"I say it is a king," said Billings. "I got him into the row half an hour ago, and crowned him. You knocked the crown off when you moved."
"I know better," said Shorty. "I"ve been watching that piece right along, and he"s never been nearer the king-row than he is this minute."
A hot discussion ensued. The General forgot him self and joined in in his usual positive, authoritative way.
"I say the man had been crowned. I saw him crowned and the crown afterward knocked off. There"s the crown by the side there."
Shorty"s wrath rose. "I told you when you come in here," he said sharply, "not to mix into this game. You"ve got no business in it. Keep your advice till it"s asked for, or git out o" the tent. If you don"t git out I"ll put you out."
"Be careful, my man," said the General, speaking in his usual way. "You are talking to an officer."
"I don"t care if you are a Lieutenant or a Captain, even," Si chimed in; "you have no business mixing in a quiet little game o" checkers between{186} enlisted men."
"I am more than a Captain," said the General, opening his overcoat slightly, to show his double dow of b.u.t.tons.
"Dern" a Major or a Colonel don"t make it much better," said Si, obdurately, but with much more respect.
"I"m higher than a Colonel," said the General, amusedly, and opening his overcoat a little farther.
"Excuse us, General," they all murmured, rising to their feet, and taking the position of a soldier.
"You don"t command our brigade, do you?" said Shorty, trying to get a better view of his face.
"I command this brigade, and several others," said the General, smilingly enjoying their confusion.
"Lord, a Major-General commanding a corps," gasped Shorty, backing up with the rest into line, and saluting with the profoundest respect.
"Still higher," laughed the General, stepping for ward to where the light fell full on his face. "I"m Maj.-Gen. Rosecrans, commanding this army. But don"t be disturbed. You"ve done nothing. You are all ent.i.tled to your opinions, as free American citizens; but I will insist that that man had been in the king row, and should be crowned. But you settle that among yourselves.
"I merely dropped in to compliment you on the skill you have shown in building your house and its comfort. I"m glad to find that it looks even better inside than out. I know that you are good soldiers from the way you take care of yourselves. But so fine a house ought to have a better checker-board than a barrel-head, with grains of corn for men. Who are the owners of the house?"{187}
"Me and him," said Shorty, indicating himself and Si.
"Very good," said the General; "both of you report at my Headquarters to-morrow morning at 10 o"clock. Good night."
"Three cheers and a tiger for Old Rosey," yelled Shorty as soon as he could get his scattered wits together enough to say a word.
They gave three such rousing cheers that the rest of Co. Q came running out of their tents, and joined in cheering, as fast as the news could be communicated to them.
The next morning a squad of prisoners was being conducted toward Army Headquarters. At their head walked a stout, middle-aged farmer, carrying a portly blue umbrella. He had spent the night among the riotous spirits in the guard-house, and had evidently undergone much wear and tear. He looked as if things had not been going his way at all. By him marched the stalwart Provost-Sergeant, with a heavy striped carpetsack under his arm.
Gen. Rosecrans rode up at the head of his staff, from an early morning inspection of some part of the camp. The men saluted and cheered.
"Whom have you here, Sergeant?" said the General, reining up his horse beside the squad.
"That"s Gen. Rosecrans," said one of the guards to Deacon Klegg.
"n.o.body of importance," replied the Sergeant, "except this old man here.
He"s a Knight of the{188} Golden Circle, that we"ve been watching for for some time, going through with information and other things from the Knights of Indiana to the enemy in Tullahoma. I"ve got his carpetsack here. I expect it"s full of papers and contraband stuff. It feels as if it had lead in it. I am taking him to the Provost-Marshal"s for examination."
He set the heavy carpetsack down on the ground, to rest for a minute.
"Gen. Rosecrans, it"s all a plaguey lie," burst out Deacon Klegg. "I"m as loyal a man as there is in the State of Injianny. I voted for Abe Lincoln and Oliver P. Morton. I"ve come down here to visit my son, Josiah Klegg, jr., of the 200th Injianny Volunteers. You know him, General. He"s one o" your officers. He"s a Corporal. He"s the boy that tried to take a commissary wagon away from the rebels durin" the battle, and he"s got a house with a tin roof. You recollect that, don"t you?"
Some of the staff laughed loudly, but the General checked them with a look, and spoke encouragingly to the Deacon.
"Yes, General," continued Mr. Klegg, "I knowed you"d know all about him the minit I mentioned him to you. I told this over and over agin to these plaguey fools, but they wouldn"t believe me. As to that carpetsack havin" things for the enemy, it"s the biggest lie that ever was told.
I"ll open it right here before you to show you. I"ve only got some things that my wife and the girls was sendin to Si."
He fumbled around for his keys.
"Possibly you have made a mistake, Sergeant," said the General. "What evidence have you?"{189}
"We"d got word to look out for just such a man, who"d play off the dodge of being an old plug of a farmer on a visit to his son."
[Ill.u.s.tration: MEETING BETWEEN SI AND HIS FATHER. 189]
"He was on the train with a man whom all the detectives know as one of the worst Knights in the gang. They were talking together all the way.
I{190} arrested the other one, too, but he slipped away in the row this man made to distract our attention."
In the meantime Deacon Klegg had gotten his carpetsack open for the General"s inspection. It was a sorry sight inside. b.u.t.ter, honey, shirts, socks, boots, and cakes are excellent things taken separately, but make a bad mixture. Deacon Klegg looked very dejected. The rest grinned broadly.
"I don"t seem to see anything treasonable so far," said the General.
"Sergeant, take the rest of your prisoners up to the Provost-Marshal, and leave this man with me."
"Gen. Rosecrans," said a familiar voice, "you ordered us to report to you this mornin" at 10 o"clock. We"re here."
The General looked up and saw Corporal Si Klegg and Shorty standing at a "salute."
"Si!" said the Deacon, joyously, sticking out a hand badly smeared with honey and b.u.t.ter.
"Pap!" shouted the Corporal, taking the hand in rapture. "How in the world did you git down here?"
They all laughed now, and the General did not check them.
"Corporal," said he, "I turn this man over to you. I"ll hold you responsible that he don"t communicate with the enemy. But come on up to Headquarters and get your checker-board. I have a very nice one for you."
{192}
CHAPTER XVI. IN A NEW WORLD
DEACON KLEGG HAS A LITTLE EXPERIENCE OF LIFE IN THE ARMY.
"Pap" said Si, by way of introduction, "this is Shorty, my pardner, and the best pardner a feller ever had, and the best soldier in the Army of the c.u.mberland."