the old woman, holding up the lantern. - -"Oh, no! don't, grandpa," said the sergeant. - -"Oh, Lordy! I'll be killed!" wailed Diggs, trying to screen himself -behind a turkey. - -Click went the old musket. - -"Quit, quit," peeped the turkeys. - -"I second the motion," said Sergeant Swords. - -"Shoot them, old man; shoot 'em dead," repeated the woman, whose eyes -were blazing with fury at sight of the blue-coats. - -"I intend to," he said, bringing his musket to his shoulder, which -movement made Diggs fairly howl with fear. - -"Hold on, grandpa; give a fellow a chance to say his prayers afore you -pop him over," said Sergeant Swords. "If you don't turn away that old -popgun you may hurt some of these turkeys. Besides, I've got a battalion -of men here all around you, and I can raise the devil." - -At this moment the dog, which had been prowling about, discovered Tom -Scott behind the door, and renewed his attack upon him. Tom fired two -shots from his revolver, one of which silenced the dog forever. The two -men in the hay-mow now came rolling down, much like two huge balls, each -snatching a turkey as he came. - -Corporal Grimm sprang from the meal-chest, white as a snowball. - -"Look there, old man; thar's a ghost!" cried the woman, pointing at -Corporal Grimm. The old man leveled his musket and fired, but the shot -flew wide of its mark, and Corporal Grimm advanced. - -The old man and old woman took to their heels, and the next moment was -heard the sound of many voices and the tramp of many feet. - -"Secesh, by hokey!" cried Sergeant Swords, leaping from his perch with a -gobbler's neck in each hand. "Git up and git!" and all made a rapid -exit, leaving poor Diggs still perched on the rafters, bewildered and -confused. In their haste they left the dark lantern in the barn with the -slides open, by the side of the old woman's lantern, which she had -dropped in her haste. - -"Oh, Lordy, I shall be killed; I know I shall," wailed poor Diggs, -frozen to his perch by his terror. - -Bang! bang! bang! went a dozen shots, their blaze lighting up the -intense darkness. It came from the new arrivals firing at the flying -soldiers, who were rapidly retreating with their prizes. Tom Scott lost -a thumb by a random shot, but he did not lose either of the two turkeys -he had started with. - -"Who were they, Seth?" Diggs heard a voice outside ask. - -"I don't know; abolition soldiers, probably, stealing chickens," replied -another voice. - -Diggs thought he had heard both voices before, but in his terror he was -not sure. - -"Guess they got no chickens," said a third voice, and Diggs could hear -the speaker ramming a load down his gun. - -"Let's take a look in the barn," said the first speaker. "Halloa! if -they ain't left their lanterns burning; left in a hurry, I guess." - -The blood fairly froze in the veins of our friend Diggs, as he heard -several steps approaching the barn door. Flight was now impossible, if -it had not been before. - -Several men, dressed in the gray uniform of Confederates, appeared at -the barn door. - -"Halloa!" cried one, in the uniform of a lieutenant, "here is a dead -dog. Can that be what those three shots were fired at which brought us -here?" - -"By Jove, Lieutenant Snapemup, there's a queer rooster," and the -speaker pointed to our friend Diggs, who sat trembling astride the -rafter. - -"Who are you and what are you doing up there?" cried Lieutenant -Snapemup. - -"Oh, Lordy, Lordy, Lordy!" groaned Diggs. - -"Come down there, Stumpy," cried Diggs' old tormentor and former -companion, Seth Williams, entering. - -As Diggs showed no sign of an intention to obey his order, Seth adopted -a summary method for bringing him down. Taking a musket from a soldier, -he fired a shot which passed about a foot above the small, round head. -With a howl of fear and desperation, Diggs, who verily believed he was -killed, let go his hold and fell from the beam, head first into the open -meal-chest that was just beneath him. - -"Williams, what do you mean? You have killed him!" cried Lieutenant -Snapemup. - -"No, I have not touched him," replied Seth. - -"Who is it?" asked Howard Jones entering the barn. - -"A Yank," replied Williams, and, walking forward to the chest, where -Diggs was floundering and sneezing in the meal, he seized him by the -nape of the neck, pulled him out and deposited him on the floor, where -he stood, white with meal, and his eyes and ears full. - -"Who are you?" asked Seth, peering into the face of his victim, who -stood digging his fists into his eyes. - -"I--I--hem--that is--I don't know," stammered Diggs. - -"Let me see," said Williams, giving him a shake so vigorous that the -meal flew in white clouds from his hair and clothes. "I do. I know you. -You are Patrick Henry Diggs, by all that's wonderful! Where have you -been, corporal?" - -"I--hem--I--I--that is to say, I don't know," gasped Diggs. - -"You don't hey? Well, collect your ideas," replied Seth. - -"Well, yes--hem--that is to say--hem, hem--I have been a prisoner." - -The men now crowded around Diggs, who, having collected his faculties, -told them how he had been taken prisoner at Carrick's Ford, how he had -tried again and again to escape, how he had joined the foraging party -with the full intention of escaping; he told a moving story of the -compulsion which had been used to force him to put on the uniform of a -Union soldier. - -Seth Williams told him that they were very glad they had found him, for -they were going back to Snagtown, and he knew Crazy Joe would mourn if -his mud man did not return with the rest. Diggs flew into a fury as of -old; but the barn and premises having been explored, the word of command -was given, and Mr. Diggs found himself again on the march, but this time -with other matter for thought than a diverting chapter for his -contemplated book. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -MR. TOMPKINS RECEIVES STRANGE NEWS. - - -The war cloud grew darker day by day. The time had actually come when -families were divided, and brother was arrayed against brother. But -little business was done in the border and middle States. Men seemed to -have suddenly gone mad. The once industrious farmer had deserted his -farm, and the plow lay rusting in the weedy furrow. A majority of the -able-bodied men were either in the Northern or Southern army. The -wildest and most exaggerated rumors were flying over the land. -Skirmishes were reported as tremendous battles, hundreds were magnified -into thousands, and tens to hundreds. Men, who had always been peaceable -and law abiding, seemed suddenly inspired with a mania for the murder, -plunder and destruction of all who did not adhere to their opinions. -Friends became enemies, neighbors looked upon each other with cold -suspicion or expressed open hostility. All baser attributes of man's -nature, kept in check by the strong arm of law in time of peace, were -roused and brought to the surface. - -The plantation of Mr. Tompkins had not been visited by hostile forces -since the visit of Oleah's company. But that event was sufficient to -give him full knowledge of the seriously dangerous condition of the -country. Mr. Tompkins was greatly changed. A careworn expression had -settled on his face--a face haggard and livid--years older than when we -first looked upon it, and hair whitening fast. The bloom had faded from -Mrs. Tompkins' delicate dark face, and the happy smile from her lips. - -The harmony of the household had been disturbed, never again to be -restored. The peace which had lasted for years was broken, so were the -ties of love, which had defined the ravages of time, and the thousand -petty vexations of domestic life were sadly strained. Mr. Tompkins' -political preference was cramped and choked by his family division. -True, no open rupture had taken place between him and his wife, yet the -very fact that both were silent upon the exciting topic of the day -brought about that coolness which is sure to result when there is a -forbidden topic between husband and wife. Mr. Tompkins spent the days in -anxiety, and the nights brought no peace. He went to the village almost -daily for the mail, and found the newspapers full of accounts of bloody -battles, while from lip to lip passed horrible rumors. - -When the defeat at Bull Run was rumored he waited to gather authentic -news, with painfully complicated feelings--anxiety for the cause he -could not openly avow, and for his sons, in either army, one always to -be in the victorious army, and one in the ranks of the defeated. And -this thought chased away the look of joy that for an instant lit up the -face of Mrs. Tompkins when she learned the news. - -Days passed, and weeks, but no news came of either son. All Mr. Tompkins -knew was that armies were marching and counter-marching daily, and -filling the country with alarm. - -Communication north and south was cut off, and it was almost impossible -for any letter to cross the line. - -It was evening, three or four weeks after the battle of Bull Run. Mr. -Tompkins had, as usual, been to Snagtown, and returned; the Summer sun -was sinking, battling in golden glory, a thick, dark bank of clouds -gathering in the northwest. Mr. Tompkins sat in a rustic seat on the -lawn, beneath the spreading branches of a maple, which had of late -become his favorite resort. As he sat, his eyes wandered off to the -northwest, rather in listlessness than interest. - -The sun went to rest behind the hill, and lightning flashed from the -dark recesses of the clouds, and twilight, soft and gray, began to -gather about the landscape. - -A man entered the front yard and walked leisurely down the white -gravelled walk toward the portion of the lawn where Mr. Tompkins was -sitting. He was a man apparently near Mr. Tompkins' own age, but his -form erect, and lithe, still seemed to retain his vitality and youthful -vigor. His woolly, sun burned hair was streaked with gray; his yellow -face was wrinkled, but his eyes were fired with energy. The rapid change -of expression on his face was perhaps the most remarkable thing about -this man--at one moment gentle, almost appealing, the next inspired with -the fury of a demon. The mulatto carried himself with a boldness and a -freedom not common with those of his color. Walking up to the planter -and touching the brim of his weather-beaten hat, he said: - -"Good evening, sir. Mr. Tompkins, I believe?" - -"That's my name. What is your business with me?" returned the planter, -sharply. - -"I want to see you," replied the mulatto, coolly, taking, unbidden, a -seat on the bench beneath the tree. - -"To see me? Well, what for?" - -"To talk with you," was the reply. - -"What is it?" demanded the planter. "Have you a bad master, and do you -want me to buy you?" - -"No, sir, I am not for sale," replied the mulatto, his face glowing with -a baleful light. "I am no slave, I am free, and free by my own -exertions." - -"Well, what is it you have to say to me?" - -"Something, I think, you will be glad to hear." - -The planter began to lose patience. "If you have any thing to say to me, -say it at once." - -"Well, to begin with, you have two sons, one in the Confederate and one -in the Union army." - -"What of them?" - -"They are well." - -"Thank you, thank you for the news," cried the planter, rising and -grasping the old man's hand. "When did you see them last?" - -"You are willing to talk to me now," said the mulatto, with a smile. - -"Where did you see my boys last?" repeated Mr. Tompkins, eagerly, -unheeding the interruption. - -"Only a few days ago." - -"Where?" - -"In their camps. They both are moving back this way." - -"How came you to see them both? Is one of them a prisoner?" - -"No." - -"You can not have been in both armies?" - -"I have been." - -"How did that happen?" - -"How I go is a secret known only to myself, but I go wherever desire or -duty call me, and armies, guards, and prisons, locked and bolted doors, -are no impediment to me. I saw your sons, and they are well." - -It had grown almost dark, yet the planter could see the eyes of his -strange visitor gleam weirdly. - -"Who are you?" he asked, the little superstition he had in his nature -aroused. - -"They call me Yellow Steve." - -"Where do you live?" - -"On the earth, in the air, almost on the air." - -"By that you mean you live in no particular place?" said the planter. - -"Yes. There was a time when I was human, when I had human desires and -human feeling, but all that is changed. My soul has been tortured until -what little reason I ever possessed has fled. There are times, sir, when -I am not a human being." - -"You are crazy," said the planter, with an incredulous smile. - -"Have you ever read of Wagner, the Wehr-wolf?" - -"Yes, in my boyhood I have read of that remarkable personage," replied -the planter. - -"You remember that periodically, he became a wolf, a demon. Well, sir, -I have passed through a similar experience. There are times when my -human feelings, my human reason leave me." The mulatto's yellow face -seemed to grow livid in the twilight. - -The wind moaned wildly, and the clouds gathered in thick, rolling masses -in the northwest. - -"Have you any further business with me?" asked the planter uneasily. - -"I am to tell you that I hold a key that will unlock one of the darkest -secrets that has clouded your life, a secret that has ever been a puzzle -and a torment to you. This dark war cloud will not roll off our land -without sweeping many from the face of the earth, and I feel that I -shall be among the number. I can not leave this earth without yielding -up to you the key of this mystery." - -"Where is the key, and what is the mystery?" asked Mr. Tompkins. - -"I will arrange so that you shall receive the key after my death. The -secret relates to the parentage of your foster child." - -A loud clap of thunder shook, and, for one moment, a blaze of lightning -enwrapped the earth. When Mr. Tompkins lifted his dazzled eyes, he was -alone. The strange man had disappeared as suddenly as if he had melted -into air. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -IRENE'S DILEMMA--THE BROTHERS MEET. - - -To Irene the varied and startling changes that had lately taken place, -brought perplexity and grief. The political question, that she had heard -discussed since her early childhood, until it had become to her as -familiar as a household pet, and been deemed as harmless, had broken up -the family, and now bade fair to destroy the Nation. Often in her -childish innocence had she laughed to hear little Abner declare himself -"Papa's Whig," little dreaming of the awful meaning lurking in these -words, a meaning powerful for the destruction of homes and country. - -A monster had been taken into the Tompkins' family and laughed over and -caressed, and now it had arisen in its wrath to prove their destroyer. -That monster was difference of political opinion. Irene, with her clear -good senses saw the great mistake in the life of her foster parents. -Their difference of opinion, kept alive by frequent discussion, and -veiled by light and gentle jests, had at last thrown off all disguises, -and stood forth a frightful reality, widening with alarming rapidity the -chasm opened between them. It may be doubted, if it is safe for husband -and wife to differ even in jest. - -Irene had puzzled her brain in her endeavor to devise some plan, which -might restore to the family the happy harmony of old, but, like many -good men whose minds were engrossed with the same endeavor for the -country's good, she failed. - -The regiment of which Abner Tompkins was a member had returned to the -Junction, and the regiment which Colonel Scrabble commanded was again in -the neighborhood of Snagtown. Both Abner and Oleah had sent word to -their parents that they would probably be able to visit home, while -their companies were encamped in the neighborhood. - -Colonel Scrabble, finding his position in the vicinity of Snagtown -rather uncomfortably near the Junction, where Colonel Holdfast and two -other regiments were quartered, fell back about twenty miles south, -beyond the Twin Mountains. The good people about Snagtown felt greatly -relieved at the departure of the colonel's forces, for they had been -kept in a constant state of alarm, expecting battle every day. - -It was the third day after the retirement of the Confederates that a -single horseman, a cavalry officer, galloped down the long hill on the -road leading from Snagtown to Mr. Tompkins' residence. He was a fearless -looking young fellow, with blue eyes and dark brown hair, and he rode -alone, though he wore the blue uniform of a Union captain. - -Arriving at the front gate, he swung from the saddle, handing his reins -to a negro boy, and walked quickly up the front walk, meeting his father -on the lawn. - -"Quite safe and sound, you see," he said in reply to Mr. Tompkins' -eager, anxious eyes. - -Father and son went together to the house, and, at the sound of the -well-known voice, Mrs. Tompkins, with a cry of joy, rushed from her room -to clasp her son in her arms. What though he wore the hated uniform of a -Union soldier? He was still her son. - -Irene's cheeks glowed with pleasure at sight of Abner, whom she had so -long believed to be her brother. She gave him a sister's welcome, as it -was. - -During the evening, when alone with his father, Abner related the -mysterious appearance and disappearance of Yellow Steve, and his strange -words. Mr. Tompkins also had something singular to relate on that -subject, and for half an hour they discussed this strange individual and -his possible connection with Irene's history. - -"He says he holds the key, which will unlock the mystery of her -parentage," said Mr. Tompkins, "but how are we to get him to turn it?" - -Abner said he would make it one of the duties of his life to search out -this mysterious stranger. - -"It will have to be managed carefully," said the father, "for should he -be so inclined, this man, perhaps, might destroy the last trace of her -parentage. My impression is that it was he who placed her, when a baby, -at our door." - -"What could have been his motive?" asked Abner. - -"Motive? Any one of a thousand things might have been his motive. He -might have done it with the hope of securing a reward for the recovery -of the child, or he may thus have taken revenge for some real or fancied -wrong, or he may have been hired by the parents." - -"Come, Irene," said the young officer when tea was over. "I want to look -around the old place once more." - -They paused in the garden, where the air was sweet with the fragrance of -Summer flowers, and pulsating with the evening songs of birds. - -"I never come out here now," said Irene. "It is so lonesome with you and -Oleah so far away," and sat down upon a rustic seat. - -As Abner gazed into the depths of those soft, gray eyes he thought so -much beauty had never before been concentrated in one being. Irene's -goodness of heart he had learned to know long ago. He was he thought, -almost on the eve of discovering her parentage, but he determined to win -her, be it high or low. - -"Irene," he said, "I am glad to be once more in this dear old home, to -be once more with the parents I love; but the greatest happiness of all -is to have you again by my side." - -"O Abner," she answered, lifting her earnest, tearful eyes, "do not say -to me again what you said to me that last night! It breaks my heart to -give you pain, but I know that you are wrong, that you have mistaken -your own feelings. I have loved you so long as a sister! Oh, how -terribly all things have changed! Do not you change, Abner! Be my -brother still!" - - - "Let what is broken so remain, - The gods are hard to reconcile," - - -said Abner, looking sorrowfully into the pale, pleading face. "When -change has come, nothing can bring back the old order of things. But I -will wait, I will promise you not to speak again of my love, until you -can answer me without tears in your eyes. Now, let me see you smile, -Irene, once more before I go." - -Irene could not sleep that night; her bed chamber was in the south wing -of the house, and her window looked out upon a portion of the grounds -directly shaded with trees and shrubbery. It was late when voices on the -lawn below attracted her attention. The family, she knew, had been -buried in sleep for hours, and it was something unusual for the slaves -to select that portion of the grounds for midnight consultation. At last -she arose and cautiously approached the window. - -The night was beautiful, the moon shone brightly, even penetrating the -dark shade of the trees, beneath one of which two figures were -distinctly visible. The night was very still, and, though the men were -at some distance from the house, she could hear distinctly every word -they spoke. - -The voice of one sounded familiar to Irene, and it took only a second -glance to show her that it was Crazy Joe, engaged in conversation with -some stranger. - -Crazy Joe had always made a strange impression on Irene. From her -earliest recollection he had been either a resident or frequenter of the -Tompkins' plantation. The poor lunatic had always shown the warmest -attachment for her, and his strange wild talk, the mingling of early -Scriptural and classical lessons, with ideas dwarfed by some sudden -shock, had always had a strange fascination for her. - -All her fear instantly vanished as she recognized Crazy Joe, for she -knew that no harm could ever come to any one of them through him, but -her curiosity to know who was his companion and what their topic of -conversation, became almost painful in its intensity. - -Crazy Joe had of late divided his time between the plantation and the -cabin at the foot of Twin Mountains. Uncle Dan, when he entered the -army, tried to induce Joe to desert the place altogether, but this he -refused to do, always declaring he must have the house of his Uncle Esau -ready at his coming. - -Irene could discover that Joe's companion was a negro, a man past the -middle age of life, of strong frame and strongly marked features. It was -with a thrill of astonishment that she heard these words. - -"When do you remember seeing your father last?" - -"'Twas when my father dwelt in a distant land. I was much beloved of my -father, for I was the sun of his old age." - -"Oh, don't talk such nonsense! What was your father's name?" - -"Jacob, my father was Jacob, the son of Isaac." - -"No, he wasn't," replied the man. "Try and think if your father didn't -have another name than Jacob." - -The poor fellow for a moment puzzled his brain and then said slowly: - -"No, it could not be otherwise. Joseph was the son of Jacob, and Jacob -the son of Isaac, and Isaac the son of Abraham; so you see my father -must have been Jacob. Joseph was sold into bondage and carried into -Egypt, and I am Joseph, so my father must have been Jacob." - -"Can't you recollect that your father had another name?" - -"No, he never had any other name but Jacob, the son of Isaac." - -"Your father's name was Henry," said the man. "Now don't you remember -that his Christian name was Henry?" - -The moonlight fell full on Joe's troubled face, and Irene thought she -could discover a strange expression cross it, as though a stream of -memory's sunshine had suddenly been let in on his long clouded mind, but -a moment after it was passed, and he said: - -"No, it must have been Jacob, and if Jacob is not my father, my father -must be dead. The famine has been very sore in the land of Canaan." - -"There has been no famine in the land where your father dwells," said -the man, earnestly. "Your father never knew a famine, never knew want or -care. He was a reckless, passionate man, but at times he was gentle and -kind." - -"My father, Jacob, was always good and kind," said Joe, thoughtfully. - -"Your father's name was not Jacob," said the man, evidently annoyed and -puzzled. "Your father's name was Henry--" Irene listened with strained -attention to hear the last name, but the voice of the speaker was -lowered, so that she failed to catch it. "Now," went on the stranger, -"try and remember, while I tell you about your father and your home. -Your father was a handsome man, with dark hair and eyes and heavy jet -black whiskers. Do you not remember the home of your childhood--a large, -brown stone mansion, surrounded with palmetto trees, and orange groves, -and cane brakes? Do you not remember the vast fields of cotton and rice -and sugar-cane, with negroes working in them, and your father riding -about in his carriage with you by his side? Can't you remember your -mother? Can't you remember the tiny boats she made for you to float on -the lake?" - -The mulatto paused, and looked eagerly at his companion, as though to -catch a gleam of intelligence. Again that curious, puzzled look came -over the face of Joe, and he seemed trying to pierce the gloom of -forgetfulness with his blunted recollection. After a moment his face -brightened, and he said: - -"Yes, I remember the fields of cotton, and the carriage and my mother. I -remember the great palmetto tree by the lake, where I floated my boats -and made my flutter-mills." - -"Well, listen now," said the black, still more earnestly. "Can you not -remember what your name was when you played by the lake under the big -palmetto tree by the lake?" - -"I was not Joseph then." - -"Can you not remember what your name was?" - -"No." - -"Would you remember if I was to tell you?" - -"Yes." - -Irene was leaning against the window-sill, holding the half-closed -shutter in her hand. In her eagerness she pressed forward, pushing the -shutter so far open that it slipped from her hold and swung crashing -back against the house. She sprang back into the room to prevent -discovery, and when next she glanced from her window, Crazy Joe was -alone. His strange companion had disappeared, and Joe sat nodding under -the tree more than half asleep. - -It was nothing uncommon for Joe to pass the night under a tree, and -Irene only watched to see him stretch down under a tree and compose -himself to sleep, when she crept to her own bed, filled with wonder and -curiosity. Crazy Joe's parentage, like her own, was shrouded in mystery, -and perhaps it may have been their common misfortune that had awakened -her sympathy and drawn her so strongly towards the lunatic. - -It was late before Irene closed her eyes for sleep, and when she did, -Joe's troubled eyes, Abner's eyes, sad and reproachful, and the gleaming -eyes of the stranger haunted her dreams. - -Early next morning she went out to where Crazy Joe was sitting on the -grass, communing with himself. As she approached him she heard him say: - -"Yes, yes, I remember the cotton fields and the palmetto tree by the -lake, the boats I sailed there, but then something heavy strikes my -brain." - -She tried to persuade him to tell her who it was he was talking with on -the night before, but the light of memory faded from his face, and his -mind immediately averted to his father Jacob, who was soon to come down -into Egypt. - -It was about two weeks after Abner's visit that Oleah found himself at -the head of a small scouting party in the neighborhood of his home. - -Scouting parties were no novelty in and near the village of Snagtown, -for this village lay about half way between the two hostile forces, and -the scouts of both armies frequently entered it. These parties, not -always made up of the most honorable men, kept the good citizens in the -vicinity in a constant state of alarm. Hen roosts were robbed, apple -orchards devastated, and melon patches stripped, vines and all. - -Oleah's party, however, attempted no exploits of this kind, for his men -knew that he would regard it as base and dastardly an act to filch from -an unoffending citizen as to fly from an enemy. - -Our friend Diggs was of the party, and when Oleah stationed his men in a -grove, about a mile distant, and set out to visit his home, Mr. Diggs -volunteered to accompany him. Oleah was annoyed, but, having no good -excuse for refusal, submitted with what grace he could to the -infliction. The short-legged soldier was now all smiles and -satisfaction, being, in his own estimation, the favored of his captain. - -"I tell you--hem, hem, hem!" said Diggs, as he kicked his heels into the -flanks of his horse--not January, but a spiteful little mustang--to keep -up with the fierce black charger on which the captain was mounted. "I -tell you--hem, hem!