"Here, give me yo" hand an" I"ll help you up. Wait, I"ll make the seat soft with this coat. Now we"re all right. An" I"ve got a baked turkey leg an" some mighty fine blackberry cordial--your"n."
She thanked him, and when she had eaten and drunk, he began to apologize for his slowness in permitting her to ride with him.
"Ma"m, I didn"t know but you mout be one these here women preachers. One of "em come up into my neighborhood an" it seemed that befo" she come nature was a smilin" like she was waitin" fur her sweetheart. Well, me an" my wife went to hear her preach, an" she talked right well--never hearn a woman talk better--an" she cotch the folks. Worse than that, she cotch my wife an" turned my home into a h.e.l.l, an" nature shut her eyes an" all war dark fur me. Nothin" would do my wife, but she must go out an" preach too. I begged her--told her that I loved her better than I did forty gospels, an" I did; but she would go. I told her not to come back--but one night about three months atterward, when it was a pourin"
down rain, an" my little child was a cryin", there come a knock on the door, an"--an" I know"d. I opened it an" there she was an" as I was a huggin" of her, she says, "Jeff, I b"l"eve a woman"s duty is at home.
Christ was a man." Ma"m, I kin haul you all the way down there. I know where the jail is--I"ve been in there--an" I"ll take you right straight to it."
"What did they take you there for?"
"It war a funny thing. I went up in the hill country, fur up from my home, an" the man what I stopped with was a maker of licker--an" atter dark I went with him to his still an" helped him fetch some wood for the fire; an" jest as I flung down a turn, bang, bang, an" here was the government men. Well, they tuck us down, an" of course I know"d I"d git outen it for I hadn"t made no licker, but, bless you, the jedge sent me to the penitentiary for a year; an" ever sense then my wife she "lows that I"m afeared to fetch up enough wood at home. Ain"t a cryin", air you" ma"m?"
"They air goin" to hang Jasper," she moaned.
"You don"t mean Jasper Starbuck. Well, I"ll be blamed," he added, reading her answer in her tear-streaming eyes. "I hope not, ma"m. Did you ever hear him say anythin" about Jeff Waters? Mebby not, fur he never ricollecks sich things. But he toted me off the field at Shiloh when the bullets was like a swarm of bees. That"s how I come to have this," he said, and raising his left leg, hit it a resounding whack with the hickory staff of his whip. "Timber, ma"m."
That night they were given shelter at a farmer"s house, and were on their journey again by the rising of the sun, but shortly afterward the cart ran into a rut and one of the wheels was broken. Margaret petulantly wondered if the Lord were trying to keep her from reaching Nashville, and Jeff Waters replied:
"Well, if He tries right hard, He"ll hold you back all right."
In the woods he cut a pole, braced his axletree, and dragged the cart four miles to a blacksmith"s shop, and two hours afterward, having lost much time precious to the woman, they were again jogging along the road.
They put up at a tavern at night, Jeff sleeping in his cart under a shed, explaining that he was now close enough to town to warrant such precaution against thievery.
"I don"t know why there air mo" thieves in town than in the country," he said, and Margaret challenged his admiration and aroused his surprise by remarking:
"I reckon it"s because there air mo" folks in town."
He told her that she was gifted with fine reason and that the one saying alone was more than enough to pay her pa.s.sage.
As they drew nearer to town she began to grow nervous, but, with her woman"s tact, exhibited no astonishment at what she saw; nor did she, after entering a busy street, show that she had ever been accustomed to a scene less lively. They drove straightway to the jail, and when tremulously she inquired for Jasper, they told her that he was not there.
In the mountains Tom and Lou were sojourning in a little town, when by chance they heard of the old man"s arrest. At first Lou was overcome with alarm and grief, but her husband charmed her back to enthusiasm and to smiles.
"Why," said he, "they will take him before my father, and as soon as I get there the governor will turn him loose--be tickled to do it."
"But they will take him to jail, won"t they?"
"Mebby, if they don"t take him up home. By this time they"ve found out all about him. We"ll drive across the country, get on a railroad train and be there in a jiffy."
