"Sergeant!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Si, Shorty and the Deacon, in the same breath.
"Are you sure it"s Sergeant?"
"Yes, it"s Sergeant," said Maria, spelling the t.i.tle out. "Who in the world do you s"pose it"s from, Si?"
"It don"t seem to occur to you that you could find out by openin" it,"
said the Deacon, sarcastically.
"Open it and see who it"s from," said Si.
"The man writes a mighty nice hand," said Maria, scanning the superscription. "Just like that man that taught writing-school here last Winter. It can"t be from him, can it? Didn"t s"pose there was anybody in your company that could write as well as that. Look, Si, and see if you can tell whose handwritin" it is."
"O, open it, Maria," groaned Si, "and you"ll likely find his name writ somewhere inside."
"Don"t be so impatient. Si," said Maria, feeling around for a hair-pin with which to rip open the envelope. "You"re gittin" crosser"n two sticks since you"re gittin" well."
"He certainly does write a nice hand," said Maria, scanning the inclosure deliberately. "Just see how he makes his d"s and s"s. All his up-strokes are light, and all his down ones are heavy, just as the writing-master used to teach. And his curves are just lovely. And what a funny name he has signed. J. T. No; I. T. No; that"s a J, because it comes down below the line. M-c-G-i-l-l--I can"t make out the rest."
"McGillicuddy; ain"t that it?" said Si eagerly. "It"s from Capt.
McGillicuddy. Read it, Maria."
"McGillicuddy. Well, of all the names!" said that deliberate young woman. "Do you really mean to say that any man has really such a name as that?"
""Mandy, take that letter away from her and read it," commanded Si.
"Well, I"m goin" to read your old letter for you, if you"ll just gi"
me time," remonstrated Maria. "What are you in such a hurry for, old cross-patch? Le" me see:
"Headquarters, Co. Q, 200th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
"Chattanooga, Tenn., Nov. 20, 1863.
"Sergeant Josiah Klegg.
"Dear Klegg: I have not heard from you since you left, but I am going to hope that you are getting well right along. All the boys think of you and Shorty, and send their love and their hopes that you will soon be back with us. We all miss you very much.
"I have some good news for you and Shorty. On my recommendation the Colonel has issued a special order promoting you Sergeant and Shorty Corporal, for gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Chickamauga, in which you captured a rebel flag. The order was read on parade this evening. So it is Sergeant Klegg and Corporal Elliott hereafter, and they will be obeyed and respected accordingly. You will take poor Pettibone"s place, and Elliott will take Harney"s.
"I do not know where Elliott is, but expect that he is with you. If so, give him the news, and also the inclosed letter, which came to me. If not, and you know where he is, write him.
"Write me as soon as you can. We are all getting along very well, especially since Grant came up and opened our cracker line. My little hurt is healing nicely, so that I can go about with a cane. We are all getting ready to jump old Bragg on Mission Ridge, and I am going to do my best to go along at the head of Co. Q, though I have been Acting Major and Lieutenant-Colonel since I got up.
"Regards to your father, and believe me, sincerely your friend,
"J. T. MCGILLICUDDY,
"Captain, Co. Q, 200th Ind. Inf. Vols."
Maria pa.s.sed the letter over to Si to read again, and without more ado opened the inclosure. As she did so, a glance of recognition of the handwriting flashed upon Shorty, and he started to take the letter from her, but felt ashamed to do so.
"Why, this is from a woman," said Maria, "and she writes an awful bad, scratchy hand." Being a woman"s letter she was bound to read it without loss of time, and she did so:
"Bad Ax, Wis., Nov. 10.
"Capt. McGillicuddy.
"Dear Sir: I believe you command the company, as they call it, in which there was a gentleman named Mr. Elliott. The papers reports that he was kild at thfe battle of Chickamaugy. I had some correspondence with him, and I sent him my picture.
Would you kindly write me the particklers of his death, and also what was done with sich letters and other things that he had? I would very much like to have you return me my letters and picture if you have them. Send them by express to Miss Jerusha Briggs, at this plais, and I will pay the charges. I will explain to you why I want them sent to a difrunt naim than that which I sign. Upon learnin" of Mr.
Elliott"s deth I excepted the addresses of Mr. Adams, whose wife pa.s.sed away last summer. You may think I was in a hurry, but widowers always mene bizniss when they go a-courtin", as you will know if ever you was a widower, and he had two little girls who needed a mother"s care. My husband is inclined to be jelous, as widowers usually are, and I don"t want him to ever know nothin" about my letters to Mr.
Elliott, and him havin" my picture. I am goin" to ask you to help me, as a gentleman and a Christian, and to keep this confidential.
"Very respectfully,
"Mrs. Benj. F. Adams."
They all listened eagerly to the reading of the letter, and when it was finished looked for Shorty. But he had gone outside, where there was more air.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SHORTY WENT OUTSIDE WHERE THERE WAS MORE AIR. 101]
CHAPTER VIII. SI IS PROMOTED
ANNABEL APPRISED OF IT--SHORTY MEETS JERUSHA.
ANNABEL came in just as the reading of the letter was finished and her arrival caused a commotion in the family, as it always did, which momentarily distracted attention from the missive and Shorty"s absence.
She and the mother and daughters had to exchange kisses and news about the health of both families. Then she had to give a filial kiss to the Deacon, who had already begun to a.s.sume paternal airs toward her, and finally she got around to Si. Neither of them had yet got to the point of "kissing before folks," and had to be content with furtive squeezing of hands. Si"s heart was aching to have Annabel read Capt.
McGillicuddy"s letter, yet such was his shame-faced modesty that not for the world would he have alluded to it before the family. If he had been alone with her, he might have slipped the letter unopened into her hand, with a shy request for her to read it, but so sternly was the Deacon and his family set against anything like "vainglory" and "self-praise"
that he could not bring himself to mention that such a letter had been received. At last, when full particulars had been given about the spread of measles and whooping-cough, who was to preach and who to be baptized at the coming quarterly meeting, Maria"s active mind turned to things nearer Si"s heart, and she said:
"O, Si"s got sich a nice letter from his officer-boss, his Corporal, or Colonel, or General, or whatever they call him--Mister--"
"My Captain--Capt. McGillicuddy, Maria," said Si, reddening at Maria"s indifference to and ignorance of military t.i.tles.
"Yes, Mr. McMillifuddy. Did you ever hear of such a ridiculous name?"
"McGillicuddy--Capt. McGillicuddy, Maria. Why can"t you get his name right?"
"Well, if I had sich a name as that I wouldn"t expect people to git it right. There"s no sense in havin" a Dutch name that makes your tongue crack like a whip. Well, this Mr. McFillemgoody is Si"s boss, and he writes a nice letter, and says Si done so well at Chickamaugy that some other boss--a Colonel or Corporal--"
"The Colonel, Maria. The Colonel commands the whole regiment. Won"t you never know the difference? A Colonel"s much higher than a Corporal. You girls never will learn nothin"."
"Well, I never kin tell t"other from which," replied Maria, petulantly.
"And I don"t have to. I don"t care a hill o" beans whether a Corporal bosses or a Colonel, or t"other way. Anyhow, Si"s no longer a Corporal.
He"s a Sargint."
"O, Si," said Annabel, her big blue eyes filling with grief; "I"m so sorry."
"Why, Annabel," said Si, considerably abashed; "what"s the matter? Don"t you understand. I"m promoted. Sergeant"s higher than a Corporal."