--this reminds me more of the return of the knights -of old after a battle, or a crusade, than any thing in my experience." - -Diggs' conversation was not noted for brilliancy or point, but Oleah -thought he never knew him to be so flat and pointless as on this -occasion. - -"I can't for the life of me, Diggs," he said, "see that we bear any -possible likeness to knights or crusaders." - -"Why, you see, they left their homes, and so did we. We are alike -there." - -Oleah made no answer. He was probably convinced. - -Mr. Diggs went on triumphantly: - -"They went off to fight, so did we; they came back clothed with victory -and glory, so did we." - -"I doubt whether either of us have achieved any victory to be boasted -of. As to the glory, I lay claim to none, and you must have little, -unless you acquired it in creek bottoms or turkey roosts." - -It was Mr. Diggs' turn to be silent now. His face became almost livid -with momentary rage, and the ill-assorted companions road on without -speaking, until the Tompkins' mansion was reached. - -The second son, in Confederate gray, was as gladly welcomed by his -father as Abner in his loyal blue, while in the mother's eyes shone not -only a mother's tender love, but the proud patriotism of a woman, who -had given her son to the cause she believed holy and just. - -"And here is friend Diggs, too," said the planter, taking the hand of -the little Confederate with such cordiality that Mr. Diggs was in -ecstasies of delight. "Have you been well?" - -"Quite well, Mr. Tompkins--hem, hem!--have been quite well, except a few -gun-shot wounds, received at Carrick's Ford. Hem, hem, hem!" - -Mrs. Tompkins, too, welcomed him with gracious hospitality, and, when -Irene met him with friendly greeting, he felt more than rejoiced, that -he had not given up a soldier's life. He had fought his battles and was -now winning his just reward, and "sweet the treasure, sweet the -pleasure, sweet the pleasure after pain." - -"Hem, hem, hem!--my friends--hem, hem!--my dear friends, he, he, he!" -chuckled the little fellow, looking as silly as it was possible for a -man of his size, with glasses on, to look; "this gives me--hem, -hem!--unbounded, I may say unlimited, satisfaction." - -At this moment another character entered on the scene. It was Crazy Joe; -he paused a moment, and a look of recognition lit up his features. He -walked forward, and, placing his hand on Diggs' shoulder, angrily -demanded: - -"Why are you here, sir? Why did you not remain where I left you? When I -make a man out of clay, and stand him up, I want him to stay where I -leave him, until I can show people the greatness of my handiwork." - -It was impossible for those present to restrain their involuntary -smiles, and Diggs, seeing this, lost his temper. - -"Go away, fool," he cried; "take off your hands." - -"Oh, Mr. Diggs, that is very unkind," said Irene. - -"Yes," said Crazy Joe, sorrowfully, as he left the room, "it is very -unkind for him to address such language to the man who made him." - -In spite of themselves, those present could hardly restrain their -laughter; but Mr. Diggs was easily pacified, and harmony was soon -restored, and he related his hair-breadth escapes and miraculous -victories. - -Oleah had interesting adventures to relate, and the humorous mishaps of -our friend Mr. Diggs, brought out the long unheard-of music of Irene's -laughter. During the evening he told his father of his meeting of Yellow -Steve at Mrs. Juniper's ball. - -"Strange," said the father, "that he should have escaped us all. He -knows something of Irene's history." Then he told Oleah what he himself -had seen, and what Abner had told him of Yellow Steve's visit, the -evening before the battle of Bull Run. - -"I will fathom this mystery," exclaimed Oleah, "though it takes a -lifetime to do it. He shall reveal all he knows, the next time we meet, -if he does it at the point of my sword." - -"Be not too rash, my son," said the father. "Never frighten a bird you -wish to catch." - -Then his mother and Irene came in, and with a loving imperiousness, as -his brother had done, he made Irene come out with him, walked through -the same paths and sat down at last on the same seat, with the same -words trembling on his lips. - -The sun had gone down, the moon was rising round and full in the East, -and the whip-poor-wills were making night melodious with their song. -Oleah was talking very earnestly to his fair companion; not only -earnestly, but passionately. - -"Irene, you comprehend what I told you before I left my home to meet -death and danger in the field, that the love I felt for you was deeper -and stronger than a brother's. I love you--I love you more than all else -on earth, more than life, and nothing shall keep you from me. You shall -be mine--my wife." - -"Oleah, believe me, let us keep the old love--I can give you no other. I -can not give you what you want." Her voice died away. He saw the small, -white fingers clasping and unclasping, and knew that she was resolutely -keeping back her tears. - -"This is something I can not understand," said Oleah, and his face -clouded, "unless my brother has been before me." - -Irene opened her white lips, but no words came. - -"I understand now," exclaimed Oleah; "you can not choose between us; you -know not which of us you prefer, or perhaps you prefer him." His eyes -shone like burning coals, and his voice was hoarse with passion. "It is -true, he must oppose me in every thing? When our country, our South, his -birthplace and mine, is assailed by foes, he joins them. Is not that -enough to turn all a brother's love to gall and bitterness? And now he -would win you from me--my love, my love!" - -"Oleah, do not so wrong your brother! I tell you truly that he does not -know, he has no thought that he is opposing you," cried Irene, with an -appealing look at the dark, angry face. "O, Oleah, for your mother's -sake banish these evil thoughts. God made you brothers." - -"Yes, and the devil made us enemies. It is coming at last--it has come! -I have fought against it for the sake of our happy childhood, our -parents, and the brothers' blood that flows in our veins, but it is -useless. The fates have determined that we should hate each other, and -the hatred of brothers is the hatred of devils. Irene," his voice -softening, "I believe you love me though you will not speak," and Oleah -seized her passionately in his embrace and rained kisses on her fair, -pale face. "I must go now," he said, releasing her, "but you shall yet -be mine, I swear it. Neither brother, nor father, nor mother, no power -on earth shall prevent it." - -Oleah went toward the house, and Irene stood motionless, where he had -left her, till the trees hid him from her sight--her eyes widely -strained, her face pale with terror, her lips white and bloodless. Those -wild words Oleah had spoken in his passion, those fearful words, "_The -hatred of brothers is the hatred of devils_," seemed burning into her -brain. - -And this was her work! This mischief she had done! She trembled like one -guilty, and the love she would not own, and she could not master, seemed -to her shuddering soul a crime. - -So excited was her manner that it attracted the attention of others in -the room. At this moment a negro boy entered the room, where Mr. and -Mrs. Tompkins were sitting with Mr. Diggs, his face wearing a strangely -puzzled look. He paused and looked around. Whether he was more -frightened or puzzled it would have been difficult to tell. - -"Well, Job, what is it?" asked Mr. Tompkins, noticing the negro's -awkward manner. - -"If you please, marster," he said, shaking his head, "Marster Abner--" - -"What of him?" asked Mr. Tompkins, for the boy had paused. - -"Why, he--he is comin'?" - -Before any one could make reply, quick steps were heard on the graveled -walk. Mr. Tompkins, motioning the servant aside, went himself to the -door, and, as he opened it, heard Oleah's voice, imperious and harsh: - -"You are my prisoner, sir!" - -"Oleah, my son, this is a matter too serious for jesting," said the -father. - -"I am not jesting. My first duty is to my country. He is an enemy to my -country, and my country's enemies are mine. My men are within call," he -continued, turning to Abner. "Do you surrender?" - -"Most assuredly I shall not," replied Abner. - -"Then, by heavens! you shall fare no better than any other Yankee spy. -You are within our lines!" - -He snatched his sword from its scabbard, and before Mr. Tompkins could -interpose, there was a clash. - -Again the door opened, and Mrs. Tompkins and Mr. Diggs appeared; but -the sight that met their eyes froze to terror the smile of welcome on -the mother's lips, and sent Diggs, his radiant complacency all gone, -shrinking back into the house, muttering, "Oh, Lordy, I know I shall be -killed." - -Clash, clash! clank, clank! the swords went, circling in the air, -thrusting, crossing, clashing. Irene came flying down the path, and Mr. -Tompkins sprang between and threw them apart. - -"Hold!" he cried, "if you must have kindred blood, turn your swords -first on me, and on your mother and sister. Abner, if your enemies are -near, go. Let them not find you in your own father's house. Go at once!" - -Without a word, Abner returned his sword to its scabbard and started to -leave his home. His mother and Irene followed him to the gate, and, a -moment later, his horse's feet were heard clattering up the hill toward -Snagtown. - -Oleah, soon after, left with Diggs, to join his men. Mr. Tompkins and -his wife sat in silence in the silent house, while Irene, who believed -herself the guilty cause of this new sorrow, crept up to her room to -weep and pray. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -WAR IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. - - -It was a Sabbath morning in the latter part of October, clear and -frosty. The sun had risen in a cloudless sky, the wind blew northward in -rolling columns, the smoke from the village chimneys, and the leaves on -the magnificent forest trees, which surrounded the village on the north, -east, and south, had grown brown and sear, but the great plantations of -the level valley on the west were still verdant. While on the west, -faintly outlined in the distance, rose the Cumberland mountains. - -An old man, with a basket on his arm, was walking down the broad -sidewalk past the cottages, from which came the fragrant odor of -coffee, a sure indication that breakfast was preparing. The old man -chanced to cast his eyes towards the eastern part of the town, and -paused in amazement. - -In a field of about twenty acres, as if they had risen by magic, were -scores of snowy tents. Sentries were on duty, their burnished arms -glittering in the sun, and hundreds of gray-coated soldiers were passing -and repassing, white clouds of smoke from their camp-fires rose in the -frosty air. - -While the old man was looking beyond the streets and houses at the -encampment on the hill, a neighbor, walking up the other side of the -street, hailed him with: - -"Rather sudden appearance ain't it?" pointing to the camp, over which -the Confederate flag was floating. - -"When did they come, Mr. Williams?" said the first old man. - -"Last night," replied Mr. Williams, crossing over to where the other -stood. "Can't you guess what's in the wind?" - -"No," was the answer. - -Mr. Williams, a corpulent, smooth-faced man of sixty, smiled. - -"Why, you see, the boys are strong enough now to take the Junction, and -they are on their way." - -"How many are they?" asked the first old man, who was tall and thin, -with long, gray beard. He spoke evidently with some concern. - -"About three thousand in all, with five pieces of artillery." - -The cannon and the ammunition wagons were plainly to be seen from the -street. - -"And so they are on their way to fight the Abolitionists at the -Junction?" said the first old man thoughtfully. - -"Yes, Mr. Jones, and your son, Hiram, is in that crowd and my son, Seth. -They'll make it quite lively for old Colonel Holdfast," replied Mr. -Williams. - -"Yes, they will," said Mr. Jones, stroking his gray beard. - -The sun rose higher in the heavens, and the frosty air grew warm and -genial. By nine o'clock the forces were in motion, the long lines of -cavalry and infantry proceeding slowly and cautiously towards the -Junction. - -The good citizens of Snagtown had recovered from the excitement, into -which the appearance of the troops had thrown them, and the church bells -were calling them to worship, when the boom of the cannon shook the -hills. - -All was instant excitement. The cannon shot came from the direction in -which the troops had gone. It was followed by another and another, until -the roar of artillery shook the hills and valleys for miles around, and -then the rattle of grape and canister was borne to the ears of the -villagers. Plainly a fight was going on. The firing lasted about half an -hour, then it began to slacken, and at last, ceased, excepting an -occasional dropping musket shot. - -The villagers were gathered about in anxious groups, when a single -horseman, dressed in gray, galloped furiously into the village. The men -crowded eagerly about him to inquire how the battle had gone. - -"There had been no battle," he said, "but their advance guard had met -the advance guard of the Union troops, and a skirmish had ensued, a -battery on either side having opened. - -"We are falling back to more advantageous ground," he added, "and will -be in the village in fifteen minutes." - -The excitement, of course, redoubled. There was no service in the -church, but the women and children were hurried away from the village, -and the stern-faced who remained, locked and barred their homes and -gathered, armed and resolute, in the streets. Stragglers from the army -came in first, then followed the infantry and artillery. There was a -long embankment on the north side of the village, where the earth had -been partly washed and partly cut away. This embankment was nearly as -high as a man's breast, and a fence ran along its top for a quarter of a -mile to the east of the village. Behind this natural fortification the -principal part of the infantry formed in lines. The artillery was placed -in an orchard, where there was a dense growth of trees to mask it. - -The advance of the Union forces came on slowly, and it was an hour after -the entrance of the Confederates into the village before the deployed -skirmishers came in sight. The crack of a rifle announced their -approach, another and another burst on the air at once, and then the -balls came rattling rapidly against the houses. - -The engagement became general, and the roar of artillery and the rattle -of musketry was deafening. The Sabbath morning, dawning so serene and -calm, had been followed by a noon of bloodshed, terror and strife. The -neat village cottages were shattered and balls had crashed through -window lights and shutters. The little stone church had been struck by -cannon shot and shell, and one building had caught fire and burned to -the ground. - -Finally the Confederate lines began to waver and give way, and the bugle -sounded the retreat. They fell back, column behind column, in regular -order, passing through the village, closely followed by the victorious -troops. - -No sooner had the last column left the village than the frightened -inhabitants, who had been hiding in the woods at some distance away, -began to peep forth upon the terrible scene. - -Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith, returning, found occasionally, here and there, -in the street a ghastly form. A man lay dead at the gate of Mr. Jones; -some were even in the houses, while one was lying across the sidewalk in -front of the church. Their houses had been struck with balls, but not -near so badly shattered as might have been expected. Two or three cannon -balls were lying in the street and fragments of exploded shells strewn -on the ground. - -The occasional dropping shots in the distance told that both armies were -moving. Colonel Holdfast seemed determined to hold fast to Colonel -Scramble this time. - -The struggle we have described in this chapter is not recorded by most -historians, and, if mentioned at all, is only considered a skirmish, yet -the citizens of Snagtown thought it the most terrible battle of the war. - -No one of the Tompkins family had left their home. During the night -Irene had been awakened by the rumble of wheels and the tramp of hoofs, -and, looking from her bedroom window down the broad road, saw long lines -of dark, silent figures marching in the direction of Snagtown. For more -than an hour those silent dark figures, with their bristling bayonets -glittering in the cold moonlight, marched on and on past her window in -seemingly never-ending procession--horsemen, artillery and baggage -wagons rolling by. Then the line was less solid and finally broken--an -occasional group galloping by to join the army in advance. When daylight -came not a soldier was to be seen on the hard beaten road. - -Irene knew well what was the intention of the Confederates. She had -recognized one form among those hosts that marched by in the moonlight, -and, at sight of him, had crouched by in the window recess with a -strange pain at her heart. - -The whole family was aroused by the passing troops, and all rightly -guessed their object. Through the long morning they sat watching on the -veranda, Irene, pale and beautiful, leaning against one of the columns -of the great porch running about the northeast side of the house, heard -the first roar of the artillery, that ushered in the day's strife, and, -during the long two hours that the battle raged, she stood motionless, -except that her white lips moved in silent prayer. She saw the advance -of the column in rapid retreat coming down the great road from Snagtown. - -"Defeated!" she murmured. "O, Heaven, is he among the dead? Both may be -slain!" - -Little did she dream how close were the pursuers. One vast retreating -mass of troops in gray poured down the hill, and, among the last of the -Confederates, she saw the dark face of Oleah. His company was the last -to descend the hill, and the rear was not half way from the summit when -a line of blue coats appeared on the brow of the hill and quickly fell -in line. - -White puffs of smoke filled the air, and a rattling discharge of -fire-arms followed. - -Irene, forgetful of danger or too horrified to fly, stood motionless as -a statue. She saw one or two of Oleah's company fall, and saw their -captain wheel his horse and dash back among his panic-stricken troops. -He reformed them almost instantly and returned the volley, driving back -the advance of the Union troops, who immediately rallied and came on -again to the conflict. - -"Come, Irene, come in for Heaven's sake! You may be struck dead at any -moment," cried Mrs. Tompkins, seizing the poor girl around the waist. -"Come, come to the cellar; it is the only safe place." - -"But, mother, see, he, they both, are there, in danger of being killed. -I can not go until I see him safe." - -But Mrs. Tompkins drew her away from the porch. - -Contrary to the expectations of Mr. Tompkins and of the whole family, -the house was not used as a fortification, and a running fight followed; -then the bulk of the Union army swept on down the road in pursuit of the -retreating Confederates. - -Irene hastened from the house down the driveway. A dead horse lay on the -hill, and two soldiers, one in blue and one in gray, lay motionless in -the road, but their forms were stark and stiff, no earthly aid could -reach them. As she turned away she heard a groan, and, hastening to the -spot, she saw lying in a little hazel copse, which had before concealed -him from her view, a Confederate soldier with a shattered leg, almost -unconscious from loss of blood. One glance, and Irene recognized those -pale haggard features. It was Henry Smith. She saw that he was badly -wounded and flew back to the house for help. - -The troops under Colonel Holdfast followed up the Confederates closely, -harrassing them by repeated dashes on their rear guard, thus keeping up -a continual skirmish. It so happened that Captain Abner Tompkins -commanded the advance of Colonel Holdfast, while Captain Oleah Tompkins -the rear guard of Colonel Scrabble. The men, under each, were from the -immediate neighborhood of Snagtown, and, consequently, many in these -hostile ranks were former acquaintances or friends. As the advance under -Abner was approaching a farm-house, he threw out skirmishers, among whom -was one Jim Moore, who had formerly lived in Snagtown. The house stood -back from the road, surrounded by giant oaks, and the skirmishers, -fifteen in number, led by Sergeant Swords, approached slowly and -cautiously, warned by the crack of rifles behind the trees. The trees -being plenty, each man concealed himself behind one of them, they -commenced an Indian warfare. Jim Moore, who was behind a large oak, had -been watching his chance to get a shot at a Confederate, behind a -similar tree, about one hundred yards away. The Confederate was watching -Jim the same