With a foreboding that the scene was going to be made unpleasant for him, Billings led the General into the guard-room.
[Ill.u.s.tration: WHY, IT"S SHORTY! SAID THE GENERAL, RECOGNIZING HIM AT ONCE 129]
"Why, it"s Shorty," said the General, recognizing him at once, "who ran back at Stone River, in a heavy fire, and helped me from under my horse."
Shorty winked and nodded affirmatively.
"What was the matter, Colonel?" inquired the General.
"Well," said Billings, defensively, "the feller is a straggler, without papers to show where he belonged, and he was very sa.s.sy to me--called me a liar, and said other mean things, right before my men, and I had to order him bucked-and-gagged to shut him up."
"Strange," said General; "I always found him very respectful and obedient. I thought I hadn"t a better soldier in my brigade."
Shorty winked appreciatively at Serg"t Elkins.
"Take out the gag, let him up, and let me hear what he has to say," said the General.
Shorty was undone and helped to his feet, when he respectfully saluted.
His weakness was so apparent that the General ordered him to sit down, and then asked him questions which brought out his story. "You were promoted Corporal, if I recollect," said he, "for gallantry in capturing one of the rebel flags taken by my brigade."
"Yes, sir," answered Shorty.
Billings was feeling very uncomfortable.
"He called me a liar, and a stay-at-home sneak, and other insultin"
things," protested he.
"General, he slandered the 200 Ind., which I won"t allow no man to do, no matter what he has on his shoulders. I told him that he"d bin fired out o" the regiment, and was a-b.u.mmin" in the rear, and hadn"t no business abusin" men who was doin" and respectful."
"Hum--very insubordinate, very unsoldierly," said the General. "Very unlike you. Corporal. I"m surprised at you. You were always very obedient and respectful."
"Always to real officers," said Shorty; "but--"
"Silence," said the General, sternly. "Don"t aggravate the offense. You were properly punished."
"I ain"t kickin" about it," said Shorty stubbornly. "I"ve got the worth of it."
"I think," continued the General, after having properly vindicated discipline, "that that blow you received on your head may affect your brain at times, and make you unduly irritable. I think I"ll have the Surgeon examine you. Put him in an ambulance, Wilson, and take him over to the Surgeon. Then bring him to Headquarters with the report."
Turning to the Lieutenant-Colonel the General said:
"I had another object in visiting you this morning. Colonel. I"ve got some good news for you. I"ve found your officers and men very weary of their long tour of provost duty here, and anxious to go to the front. Of course, I know that you feel the same way."
Billings tried to look as if he did, but the attempt was not a success.
"I have represented to Headquarters, therefore," continued the General, "that it would be to the advantage of the service to have this fine full regiment sent to the front, and its place taken by one that has been run down by hard service, and so get a chance for it to rest and recruit.
The General has accepted my views, and orders me to have you get ready to move at once."
"I have tried to do my dooty here, and I thought," murmured Billings, "that it was to the advantage of the Government to have as Provost-Marshal a man who knowed all these fellers and their tricks.
It"d take a new man a long time to learn "em."
"I appreciate that," said the General. "But it"s not just to you or your men to make you do so much of this work. I"m expecting every minute notice of a regiment being sent to relieve yours, and therefore you will be ready to start as soon as it arrives. Good morning, sir."
The only relief that Billings could find to his feelings after the General"s departure was to kick one of the men"s dog out of his office with a great deal of vindictiveness.
CHAPTER X. SHORTY AS ORDERLY
HAS A TOUR OF DUTY AT THE GENERAL"S HEADQUARTERS.
"WELL," said the General, after he had listened to Shorty"s story, and questioned him a little, "you are all right now. I"ll take care of you.
The Surgeon says that you are not fit to go back to the front, and will not be for some time. They have got more sick and convalescents down there now than they can take good care of. The army"s gone into Winter quarters, and will probably stay there until Spring opens, so that they don"t need either of us. I"ll detail you as Orderly at these Headquarters, and you can go back with me when I do."
"I s"pose that"s all right and satisfactory," said Shorty, saluting.
"It"s got to be, anyway. In the army a man with a star on his shoulder"s got the last say, and kin move the previous question whenever he wants to. I never had no hankerin" for a job around Headquarters, and now that I"m a Korpril I ought to be with my company. But they need you worse"n they do me, and I"ve noticed that you was always as near the front as anybody, so I don"t think I"ll lose no chances by stayin" with you."
"I promise you that we shall both go as soon as there"s any prospect of something worth going for," said the General, smiling. "Report there to Wilson. He will instruct you as to your duties."
Wilson"s first instructions were as to Shorty"s personal appearance. He must get a clean shave and a hair-cut, a necktie, box of paper collars, a pair of white gloves, have blouse neatly brushed and b.u.t.toned to his throat and his shoes polished.
"Dress parade every day?" asked Shorty, despairingly.
"Just the same as dress parade every day," answered the Chief Clerk.
"Don"t want any scarecrows around these Headquarters. We"re on dress parade all the time before the people and other soldiers, and must show them how soldiers ought to appear. You"ll find a barber-shop and a bootblack around the corner. Make for them at once, and get yourself in shape to represent Headquarters properly."
"Don"t know but I"d ruther go to the front and dig rifle-pits than to wear paper collars and white gloves every day in the week," soliloquized Shorty, as he walked out on the street. "Don"t mind "em on Sunday, when you kin take "em off agin when the company"s dismissed from parade; but to put "em on in the mornin" when you git up, and wear "em till you go to bed at night--O, Jehosephat! Don"t think I"ve got the const.i.tution to stand that sort o" thing. But it"s orders, and I"ll do it, even if it gives me softenin" o" the brain. Here, you--(beckoning to a bootblack), put a 250-pounder Monitor coat o" polish on them Tennessee River gunboats. Fall in promptly, now."
The little darky gave an estimating glance at the capacious cowhides, which had not had a touch of the brush since being drawn from the Quarter master, and then yelled to a companion on the other side of the street:
"Hey, Taters, come lend me a spit. I"se got a" army contrack."
"Vhat golor off a gravat do you vant?" asked the Jewish vender of haberdashery, who was rapidly ama.s.sing a fortune from the soldiers.
"Dere"s plack, red, kreen, plue--all lofely golors, unt de vinest kint off silk. Yoost de same as Cheneral Krant vears. He puys lods off me.
Von"t puy off nopody else vhen he gan ket to me. Now, dere"s vun dat"ll yoost suit your light gomplexion. You gan vear dat on St. Batrick"s day."
And he picked out one of bright green that would have made Shorty"s throat seem in wild revolt against his hair.
"Well, I don"t know," said Shorty meditatively, pulling over the lot.
Then a thought struck him. Taking out the bit of Maria"s dress, he said:
"Give me something as near as possible the color of that."
"Veil, I"ve kot rid off datt off-golored negdie, dat I fought I nefer vould sell," meditated the Jew, as Shorty left. "I"m ahet yoost a tollar-unt-a-haluf on aggount off dat vild Irishman"s kirl. Veil, de kirls ket some fellers into sgrapes, unt helps udders oud."
With this philosophical observation the Jew resumed his pleasant work of marking up his prices to better accord with his enlarged views as to the profits he could get off the soldiers.
When Shorty returned to Headquarters, neatly shaven and brushed, and took the position of a soldier before the Chief Clerk, that functionary remarked approvingly: