"I ain"t goin" nowhar, an" for nothin"," she an swered sullenly.
"Yes you was, you young rebel," said Si. "You were goin" to tell some sneakin" rebels about us. Where are they?"
"Wa"n"t gwine to do nothin" o" the kind," she answered between gasps for breath. "I don"t know whar thar"s no rebels. Thought they"uns had all done gone away down the mounting till I seed yo"uns."
"Come, girl, talk sense," said Si roughly. "Tell me where those rebels are that you was goin" to, and do it quick. Boys, look sharp."
A tall, very venerable man, with long, snowy-white hair and whiskers came hobbling up, a.s.sisting his steps with a long staff with a handle of a curled and twisted ram"s horn.
"Gentlemen," he said, with a quavering voice, "I beg yo"uns won"t harm my granddaughter. She hain"t done nothin" wrong, I"ll sw"ar it, t"
yo"uns. We"uns "s for the Union, but that hain"t no reason why we"uns should be molested. We"uns "s peaceable, law-abidin" folks, an" ain"t never done nothin" agin the Southern Confederacy. All our neighbors knows that. Ax any o" they"uns. If yo"uns must punish someone, take me. I"m the one that"s responsible for their Unionism. I"ve learned "em nothin" else sense they"uns wuz born. I"m a very old man, an" hain"t long t" live, nohow. Yo"uns kin do with me what yo"uns please, but for my sake spare my innocent granddaughter, who hain"t done nothin"."
Si looked at him in amazement. It was no uncommon thing for people to protest Unionism, but sincerity was written in every line of the old man"s face.
"You say you"re Union," he said. "If that"s so, you"ve nothin" to fear from us. We"re Union soldiers. But what was that signal with the horn, and where was this girl goin"?"
"She blowed the horn at my orders, to inform my neighbors, and she wuz gwine on an arrant for me. Whatever she done I ordered her to do. Yo"uns kin visit hit all on my head. But hit wa"n"t nothin" agin yo"uns or the Southern Confederacy."
"I tell you we"re Union soldiers," repeated Si. "Can"t you tell that by our clothes?"
The old man"s face brightened a little, but then a reminder of sorrowful experience clouded it again.
"I"ve never seed no Union soldiers," said he. "The rebels come around here dressed all sorts o" ways, and sometimes they pretend to be Union, jest to lay a snare for we"uns. They"uns all know I"m Union, but I"m too old t" do "em harm. Hit"s my neighbors they"uns is arter. But, thank G.o.d, they"uns "s never kotched any o" them through me."
"I tell you we"re genuine, true-blue Union soldiers from Injianny, belong to Rosecrans"s army, and are down here to drive the rebels out o"
the country. There, you kin see our flag comin" up the mountain."
The old man shaded his eyes with his hand, and looked earnestly at the long line of men winding up the mountain-side.
"I kin see nothin" but a blue flag," said he, "much the same as some o"
Bragg"s rijimints tote."
Si looked again, and noticed that only the blue regimental flag was displayed.
"Wait a minnit, I"ll convince him," said Shorty, and running down the mountain he took the marker from the right guide of the regiment, and presently came back waving it proudly in the sunshine.
The old man"s face brightened like a May day, and then his faded eyes filled with joyful tears as he exclaimed:
"Yes, thank Almighty G.o.d, that"s. .h.i.t. That"s the real flag o" my country. That"s the flag I fit under with ole Jackson at New Orleans. I bless G.o.d that I"ve lived to see the day that hit"s come back."
He took the flag in his hands, fondly surveyed its bright folds, and then fervently kissed it. Then he said to his granddaughter:
"Nance, call the boys in, that they"uns"s may see thar friends "ve come at last."
Nance seemed to need no second bidding. She sped back to the porch, seized the long tin horn and sent mellow, joyful notes floating far over the billowy hills, until they were caught up by the cliffs and echoed back in subdued melody.
"Don"t be surprised, gentlemen, at what yo"uns "ll see," said the old man.
Even while the bugle-like notes were still ringing on the warm air, men began appearing from the most unexpected places. They were all of the same type, differing only in age from mere boys to middle-aged men. They were tall, raw-boned and stoop-shouldered, with long, black hair, and tired, sad eyes, which lighted up as they saw the flag and the men around it. They were attired in rude, home spun clothes, mostly ragged and soiled, and each man carried a gun of some description.
They came in such numbers that Si was startled. He drew his men together, and looked anxiously back to see how near the regiment had come.
"I done tole yo"uns not t" be surprised," said the old man rea.s.suringly; "they"uns "s all right every one of "em a true Union man, ready and willin" t" die for his country. The half o" they"uns hain"t got in yit, but they"ll all come in."
"Yes, indeed," said one of the first of them to come in, a pleasant-faced, shapely youth, with the soft down of his first beard scantily fringing his face, and to whom Nancy had sidled up in an unmistakable way. "We"uns "ve bin a-layin" out in the woods for weeks, dodgin" ole Bragg"s conscripters and a-waitin" for yo"uns. We"uns "ve bin watchin" yo"uns all day yisterday, an" all this mornin", tryin"
t" make out who yo"uns rayly wuz. Sometimes we"uns thought yo"uns wuz Yankees, an" then agin that yo"uns wuz the tail-end o" Bragg"s army. All we"uns "s a-gwine t" jine all yo"uns, an" fout for the Union."