time. - -"I say," called out Jim, during a lull in the attack, "give a fellow a -chance for a pop." - -The Confederate thrust out his head for a brief second, and Jim blazed -away; the bullet passed two inches over the reckless head. - -"Too high!" cried the Confederate; now give me a chance. - -Jim, not to be outdone, thrust out his head and shoulders, and a ball -whizzed beneath his arm. - -"Too low!" he cried; "but now, I'll bet a quart o' whiskey you and I -have shot together before." - -"Your voice is familiar," answered the man, reloading. "Who are you, any -way?" - -"Jim Moore, from Snagtown, and, if I aint mistaken, you are Seth -Williams?" - -"Right, old boy. We've shot ducks together many a time. How d'ye do?" - -"Pretty well," said Jim. "How are yerself and all the rest of the boys?" - -"Excellent. What are you fellows following us for?" - -"To keep you out o' mischief." - -"How many you got?" - -"Not quite seventy thousand." - -"You're lying, Jim." - -"Well, I'll take that from an old friend, Seth, but don't repeat it too -often, or I'll come over there and thrash you." - -This dialogue attracted the attention of all the skirmishers, and not a -shot for the last two minutes had been fired. - -Re-inforcements now came up to the aid of the Union skirmishers, and the -Confederates retired through the farmyard and across the pasture, into -the woods beyond. A cackling and a squalling of hens told that they had -made a raid, in passing, on the barn-yard fowls. - -The Union soldiers ran forward and fired at the retreating rebels. The -only reply was a chorus of voices, singing "Chich-a-my, chick-a-my, -crany crow," followed by reckless yells and peals of laughter. - -In the hurry and confusion of the pursuit, Abner became separated from -his company, and eager to rejoin it, dashed down a woodland path. Both -forces were now between Snagtown and Twin Mountains, in the forest, -which spread out for miles on either side of Wolf and Briar creeks, and -the constant popping of guns told that the sharpshooters were at work. -Not a human being was to be seen on the forest path Captain Tompkins had -taken, but he could hear shooting on all sides. Suddenly he came upon a -man standing by the side of a dead horse. In his headlong gallop, Abner -would have run over him, had not the man seized the former's horse by -the bit with an iron grasp and hurled it on its haunches. - -A glance told Abner that it was a Confederate officer, and that he held -a naked sword in his hand. In an instant he had drawn his own weapon and -leaped from the saddle, to discover that he was confronted by his -brother. - -"So, we meet again," cried Oleah, his eyes flashing fire. "You are my -prisoner, sir." - -"Release my horse, and remember that we are brothers," returning his -sword to its scabbard. "We shall find other foes to fight. Loose my -horse and go." - -"When I go you will go a prisoner with me. Brothers!" exclaimed Oleah, -sneeringly. "In all things you oppose me. You are joined now with my -enemies, fighting to rob me of country and home; you have tried to take -from me more than my life--why not my life? Defend yourself." - -Again the brothers' blades clashed together, but a tall, powerful form -sprang from the thicket into the road and hurled them apart, as though -they were children. - -"Brothers seeking each other's blood?" cried the new comer in a ringing -voice. "Shame! oh, shame! There are enemies enough for both your swords -without drawing them on each other." - -The new comer was the mysterious negro, Yellow Steve. - -"I know you," cried Oleah; "you have something to tell me--" - -"But it is not to slay your brother," interrupted Yellow Steve. "Shame -on you both! Put up your swords, lest I take them from you and break -them on my knee. You, Oleah, go, and go quickly. Your enemies are all -around you." - -"Hilloa!" cried another voice, "what does all this mean?" and Uncle Dan -Martin, the scout, stepped out of the woods, with his rifle, ready -cocked, in his hand. - -Oleah, hearing others advancing, sprang into the bushes and made good -his escape. Abner looked after him for a single moment, and when he -turned to speak to Yellow Steve, that mysterious person had disappeared. - -"Who was them uns?" asked Uncle Dan, hastening forward to where his -bewildered captain stood. - -"One was my brother Oleah, the other was that strange negro, who calls -himself Yellow Steve." - -"Where did he go?" asked the scout. - -"I don't know," answered Abner. "His ways of appearing and disappearing -are quite beyond my comprehension." - -"I'll catch him," replied Uncle Dan. "I know the tricks of the fox and -mink, and others, and I'll set a trap, which will get him yet." - -"Will you?" cried a mocking voice some distance up the path, and looking -up, they saw the mysterious black, standing by the trunk of a tree his -arms folded on his breast, a look of defiance in his gleaming eyes. -Almost simultaneously with the discovery came the crack of Uncle Dan's -rifle. When the smoke had cleared away the black had again disappeared. - -The place all about was searched, but no trace of him could be found. - -"I believe he is the devil," said Uncle Dan. "I never missed a -squirrel's head at that distance in my life." - -"He is certainly a very extraordinary person," said Abner. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -CRAZY JOE'S MISTAKE. - - -Uncle Dan had long prided himself on his skill in woodcraft, and, to be -thus outwitted in his old days, was more than he could endure. He -plunged recklessly into the brush, which was so dense that no object -could be seen a dozen feet away. He ran several narrow risks, coming two -or three times almost into the rebel lines. - -"To think that a nigger should get ahead of me that way! It's too much!" -exclaimed the old man, as he leaned against a tree, and listened to the -occasional shots which awoke the echoes of the forest. "But what do I -want with him, if I should catch him? My business is to lead the army -through the woods, and not to be following a strange nigger up and -down." - -A crushing in the underbrush told him that some one was advancing, and, -a moment later, Corporal Grimm and Sergeant Swords with half a dozen -soldiers came up to where the old man stood. - -"Hilloa, old boy!" said Sergeant Swords. "Pausin' to view the land -ahead?" - -"No, I've been trying to git a pop at a nigger," replied Uncle Dan. - -"What are niggers doing here?" said Corporal Grimm. "When dogs fight for -a bone, the bone seldom fights." - -"The bone is in these woods, but I'll be hanged if I know what it's here -for. Let's be moving on." - -"D'ye know the lay of the land?" asked Sergeant Swords. - -"Every foot," said Uncle Dan. - -The long line of Union skirmishers was moving slowly through the thick -woods, and the line of Confederate skirmishers was retreating at the -same pace to cover the rear of their army. The crack of rifles rang out -frequently, but it was seldom with effect. It was evident that the -Confederates were making for their stronghold beyond the Twin Mountains. -The line of their retreat led by the foot of the mountains, where stood -Uncle Dan's cabin. - -With some anxiety Uncle Dan watched the movements of the retreating mass -of soldiers. Among them was one short fat little fellow on foot, whose -legs were too short to ably execute his prodigious exertions to keep -pace with his companions; his little gray coat-tails were streaming in -the air or whipping wildly against the trees. The officers, who were in -the advance, amused themselves by popping away at the fleeing rebel with -their revolvers. Still he flitted on among the trees, into the brush, -out of the brush, over the logs, and under the lower branches of the -trees, straining every nerve to keep up with his swifter companions. The -soldiers were gaining on him rapidly, and it was painfully evident, -that, when he reached open ground, one of these many loaded guns must -bring him down. His companions, who were several rods in advance, -suddenly turned abruptly to the left, which he, evidently too terrified -to comprehend which way he was going, kept straight ahead. - -Crack, crack! went the pistols of Grimm and Swords, and the bullets -whizzed uncomfortably near our short friend's head. - -"Oh, Lordy, Lordy, I know I shall be killed!" he cried in tones so wild -and shrill that his fear could not be doubted. He reached the thicket -bordering Wolf Creek and--crash, crash, bang!--he went through the -thicket into the creek. The splash was plainly heard by his pursuers -and, in spite of themselves, they could not repress a laugh. - -In a moment they were at the bank and beheld a half drowned little man, -sneezing and coughing as he struggled to the bank and clung to some -pendant vines. - -"Hem, hem, or Lordy!--achew--hem, hem!--oh Lordy, achew!" he murmured. -"I'll--achew--quit this horrible soldier--achew--business. Oh! Lordy, I -know I shall be killed! Achew! oh, Lordy. I want to quit this, I never -was made to be a soldier." - -"Helloa!" cried Uncle Dan. "Come out o' there, and tell us who ye are." - -He looked up on the bank and, seeing the soldiers, with a cry plunged -under the water. In a moment more he came up to breathe. - -"Come out o' that and don't be playing mud-turtle," cried Uncle Dan. "Ef -I ain't mistaken, ye are Patrick Henry Diggs, and yer lost." - -It really was Diggs, and, with a yell of recognition and delight, he -scrambled up the bank. - -"O, Uncle Dan, Uncle Dan, Uncle Dan!" he cried, falling almost exhausted -at his feet. "Save me, save me, save me!" - -"Save ye from what?" said Uncle Dan. - -"From being shot and drowned and killed. Oh, I solemnly swear that I -will never have anything more to do with this soldier business. It is -only run, run, from beginning to end, and then plunging head first into -a muddy stream. Oh, I'll quit it, I'll quit it. Heaven forgive me, Uncle -Dan!" he cried vehemently. - -"This is sorry business, Diggs. What war ye doing?" said Uncle Dan -seriously. - -"Running for my life," answered Diggs. - -"Get up, Diggs," said the old scout solemnly. - -The little fellow arose, looking more like a school-boy who was going to -be thrashed. - -"Diggs," said the old man, and there was not the slightest tinge of jest -in his tones, "what war ye doing with the rebels?" - -"If you please, sir,--hem, hem--" began Diggs, greatly confused, turning -pale as death and beginning to tremble, "I--I--was taken prisoner with -these two gentlemen," pointing to Corporal Grimm and Sergeant Swords. - -"No, you were not," said both at once. "We were never taken prisoners." - -"Oh, I beg your pardon--hem, hem!--gentlemen, please hear me through, -and I can explain all this to you. I was taken prisoner by the rebels -one night, when I went out with these two gentlemen, and they--hem, -hem!--I mean the rebels, kept me for a long time until they made me go -with them to-day, and you found me with them." - -"Do you mean to say that ye have been a prisoner all this time?" asked -Sergeant Swords. - -"Yes," said Diggs, after a moment's hesitation. - -"Then what was ye doing with a gun in yer hand, when we come on ye and -the others?" said Corporal Grimm. - -"You are mistaken, it was some one else," said Diggs, becoming confused. - -"No, I am not. We all saw you throw it away and run with the rest," said -the Corporal. - -"Well, it was one I had just picked up. I was tryin' to escape, when you -came up, and I ran with the rest." - -"But here ye are with the cartridge-box belted around you," said the -Sergeant, "and you have the gray uniform on." - -Diggs was too much confused to reply, and his eyes dropped under the -searching glance of the soldiers. - -"Diggs," said the old scout, with great earnestness in his tones, "I'm -afraid it will go hard with you. You are a deserter and a spy. It's -sorry business, Diggs." - -"O, Uncle Dan, Uncle Dan, promise me you will not let me be hurt!" cried -Diggs. - -"Come along. You shall be treated as a prisoner of war, but I can't say -what a court martial may do about your desertion." - -"O, Uncle Dan, you wont let them shoot me, will you? Say you won't, and -I'll do anything in the world you want me to do. I'll enlist in your -army and fight on half rations." - -"You've 'listed a little too much already," said Uncle Dan. "This tryin' -to sarve two masters won't do." - -"Oh, you surely would not let me be killed. Oh, promise me, you will not -let them take me out and shoot me." Poor Diggs broke down and sobbed -like a whipped school-boy. - -"Hush up blubberin'. Be a man, if ye've got any manhood about ye, and -come along." - -They now begin to retrace their steps back to where the main army had -paused. - -"But, Uncle Dan, you have known me from a child, and you knew my father -before me. Say that you wont have me killed!" sobbed Diggs, as he walked -along with a soldier on either side of him. - -"That's beyond my control," replied Uncle Dan. "I'll turn ye over to the -authorities, and I can't make promises." - -Poor Diggs felt his heart sink within him. His very breathing became -oppressive, and the soldiers who walked by his side seemed like giants -of vengeance. - -"Oh, what must I do, I know I shall be killed," thought Diggs. He -reflected on his past life and commenced preparing for his exit from -this world. - -In his mind he opened a double-column ledger account of the good and the -bad acts of his life. He tried to think how many times he had prayed. -They were few. Only on occasions, like the present, when his danger was -imminent. He remembered with horror, now, that when the danger was -gone, he had always forgotten his good resolves, and mentally blamed -himself for his weakness. The bad column ran up so rapidly that it -seemed impossible for the account to be balanced. - -"If I ever can get out of this," he mentally ejaculated, "I shall devote -my life to the Lord's service. I will be a preacher; I would make a -capital preacher; I was meant for a preacher, I know. If the good Lord -will only get me out of this scrape, I will not go back on my word, -sure!" - -When Uncle Dan's party came up, they found Colonel Holdfast, Colonel -Jones and Major Fleming holding a consultation under a large tree. - -"Here is Uncle Dan, the scout, the very man we wanted," said Colonel -Holdfast. "But who have you there? Did you find your prisoner in the -home of the beaver and musk rat?" - -Uncle Dan explained how they captured Diggs, and then the scout was -instructed that he was to pilot two of the regiments through the woods -to Snagtown, while the other was to follow up the retreating enemy. -Uncle Dan understood in a moment how matters stood. There was no danger -from the retreating Confederates, but it was very important that -fortifications be thrown up at Snagtown. - -Poor Diggs spent the night following in the jail building with several -other prisoners. He passed the weary hours in prayer, good resolutions -and in the firm determination to be a preacher, if the Lord would get -him out of this scrape. - - - "When the devil was sick, the devil a monk would be. - When the devil was well, the devil a monk was he." - - -Major Fleming, to whom was left the task of completing the rout of the -Confederate forces, was a bold, energetic man. He pushed forward with no -delay after the demoralized and retreating enemy. The science of war was -yet new to both sides, and, while bravery and tact was displayed at an -early day of the war, there was a lack of the veteran's skill. - -The retreat was up Wolf Creek toward the mountains, through a rough, -wild region. The advance of the Confederates came to where Uncle Dan's -cabin stood. It so happened that Joe, who had so often been Uncle Dan's -companion, was at the cabin, which he kept always ready for the old -man's return. He stood in the door way and watched the advancing throng, -his mild blue eyes wide with wonder. - -"Do you come from the land of Canaan, and is the famine over where my -father dwells?" he asked of the rough soldiers, who paused at the spring -to drink. - -"Come from Canaan? No; we come from h--l," replied one, with a laugh at -his own wit. - -"Have you seen my father?" asked Joe, in astonishment. - -"No; but we have seen the devil," replied another, "and he is close at -our heels." - -The poor idiot looked alarmed. He vaguely comprehended that some danger -was advancing, and his eyes filled with tears. - -"Oh, what shall I do?" he cried, in tones so plaintive, so pitiful, that -they might have touched a heart of stone. - -"Do? Run," said one of the soldiers, "run for your life, and hide among -the rocks. There are plenty about here." - -"No," said a third, "fight them. Here is a gun," handing him a musket. -"Take this and shoot the first one you see." - -Joe took the gun, but no dangerous light shone in his blue eyes. - -"I will fight no one but the Philistines," he said, thoughtfully. - -He was stunned and confused, and stood by the spring with the old musket -in his hands, as group after group of armed soldiers hurried by. - -"Hilloa, Joe, what are you doing?" said a familiar voice, and Howard -Jones came towards him. - -"I am here to assist Samson slay the Philistines," replied the poor -lunatic. - -"Put that down," said Howard, taking the gun from him and laying it on -the rocks by the spring. "Now run. Go that way," pointing to the west, -"and don't you take any guns in your hands. If any one says 'halt!' stop -at once." - -Howard Jones hurried on, hoping rather than believing, that Joe would -follow his advice. - -"Helloa, where are you going?" cried another soldier, as Joe started -away. - -"Fleeing from Sodom," replied Joe. - -"Well, sir, don't you flee. Pick up that gun and fight the d----d -Yankees. Shoot 'em as fast as they come out of the woods." - -Joe, always obedient, took up the gun again and remained automaton-like, -to obey the last speaker. - -"For shame, Bryant!" exclaimed Seth Williams, who came up at that -moment. "He is crazy. Would you have him expose his life that way, when -he doesn't know what he is doing? Put the gun down, Joe, and go that -way," said Seth, pointing to the west. "Go to Mr. Tompkins; he wants -you." - -Joe hastened to obey, and Seth hurried on. - -There seemed to be some fatal attraction about that long line of moving -men, with burnished arms and glittering bayonets, to poor Joe. He had -not gone a dozen rods before he paused to look back at them. Tramp, -tramp, tramp, they went, on and on, and he looked till his weak mind -became all confused with wonder. As the dangerous reptile chains the -bird it seeks to destroy, and draws it involuntarily to its death, so -poor Joe felt involuntarily drawn towards that moving line of gray coats -and glittering steel. Who were they? Where were they going? When would -that long line end? - -They kept passing, passing, passing, so many men, and so much alike, -that poor Joe finally concluded it must be only one man, doomed for some -misdeed to walk on, and on, and on forever, never advancing on his -endless journey. Joe forgot Howard Jones and Seth Williams, and, -pausing, gazed on in mute wonder. - -But the main body had at length passed. Then the line became broken, and -only straggling groups of horsemen and footmen went by; then these -finally came at longer intervals, but in larger groups. Joe thought the -end must be near. - -The rear guard of the Confederates paused in front of Uncle Dan's cabin, -to check the advance guard of Major Fleming. - -"Halt!" cried the officer. "Deploy skirmishers and the advance." - -"They're almost upon us, lieutenant," said a subordinate officer, -riding in from the woods. - -"Let 'em come," said the first speaker. "Take shelter behind trees or -rocks, and make sure of every head that peeps out of the woods." - -The men, about fifty in number, sprang to cover. The officer in command, -chancing to look around, saw Crazy Joe, still spell-bound with wonder. - -"Hey, fellow," he cried, "what are you doing there?" - -"Nothing," said Joe. - -"Well, then, come here and I'll give you something to do." - -Joe obeyed. One look in his face was enough to betray the poor fellow's -weakness. - -The lieutenant knew that he was crazy, but, reckless of what the poor -fellow's fate might be, he pointed to the musket Joe had laid on the -rocks, and said: - -"Pick that up, get behind those rocks, and when I say 'Fire!' shoot at -the men you see coming from those trees." - -Joe knew nothing else to do, but obey, little dreaming of the dread -consequences that were to follow. - -"What do you expect that crazy chap to do?" asked a soldier, as he -rammed a ball down his rifle. - -"He can shoot, and his bullet may strike a blue coat." - -"Brace up and look more soldier-like," said one. - -"Who greased yer hat?" asked another. - -"When was yer hair cut?" put in a third. - -"What ye got in the pockets of that great coat?" said another. - -"Attention!" cried the lieutenant. "Here comes the enemy. Steady! Be -sure of your aim, and fire only when you have it." - -The Union skirmishers advanced cautiously, and the Confederates blazed -away, taking care not to expose their own persons to the sharpshooters -in the woods below and above. The fire from the woods became deadly, and -the lieutenant ordered a retreat just as the Union forces in the woods, -receiving reinforcements, made a charge. - -"Run, run for your lives!" cried the lieutenant, setting the example. - -A storm of leaden hail swept around Uncle Dan's low cabin, rattling -against the walls and shattering shade trees in front of it. - -Joe's face was now white with terror. The dread monster had come. He saw -the men about him take to flight, and, in his simplicity, he threw aside -the unused gun and followed them. He had not gone far before he changed -his course, running off to the left, down the creek bottom, where the -grass was tall and dry. The Confederates kept straight on across the -woods, making for the mountain pass. - -A detachment of soldiers came up to the cabin, and, seeing Joe in -flight, the others already out of range, levelled their guns upon him. - -"Hold!" cried an officer, in the uniform of a United States captain, as -he galloped up to the group. - -He was too late, before the word was fairly uttered, a dozen rifle shots -drowned it. - -"Great God, you have hit him!" cried Captain Abner Tompkins, as, through -the smoke of the muskets, he saw Joe throw up his hands, reel, and fall. -"You have hit him, and he was a poor, crazy fellow." - -In a moment Abner was beside the prostrate form. He sprang from his -horse and raised Joe from the ground. A deadly pallor had overspread his -face; his blue eyes were glazed and he was gasping for breath. - -"Who is it? Is he hurt?" cried Major Fleming, riding up to the spot, -where the young captain was supporting the dying man on his knee. - -"It is a poor fellow called Crazy Joe, and some of our men have shot him -by mistake," said Abner, a moisture gathering in his eyes. - -"He may not be badly hurt; perhaps he is only stunned," said the major. - -But while they yet spoke, Joe breathed his last. Crazy Joe was dead; -dead, without one ray of light piercing the dark cloud he had so vainly -tried to lift; dead, with the dark mystery of his life unexplained; -dead, not knowing who or what he was. - -A musket ball had struck him in the back, passing out at the breast, and -he lived but a few minutes after Abner had reached his side; he was -past recognition then, and never spoke after he was shot. - -Abner had the body conveyed to his father's house. The troops returned -to Snagtown, having orders to pursue the enemy no further than the foot -of Twin Mountains. - -When Irene beheld the body of Crazy Joe, her resolution, which had borne -her up under so many trials, gave way. She swooned, and, when she -recovered, her grief so touched Mr. Tompkins that he had a costly burial -outfit prepared for the poor dead boy. Abner obtained leave of absence -to attend the funeral, and, early in the morning, he entered the home of -his childhood, where he had so often played with the helpless being, who -now lay there cold and lifeless. Irene met him in the hall, her eyes red -with weeping. - -"O, Abner," she cried, "it was such a cruel thing!" - -"Yes, dear Irene, it was cruel, but it was a mistake, we were powerless -to prevent," replied Abner, thinking it was the suddenness of his death -that affected her. - -"But, O, Abner, you do not understand me. I cannot tell you how -strangely the death of this unfortunate being affects me. I loved Joe as -we love those whose blood flows in our veins. I knew it all along, but -never felt it so forcibly as now. 'Tis some great instinct, some higher -power than human reason, that prompts me. Come, see how peaceful, how -happy, how changed he looks." - -He went with Irene into the darkened room. Joe's body was dressed in -dark clothes with spotless linen, the hair trimmed and brushed, the -eyelids closed over the troubled eyes. A look of intelligence had dawned -in death on the face for years expressionless. There was a striking -beauty in the face, with its perfect curve, its delicate, clear-cut -features, and it seemed that there might have been a brain of power -behind that lofty brow, on which he perceived the same deep scar that he -had seen on his head when a boy. Abner was astonished. He had never -thought Joe handsome with the old, pitiful look on his face, and his -astonishment deepened, when, for the first time, he observed a striking -resemblance between that face and the face of the girl who bent over it. - -"It cannot be possible!" he thought. "Yet it might be; the birth of -both was shrouded in mystery." - -He did not give his thoughts expression, but he turned with deepening -compassion from the white face of the dead to the face scarcely less -white of the girl beside him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -DIGGS GETS OUT OF HIS SCRAPE AGAIN. - - -Mr. Diggs' views, in the cold, dark prison, and through iron bars, of a -soldier's life, were very gloomy. The first night of his incarceration, -for hours, he tossed about unable to sleep. - -"I am a failure," he moaned, "a miserable failure. I went into the army, -intending to rise to be a general, and only got to be a corporal; then -taken prisoner, lost my office, retaken by my own company and treated -coolly. No chance of promotion, only kicks, cuffs, and bumps all through -this cruel world. Others have risen to higher positions. There's Abner -and Oleah, both captains. They were never taken prisoner, ducked in a -creek, or thrown into a thorn bush; why should I? and now I am to be -tried by a court-martial as a deserter, and I know I shall be killed." - -"Shut up!" yelled half a dozen fellow prisoners. "Do you intend to -sleep, or let any of us sleep to-night?" - -"We're all going to be led out and shot to-morrow," whined Diggs. - -"Well, is that any reason ye should be keepin' us awake all night?" -replied one gruff fellow in an adjoining cell. The doors of all the -cells were open. - -Diggs was awed into silence by the tones of his companions, and, while -wondering how these men could take their coming fate so coolly, fell -asleep. He attributed his own emotions to the possession of finer -sensibilities than those of his companions. - -"What's to be done with us?" he asked next morning of the soldier who -brought their breakfast. - -"Don't know," was the reply, as that worthy set the breakfast on the -stand and departed. Mr. Diggs did not have an excellent appetite. - -"Say, messmate," said a mischievous prisoner, "don't eat too much, for -these Yankees are cannibals, and, when they have fattened their -prisoners, they eat 'em." - -Poor Diggs pushed back his plate, sick at heart, and commenced pacing -the hall in front of his cell. Seeing a soldier on guard duty outside, -he went to the grating and called to him: - -"Can I speak to you?" - -"I reckon you can," was the answer. - -"Do you know what's going to become of me?" - -"I think, sir," said the soldier, gravely, "that you will be in h--l -before morning." - -"Oh! they do really intend to kill me," cried Diggs, and running back to -his cell, he fell upon his knees and tried to pray. - -"If ever I get out of this," he vowed, "I'll be a preacher. I was made -for a preacher." - -"Well, now, who cares if you are?" said a fellow prisoner, roughly, who -was playing cards with three others at the table. "You needn't be -disturbin' honest men, who hev no desire for sich things. Keep yer jaw -and yer preachin' to yerself!" - -"How can you be so wicked," said Diggs, "to carry on such unholy games, -when you know that the judgment awaits you?" - -"Oh, dry up!--I'll pass," said one. - -"Remember, you wicked men, that you have souls to save!" cried Diggs, -growing quite warm and earnest in this, his first exhortation. - -"Oh, hush up yer nonsense!--Order him up, Bill," said another. - -"You have souls," persisted Diggs. - -"We've got no such thing!--I'll order you up and play it alone," replied -the one called Bill. - -"Remember, poor dying sinners, you have souls," Diggs went on. - -"Remember, sir, you have a head," said one of the players, "and if you -don't keep it closed, you'll get it punched." - -Abashed and crestfallen, Diggs again retired to a corner to pray, this -time in silence, and to wonder at the perverseness and wickedness of -this generation. - -The day passed, the next, the next, and the next without any news from -the outside world. Diggs asked the soldier, who brought their meals -twice a day, at each visit, what was to be done to him, the soldier on -each occasion answering that he did not know. - -Diggs had grown despondent; his round, red face had become pale and -attenuated, and his little gray eyes had lost even their silly twinkle. -He thought of all the imprisoned heroes and martyred saints he had ever -read of; finally he came to imagine himself a hero, and determined that, -when he was released, he would write a book on prison life, relating his -own experience. As an author, he certainly would achieve fame. If only -he could have pen, ink and paper, he would at once begin the wonderful -production, which was to astonish the world. Mr. Diggs thought, if he -himself could not be a hero, he could portray heroes with life-like -effect. He was half persuaded to become a novelist. He would be a -preacher or lawyer, a novelist, any thing in the world but a soldier; he -had had enough of that. As he had not yet been ordered out and shot, Mr. -Diggs' hopes began to rise in his breast, and already, he felt half -ashamed of the weakness he had displayed. - -On the fifth day after his arrival at the prison, he was called to the -door. It was not more than ten o'clock in the forenoon. Half a dozen -soldiers, headed by a sergeant, were waiting outside the prison. He was -ordered to come out, and once more stood in the open air. He was marched -at once to Colonel Holdfast's head-quarters in the Courthouse at -Snagtown. Colonel Holdfast, two other Colonels, Major Fleming, and -another officer were sitting in the place, which was occupied by civil -judges in times of peace. An awful silence seemed to pervade the -court-room, as Mr. Diggs was marched in. A number of soldiers were -lounging about on the seats, and several officers were conferring in -whispers. What it meant Mr. Diggs was not long in conjecturing. It was -the dreadful court-martial. His hopes sunk, his knees knocked together, -and his head swam as he was placed before the terrible tribunal. The -orderly placed a seat for him in front of the officers, and he rather -fell into it than sat down. - -"Is your name Patrick Henry Diggs?" said Colonel Holdfast. - -"I--I believe it is," faintly gasped the terrified man. - -"You are charged with having deserted from our army and gone over to the -enemy. What have you to say to the charge?" asked the colonel. - -There was no response. Diggs hung his head. - -"What do you say, sir?" demanded the colonel, sharply. - -"N--n--not guilty, your honor." - -"Here is your name on our rolls as having enlisted in my own Company B, -Abner Tompkins, captain. Is that true?" - -"I--I--I reckon so." - -Corporal Grimm and Sergeant Swords were called, and both testified that -Diggs had been captured with other rebels in the late encounter; that, -when taken, he was armed and fighting in the rebel cause. Uncle Dan -Martin also testified that he had been present at the capture of Diggs, -and that he was in arms for the Southern cause. - -There was no jesting this time. Mr. Diggs found it all serious business. -The officers were not long in arriving at a verdict. They retired into -another room for a few moments' consultation, and returned with their -verdict, which Colonel Holdfast read. It was simply the terrible word: - -"Guilty!" - -"Stand up, prisoner, that sentence may be passed," said the Colonel. - -The prisoner did not move. He had fainted outright on hearing the -verdict pronounced. The regimental surgeon was present and administered -restoratives, and Diggs was held up by two strong soldiers. - -"In view," began the colonel, "of the accumulative and convincing -character of the evidence against you, proving you to be a spy, you are -condemned to death." - -"Oh, I knew, I always knew I should be killed!" interrupted Diggs, in a -feeble voice. - -"Therefore," went on the colonel, slowly and solemnly, hoping his words -might have effect on the listeners and prevent other desertions, "you -will be taken from here to your place of confinement, and there kept -until this day week, when you will be taken therefrom, led to the field -north of this town, at the hour of ten o'clock in the forenoon, and -there shot until you are dead, and may the Lord have mercy on your -soul." - -The colonel sat down, and Diggs, again fainting, was carried back, -almost insensible, to his prison. - -When Abner heard of the trial and the decision of the court-martial, he -endeavored to persuade the officers to reconsider the case, representing -to them that Diggs was imbecile in mind and not actually responsible for -his deeds. Irene, hearing with horror that the poor fellow was awaiting -execution, which was hourly approaching, hastened to Snagtown to plead -with the commanding officers in his behalf, and Uncle Dan used his -influence, too, for poor Diggs' fate, but argument and entreaty were -alike unavailing, the officers declaring that the case was plain, and -justice must be done, and an example made. - -Irene visited poor Diggs in prison and found him on the verge of -despair. He had wept until his eyes were swollen. He would not eat or -sleep, and his abject terror, his want of food and sleep had made him a -pitiable-looking object. She remained only a few moments, but they were -the only moments of comfort he had known since his sentence was passed, -for Irene came to tell him it had been arranged that Captain Tompkins -should go to Washington to intercede with the President on his behalf. -Almost daily Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Jones, who had known Diggs from his -babyhood, came to visit him. They both had sons in the rebel army, and -so could sympathize with poor Diggs. These were the only faces from the -outside world that he saw, except the guard, who were sometimes -kind-hearted, allowing him all possible privileges, but often rough and -surly, adding to his misery by coarse taunts and harsh treatment. - -A man with a heart of stone might have felt compassion for Diggs. The -little fellow's vanity and boasting were gone. He was humble and meek, -and he seldom spoke. Even his fellow prisoners treated him with -consideration, and endeavored to cheer and encourage him. Captain -Tompkins obtained leave of absence, went to the Junction, and took the -first train for Washington. He knew that if he could see the President, -a pardon would be obtained, but to secure an interview with the -President, when the country was in such a condition as it was at that -time, was no easy matter. Days and weeks might elapse and leave him -still waiting for an opportunity. The village pastor found in Diggs a -ready convert now, but while he professed to have found peace for his -soul, he was by no means anxious to quit this world. Hour after hour -dragged slowly by, until the day was gone, and no news from Captain -Tompkins. The next day and the next came and passed, the doomed man -waiting anxiously, hour by hour, the captain's return. He had heard of -James Bird, the hero of Lake Erie, celebrated in song and story, how he -had been condemned to death and pardoned, and how the messenger came -bearing the pardon a few seconds too late, even while the smoke of the -executioner's gun yet hung in the air, and feared that this fate would -be his. It was now Wednesday, and the captain had not come and had sent -no word. Diggs did nothing but pace his narrow cell--he was closely -confined--bemoaning his fate and imploring every one, who came to see -him, to save him from his horrible fate, from being cut off in the prime -of life. Thursday dawned, and the captain did not come. Even if he did -return, he might not bring the pardon. It was a day of agony to poor -Diggs. To-morrow, that dread to-morrow, he must die. The minister -remained with him most of the day, and Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Williams -stayed with him several hours. Singing and prayers were frequently heard -from the cell of the condemned man, who, most of the time, crouched in -the corner with his face bowed in his hands. - -The fatal morning dawned. Poor Diggs! despair had seized him. His most -intimate friends would not have recognized that haggard, wild-looking -face. The minister, at his request, came early to his cell, also the -sympathizing old ladies, who had passed so many weary hours with him. -But the morning hours now seemed to fly. No message or messenger came. -The minister looked at his watch. It was only a few minutes before ten. -All was silence, save an occasional sob from the prisoner or the old -ladies. No one dared speak. The minister sat silently holding his watch, -noting the swift flying moments, his lips moving in silent prayer for -the soul of the man, who was soon to appear at the bar of God. - -Ten o'clock came. There was a rattling of keys, a sliding of iron bolts -and bars, and the jailer called the name of - -"Patrick Henry Diggs!" - -The minister and all, in the doomed man's cell, bowed for a moment in -silence, then the good man lifted up his voice to that God, whom all the -universe worships, in a prayer for a soul about to take flight. - -Two soldiers entered and supported the prisoner beyond the prison walls, -the minister following with the guard. - -The dread place was reached. Sergeant Swords and Corporal Grimm had -charge of the execution. At the farther extremity of the field was a -fresh dug grave--a rude coffin beside it--and, standing in line beneath -an oak tree, were twelve soldiers with muskets in their hands. The sight -was too much for Diggs and he again fainted. The regimental surgeon -administered restoratives, and the officers in charge advanced to -prepare the prisoner for his fate. - -The minister approached Sergeant Swords, asking permission, before this -was done, to offer a last prayer. It was granted. - -The prayer was long and earnest, appealing to the Ruler of the universe, -in universal terms. The minister prayed for the prisoner, he prayed for -his executioners; he prayed for the officers who composed the -court-martial; he prayed for the soldiers, who were to execute the -sentence; he prayed for the army, for both armies, for all the armies in -the world, for all the armies that had been, and for all that might be. -Having completely finished up the army business, the preacher commenced -on civilians, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, until both soldiers -and officers looked at him and at each other in amazement. - -"Sergeant," whispered Corporal Grimm, "did you ever hear as long a -prayer in your life?" - -"No," was the whispered reply. "There! I'll be hanged if he ain't gone -back to Moses!" - -The prayer still went on, and on, and on; and the soldiers, tired of -standing, kneeled; tired of kneeling, sat; tired of sitting, lay -down--and still the prayer went on. It was long past high noon, before -the faltering "Amen!" was pronounced. - -"Ready, fall in!" came the sharp order. - -The men rose from the grass and fell in line, and the sergeant led Diggs -over to the coffin by the side of the grave; but Diggs, sobbing -piteously, clung to him with such tenacity that it was difficult for the -sergeant to free himself. He finally succeeded, forced him to kneel by -his coffin, put the bandage over his eyes. Just as he stepped away, the -clatter of hoofs were heard coming around the bend in the road. - -"Attention!" said the sergeant. "Ready!" - -A loud cry interrupted the order, and a horseman came dashing up the -hill. - -"Hold!" said Sergeant Swords. "There comes the captain." - -On, on he came, waving a paper high over his head. The soldiers rested -on their guns. - -Abner Tompkins was among them in a minute, and declared the prisoner -free by the authority of _Abraham Lincoln_. - -When released, Diggs sprang to his feet and, in his joy, embraced the -preacher, embraced the officers and would have embraced the soldiers, -had not one threateningly pointed his bayonet at him. - -As they returned to the village, all pleased with the happy result, -Corporal Grimm, approaching the minister, said: - -"I shall always hereafter be a believer in the saving power of prayer. -Praying often and praying _long_, does the work." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE ABDUCTION. - - -The Union forces stationed at Snagtown did not remain there many days -after the event related in the last chapter. Diggs was paroled, and the -regiments ordered into Winter quarters at the Junction. The retirement -of the Union forces was followed by predatory incursions of the -Confederates, who were encamped just across the Twin Mountains. Small -parties on foraging expeditions frequently crossed the latter, and -greatly harassed the citizens in and around Snagtown. - -Since the last battle of Snagtown and the Confederate defeat, the peace -and quiet of the Tompkins mansion was broken. Mrs. Tompkins openly and -warmly avowed her principles, and Mr. Tompkins, old as he was, had -almost decided to enlist in the ranks of the Union army and fight for -his country. - -Irene could range herself with neither party; her sympathies were too -equally divided. - -"To think," said Mrs. Tompkins to Irene, in her husband's presence, -"that the Yankees, not content with killing poor, harmless Joe, should -attempt to murder Diggs in cold blood!" - -"How unfair it is," said Mr. Tompkins, "for you to charge the soldiers, -who are fighting for our country, with what was purely a mistake in one -case, and what, in the other, was the result of laws which have existed -in all armies since military law was established." - -"Don't say _our_ country," said Mrs. Tompkins, bitterly. "They are -fighting for your cold, frozen North, not for my sunny South, which they -are trying to desolate and destroy. Sooner than see them victorious, I -would willingly follow both my sons to the grave." - -Before Mr. Tompkins could reply, Irene interrupted the discussion. - -"Oh, father, mother, do not talk about this dreadful war. It has -brought us misery enough; let it not ruin our home. It is all -wrong--wrong on both sides--and the world will one day say so. The -Nation is a great family, and if members of that family are in arms -against each other, is it any credit to either--can it matter which side -is defeated? I know nothing about either side, but I know it is nothing -to take pride or pleasure in. Rather let us pray for its ending, than -rejoice or sorrow over triumph or defeat." - -Mrs. Tompkins went sobbing from the room, and the planter went out and -seated himself beneath his favorite maple, in his rustic chair. His face -was clouded. A barrier was gradually rising between himself and his -wife--the wife whose love had blessed his youth and his manhood, the -wife whose estrangement he had never dreamed of, between whom and -himself he had thought no obstacle, material or immaterial, could ever -come. - -To no one was this sad change more painful than Irene. Left alone in the -great, silent room, her heart swelled with pain, her eyes grew dim. -Clouds were rising thick and fast about her life; it seemed to her that -no ray of light could ever pierce their darkness. She could not stay in -the house, it seemed so cold and empty, and she went out, walking almost -mechanically from the garden to the high road leading past the house. - -The road was very pleasant this Autumn evening; great oaks grew on -either side, their brown leaves rustling musically overhead. Irene -followed it to the grave-yard, and, like one treading an accustomed -path, made her way between the grass-grown graves and paused by the side -of a new-made mound. - -"Poor Joe!" she sighed. "Your life so sad, your death so terrible and -swift. No home, no friends, no hope on earth! Then why should I mourn -for you?" - -As with soft fingers, the evening air touched her aching eyes, and the -evening stillness fell like balm on her aching heart; but on the -stillness suddenly fell the sound of horses' feet. She started from the -grave. The tramp of hoofs was approaching. What could it mean? Alarmed, -she turned to fly. She had caught a glimpse of a horseman in gray -uniform, and she had taken but a few swift steps toward her home, when -the horseman galloped down the forest path and drew rein at her side. - -"Stop, Irene, it is I," said a familiar voice, and the rider sprang from -the saddle and stood before her. - -"Oleah!" she exclaimed, in joyous surprise. "How you did frighten me!" - -"You should not be out at this hour alone," said Oleah. "Where are you -going, Irene?" - -"I am going home," she said. - -"Well, you need be in no hurry to leave me. It is not often you see me -Irene." - -"Leave you? Cannot you come with me?" her lovely gray eyes full with -entreaty. - -"No," he answered, his head shaking sadly and his lips tremulous with -emotion. "When last I was beneath the roof I met an enemy--" - -"Oleah," she said sadly, "I wish that I had never been taken beneath -that roof to bring discord between you and your only brother." - -"A brother once," he cried bitterly; "a brother once, whom I -loved--never loved as brother loved before. But now he has turned that -love to hate. He is the enemy of my country, the enemy of my happiness, -the destroyer of all my heart holds dear. Brother! Harp no longer on -that word. I am not his brother, nor yours. Here, in the face of heaven, -I tell you, you must choose. I will not have friendship, or your -sisterly affection. Tell me you cannot love me, and I will leave you and -my home forever. Tell me! I must and will know my fate now!" - -"How hard you make it for me!" she cried. "Do you not see, can you not -understand, that you ask impossibilities of me?" - -"Irene," he said, in his low, deep, passionate tones, "you cannot say -the words that will send me from you. My life is in danger here. Every -moment that I stand by your side, holding your little, trembling hand in -mine, increases my danger. We must go. I will never again leave you till -you are my wife." - -"Oh, heavens, Oleah! What is it that you mean?" - -"I shall take you to my camp, and our chaplain shall marry us. Come, we -have no time to lose." - -"Oleah!" she cried, in such a tone, so firm and sharp, that he paused -involuntarily. "Think what it is you would have me do. Think of the -disgrace, the anxiety, the suffering, you would cause!" - -"There cannot be disgrace for you, when your husband is by your side; -and, as to the anxiety of my parents, theirs can be no greater than mine -has been. My father cares not how much misery I and mine may undergo; -need I care if a few gray hairs are added to his head? My love, my -darling, listen! That old Yankee hunter, Dan Martin, is in the woods, -his rifle is certain death five hundred yards away; and every moment I -stand here, I do so at the peril of my life." - -"Then, dear Oleah, go! Leave me, and go!" - -"I came for you and I will not go alone." - -"I can not, can not--" - -He seized her in his arms and attempted to place her on his horse. - -"Oh, let me go!" she cried. "I don't love you, no, not even as a sister! -Now, let me go!" - -Oleah uttered a sharp whistle and four horsemen, dressed in gray, -galloped to his side and dismounted. - -"Help me," said Oleah, briefly. - -The next moment Irene was on the charger, her determined lover holding -her before him. They dashed through the dark woods like the wind, the -four cavalrymen following closely after. - -Irene resisted and implored in vain. From the moment his strong arms -closed round her, Oleah had spoken no word except to urge on his horse. -Then she uttered shriek after shriek, which only died out in the great -forest as the little cavalcade thundered on. - -Mr. Tompkins was still sitting in his rustic seat, beneath his favorite -maple, as the sun sank behind the Western hills. He was thinking, and -his clouded brow told that his thoughts were far from pleasant. For -twenty-five years he and his wife had lived together, and never before -had the lightest word or deed disturbed their perfect harmony, but now -the breach, that had divided brothers, yawned between husband and wife; -he must either sacrifice his principles or lose the love of his wife. - -The sun had set, and the planter felt the chill of the evening air. He -rose with a sigh and was turning to go toward the house, when he -observed a negro, hatless and breathless, running in at the front gate. - -"What is the matter, Job?" he asked, as the black paused breathless in -front of his master. - -"Why, marster--oh! it am too awful to tell all at once, unless you are -prepared for it," said the darkey. - -"What is it? I am prepared for anything. Tell me, what is the matter?" -demanded the planter. - -"Oh, marster, I had been to town and was comin' home froo de woods. I -went that way afoot, kase the seceshers might a kotch me, seein' as de -road is full of 'em all the time. An' Jim Crow, one of Mr. Glaze's -niggers, told--told me as how they jes' hung up a nigger whenever they -could find him. Jim told me that over on tother side o' mountains they -had de woods hangin' full of niggers. Well, you see, hearin' all dem -stories I was afraid to go on hossback de roadway, when I went arter de -mail, but goes afoot froo de woods." - -"Well, go on now, and tell what it was you saw and what is the matter," -said the planter growing impatient. - -"Well, marster, I had been to de post-office and brought you these -papers and dis letter," producing them, "and was on my way home froo de -woods, when I hears an awful thumpin' and thunderin' o' hosses feet -comin' down the wood path, that leads in the direction o' Twin -Mountains. I think, may be, its seceshers comin' arter dis yer nigger -an' I gits behind a big tree dat had jist been blown down not berry long -ago, an' watches. I knowed it warn't no use for dis chile to 'tempt to -run, kase dey would cotch 'im shua." - -Job paused for breath, and the planter waited in silence, knowing that -he would comprehend the meaning of Job sooner by letting him tell his -story in his own way. - -"Well, pretty soon I sees five seceshers on hossback, comin' just as -fast as dere hosses could go froo de woods. An' de one what was afore de -others had a woman, carrin' her like she was a baby. Just as dey got in -front ob me I see dat de woman was fighting an' tryin' to git away. She -hollered, 'Oh! I won't go, I won't go!' an' den I recognize dat it was -my Miss Irene, an' dat dey were carrin' her off. I knowed her dress, I -knowed her har, an' all de time she scream I knowed it was her. Den I -jist wait till dey git by an' run ebery step home." - -"Oh, pshaw, Job, what an old idiot you are!" said the planter, with a -laugh. "You had almost frightened me. It was not Miss Irene." - -"Oh, marster, it war," persisted Job. - -"I just left Miss Irene in the house." - -"But, marster, you is mistaken. I tell you it war her. I know for shua!" - -At this moment Irene's waiting-maid was crossing the lawn. Mr. Tompkins -called to her: - -"Maggie, is your mistress in her room?" - -"No, sir, she went down the road about an hour ago." - -The planter fell back in his chair, as though he had been struck a blow, -and buried his face in his hands, while the terrified maid hastened into -the house to spread the news. - -Mrs. Tompkins hurried out on the lawn, where half a dozen blacks had -already gathered about their master. - -"Oh, what shall we do? what shall we do?" she cried, all her patriotic -fervor swallowed up in terror. "Maggie run to her room and see if she is -not there." - -"No, missus, I have just been to see, an' she is gone." - -"Oh, my poor Irene! In the power of the mountain guerillas! What must be -done?" - -"Be calm, Camille," said the planter, "we will immediately plan a -pursuit and rescue her." - -The overseer aroused the neighbors, but it was quite dark before they -had gathered on the lawn in front of the mansion. - -Twenty men, black and white, were chosen, and, with Mr. Tompkins at -their head, they went down the road into the dark forest. - -When morning dawned no trace of the missing girl had been found, and all -the day passed in fruitless search. - -The exhausted men were assembled in the road in front of Mr. Tompkins' -house, arranging what should be done the next day, when down the hill -came a troop of Union scouts, headed by no less a personage than Uncle -Dan himself. - -"Well, what's the matter here?" asked Uncle Dan in astonishment halting -his party. - -Mr. Tompkins told him what had happened. - -"Thunder! Jehoshaphat! Ye don't say so?" were the frequent interjections -of the old scout during the brief narration. - -"Well, if that don't beat all creation, you may call me a skunk," said -the old man at the conclusion. "We chaps are jist after sich sorry -cusses, as them what carried off the gal; but we are tired out, hevin' -been in the saddle ever since daylight and two scrimmages throwed in; -so, ye see, we'll have to camp for the night; but we'll have that gal -afore the sun circles this earth again." - -"There is plenty room for all in the house, and you are welcome to it," -said Mr. Tompkins. - -"We'd ruther hev yer barn," said Uncle Dan. "We don't care about -sleeping in houses, seein' we don't seldom git to sleep in one, besides -we'd rather be near our hosses." - -The efficient aid of the old scout having been secured, Mr. Tompkins' -party dispersed, and the scouts, forty-one in number, were soon in the -barn, their horses being stabled with quantities of corn and hay before -them; then bright camp-fires were built in the barn-yard. The planter -told them to take whatever they required, and soldiers seldom need a -second hint of that kind. That night they fared sumptuously. - -This scouting party was under the immediate command of Uncle Dan. They -were all experienced scouts, their rifles were of the very best make, -and each was considered a marksman. Uncle Dan placed a careful guard -about the premises, and then, while all the men not on duty lay wrapped -in their blankets sleeping quietly on the fresh, sweet hay, he sat by -the side of a smouldering camp-fire, under a large oak tree, smoking a -short black pipe and wrapped in thought. - -A hand was laid on his shoulder. Supposing it to be one of his men, he -glanced up at the person by his side. His astonishment can better be -imagined than described, when he recognized the mysterious black, who -had frustrated him in the woods during the retreat from Snagtown. - -That copper-face, the grizzled hair, the marvelous, bright, eyes, were -not to be mistaken. It was Yellow Steve. - -Uncle Dan's astonishment for a moment held him dumb. How could that man -have passed the line of pickets? Gaining his voice after a few moments, -he said: - -"Well, I must say you are a bold 'un. I would like to know how you -passed the pickets?" - -"Pickets, sir?" said the stranger, seating himself by the camp-fire -opposite the old scout, "are very useful on ordinary occasions, but I -have spent the most of my life in hiding, in avoiding guards, in running -for my life, and consequently have become very expert in the business." - -"Who are you, and what do you want?" - -"I am called Yellow Steve. You are to start to-morrow in search of the -young lady who was abducted?" - -"How did you learn that? How did you learn that any lady was abducted?" - -"That, sir, is a part of my profession. I learn things by means which -ordinary mortals would never dream of. I came here to give you -information that will lead to the discovery of the young lady you are in -search of." - -"What do you know of her?" asked the old scout. - -"She is at the foot of the Twin Mountains, confined in the cabin you and -Crazy Joe occupied for so many years. There is only ten men to guard -her. She is there to-night. I saw her to-day when she saw me not. What -is more, I know she will be there to-morrow. Then she is to be removed -from there." - -"Are you laying a trap to catch us?" asked the old man sternly. - -"I am telling you heaven's own truth. Now I have performed my errand, I -will go." - -Before the old scout could reply, the mysterious messenger rose and -stole silently away in the darkness. He waited to hear the picket -challenge him, but no challenge came. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -HE IS MY HUSBAND. OH, SPARE HIS LIFE. - - -Irene soon discovered that her cries and her struggles were quite -useless. The strong arm of Oleah held her firmly in the saddle, and the -powerful horse swept steadily on. Night was falling fast, and she -observed that the country, through which she was passing, was entirely -strange to her; but, judging from their course, they would pass the Twin -Mountains before morning. Looking appealingly into the dark, determined -face, she said: - -"Even now it is not too late, Oleah; take me home." - -"Can you not trust me, Irene?" he answered, with a look of tenderness -veiling the fire of his black eyes. "You are mine already, because you -love me. No, your lips have not said it, but your eyes have betrayed -you. I am fulfilling an oath, the violation of which would be perjury -and the eternal ruin of my soul." - -"What can you mean?" she cried. "Oh, you are mad, mad!" - -"I have been mad," he answered. "A fire has been raging in my breast, -that had almost burned my life away. One word from you would end my -torture. What is the reason that locks your lips!" - -"Is it a proof of your love that you take me from my home to a soldiers' -camp, bringing disgrace to me and grief to those to whom I owe more than -life?" - -"I am taking you to no soldiers' camp. No rude gaze shall fall on your -sweet face, and no rude words reach your ear. You shall sleep safely -to-night within four walls, your companion gentle and kind, and men with -strong arms and brave hearts shall guard the door, each willing and -ready to lay down his life for yours." - -They rode on over hill and vale, crossed streams and passed through -grand old forests. - -It was near midnight when they crossed a small, rocky stream and -approached two log cabins that stood at the foot of the Twin Mountains. -The moon had risen, and the Autumn night was calm and peaceful. The cry -of night birds or the rustling of leaves, stirred by the light breezes, -were the only sounds that broke the stillness. The tall mountain peaks -in the distance looked like giant sentinels keeping guard over a -sleeping world. - -A man stood in front of the most comfortable looking of the two cabins, -apparently waiting for Oleah and his party. He was dressed in the gray -uniform, had a very red head, red whiskers, red eyelashes, red eyebrows, -and red freckles on his face. This Irene noticed as he came forward to -assist her to alight. The next thing she noticed, was his musket leaning -against the cabin wall. - -"Is every thing arranged, Jackson?" asked Oleah, as he sprang from the -saddle. - -"Every thing, captain; the cabin is as neat as a pin," and the -red-headed soldier lifted his cap, blinking and nodding his head. - -"Did you bring your wife?" - -"Yes, sir; Mrs. Jackson is in the house, sir, and will wait on the young -lady," again touching his cap, blinking and nodding his head. - -"You will stay here to-night, Irene," said Oleah. - -She knew that, for the present, she must yield; yet she determined to -resist when the time should come. She found a neat, pleasant looking -woman within the cabin, evidently a mountaineer's wife, and supper ready -laid for her. But she was too much agitated to eat, only tasting a cup -of fragrant coffee. She noticed that the cabin in which she was confined -bore evidence in more places than one of bullet marks, and rightly -conjectured that there had been a recent fight there, though she little -dreamed that she was so near the spot where Crazy Joe had breathed his -last, and that she was beneath the roof that had so long sheltered him -and Uncle Dan Martin, the hunter. It was nearly morning when she threw -herself on the bed Mrs. Jackson had so carefully prepared for her, and -in spite of her strange surroundings, her anxiety, her dark forebodings, -she slept soundly. - -Morning came, and she ate Mrs. Jackson's carefully prepared breakfast, -assiduously waited on by that pleasant-voiced woman. Irene noticed that -no man entered the room. Mr. Jackson came to the door occasionally, to -bring wood or water for his wife, but never entered. From the sound of -voices without, she knew that there must be a dozen or more men about -the house, yet she saw none save the red-headed Mr. Jackson, who was -evidently on his best behavior, and never approached the cabin door -without removing his cap. - -Though her comfort was carefully provided for, Irene saw that her every -movement was watched and guarded. There was no possible chance of -escape, surrounded by a guard so vigilant. About the middle of the -afternoon, Oleah, who had evidently been away, returned, and with him -came a man dressed in citizen's garb, with a meek face and frightened -air, and the same four cavalrymen who had accompanied them the previous -day. The man in citizen's garb, she was sure, must be a prisoner. Oleah -approached the door with the meek-looking, timid stranger, and both -entered. At a motion the four cavalrymen followed. - -"Irene," began Oleah, "it is necessary, in these troublesome times, that -I have the right to protect you. This is a clergyman. We will be married -now." - -"I will never marry you, Oleah," said Irene, firmly, her beautiful hazel -eyes flashing fire on her determined lover. - -Without another word, Oleah forcibly took her right hand in his, then he -turned to the clergyman and said: - -"You know your duty, sir; proceed." - -"But, sir, if the young lady is unwilling--if she refuses----" - -"She will not--does not," said Oleah. - -"I do! I do! I do!" cried Irene, struggling to free her hand. - -"Go on, sir!" said Oleah, sternly. - -The four cavalrymen ranged themselves behind their master, and the poor -clergyman cast about him one desperate glance, and then, in faltering -tones, began the marriage ceremony. Oleah's responses came deep and low, -but Irene's "No, no, never!" rang out loud and clear. - -At a sign from the young captain, one of the tall cavalrymen quickly -stepped behind her and forced her to bow assent. - -The minister stopped, aghast. - -"Go on, sir; go on!" thundered Oleah, his eyes gleaming. - -The terrified clergyman concluded the ceremony, pronouncing them man and -wife, and then, burying his face in his hands, burst into tears. - -Immediately upon conclusion of the marriage ceremony, Oleah obtained a -certificate of marriage from the minister, who was then allowed to -depart under the escort of the faithful four, and Mrs. Jackson followed, -them from the room, leaving Oleah alone with his reluctant bride. - -"Irene, my Irene," said Oleah, in his low, thrilling tones, "this was my -only hope. In peaceful times I might have pressed my suit as others -do--I might have wooed and waited; but to wait now was to lose you. Will -not my wife forgive me?" he cried, imploringly. - -"This is no marriage--I am not your wife!" said Irene, in a low, steady -voice. "Leave me! You have forfeited even a brother's claim. No, no; I -will not listen to you!" she cried desperately, as Oleah came a step -nearer. "You will not leave me, then! You will force me to defend -myself!" As she spoke she snatched a pistol from his belt and leveled -the weapon at his heart. - -Oleah folded his hands. "Fire if you wish," he said calmly. "Death at -your hands is preferable to life without your love." - -She lowered the pistol, the flush faded from her face, her eyes grew -misty with tears. - -"If to love you is a crime, deserving death, then, indeed, you shall be -my executioner; for never did mortal love as I love you." - -She hesitated a moment, then laid the revolver on the table, and sinking -into a chair burst into tears. - -"Heaven forgive you!" she sobbed, "for the misery you have caused!" - -"It is your forgiveness I want, my darling," he said. "I will leave you -now since you bid me. To-morrow you shall be returned to your home, and -I will never come to you save at your bidding." - -She did not lift her bowed head. There was a moment's stillness, broken -only by her sobs. Then Oleah took the pistol from the table, returned it -to his belt, and left the room. - -It was scarcely daylight when Uncle Dan ordered every man to the saddle. -The drowsy soldiers protested, declaring the music of the crowing cock -made them the more sleepy, but their leader was inexorable. Every man -must be prepared to mount in thirty minutes. Breakfast over, they filed -out of the barnyard, while the darkness of the night still hovered in -the shadows of the thick forest. Uncle Dan had not deemed it prudent to -reveal the interview of the night before, and none of the men knew what -direction they were to take or what was to be their destination. - -When they had reached a clearing in the woods, the men were drawn up in -a double circle, and the old scout rode in their midst, and, holding in -his hand his broad-brimmed hat (he would not wear the regimental cap), -he addressed them: - -"Now, boys, we're gwine where there will likely be some powder burnt and -some lead scattered about loose. The gal, you heerd about last night, is -up near the Twin Mountains, and we've got to get back home to-night. But -the whole place is alive with guerrillas and bushwhackers and you may -bet there'll be some hurting done. I want every man to be prepared and -not to be taken by surprise. Look out for a big bushwhack, and be -prepared to shoot at half a second's notice. Keep yer guns in yer hand -and yer fingers near the locks. That's all, come on!" - -He led the way at a gallop, and the others followed, their horses' hoofs -clattering on the frosty ground. The sun was just now rising over the -eastern hills, and grass and leaves and bare brown twigs glittered -resplendent in its rays. The country, over which they were passing, was -rough and broken, with occasional bottom lands, covered with gigantic -forest trees, and the morning air was clear and chilly, as they swept so -swiftly through it, close after their veteran commander, who was a -striking figure mounted on his powerful bay horse, with the broad brim -of his hat turned back from his earnest bronze face. He kept the -bridle-rein in the same hand that held his trusty rifle on the pommel of -his saddle, leaving the other free for any emergency--the emergency -most frequently arising now being the persistent flapping of his -hat-brim. The sun was two hours high at least and was fast dissolving -the crystal covering that glittered above the denuded vegetation, when -they came to the creek that flowed by the mountain cabins. Just beyond -the creek rose the Twin Mountains, not more than a mile away, and the -cabins were within a few hundred yards. They had traveled sixteen miles -or thereabout that morning, and men and horses were weary with the rough -riding. The creek was thickly fringed with timber, yet retaining the -leaves, which the florist had turned from green to brown and gold. Uncle -Dan paused, before the creek was reached, and urged his men to use their -utmost caution, the objects of their search were in two cabins just -beyond the stream. - -"One thing I want ye all to understand," he said, with great concern. -"That gal, what the rebels took in, is in one of them cabins, and no -shot must be fired into 'em for fear o' hurting her. Remember, not a -hair o' her head must be touched." - -They halted, and Uncle Dan, with twelve picked men, dismounted and -proceeded ahead on foot, while the others remained under cover, until a -signal should be given to surround the cabins. - -It happened, that the red-headed rebel, Jackson, had gone to the stream -with two pails to bring water for his wife. A thin skim of ice overlaid -the stream, which Mr. Jackson must break in order to get his water. Not -finding any stick or other implement at hand, he used the bottom of one -of his pails, and the thumping and splashing made so much noise that our -friend did not hear the footsteps gradually approaching him, and, so -much engaged was he, that he did not observe two men in blue uniform -standing just behind him until he had filled his pails and turned to go -to the house. - -Had two ghosts suddenly started up before him, he could not have dropped -his buckets more quickly. - -"Bless me!" gasped Jackson. "Where in the world did you come from?" - -Uncle Dan laid his hand on Jackson's shoulder telling him he was a -prisoner. - -"Yes, I kinder expected that for some little time," he answered, -looking about in blank astonishment, as the soldiers, one by one, stole -noiselessly from among the thick bushes. - -"Do you belong to that house?" said Uncle Dan, pointing in the direction -of the cabins. - -"I did," replied Jackson, bowing politely to the veteran scout, "before -you took me in charge." - -"How many men are up there now!" asked Uncle Dan. - -"There are but seven, now, sir." - -"How many women?" - -"Two, sir." - -"Who are they?" - -"My wife, sir, and the wife of Captain Tompkins." - -"Wife of Captain Tompkins! When was he married?" - -"Yesterday, sir." - -"Is Oleah Tompkins your captain?" - -"He is, sir," with a polite bow. - -"Then, sir," said Uncle Dan with vehemence, "all I have to say is, that -you have a d--d rascal for a captain." - -Mr. Jackson bowed in acknowledgment. - -"Where is Captain Tompkins now?" - -"He went back to the command, sir, but will be here in a few minutes -with more men." - -"The infernal scoundrel!" - -Mr. Jackson bowed politely. - -"Bang!" came a musket-shot, and the ball whistled over the heads of the -men grouped on the banks of the stream. The shot came from the direction -of the cabins. - -Uncle Dan gave the signal, and the thunder of twenty horses' feet coming -down the hill instantly followed. - -"Two of you stay and guard the prisoner, the rest follow me!" cried -Uncle Dan, as he started up the hill, closely followed by his entire -force, for every man was anxious to be in at the rescue, and every one -expected that some one else would guard the prisoner, who, in -consequence, was not guarded at all. Finding himself wholly deserted by -the excited soldiery, Jackson hurried away down the stream. He looked -injured and neglected, and slunk away, as in shame, from the men who so -obstinately avoided his company. - -Uncle Dan never paused in his headlong pursuit of the flying enemy -until he had reached the door of the cabin. Irene and Mrs. Jackson had -been both surprised and terrified by the shouting and the discharge of -firearms, but it was not until Uncle Dan stood in the doorway that -either realized that Irene's rescue was the object of the attacking -party. - -With a wild cry, Irene sprang from the cabin into the arms of the old -scout. - -"Uncle Dan, Uncle Dan, take me home! Promise me you will take me home!" -she cried as she clung to the veteran. - -"You bet I will, my little angel?" replied the old man, brushing the -gathering moisture from his eyes. "How long have you been here?" - -"Night before last I was brought here." - -"Is there any one with you in the cabin?" - -"No one but a poor woman, who is frightened almost to death." - -"Well, wait here till I get my men together, and then I will hear all -about this rascally business." - -When Irene went back into the cabin, it was her turn to comfort her -companion with assurance of safety, but Mrs. Jackson was in an agony of -dread as to the probable fate of her husband. - -Uncle Dan had no need to recall his men, for they were already returning -from the useless pursuit of the flying Confederates, who were now -ascending the mountain side a mile away. - -When he ordered them to bring up the prisoner, that had been captured at -the creek, the soldiers looked inquiringly one at another; every one -declared it was the business of some one else to have remained on guard. - -It soon became evident that no one had been left behind to care for the -red-headed rebel, and that he had resented this lack of attention by -departing. Uncle Dan instructed his sergeant to make preparations for -immediate return to Snagtown and then went into the house. - -Mrs. Jackson met him with anxious inquiries if her husband had been -killed. - -"What kinder man was he--red hair?" - -"Yes, oh yes! Is he dangerously wounded?" - -"And red eyebrows?" - -"Yes, yes, yes! Pray tell me the worst at once." - -"And red eyelashes--long and red?" - -"Yes, oh yes! Pray don't keep me in suspense." - -"And a red face?" - -"Yes, yes!" - -"And was carryin' two buckets for water?" - -"Oh, heavens! Yes. I know he is killed. Tell me where he lays that I may -find him." - -"Madam," said Uncle Dan, gravely, "that red man made his escape, as well -as all the others." - -The look of blank confusion and joyful amaze that overspread Mrs. -Jackson's face was singular to behold. The old scout, having thus -summarily disposed of Mrs. Jackson, turned to Irene and drew from her -the