CHAPTER x.x.xII
THE ARRIVAL OF THE RECRUITING OFFICER
Noah Lyon was not glad to see his brother; but this was a new experience to him, for he had always had a fraternal feeling for him, and had done everything in his power for him when he needed a.s.sistance. He was willing to believe that t.i.tus was sincere in his political convictions, though it was impossible for him to understand how he could be a traitor to the Union.
At the North both of the great parties were united in support of the government, and at his former home t.i.tus would have been almost alone if he had clung to the opinions which now actuated him; for "copperheads"
were rare serpents there. Noah"s brother would hardly have been one amid the surroundings of his former home. It was evident that Kentucky whiskey and a feeling of revenge, born of his disappointment over the provisions of Duncan"s will, had done more to make him a Secessionist than the workings of his own reason.
"I have come to see you once more, Noah," t.i.tus began quite mildly for him, though it was plain to his brother that he was primed with his favorite beverage as usual.
He was not intoxicated in any reasonable sense of the word; and he had plainly resolved to make the interview a peaceable one. Doubtless he had a point to carry, but within a few days he had probably learned more about the character of his brother than he had ever known before. Noah could not say that he was glad to see him, for even a "society lie" was repulsive to him.
"I hope we shall be peaceable and pleasant this time, even if we cannot agree in everything," he replied very gently and with a smile upon his honest face.
"That"s just what I want, Noah; and I have always tried to make things peaceable between us," added t.i.tus.
Noah wondered if he believed what he uttered, after coming with a mob to his plantation to burn and ravage his property; but whatever doubts he had, he kept them to himself, for he knew that the thought which was uppermost in his mind, if expressed, would only irritate his brother, and provoke him to wrath.
"I trust you will continue to do so," was his next remark, though he thought that even this was admitting too much.
"There is a question between us, Noah," continued t.i.tus, struggling to retain his quiet demeanor as he approached the point of difference between them. "I won"t say a word about the way I have been used up to three days ago, for I want to be on kind of brotherly terms with you, if we don"t agree on politics."
"I a.s.suredly desire to be on brotherly terms with you, and it shall not be any fault of mine that we are not brothers in spirit as well as in fact," replied Noah, who became slightly hopeful of t.i.tus, for he had not recently heard him speak so many friendly words.
"There is only one question between us now, and we might just as well come right down to business at once," said t.i.tus, very nervous in his manner, as though his hope of accomplishing anything with the stern patriot his brother had proved to be was only slight. "Of course you know that I mean about the arms."
"I understand you, Brother t.i.tus," replied Noah, exceedingly unwilling to fan the fire that was smouldering in the breast of the leader of the ruffians.
"It seems to me that there ought to be no trouble between two brothers like you and me about settling a question of this kind," continued t.i.tus, still toying with the subject. "Of course you must admit that the arms did not belong to you."
"No more than Fort Sumter and a dozen other places built and maintained by the Union belonged to the insurgents who have taken possession of them," answered Noah very quietly.
"That"s another matter," returned the captain, evidently thrown off his base by this home argument.
"It is precisely the same thing to my mind."
"Do you call stealing my property the same thing as a nation taking possession of forts and such things within its own territory, Noah Lyon?"
"Precisely the same thing, though on a smaller scale."
"I used to think you had lots of logic in your head, Noah; but I believe you hain"t got none on"t left," retorted t.i.tus, relapsing into what he called his "week-day speech." "I was in hopes you had come to sunthin"
like reason, and would be ready to give up the property you stole."
"I shall be quite ready to give it up when the insurrectionists give up the property they stole."
"The two things ain"t no more like than a n.i.g.g.e.r is like a white man,"
protested t.i.tus, the bad blood, mingled with whiskey, in his veins beginning to boil.
"I think we had better not discuss this question any more, Brother t.i.tus. It only stirs up bad blood, and does not accomplish anything,"
suggested Noah.
"I s"pose I"m to understand from what you say that you don"t mean to give up the arms you stole from me," said t.i.tus, doubling his fist, and holding it near the face of his brother.
"I do not consider that I have any right to deliver the arms to you; for I understand that they were to be used to arm what you call the Home Guards, or, in other words, the ruffians who came over here to burn my house and lay waste my property. I shall not give up the arms to you, or to any other person representing the enemies of the Union. The insurrectionists have set the example of stealing arms, as you call it, and forts, and public buildings by wholesale; and the Secessionists of Kentucky are robbing the Union men of their arms. I hold that the precedent has been well established by those on your side of the question."
"I don"t care for your precedents, and I wish my brother would deal with the one question between us."
"I am entirely willing to do so, Brother t.i.tus. You wish me to furnish the brands with which you can burn my house and those of my neighbors."
"What sort of bosh is that?" demanded t.i.tus, who did not see the point.
"If I should return to you the military supplies in my possession, they would be used to arm the horde of ruffians you marched over here to burn my property the other night."
"They would be used to arm my company of the Home Guards; and they are regular under the call of the Governor of Kentucky."
"The Legislature of the State repudiate him, and the people are enlisting the troops he refused to furnish."
"The Legislature is a fraud, and don"t rightly represent the will of the people. I came over here with the Home Guard and other friends of the cause to get the arms. You turned our own weapons against us, and without arms we could do nothing against armed n.i.g.g.e.rs."
"I have put my place in a condition to be defended, and I have called upon the United States government to send a body of troops here to protect the Union people from the outrages of your people."
"They will have a hot time of it when they get here," replied t.i.tus with a sneer.
"In the meantime we shall defend ourselves. We have been attacked"--
"You have not been attacked!" protested the captain. "We came over here to demand the arms. We put up a flag of truce, and wanted to talk with you; but you drove us off, and fired upon us," answered t.i.tus.
"Your people began the attack at the schoolhouse."
""Tain"t so! Some of our men went to the meeting, and you fell upon "em there."
"They had no business there, for the call was addressed to the Union men of the county. They disturbed the meeting, and we put them out. Then your company gathered in the woods, demanding "Lyon and his cubs." My friends stood by me, and the meeting shouldered all the responsibility in regard to the arms. We agreed to get up a company of cavalry for the United States."
"And you mean to arm "em with the things you stole from me!" almost gasped Captain t.i.tus.
"When a proper officer comes here he will give you a receipt for the property."
"Which would not be worth the paper it is written on to me!"
"Not unless you could show that you were a Union man."
"My men are bent on gettin" them arms, and they will have them!"
"They will have to fight for them," added Noah quietly.