"Bully boys right sentiments," said Shorty enthusiastically. "There"s room for a lot o" you in this very regiment, and it"s the best regiment in the army. Co. Q"s the best company in the regiment, and it needs 15 or 20 fine young fellers like you to fill up the holes made by Stone River and Tennessee rain and mud."
"I"ll go "long with you, Mister Ossifer, if you"ll take me," said the youth, very shyly and softly to Si, whose appearance seemed to attract him.
"Certainly we"ll take you," said Si, "if the Surgeon "ll accept you, and I"ll see that you"re sworn in on the spot."
"Nancy," said the youth diffidently to the girl, who had stood by his side holding his hand during the whole conversation, "yo" done promised yo"d marry me as soon"s the Yankee soldiers done come for sure, and they"uns "ve done come, millions of "em. Looky thar millions of "em."
He pointed to the distant hills, every road over which was swarming with legions of blue.
"Yes, Nate," said the girl, reddening, chewing her bonnet-strings to hide her confusion, and stir ring up the ground with the toe of her shoe, "I reckon I did promise yo" I"d marry yo" when the Yankee soldiers done come for sure, and thar does seem t" be a right smart pa.s.sel of "em done come already, with a heapin" more on the way. But yo" ain"t gwine t" insist on me keepin" my promise right off, air yo"?"
And she took a bigger bite at her bonnet-strings and dug a deeper hole with the toe of her shoe.
"Yes, indeedy right off jest the minnit I kin find a preacher," replied Nate, growing bolder and more insistent as he felt his happiness approaching. "I"m a-gwine off t" the war with this gentleman"s company (indicating Si with a wave of his disengaged hand), and we must be spliced before I start. Say, Mister Ossifer (to Si), kin yo" tell me whar I kin find a preacher?"
Si and Shorty and the rest were taking a deep interest in the affair. It was so fresh, so genuine, so unconventional that it went straight to all their hearts, and, besides, made a novel incident in their campaign.
They were all on the side of the would-be bridegroom at once, and anxious for his success. The Adjutant had come up with the order that they should stop where they were, for the regiment would go into camp just below for the day. So they had full leisure to attend to the matter. The Tennesseeans took only a modified interest, for the presence of the Union army was a much more engrossing subject, and they preferred to stand and gaze open-eyed and open-mouthed at the astonishing swarms of blue-clad men rather than to pay attention to a commonplace mountain wooing.
"We have a preacher he"s the Chaplain of the regiment," suggested Si.
"Any sort of a preacher"ll do for me," said Nate sanguinely, "so long "s he"s a preacher Hard Sh.e.l.l, Free Will, Campbellite, Winebrennarian, Methodist, c.u.mberland Presbyterian and kind, so long "s he"s a regularly-ordained preacher, "ll do for me. Won"t hit for you, honey?"
"Granddad"s a Presbyterian," she said, blushing, "and I"d rather he"d be a Presbyterian. Better ax granddad."
Nate hurried over to the grandfather, who was so deeply engrossed in talking politics, the war, and the persecutions the East Tennesseeans had endured at the hands of the rebels with the officers and soldiers gathered around that he did not want to be bothered with such a comparatively unimportant matter as the marriage of a granddaughter.
"Yes, marry her any way you like, so long as you marry her honest and straight," said he impatiently to Nate. Then, as Nate turned away, he explained to those about him: "That"s the 45th grandchild that I"ve had married, and I"m kind o" gittin used t" hit, so t" speak. Nate and her "ve bin keepin" company and courtin" ever sense they wuz weaned, an"
bin pesterin" the life out o" me for years t" let "em git jined. Sooner hit"s done the better. As I wuz sayin", we"uns give 80,000 majority in Tennessee agin Secession, but ole Isham Harris" etc.
"I"ll speak to the Adjutant about it," said Si, when Nate came back glowing with gladness.
The young Adjutant warmly approved the enlistment proposition, and was electrified by the idea of the marriage.
"I"ll go and talk to the Colonel and the Chaplain about it. Why, it"ll be no end of fun. We"ll fix up a wedding-supper for them, have the band serenade them, and send an account of it home to the papers. You go and get them ready, and I"ll attend to the rest. Say, I think we"d better have him enlisted, and then married afterward. That"ll make it a regimental affair. You take him down to Capt. McGillicuddy, that he may take him before the Surgeon and have him examined. Then we"ll regularly enlist him, and he"ll be one of us, and in the bonds of the United States before he is in the bonds of matrimony. It"ll be the first marriage in the regiment, but not the first one that is ardently desired, by a long shot."
The Adjutant gave a little sigh, which Si could not help echoing, and Shorty joined in.
"Well, our turns will come, too, boys," said the Adjutant with a laugh, "when this cruel war is over." And he whistled "The Girl I Left Behind Me" as he rode back to camp.
The Surgeon found Nathan Hartburn physically sound, the oath was duly administered to the young recruit, and he made his mark on the enlistment papers, and was p.r.o.nounced a soldier of the United States, belonging to Co. Q, 200th Ind. He had been followed through all these steps by a crowd of his friends, curious to see just what was the method of "jinin" the Union army," and when Co. Q received its new member with cheers and friendly congratulations the others expressed their eagerness to follow his example.