relation of all that had happened to her since the evening she had -left. When she had concluded with her forced marriage, she burst into -tears. - -"The rascal!" said Uncle Dan, with energy. "Both a rascal and a fool. -Where did he go?" he asked, after a moment's pause. - -"I do not know," said Irene, weeping softly. "He left a few minutes -after, and I have not seen him since." - -"I don't know much about law," said Uncle Dan, after a few minutes' -reflection, "but I know that ain't no wedding worth a cent." - -"I did not agree to it, I did not consent, but the clergyman pronounced -us man and wife," sobbed Irene. - -"I don't care if he did, I heard a lawyer once say that marriage was a -civil contract, and if any one was induced to marry by fraud, or forced -to marry any one they did not want to, it was no good. Now, although I -aint a lawyer, I know you aint married, unless you want to be." - -Irene still sat sobbing before the fire by the broad fire-place, which -Uncle Dan's own hands had built. - -At this moment a soldier looked in and said: - -"The rebs are comin' down the mountains re-enforced." - -"Be quiet, honey, an' I'll see you are protected. Don't leave the cabin -unless I tell you to." - -Uncle Dan hastened out, snatching his rifle from the door, as he went, -and looked up towards the mountains. Twenty-five or thirty -Confederates, headed by Oleah Tompkins, were riding at a gallop toward -them. - -"They mean business, Uncle Dan," said a young man, who stood by the old -man's side. - -"Yes, an' 'twouldn't s'prise me if some of them git business," replied -the old man. - -"That is Oleah Tompkins at their head, Uncle Dan. You'll not shoot at -him to hit?" said the youthful soldier. - -"I never thought the time would come when I would harm a hair o' his -head, but things air changed now, and as Randolph said about Clay, 'if I -see the devil in his eye, I'll shoot to kill,'" replied Uncle Dan, -examining the priming of his rifle. - -"Fall in," commanded Uncle Dan. - -The line was formed. - -"Now wait till I fire an' then follor suit." - -Oleah presented a tempting mark for any rifle, as he approached so -fearlessly with his revolver in his right hand. Uncle Dan, though not -without a twinge of conscience at what he was doing, leveled his deadly -rifle at that head, which, when a child, had so often nestled on his -breast. - -Uncle Dan was a certain shot at that range, and every step Oleah took -was bringing him to surer death. Unconscious of his danger, or perfectly -reckless of consequences, the young Confederate urged his powerful black -horse on. The old man held his heavy rifle in the palm of his right -hand, the breech was balanced against his right shoulder, and his aim -was as steady and true as if he were sighting a deer, instead of a human -being he had known for years and loved from childhood. - -"The d--d rascal!" he hissed between his clenched teeth. "He's ruined -the gal, and now he shall die." - -Just as his finger touched the trigger, Irene sprang from the doorway -and struck the rifle from its intended mark. The ball whizzled two feet -above the head of the Confederate captain. - -"What do you mean?" said the old man, turning, in sharp surprise. - -A roar of rifle-shots drowned any reply that Irene might have made. - -Oleah had escaped the deadly bullet of the old scout, but some of the -many shots, that immediately followed, struck him. The revolver dropped -from his hand, his horse reared and plunged in terror, and then both -rider and steed fell, a helpless mass, to the ground. - -Then all eyes were astonished at the sight of a slender figure, with -loosened hair streaming in the wind, hastening through the deadly shower -of balls to the fallen man's side; and all ears were astonished by her -wild cry: - -"Spare, oh, spare his life! _He is my husband!_" - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -AT HOME AGAIN. - - -When their leader fell, the Confederate cavalry wheeled about and -galloped away toward the mountain. Uncle Dan ordered his men to cease -firing, as Irene was directly between them and the flying enemy, and her -life would be endangered by every shot. - -Stunned, confounded, and nonplussed by Irene's sudden and unexpected -action, the old man, without loading his rifle, hurried after her. She -was kneeling by the side of the insensible soldier, holding his bleeding -head on her knee. The horse was struggling in the last throes of death, -the blood streaming from two wounds in his breast. Oleah had fallen -clear of his horse and had struck his head in falling on a large stone. - -"Speak to me, oh! speak to me, Oleah!" cried Irene, bending over him. -"Oh, my love, it is I who have killed you! Save him, Uncle Dan. He must -not die!" - -"I fear he'll never speak again," said Uncle Dan. He said no more, for -with one wild, long shriek the poor girl swooned on the breast of him -whom not even the avowal of her love could thrill. - -"Come here, some o' you fellars what's a loafin' about there?" -commanded the old scout, as half a dozen soldiers approached the place. - -The men were soon at his side. - -"Now, some o' you pick up that gal, and the rest o' ye that fellar and -take 'em to the house. Lift 'em gently as though they were babies. This -has been a sorry job." - -The soldiers obeyed, and Uncle Dan followed the group with both sorrow -and amazement plainly visible on his features. They carefully laid Irene -on the bed and called Mrs. Jackson to attend her, while Uncle Dan and -another member of the company examined the injuries of Oleah. They found -a gun-shot wound in his right side under his right arm. A rifle-ball had -passed through the muscles of his right arm, between the elbow and the -shoulder, but no bones were shattered and the wound was not a dangerous -one. The cut on the head, caused by being thrown against the stone as he -fell, seemed more serious, but an examination soon convinced them that -it might not be fatal. They dressed the wounded arm and washed the blood -from his head, and he began to show signs of returning consciousness -just as Irene, recovered from her swoon, started up, crying: - -"Where is he, where is he?" - -"Here he is on the floor beside you," replied Mrs. Jackson. "Lie still -until you are better." - -"No, no," she replied, putting aside Mrs. Jackson's restraining hand. -"Let me go to my husband! Lay him on the bed," she said to the men. - -"What kind of a deuced change has come over that gal," thought Uncle -Dan. "She hated him like pizen afore he got hurt, but now she loves him -to distraction." - -"Please, Uncle Dan," pleaded Irene, "have him put on the bed, he must -not lie on that hard floor when he is wounded!" - -"Boys, lift him up on the bed. She shall have her way." - -Oleah, still unconscious, though breathing more freely, was placed on -the bed. His head had been bandaged, and a soldier stood by his side -dropping cold water on the wound from a cup. - -"Give me the water," said Irene. "I am his wife." - -As Irene took her station by his side, the wounded soldier opened his -eyes, and vacantly stared upon the group in the room. Irene bent over -him, with her soul in her eyes; his eyes rested on her with no gleam of -recognition for a moment, and then feebly closed again. - -Uncle Dan had ordered a litter made and four men now entered with it, -and reported that everything was ready for departure. Oleah was placed -upon the litter, and Irene rode beside it, half the men preceding it and -half following. Mrs. Jackson, at her earnest request, had been left at -the cabin, and the guarded litter was not two miles on its way before -her red-headed husband came from the woods, suave and smiling, and the -two hurried away toward the gap between the Twin Mountains. When next -heard of the Jackson family was at Colonel Scrabble's camp. - -The movements of Uncle Dan were necessarily slow, and it was late at -night when they arrived at the plantation. Irene with Uncle Dan rode -forward to prepare the planter and his wife for Oleah's coming, the -others following slowly. We will not attempt to describe the scene that -followed--their joy at Irene's return, their astonishment at her story, -their anxious alarm when she told them of Oleah's condition. She had -hardly ceased speaking, when they heard in the hall the slow, heavy -tread of men who carried a helpless burden. A fever had set in, and -Oleah was in a critical condition. A messenger was despatched to -Snagtown for the family physician, and Uncle Dan left his prisoner and -returned to his command at the Junction. - -For ten weary days and nights Oleah was unconscious or raving in the -delirium of fever, and during all that time Irene was at his side, his -constant attendant. When the fever had subsided and the man, once so -imperious in his youthful strength, lay weak and helpless as an infant, -but conscious at last, she was still at this post. - -It was on a cold, still Winter evening. The snow lay white over the -landscape, but candlelight and firelight made all bright and warm -within. As Irene returned from drawing the heavy curtains, he opened his -eyes and fixed them on her, as he had done many times during his long -illness but this was not a wild vacant stare, it was a look of -recognition. His lips moved, but her ear failed to catch the feeble, -fluttering sound. She eagerly bent her head. Again his lips moved. - -"Irene!" was the faint whisper. - -"Do you know me, Oleah, do you know me?" she asked, tears of joy shining -in her eyes. - -Only his eyes answered her. Stooping she pressed a kiss on his pale -lips. With a smile of perfect content he raised his weak arm and put it -about her neck. - -But there were other anxious hearts to be relieved, and Irene left him -for a moment, went swiftly through the hall, and her glad voice broke -the silence of the room where sat father and mother and physician: - -"He will live! He will live! He knows me now." - -They hastened to the sick-room. The favorable change was plainly -visible, though the patient could not speak above a whisper and only a -few words at a time. The doctor issued peremptory orders to keep him -quiet and to let him have as much sleep as he could get. - -The recovery was slow and for several days yet not certain. The Winter -was well nigh spent before Oleah was sufficiently recovered to be -conveyed to the Junction. His young wife accompanied him. - -Oleah was detained a few days before his parole could be signed and then -he was allowed to return. During the time he was in the Union camp, the -brothers were frequently thrown together, but not a word escaped their -lips of welcome or recognition. Abner passed silently and coldly by and -Oleah maintained the indifferent bearing of a stranger. Irene saw this -complete estrangement and it embittered all her joy. - -On the day Oleah was paroled and was about to return home, Abner's -company was on drill. The sleigh passed the drill-ground and so near the -captain that his brother might have touched him with his hand. Abner, -seeing who was passing, drew his cloak about his shoulders and turned -coldly away. Winter passed and Spring came with its blooming flowers and -singing birds. And not only the flowers awoke, and bird songs thrilled -the air, armies, that had lain dormant all Winter, were in motion and -the noise of battle was renewed. - -The farmers tilled the soil. Negroes, boys, and old men, and even women -toiled at the plows, while fathers and brothers, and husbands and sons -were engaged in grimmer work. - -Oleah had been exchanged at last and had joined his company, leaving his -young wife to use all gentle endeavor to comfort and cheer the father -and mother, who watched with sorrowful anxiety the movements of both -armies. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -ANOTHER PHASE OF SOLDIER LIFE. - - -A long line of muddy wagons, and a longer line of muddy soldiers was -moving southward. It was one of those dark, cold, rainy days in March, -when the elements above, the earth beneath, the winds about, seem to -conspire to make man miserable, and surely no men could have looked more -miserable than the long line of muddy soldiers. Some were mounted, but -the largest number by far were infantry and plodded along on foot. -Various were the moods of the soldiers. Some were gay, singing, -laughing, telling jokes; others were silent and morose, complaining and -cursing their hard lot. The latter class were termed professional -"growlers" by their comrades. One light-hearted fellow declared that any -one, who would complain at their lot, would be capable of grumbling at -the prospect of being hanged. - -A fine, persistent rain had been falling nearly all day, and the men -were cold and wet and tired plodding through the mud. - -Two soldiers were toiling along behind an ammunition wagon, one with the -stripes of corporal on his sleeves, the other a private. - -"I don't mind fighting or being shot," said the private, a young man and -evidently a new recruit, "but the idea of a man's dragging himself apart -and scattering the pieces along in the mud in this fashion is decidedly -disagreeable." - -"No danger of that," said his companion, who was no other than the -irrepressible Corporal Grimm. - -"Isn't, eh? I tell you my legs are coming unjointed at the knees, and -I'll soon be going on the stumps." - -"Yer not used to this," said Corporal Grimm. "I tell ye, when ye get -used to it, this is nuthin'. Why, when I was with General Preston, we -traveled so fur and so long in the quicksand, and our legs became so -loose at the knees, that we had to run straps under the soles of our -boots and strap our legs tight to our bodies, or we would have lost 'em -sure." - -"Well, I shall have to go to strapping mine soon, I am certain," said -the young soldier with an incredulous smile. - -"Them was awful times when I was out with General Preston!" said the -corporal, shaking his head in sad reminiscence. - -Abner Tompkins was with this train, but having sprained his ankle, he -was unable to ride his horse, and had been placed in a wagon. All day -long it had rumbled and jolted over the hills of Southern Virginia, and -he was tired, sick, and faint with the constant motion. He leaned -against the side of the wagon and gazed out from under the cover. He saw -a long line of slow-moving, muddy wagons, and to the right a long line -of infantry, some of the men wet and weary as they were singing. - -Passing one part of the line, he heard a not unmusical voice caroling: - - - "Oh, that darling little girl, that pretty little girl, - The girl I left behind me." - - -Further a chorus of voices joined in: - - - "All the world is cold and dreary - Everywhere I roam." - - -These suddenly hushed, when the song was completed, and one poor boy, -determined to rouse the drooping spirits of his comrades, was heard -trying to sing "Annie Laurie." - -This was soon interrupted by some wild fellow, who broke out with: - - - "Raccoon up a gum-stump, opposum up a holler"-- - - -Next came "Rally round the flag, boys," roared out by half a hundred -throats, and all the popular songs of the day were sung as solos, duets -or choruses--all, except "Dixie," for this was not a "Dixie" crowd. - -"Poor fellows!" sighed Abner, as he lay back on his couch in the wagon. -"Enjoy your jokes and songs if you can; it is small comfort that awaits -you. Your only beds will be wet earth to-night, your only covering the -lowering clouds of heaven." - -Night was fast approaching, and the division commander sent men ahead to -determine a suitable location for encampment. A field, with wood and -water close by, was selected, and the soldiers soon spread over it. -Camp-fires gleamed bright in the darkness, pickets were stationed and -guards thrown around the camp. - -Abner, who was unable to walk without the aid of a crutch, gave his -instructions for the night and then returned to the wagon, where he was -to sleep. It was not an ambulance wagon, but simply a baggage-wagon, -with a couch arranged within for the captain. - -The wide, desolate field, with its hundreds of blackened stumps, gnarled -snags, and drenched and matted grass, soon presented an exciting and not -an uncheerful scene. The artillery and ammunition wagons were drawn up -in a hollow square in the centre of the camp, and the baggage-wagons -formed a circle about them. Then over all the broad acres of the field, -from its farthest hilly border to the ravines beyond, hundreds of -camp-fires blazed. The fences for miles disappeared, and roots and snags -vanished as if by magic. - -Abner was a patient sufferer, and, when the regimental surgeon came with -his lantern on one arm and his box of instruments, medicines, and -plasters on the other, he underwent, without a groan, the dressing and -bandaging, firmly resolving not to have any more sprained ankles to be -dressed, if he could avoid it. - -"Captain--hem, hem!--Captain Tompkins," said a voice, as a head was -thrust in the wagon front. - -"Well, what will you have?" - -"Are you alone?" - -"Yes, come in." - -Abner had lighted a small piece of candle, which he had placed on a box -at the head of his couch. - -A little round-faced man, with glasses on his nose, entered the wagon -and seated himself on a camp-stool near the box, on which the captain -had placed his light. - -"Well, Diggs, we have had a disagreeable day for marching." - -"Yes, captain," said the little fellow, removing a greasy sutler's cap. -"It has thoroughly satisfied me that I am not for the army. A soldier's -life may suit coarser natures, but one such as mine, one that recoils -from uncleanliness and confusion, and death by torture, should not be -brought in daily contact with sights and sounds so repellant." - -"I thought," said Corporal Grimm, who had just come to the wagon front, -"that you had resolved to become a preacher." - -Mr. Diggs turned towards the new-comer with an unuttered oath. - -The corporal's laugh brought half a dozen soldiers to his side. - -"Didn't you tell that preacher, that prayed a week for you, that you had -talent for a preacher, and that you would be one if only you got out of -that scrape?" - -"What's the use of bringing up those old things again?" said Mr. Diggs, -angrily. "I--hem, hem!--feel satisfied that my real vocation lies in the -editorial field. I think I shall try my hand in the newspaper business." - -"Better try preaching first. Maybe you can assist the chaplain next -Sunday." - -The little greasy sutler's clerk flew into a rage and left the wagon, -cursing the fates that would not give him renown. - -Diggs having gone, the rest also withdrew, but Abner was not yet to have -the rest he so much needed. Scarcely had they gone before the entrance -of the wagon was darkened again, this time by that strange person we -have known as Yellow Steve. Abner had not seen him since the day he -prevented the combat between himself and his brother in the forest, -between Snagtown and the Twin Mountains. - -"Well, sir," he demanded, "what are you doing here, more than two -hundred miles from your usual place of abode." - -"Forests and mountains everywhere are my usual place of abode, and have -been for the last eighteen years." - -"You have been a slave," said Abner. - -"Yes, sir, and for eighteen years a fugitive. I have become accustomed -to constant flying, to battling blood-hounds and their no less brutal -owners, to all the mysteries of wood craft. Many are the bloodhounds -that I have put to death, and have sent more than a few negro hunters -plunging over the steep cascades and mountain sides to certain death. -For eighteen years my life has been devoted to the liberation of my poor -race, and I can number by hundreds the fugitives whom I have induced to -leave their masters and have guided to where freedom awaited them." - -"What are you doing here?" - -"I am the sutler's steward, and, strange as you may think it, Captain -Tompkins, I have come with the regiment on purpose to be near you. I -have a story, a sad, dark story to tell you, that will strike you with -wonder and horror. In these times life is uncertain and I must be near -you when my time comes. I have written it, and the manuscript can not be -lost; my trunk, in the sutler's camp, holds it." - -The strange being was gone, and Abner was left alone to wonder. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -A PRISONER. - - -The year 1862 passed, darkened by battle smoke, saddened by the groans -of the dying, the tears shed over the dead. Abner Tompkins had been -acting principally in Eastern Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky. His -regiment had suffered severely in some of McClellan's hardest fought -battles. His colonel had been killed at Fair Oaks on the 31st of May, -1862, and Captain Tompkins had been promoted to the vacant place. - -It was the 2nd of May, 1863, and Abner and his command, now under -General Hooker, having crossed the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers, were -advancing on Chancellorville, to meet a powerful Confederate force under -Stonewall Jackson. - -Yellow Steve, who was still the sutler's steward on the morning of the -first day's fight at Chancellorsville, came to the Colonel's tent, just -as he was preparing to take charge of his regiment. - -"Well, Steve," said Abner, "we shall have some work to do to-day." - -"I should be surprised, colonel, if we don't," was the reply. - -"Do you think those fellows over there will fight?" - -"I think they will, their guns shine bright enough, and they look -dangerous. I went over there this morning before daylight, and I can -tell you, it will be nasty getting into that town." - -"You over there, Steve? What do you mean?" - -"I often go over to the rebel camp," said Steve, coolly. - -"Do you know that is very dangerous?" - -"I do not value my life very highly; it has not been worth a straw for -eighteen years; all that ever was good within me has been crushed out by -the very men who carry those bayonets over yonder. I have a feeling that -my time has come and that you will know my story when the fight is -over." - -The long roll of the drum was heard calling to the field. - -"I must be going now, Steve," said the colonel, buckling on his sword, -"but I will see you when the fight is over, if I live." - -Colonel Tompkins mounted his horse, and took his place at the head of -his regiment. The order had been extended along the entire line to -advance, Abner was ordered forward to support a battery on the extreme -right, which was being thrown forward to drive a body of the enemy out -of the woods. The battery unlimbered when within point-blank range, and, -after the first three or four rounds, the enemy fell back. As the order -to advance had been countermanded, the intrepid young colonel pushed his -forces to the edge of the wood, pouring in a galling fire on the enemy. -By this time the Eleventh Corps, to which Abner's regiment belonged, was -fiercely engaged. The enemy poured forth twenty thousand strong and -hurled themselves on the Eleventh, which was composed in great part of -raw recruits. The attack was fierce, and the Eleventh, being somewhat -taken by surprise, were soon forced to fall back. - -Colonel Tompkins' regiment had advanced three or four hundred yards -beyond the main body of troops, and the falling back of the corps was -not noticed until the enemy had them almost surrounded and were pouring -in showers of grape and canister, while the face of the earth seemed -ablaze with musketry. - -"Colonel," cried the adjutant, galloping up to Col. Tompkins, "that -infernal Eleventh is routed. They are in flight." - -Abner's glance swept over the field. He was loth to give up the ground -he had won, but they were almost surrounded. Things looked desperate. -They must cut their way through and fly with the others or surrender. -Rising in his stirrups, and waving his sword, the colonel shouted in -thunder tones which were heard by the entire regiment: - -"Yonder is our army. To remain here is death. Cut your way through, -every man for himself!" - -A wild cry went up, and the retreat commenced. As the colonel resumed -his seat in his saddle a shell exploded in his horse's face, and, with -one wild plunge, rider and steed fell to the earth, the horse struggling -in death, the master struck senseless by a fragment of the shell; in a -moment more rebel infantry were pouring over the place in quick pursuit -of the flying soldiers. - -Abner was only stunned by the shock and fall, and his men were scarcely -driven from the field when he sat up and gazed around on the scene of -desolation. The roar of battle could be heard in the distance; beside -him lay his dead horse, and all the field was strewn with men and -horses, dead and dying. - -He wiped away the blood, that was flowing from a wound in his forehead, -and tried to rise to his feet. A Confederate officer, seeing his -endeavor, advanced and said: - -"Are you badly hurt, colonel?" - -"I think it is only a scratch," replied Abner, holding his handkerchief -to his head, "but it bleeds quite freely." - -"Let me assist you to bandage your head, and then we will retire to the -rear." He bound Abner's handkerchief about his head, assisted him to -rise, and offered him his arm. - -"No, I thank you," said Abner, "I can walk alone; I am only a little -stunned." - -"I shall be compelled to take your sword, colonel," said the lieutenant. - -"I am glad," said Abner, handing it to him, "that if I must surrender, -it is to a gentleman." - -Abner was conveyed to the rear of the Confederate army. During that day -and part of the next the battle raged, but Hooker was finally compelled -to fall back, with a loss of eleven thousand men; the enemy, however, -suffered an irreparable loss in the death of Stonewall Jackson, who was -mortally wounded and died in a few days after. The affair was kept -secret in the rebel army as long as possible, and there is yet a -difference of opinion as to how he met his death, some asserting that he -was accidentally shot by his own pickets, others that he was killed by -sharpshooters, while reconnoitering, and still others claim that he was -assassinated. - -The fourth day after the battle, several hundred prisoners, Abner among -them, were brought before the provost-marshal, their names demanded and -placed on a large roll. As Abner was standing in the ranks he observed a -Confederate officer near him. There was something familiar about his -figure, and Abner, looking up quickly, recognized his brother. A swift -impulse swept over him, a longing to speak to him, to hear his voice, to -break down--to sweep away, with passionate appeal, this monstrous -barrier. But he smothered the impulse; his brother might think him -imploring clemency at his hands, and _that_ he would never do. - -Oleah's look was only the indifferent glance of a stranger, and he -passed on and made no sign. - -It was no jealous rivalry that held these brothers apart. Abner felt no -bitterness that his brother had won the gentle Irene's love; his feeling -for her had not been the one overpowering love of a lifetime, and now he -looked after Oleah with the brotherly affection, so long suppressed, -welling anew in his heart, and deplored their hopeless estrangement, -little dreaming that Irene had come to blame herself as the cause. But -Irene was wrong; it was a deeper and deadly passion than love of her -that had worked this evil miracle--a passion which had been roused in -one son by the father's words, in the other by the mother's, which had -grown in intensity, stirring up their very souls within them, and at -last overcoming all other feelings. - -Colonel Tompkins' name was enrolled on the prison list, and he was -marched away with the other prisoners. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -OLIVIA. - - -Abner was kept but a few days at Chancellorville, when he was sent to -Libby prison. Here he remained but a few weeks, when, from some cause, -or no cause, unless the hope that change of climate would prove fatal, -he was removed to Mobile. Here he was confined for four months during -the hottest weather; but, Mobile being threatened, he was removed to a -small town in the eastern part of Louisiana, about fifty or sixty miles -north of New Orleans, and near the headwaters of Lake Ponchartrain; here -he was confined in a small stone jail. The town was nearly all French, -and the regiment stationed there were nearly all of French or Spanish -descent. - -The colonel of the regiment, Castello Mortimer, was a citizen of the -town. He had formerly been one of the cotton kings of New Orleans; but, -on the capture of that city, had removed to Bay's End, where he had a -large cotton plantation. Colonel Mortimer was half Spanish and half -French, a portly man, open-hearted and pleasant of countenance, with -kindly black eyes and thick, iron gray hair. - -He was regarded as a generous, whole-souled man, although he had his -bitter prejudices. He was a most uncompromising rebel, and, although he -knew very little about military tactics, was brave and chivalrous. He -owned an untold number of slaves, and countless acres of cotton fields. - -Colonel Mortimer had received his commission, not on account of his -ability as a soldier, but on account of his wealth, and, as he was -thought not fitted for active service, he was assigned to guard this -out-of-the-way place, called Bay's End, and prisoners were brought and -left there to be guarded and kept by him. Those brought to the -colonel's camp fared well, considering the general treatment accorded -prisoners. They were furnished with clean straw to sleep on, and their -food, though not always the amplest in quantity, or the best in quality, -was the best that, in the distressed condition of the country, could be -afforded. - -Here Abner lingered for two or three months. The glorious tropical -Winter was coming on; the sun was losing his fiercer heat, and his rays -fell with mellowed luster on the earth. The orange and citron groves -made the air sweet with their perfume. The fields were yet white with -cotton; but there were no slaves left now to gather it. A number of -negroes, hired and forced, and whom the boon of freedom had not yet -reached, were at work in and near Bay's End. - -Colonel Mortimer was anxious about his cotton; as some of the negroes -were constantly escaping and flying to the North, he kept a small body -of soldiers detailed to watch them, while they worked in the fields. - -Bay's End was a beautiful village, situated on rising ground, that -overlooked distant bayous, lagoons, lakes and sluggish streams, where -the alligator reveled in his glory. The colonel had selected the -village, on account of its healthy location, for his country residence. -He had here a spacious mansion, such as only a Southerner knows how to -construct; and here, every Autumn, he came with his beautiful Spanish -wife. But she had died years before, and the colonel's family consisted -of only one daughter, now a young lady. - -At the end of three months, after Abner's arrival at Bay's End, Colonel -Mortimer appeared one morning at his cell door. - -"Colonel," he said, "I shall be compelled to remove you from here. More -prisoners are coming, and there is not room for all in this little jug." - -"I hope, sir, that you will give me accommodations as good as I have at -present," replied Abner. - -"I shall be compelled to take you to my own house, every other place -being occupied," said the fat, old colonel, with a merry twinkle in his -black eyes. - -"Surely, if I fare as well as my jailer, I can not complain," said -Abner. - -He followed Colonel Mortimer from the prison, and stood still for a -moment, looking about him in the glorious sunshine, up and down the -shaded street, and at the beautiful orange groves in the distance. Never -had nature seemed so beautiful to him before. For weeks at a time he had -not seen the light of the sun, except through grates, for the rays that -had struggled into his dungeon were shorn of their splendor. Now all the -beauty of a tropical clime burst on him at once--the fields of cotton, -the cloudless sky and the sweet scent of flowers, that continually bloom -in this land of endless Summer. - -"Oh, beautiful, beautiful!" murmured the prisoner, a moisture gathering -in his eyes. - -"What is beautiful?" asked the colonel, who was by his side; two -soldiers walking in the rear. - -"This world, which God has given us," was the reply. - -"Yes, it is a beautiful world," said the rebel. - -"But we know not how to appreciate it, until we have been for a while -deprived of the sight of its beauties," answered Abner. - -"Yonder is my home," said the Confederate, pointing to a large granite -building. "It is not, perhaps, in strict accordance with military -discipline, to keep a prisoner in one's own house, but I have no other -place for you." - -"I wish your home was farther away," said Abner. - -"Why, sir?" - -"That I might longer enjoy the free air and sunshine." - -The tender-hearted old colonel wiped his face vigorously with his red -bandana, and the rest of the journey was made in silence. - -On entering the house, the colonel took his prisoner into a reception -room, opening from the hall, to wait until his prison room could be made -ready. - -"You will be granted some privileges here, that you have not had -before," said the colonel. "You will be permitted to walk in the grounds -once in every two or three days for an hour or so." - -"I shall be very grateful to you for the favor, Colonel Mortimer," said -Abner. - -At this moment his quick ear caught the sound of a gay girlish voice on -the stairway, and the swish of silken draperies. Then the door opened -and a young girl entered. She cast a quick, surprised glance about the -room, as one will, entering a room supposed to be vacant, to find -therein a stranger. For a moment she hesitated. - -"Come in, Olivia," said the colonel. "My dear, this is our prisoner, -Colonel Tompkins. My daughter, colonel!" - -A look of sorrowing compassion instantly clouded that sweet face--the -sweetest Abner had ever looked on. - -Olivia Mortimer was one of those Southern women, over whose beauty -novelists wax enthusiastic, poets rave and painters dream and despair. - -Abner forgot that he was a prisoner, forgot past hardships and future -peril, forgot all but this beautiful, unexpected vision, with -outstretched hand, and pitying eyes, and sweet, low voice, that made the -heart throb wildly, that had kept its even beat amid the blasting of -bugles and the sullen roar of cannon. He blushed like an awkward -school-boy, as he bowed before her queenly little figure. - -"I am very sorry to see you a prisoner," she said. "It must be very hard -to suffer confinement; to know that the flowers bloom and the birds -sing, without being able to partake of their joy." - -The gentle words betrayed a heart, kind and womanly. Abner felt that to -lay down his life at her feet would be the highest bliss a man might -hope for. - -"I assure you, Miss Mortimer, that prison life is not desirable, but I -am more fortunate than most prisoners, while I have your father for my -jailer, and his mansion for my jail, I can well endure my captivity." - -"Colonel," said the old Confederate impulsively, "I have a notion to -parole you and give you the freedom of the place. It will be pleasanter -for you and easier for me." - -"For such a privilege, sir, I should be grateful indeed. I already owe -much to your generosity, but this I can hardly realize." - -"And I shall make Olivia your jailer," said the old colonel, with a -quiet laugh, that caused his frame to quiver like agitated jelly. - -"Then, sir, my imprisonment will be no punishment at all, but rather a -lot to be envied," replied Abner. - -"My dear, do you think you can guard a man who has led a thousand -soldiers to the field of battle?" said the old colonel, with another -quiet laugh. - -"He don't look dangerous, papa, and I can find him sufficient -occupation; busy people, you know, are not apt to get into mischief." - -"Do you comprehend, colonel?" said Colonel Mortimer. "She means to make -you a galley slave as well as a prisoner." - -"Even such servitude, under such a mistress, would be a pleasure," -answered Abner. - -The old Confederate, being part French, was polite, being part Spanish, -was chivalrous, and, when he had taken it into his head to treat his -prisoner well, seemed unable to do enough for him. So Abner remained in -the colonel's mansion, hardly realizing that he was a prisoner, treated -rather as a guest. Since he had been brought to the house of the -commander at Bay's End, Abner had greatly improved in his personal -appearance. By chance he had retained a suit of undress colonel's -uniform, which had not been soiled by the dampness of prison. He had -been close shaved, excepting his light-colored mustache, and he had his -hair trimmed by Colonel Mortimer's own barber. Still when in the -presence of the Confederate's beautiful daughter, he always lost his -self possession; his conversational powers, and, in fact, his common -sense, seemed suddenly to desert him. He could only listen in silence, -or make disjointed, incoherent replies. - -Olivia sympathized with the poor prisoner, who was so far from home and -friends. She did every thing in her power to cheer him, she -misunderstanding his feelings and attributing his silence and sadness to -the hardships he had suffered during his imprisonment and his long -absence from home. She sang and played for him, she read to him, she -walked and talked with him, revealing all her past history, telling him -of the years she had passed in one of the New England seminaries, of her -mother's death in her early girlhood, and of many incidents in her -bright pleasant life, to which the war as yet had brought no bitterness. - -It was several weeks, after Colonel Mortimer had brought Abner to his -home, that the shattered remnant of a Confederate regiment, passing -through the village, paused to rest. There were not over three hundred -men in the regiment fit for duty, and some of these were battle-scarred. -Colonel Mortimer invited the commander of this brave little band to his -house. He informed his prisoner and his daughter that a very brave and -distinguished officer would dine with them that day--a young man, a -brigadier-general--he could not recall the name, but they would meet him -at dinner. Abner and his fair jailer were in the garden when the guest -arrived, for, although it was in the month of February, the weather on -this particular day was fine, and the garden was yet a pleasant resort. - -They went together towards the house, and, passing the low, open window, -saw the rebel general engaged in conversation with Colonel Mortimer--a -young man, with fierce, black eyes, black hair and black moustache. - -It was his brother. Abner turned suddenly pale. He detained Olivia for a -moment, told her that he had been taken suddenly ill, begged her to make -his excuses to her father, and left her at the door of the dining-room. -The distinguished general dined, and, later on, left with the gallant -remnant of his regiment. Olivia was too much rejoiced at the prisoner's -rapid recovery to inquire into its cause. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE ALARM--THE MANUSCRIPT. - - -The fountain gleamed beneath the beams of the Southern moon, gentle -ripples stirred the waves on the lake below, and the soft breezes wafted -sweetest perfumes through the splendid gardens of Colonel Mortimer. -Spring had come--Spring more than beautiful in this tropical clime. - -Months had passed since last we saw Colonel Tompkins and his beautiful -jailer, who now stand side by side by the splashing fountain. To him -these months had seemed like a dream of heaven. - -Never did he believe that such surpassing happiness could fall to the -lot of any human being. Even now, at times, it did not seem real. When -he paused to reflect, he thought it must be some delightful dream, that -would pass and take with it all the brightness of life. Could there be -on the face of this earth a being so lovely; a mansion, a village, a -country so perfectly delightful? Was it not some wild imagination of -some artist, that had turned his brain? - -No, it was all real. Olivia was not paint and canvas, but flesh and -blood; a living reality, though face and form were so beautiful; her -voice was sweetest music, and her soul pure as her perfect face. Young -as she was, Olivia had had many suitors, but the pale young officer from -Virginia, with his handsome, melancholy face, had won her heart. Perhaps -it was pity that first stirred her soul--pity for the poor prisoner so -far from home and friends; pity for his former sufferings, and -admiration for his brave record. - -He had apparently succeeded in overcoming the mood that had held him -silent and abashed in her presence, for now, as they stand in the pale -moonlight and listen to the murmuring fountain, which seems, like their -own hearts, to overflow for very gladness, the arm of the young colonel -in blue clasps the yielding form of his jailer, and it is he who speaks, -and she who listens in silence. - -Darkness fell over the lake as they lingered. A light moved over the -dark waters. The lovers saw it not. Another light and yet another -appeared, first mere luminous points or stars, but gradually growing in -size as they approached. No one, certainly not the inhabitants of Bay's -End, would have dreamed of a floating battery of steamers crossing that -shallow lake. - -For days the Union forces had been busy damming up all the outlets of -the lake, and the water had been gradually rising, occasioning -considerable comment among the inhabitants. - -Slowly the lights glided over the dark face of the waters. As they came -nearer, they grew in size, and beneath them were defined the hulk of -three monster gunboats, sweeping up towards the village. The sentry gave -the alarm. - -Simultaneously with the alarm came a great blinding flash from one of -the monsters of the water; then a ball of fire circled through the air, -and an explosion shook the village to its centre. Another, another, and -another shell, hurled from the gunboats, came curving through the air -and exploded in the streets of the village. - -Abner cast a quick glance around, seeking some place of safety for the -terrified Olivia. The stone fence that bounded the grounds seemed to -offer the most inviting retreat at present. Scarcely had he placed the -frightened girl on the opposite side of the wall than a shell exploded -in the fountain, tearing the water nymphs to pieces and scattering -fragments far and wide; then a solid shot struck the mansion. - -At this moment a rocket shot up skyward, leaving a long red tail, from -the palmetto and orange groves at the north of the village, and wild -cheers went up from a land force on that side. The bombardment from the -gunboats ceased. - -"What is it, what is it?" cried the terrified girl. - -"Don't be frightened," answered Abner. "You will be quite safe here." - -"But what is that awful noise? Is the lake blowing up? Is an earthquake -coming?" - -"No, it is gunboats bombarding the town." - -"Then, let us hasten to the house. We shall be killed here," she cried. - -"No, no, Olivia, that would not do," he answered, "for they will make -the house an especial mark, it being the largest building in the -village. Here is the safest place we can find for the present." - -The wild yells of land troops, as they advanced on the village, again -rose on the air. - -The poor girl looked questionably at her companion, speechless with -terror. - -"They are soldiers, who have come around by land, and are advancing on -the village." - -"Oh, let me go! I must go home, I must go to my father!" - -She struggled wildly in Abner's grasp, for he held her fast. - -"Just listen to me one moment, Olivia," he entreated. "Can you not trust -me? I tell you truly that the most dangerous place in town is at your -father's house. Already a cannon ball has struck it, and if the present -sortie is repulsed the cannonade will be instantly resumed, and it will -be battered down." - -"But my father is there!" - -"No, he is in the village, forming his men to meet the attack. This is -the only place of safety for you. They will scarcely throw any shells -over here, and the fight will be on the other hill." - -Bay's End was in a state of confusion. Colonel Mortimer was aroused by -the first cannon shot, and was making ready for the attack. The long -roll of the drum and the trumpets sounded, and the half-dressed -Confederates fell hastily into line. Colonel Mortimer had the three -field pieces in his camp turned on the gunboats, and they belched forth -fire and smoke at the monsters, making the very earth shake. But their -most deadly foe now was the land force, which was coming down in a solid -column. - -From behind the stone wall Abner could see the old Confederate colonel -leading his men to meet them. - -The Union forces advanced up the hill with fixed bayonets. - -"Fire!" cried Colonel Mortimer. - -A roar of fire-arms shook the air, and for a moment caused the advancing -line to waver. The fire had but little effect, however. One or two of -the soldiers fell, but most of the leaden hail swept over their heads. - -"Forward!" commanded a voice among that line of dark blue coats, and -they rushed up the hill. - -"Fire!" came Colonel Mortimer's command again. - -Not more than a dozen guns responded. All had been emptied in the first -volley, and the enemy was now almost upon them. - -"Stand firm!" cried the brave old colonel, waving his sword in the air. -"Don't give way an inch! Shoot them down as they come!" - -Drawing his revolver, he commenced firing at the line, and several of -his officers followed his example. His men, taking courage, began to -reload. The Union forces halted and poured a raking fire into the -Confederate ranks. Men fell to the left and to the right of the old -colonel, but he was as yet unhurt. About two hundred of his men, having -reloaded, poured a destructive fire on the approaching lines, which -made them recoil for a moment; but, rallying, they advanced up the hill -again and poured three volleys in quick succession into the ranks under -the brave old colonel, which settled the fortunes of the day, or night -rather, though the moon shone almost as bright as day. - -The Confederates fled, pursued by the glittering bayonets of their foes. -Colonel Mortimer, with a mere handful of his bravest men, fell back -towards his mansion. A detachment of soldiers pursued them and hemmed -them in. - -"Oh, my father, my father! he will be killed!" cried Olivia, as she saw -the soldiers leaping the wall and surrounding the house. She broke away -from Abner's restraining hand and ran towards the place, where the two -opposing forces had met with clashing and thrusting of bayonets. Abner -followed her, but no bird was more fleet than she, as she skimmed over -garden and lawn and disappeared behind the house, from whence came the -sound of defiant voices and the discharge of fire-arms, but she heeded -them not. - -When Abner reached the scene of struggle, he found that Colonel Mortimer -had been thrown to the ground, and a bayonet glittered at his breast; -then he saw a small, white hand thrust the bayonet aside, and Olivia -threw herself between the soldier and the prostrate man. Abner sprang to -the side of Colonel Mortimer and thrust back the astonished soldier. - -"Colonel Mortimer surrenders as a prisoner of war," he cried, in his -firm, ringing tones. - -"Hold on!" cried the soldier, looking at the newcomer, "I be hanged if -here ain't our old colonel. Hurrah, boys, here's Colonel Tompkins!" and -the excited soldier, who was no other than Corporal Grimm, took off his -cap, and gave three cheers, that were joined in by a hundred more men, -who had gathered round. - -The village was in possession of the Union forces, and nearly all of -Colonel Mortimer's command were prisoners. - -It was Abner's own regiment which had stormed the village. - -"Well, well, I do declare," said Corporal Grimm, "this finding the -colonel is a little romantic, and with a purty girl, too! It reminds me -of an incident in my experience with General Preston. Sergeant Swords, -did I ever tell you my experience with General Preston?" and Grimm took -the long suffering sergeant aside to relate it. - -When Abner had told the story of the colonel's kindness toward him, the -victors' politeness and kindness towards the old Confederate amply -repaid him for the manner in which he had treated their colonel. - -Abner was informed by Major Fleming that he was to take immediate -command of the regiment. - -He instantly ordered Colonel Mortimer paroled and given the freedom of -the camp. He whispered to the beautiful, dark-eyed daughter that she -need have no fear on her father's account, that he commanded the men, -who held him prisoner. She clung to him and asked so sweetly for him to -spare her papa that, had he been a monster, he could not have refused. - -The night passed away, and daylight dawned before the dead and wounded -had been gathered up. Some lay stark and stiff in some gully, ravine, or -behind some trees, among the bushes and between the rocks, and it -required time to find them. - -The next morning a courier reached Abner, with an urgent message from a -wounded man, who was dying and wished to see him. - -"Who is he?" asked Abner. - -"A steward of one of the sutlers, who came on this expedition as cook. -He was a colored fellow," answered the messenger. - -A look of intense interest came over Abner's face. - -"Where is he?" he demanded. - -"Follow me and I will show you," said the messenger. - -Leaving the affairs, that were engaging his attention, to the management -of Major Fleming, Colonel Tompkins hurried away. In one of the lowly -huts of the village he found Yellow Steve, the strange negro, lying on a -pallet. He had been wounded by a musket ball in the breast, and his life -was fast ebbing away. He had but a few hours to live at most, for the -wound was such the surgeon pronounced recovery impossible. - -"I am dying, colonel," said the negro, "but I thank God that I have -seen you at last to give you this." He put his hand in the breast-pocket -of his blouse and drew forth a sealed package. "I could not have died -without giving you this. I have hunted for you everywhere since you were -captured. I have been in almost every camp in the South. I should have -been satisfied to give it to your brother Oleah, had he not shown the -same haughty spirit of one who has been the cause of his own ruin as -well as mine." - -Abner noticed that the packet had been much worn, as if it had been -carried a long time in some one's pocket. It was addressed, in a very -plain but evidently unknown hand, to himself. - -"You will understand," said the negro, "the seal is not to be broken, -nor the contents examined, until I am dead. I want no one, least of all -you, to know my dark secret while there is yet life within this poor -body. I have suffered enough during my miserable existence without -having your curses heaped upon my dying head." - -Abner assured him that the packet should not be opened while he lived, -and left, promising to return. - -His multifarious duties demanded his attention, and when he returned to -the hut _Yellow Steve was dead_. - -It was late that night when Abner found time to return to his -head-quarters. He drew his chair close to a lighted lamp, and, breaking -the seal of the packet, he drew forth the manuscript and read. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -YELLOW STEVE'S MYSTERIOUS STORY. - - -"My name is Jeff. Winnings, and I was born in the State of South -Carolina, a slave owned by Wade Hampton. My father, I have been told, -was a Seminole Indian. I have little recollection of my mother, as I was -torn from her, when but little more than two years old, and sold to a -man in Kentucky. Here I lived until the age of twelve, when, my master -dying, his property was divided, and I was taken by a son of his to -Missouri, in the county of Pike. I found this man an excellent master, -he always treated me kindly, and, as I picked up a little knowledge of -books, he encouraged me and furnished me means to improve my mind after -my day's work was done. - -"It was through his kindness, that I, a slave, learned to read and -write, which now enables me to record the history of my dark career, far -darker than heaven made my face. I lived with him until I was eighteen -years of age, and was at one time well known about Bowling Green, -Missouri, as Yellow Jeff. Then my master became financially embarrassed, -and I, with his other slaves, was sold at a sheriff's sale. - -"A professional negro-buyer, one of the most detestable class of men -that God ever created, purchased me, and I was taken to North Carolina -and sold to Mr. Henry Tompkins--" - -"Great God!" gasped Abner, the manuscript falling from his hands. "Was -that man connected with my Uncle's murder?" He sprang to his feet and -paced the floor, but finally forced himself to pick up the manuscript -and resume. - -"Mr. Tompkins was a man of very hasty temper and, although he was of -Northern birth, he was a harsh master. - -"Among the slaves he owned was a beautiful quadroon, named Maggie, and -an attachment sprang up between us. I loved her with all my heart, and -she loved me as earnestly. White people, who think that the tender -emotions are only for their own race, are much mistaken. I, who had the -blood of two savage nations in my veins, loved as wildly, fiercely, and -yet as tenderly as any white man that ever lived. Maggie loved me as -fervently as I did her. The little education, I had picked up from my -master in Missouri, made me the hero in the negro quarters. Oftentimes, -in the balmy Southern nights, when the day's work was over, have I taken -my banjo and sat by the side of my pretty quadroon, pretty to me, -whatever she may have been to others, and played those old, -long-forgotten songs. - -"Our overseer was hard on us, and the tasks we accomplished were -wonderful--they seem impossible now for even negroes to have performed. -Yet darkness never found me too tired to take my accustomed place by -Maggie's side. When I was twenty-one, I was a strong, athletic man. No -one on the plantation could equal me for strength or activity. Two or -three times had the overseer tied me to a post and used his whip on me -for some very trifling matter. On such occasions I felt the rising in my -heart of that wild thirst for blood, which afterward proved my ruin. I -was called 'Indian Jeff,' 'Proud Jeff,' and 'Dandy Jeff,' and the -overseer, who seemed to have a special grudge against me, used to -declare that he would whip the pride out of me. - -"I could have borne all their beatings and ill treatment, and have lived -peaceably the life of a slave, until death or Abraham Lincoln's -proclamation had set me free, had not my master given me a blow, that -was worse than death. When I was twenty-one, Maggie and I were married, -in sight of heaven, though the law said negroes can not marry, and were -as happy as persons in perpetual bondage could be. She sympathized with -me and I with her. I can not see now how we could have been so happy -then. There was no promise in the future, but slavery, toil, and the -lash. Our only hope of release was death, yet we were happy in each -other's love. - -"We laughed at the threatened lash and sang at our work from morning -until night. I toiled in the cotton fields, and Maggie was employed in -the planter's mansion. It was cotton-picking time, a few months after -our marriage, and, the crop being unusually large, my master sent my -wife to work in the field. She came gladly and asked permission to work -by my side. I also pleaded for this privilege, promising to do the work -of two men, if our prayer was granted. - -"Our master ordered us away to the field and said that the overseer -would arrange that. Scarcely had the overseer set eyes on my beautiful -quadroon wife than I trembled. I saw an evil purpose in his dark eye. He -refused our request and placed us on opposite sides of the field. I went -to work sullenly and, although I kept busy, I did but little, trampling -under foot more cotton than I picked. We had been in the field all day, -and the sun was setting, when I heard a shriek from the opposite side of -the field. The voice I knew well to be Maggie's, and in an instant all -my wild Indian nature was on fire. I flew across the field to find the -overseer beating my wife. Some terrified negroes whispered the cause to -me, as I paused, horror-stricken. The overseer had offered some -indecencies to her, which she had resented, and now he was punishing -her. - -"They tried to hold me back, but they might as well have tried to stop -the fires in a volcano. One spring and one blow from my fist laid the -villain senseless on the ground, and snatching up my wife, who had -fainted, I hurried away to our lowly cabin. - -"I expected punishment, but not such as came. The next morning both -Maggie and myself were put in irons, and I was compelled to stand by -while a contract of sale was read, conveying her to a Louisiana -sugar-planter. Again that wild cry of my heart for vengeance rang -through every nerve, and I uttered a fearful oath of vengeance as I saw -them bear her away. Her shrieks have rang in my ears ever since. - -"For my threat I was tied to a tree, and the lash laid on my bare back -by my master, Mr. Henry Tompkins. During the flogging I turned on him, -and swore I would have his blood and the blood of his whole family. It -only augmented my own suffering, however. When Henry Tompkins was -exhausted, he ordered me to be released, and I went sullenly away. No -words except threats had escaped my lips, and they could not have wrung -a groan from me had they cut me into pieces with the cowhide. - -"For a few days I remained about the place, planning revenge. I went -about my work until an opportunity offered, and then ran away. I knew -how vigorous would be the pursuit, and selected a mountain cave, which I -believe to be unknown to any one but myself. Here I lived for about -three weeks, frequently hearing the bay of the bloodhound and the shout -of the negro-hunter. They evidently gave it up at last, and one night I -came from my hiding-place and went to my master's house. I knew the -place well. I found an ax, and I went in at the front door. - -"I will not describe, for I can not, what I did. With the name of Maggie -on my lips, and the Indian devil in my heart, I perpetrated a horrible -murder. The baby, a little girl, I spared and picked up with some of -its clothing and carried it away with me. The rest were all struck down -by my avenging ax. As I was leaving with the baby, my conscience already -smiting me for what I had done, a groan came from the eldest child, a -boy. Stooping, I found he was not dead, but that my ax had fractured his -skull. He was between ten and twelve years of age and slender. I -snatched him up, and, having set fire to the house, I put the baby in a -large basket and set off with the wounded boy and the baby girl. - -"How I reached the cave, without discovery, no one, not even I, know. -The burning mansion doubtless aided me, by calling off all pursuit. Here -I remained for a week or two, living I know not how. The boy recovered -from the blow, but he was a idiot and had no recollection of his former -life. - -"I had no heart to kill him or the baby now; I had had blood enough, and -for some time was puzzled what to do with the baby and the idiot. There -was a colored freeman, known as 'Free John,' living near, with his wife. -I knew I could trust them, and, one night, I told them all. I knew that -Henry Tompkins had a brother in Virginia, and to him I resolved to take -the children. - -"My friends went ahead in their ox-cart, leaving bits of leaves on the -road to indicate which way they had gone. I started after them, with the -idiot by my side and carrying the baby in my arms. I had found on some -of the baby's clothes the name Irene, which I was careful to preserve, -as they might lead to her discovery; a plan I had decided upon when I -should be far enough out of the way. When in the State of Virginia, -about twenty-five miles from Mr. Tompkins' the boy ran away from me, and -I did not see him again for years. We had traveled mostly by night and -found hiding-places in the cane-brakes during the day time. - -"I finally reached the vicinity of Twin Mountains, where I found Free -John, and we remained there for two or three days, as we both were -nearly exhausted with our long, hard travel. One day, while at his hut, -an old hunter, called Uncle Dan, stopped in for a moment and saw the -little, tired, dirty baby. He looked at it curiously and asked some -questions, which Free John's wife answered, but that very night I -carried it to the mansion of Mr. Tompkins and left it on his porch. He -raised the child, and now she is the wife of his son, and her husband -does not know that she is his own cousin. The boy finally wandered to -the same place and lived there and at the cabin of Dan Martin, until he -was accidentally killed by the Union soldiers. He went by the name of -Crazy Joe, on account of his persistently calling himself Joseph. - -"John Smith, or Free John, and his wife, Katy, are now living at -Wheeling, Virginia, and can attest the truth of my story, if it becomes -necessary to prove Irene Tompkins' heirship to her father's estate. - -"Since that night, I have been a wanderer through the South, and have -assisted hundreds of my race to reach the North and freedom. I have -become accustomed to danger and accomplished in woodcraft. - -"I have searched the South over, and a hundred times risked my life -trying to find my Maggie. Only a few weeks ago, I learned that she had -died, years ago, of a broken heart. When you read this, pronounce me a -fiend if you will, but remember that I was once human. I was maddened, -desperate. It was the curse of slavery that caused the horror I have -related; but now, thank God! when you read this, and I am no more, the -curse is lifted from the land. For the first time in many years I write -my real name, - -"JEFF. WINNINGS." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -THE RECONCILIATION. - - -The large clock in the hall chimed out the midnight hour as Abner -finished reading the manuscript. He sat for a long time reflecting on -what he had read. The great family mystery, and with it many other -mysteries, was now cleared up, and like many other things, seemingly -inexplicable until fully explained, it seemed so simple and so plain -that he wondered he had not guessed it before. Irene was really his own -cousin, and poor Crazy Joe was her brother. - -Late as it was, he copied the confession in full, intending, when he -reached New Orleans, to send it to his father. He did mail it, but -afterward learned that it never got through. - -The next day the entire force, with all the prisoners, re-crossed the -lake and went to New Orleans. Olivia, at her earnest request, -accompanied her father. On reaching the city, they were allowed to -occupy their own residence, and one would scarcely have thought that -Colonel Mortimer was a prisoner, so little was his freedom curtailed. - -The long Summer of 1864 passed, and Abner's regiment still remained in -New Orleans. But when Sherman had almost completed his devastating raid -through the South Atlantic States--many of which, South Carolina -especially, still bear traces of its march--Abner was ordered to join -the army of the Potomac, then about to invest Richmond. - -On the evening before his departure, Abner sat in the parlor of Colonel -Mortimer, with Olivia by his side. "To-morrow," he said, "I must leave -you; but I leave you now, feeling more hopeful than when we last talked -of parting. Victory will soon crown our arms, and when Spring opens the -next campaign, it will witness the surrender of General Lee and all the -Confederate armies. Then, when the angel of peace shall have spread its -white wings over this land, I shall return to claim you for my wife." - -"Do you forget, when you speak so confidently of your victories," said -Olivia, sweetly and sadly, "that you speak of our defeat? With all my -love for you, I must remain a Southern girl, and the cause of the South -is my cause. I love my sunny South, and I feel as all Southern people -feel." - -"My darling, I am sure that every true Northern man and woman will -regard this unhappy war as a family quarrel, and victory something to be -thankful for, but nothing to gloat over. May we not rejoice together, -when peace shall come, when the iron heel of martial law shall be -removed from your city? Then I shall be free to claim you. Will you -remain in this city until I shall come for you?" - -"But have you asked papa about that?" she asked, smiles brimming over -her beautiful eyes. "I don't believe that he will give me up." - -"That's all attended to." - -"And does he consent?" - -"Rather reluctantly, but he consents, nevertheless," replied Abner. - -"Yes," said the old colonel, entering the room, "I could do no better, -seeing I was his prisoner." - -The next day, Abner, with his regiment, steamed down the river toward -the Gulf. The steamer passed through the Florida Straits, and after a -very rough voyage, which was the one event of the war that did not -remind Corporal Grimm of any one of his experiences with General -Preston, they landed on the coast of South Carolina, and thence set -across the country to join General Sherman. They came up with him at -Columbia, the capital, on the 18th of February, 1865, the day after its -capture, and Sherman at once started for North Carolina, entering -Fayetteville, March 11, 1865. Abner was at Raleigh, the capital of North -Carolina, when the final crisis came. Lee's army surrendered April 9, -1885--Oleah Tompkins, Colonel Scrabble, Seth Williams and Howard Jones -with the rest. Raleigh was taken April 13th; Mobile and Salisbury, N. -C., on the same day. The Confederacy was conquered, the war was over, -and all good people rejoiced in the prospect of peace. But a wail went -out over the Nation at the news of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. - -Abner's regiment was ordered to Washington, to pass the grand review and -be mustered out. The grandest army the world ever knew passed down -Pennsylvania avenue on the review. - -Cheerful news had come from home. Old Mr. Tompkins was rejoicing that -peace had come to the country, and that he might return to his home. - -On the evening of his discharge, Abner was, with his fellow-officers, -making arrangements for the next day, when a messenger entered with a -telegram addressed to him. He took the message and opened it. It -contained the brief sentence: - -"_Your father is dead._" - -No more horror can be crowded into four words. The color left the young -man's cheek as he leaned against the table for support. His associates, -learning his bad news, considerately left him alone. Abner was almost -stunned with grief. Now that he was so near home, after a separation of -three long years, it seemed too cruel for belief. There was nothing to -detain him, and he started by the first train for the Junction. As he -was borne swiftly homeward, his thoughts dwelt sadly on the father whom -he should never meet again on earth. He never knew before how deeply he -had loved him. His every word to him, when he was a child, his fond -caresses, and his kind, fatherly indulgence came to his mind. As the -iron wheels roared on, he read the telegram over and over again, but -could gain no information from it. It contained simply those four brief -words, and no more. - -The Junction was reached at last, and he saw the family carriage there -with the old coachman waiting. The old carriage had lost its stately -splendor; it was faded, dilapidated and worn. He hastened to Job, half -hoping he might find the telegram a mistake, but Job confirmed it. His -father had died suddenly two days before, but the funeral had not taken -place yet; they were waiting for him. He had died of heart disease, and -had dropped dead from his favorite chair in the lawn. Abner stepped in, -and Job drove off, the carriage rattling and creaking, and the faded -skirts flapping noisily on the side. - -From Job he learned that most of the negroes had left the old -plantation, since the war had brought them freedom, that the place was -greatly changed since the last time he had seen it. The houses were -dilapidated and many of the fences down. It was late in the night before -he reached the home of his childhood; but, dark as it was, he could see -the sad change that time and neglect had made on the dear old place. - -In the hall his mother met him, weeping and calling him her dear son, -and begging him never to leave her again--a promise which he readily -made. Irene also was there to greet her long-lost brother. - -It was not until the third day after the funeral that Abner told his -mother and Irene of Yellow Steve's confession. They had not received the -copy he had sent, and listened to him with wonder and sorrow that the -news came too late to benefit Crazy Joe or to relieve the mind of Mr. -Tompkins. Then he told his mother of Olivia, and it was decided that he -should start the next day to bring home his bride. New Orleans, at this -time, was not a pleasant or an altogether safe place of residence; hence -his haste. - -He went that evening alone to the grave of his father. The young leaves -were green on the trees, the flowers of Spring in full bloom, and birds -were singing in lofty boughs. - -It was growing late as he approached the grave. Just before reaching it, -he paused and looked in astonishment. A man, dressed in faded gray, with -one arm in a sling and a bandage around his head, stood by the fresh -mound. His once fierce black eyes are misty now with tears. - -What a tempest of emotion swept over Abner's soul as he recognized in -that travel-stained, wounded man his only brother! He went toward him -with outstretched arms and cried: "Brother!" - -Oleah looked up, and with an exclamation, half joy and half sorrow, was -clasped, over his father's grave, in the arms of that brother, from whom -he had so long been estranged. - -Abner and Oleah were reconciled. - - * * * * * - -It is twelve months later, and the old Tompkins mansion has recovered -some of its ancient splendor. The fences have been rebuilt, the -long-neglected trees pruned, the doors are on the barn again, and the -laborers' houses repaired. - -A merry crowd of our old friends are gathered at the mansion and just in -the act of sitting down to a dinner, given by Mrs. Tompkins in honor of -her oldest son's wedding, which took place a week before at New -Orleans. Many of our old friends are seated around that table. There is -Howard Jones, with a scar of a saber cut on his face, but merry as ever. -By his side sits Seth Williams, with an armless sleeve dangling at his -side, but the same jolly Seth as of yore. Our friends of both armies are -met here, though all have laid aside their uniforms and appear in -citizen's garb. Corporal Grimm is as anxious as ever to relate to -everybody his experience with "General Preston," and Sergeant Swords is -ready to second Grimm in any thing. Colonel Mortimer is there, erect and -soldier-like, and our friend Diggs also, a representative of both -parties. The little fellow is dressed with the utmost care, his shirt -front and high collar aggressively stiff, and his glasses on his round, -silly face. He confides to every one that he has tired of the patent -medicines and photography, and that he intends to start a country -newspaper, which eventually shall startle the world. - -There are the brothers, Abner and Oleah, with all their old brotherly -affection renewed, and Irene and Olivia, types of the two classes of -beauty. It has been arranged that Oleah and Irene are to live on her -father's plantation in North Carolina, while Abner and Olivia remain on -the old homestead. - -The good minister, whose saving prayer had proved so effective in Diggs' -case, is seated at the head of the table. Mrs. Tompkins, in widow's -weeds, is at the foot. She has lost her brilliant beauty and her -political ambition; she thinks that the happiness of the world depends -on domestic peace, and that this can be secured only by perfect -unanimity of feeling between husband and wife. - -Olivia Tompkins is happy in the love of husband and father and her -new-born babe, and she has come to the same conclusion. - -To see the happy mingling and general good feeling of those who wore the -gray and those who wore the blue, it is hard to think they once were -enemies. We had almost forgotten Uncle Dan, who has retired to his cabin -on the Twin Mountains, but he is with the others, always the same Uncle -Dan, whether hunter, scout, or wedding guest. They sit at the common -table--the soldier of the North and the soldier of the South--as though -they were, as they are, of one family. - -Dear reader, we have written late into the night, and now, as the faces -of these friends, whom we have followed so long and learned to love so -well, fade from our sight among the shadows, let us rejoice that the -time has come, when this great Nation, North and South, is united once -more in the firmest bonds of friendship--one brotherhood. - - -[THE END] - - - - -OUT OF THE MIRE, - - -many a family has been raised by the genuine philanthropy of modern -progress, and of modern opportunities. But many people do not avail of -them. They jog along in their old ways until they are stuck fast in a -mire of hopeless dirt. Friends desert them, for they have already -deserted themselves by neglecting their own best interests. Out of the -dirt of kitchen, or hall, or parlor, any house can be quickly brought by -the use of Sapolio, which is sold by all grocers. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Brother Against Brother, by John Roy Musick - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER *** - -***** This file should be named 40541-8.txt or 40541-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/5/4/40541/ - -Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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