CHAPTER XXIV.
TWO FRUITFUL WITNESSES.
Upon the case of the illicit distiller Judge Elliott had ever sat with utmost severity. As a colonel of cavalry he had distinguished himself.
His left sleeve was empty. Lukewarm friends said that he was harsh and unforgiving. His intimates pointed to the fact that children were fond of him.
One morning he came into the chambers adjoining the court-room and for a long time sat musing at his desk. Capt. Johnson, U. S. Marshal, and Foster, deputy, came in shortly afterward, the captain taking a seat at his desk and Foster standing like a sentinel at the closed door. The captain, after examining a number of papers, glancing round from time to time as if to note whether or not the Judge had come out of his abstraction, remarked to Foster:
"How"s your barometer? Or should I call it thermometer?"
"Both, I guess," Foster replied. "I have two."
He meant old wounds, foretellers of weather whims.
"Are we going to have rain, Foster?"
"Don"t know--I feel fair weather."
"My instrument may be a little acuter than yours. Mine says rain."
The Judge looked up. "Rain by all means," said he; and then after a time the Captain remarked:
"Doesn"t appear that you are going to have much of a vacation, Judge."
"That"s a fact, and to one I had been looking forward. I am tired of this everlasting hum-drum, listening to false statements and prying into the criminal weaknesses of other men. The Lord knows that we have weaknesses enough of our own. But I don"t see any immediate relief. The criminal docket precludes any adjournment. And I have a civil case under advis.e.m.e.nt. My son Tom is married. And so is my sister."
"What!" exclaimed the Marshal. "When did all this occur?"
From his pocket the Judge took a letter. "Tom and my sister went up into the mountains and--this letter tells all I know about it, and it is little enough:
"Dear Father: I have married a mountain girl and auntie has married her cousin, a preacher, but a good fellow all the same. I called it a double stroke of lightning, but auntie said it was perfume stealing down from the wild vines. For me it wasn"t anything that came stealing--but with a jump. As soon as I saw her I said to myself, "wow, I"m gone." You have always chided me for being what you called too brazen with girls, but this girl scared me in a minute. It"s a fact, but I said to myself, "Old fellow, what"s the matter with your knees?" I made up my mind to win her if I could, but she kept me cowed, not by what she said, for she didn"t say much, but by what she looked. Auntie"s husband"s preaching knocks anything I ever heard--that is, I hear it does, for he hasn"t preached for us yet. I would have written to you sooner, but the creek rose suddenly and the mail couldn"t get over. When I come home I will offer my wife as a plea for pardon, and if you don"t grant it I will appeal from your decision. To-day we go on higher up the mountains where we can stand on tip-toe (auntie"s idea) and touch the honey-moon. She and Jim ain"t with us at present, having gone over to his preaching grounds, fifteen miles from here. We are in a little town that looks like stage scenery. Haven"t seen but one fellow that looked like he could box.
If my wife don"t object, I may try him a few rounds. If I can get within range I may draw on you, as I am about broke. Yours, Tom.""
The Judge slowly folded the letter, and putting it into his pocket, remarked: "The rascal doesn"t even tell her name."
"Well," smilingly replied the Marshal, "her name is Elliott now, you know."
"Yes," the Judge mused, "so it would seem. Draw on me if he gets within range. Oh, he"ll get the range all right. I have never known him to fail."
"By the way, Judge, have you decided to take up the case of that old man Starbuck to-day? He is in there, ready."
"Yes. I have heard that he was a gallant soldier in the Union army, and I have decided to examine him here in chambers. I wish to save him every possible humiliation. And I don"t know but it might be well to examine those witnesses here, informally. Mr. Foster, bring in those witnesses."
Foster opened the door, stepped out into the corridor, and with a motion of his hand, commanded: "This way, you two."
And into the room came Laz and Mose. The Judge, who at the time was looking over a paper, paid no attention to them as they entered. Laz took off his hat and stood near the desk, staring at him. Nearer the Marshal stood Mose, with his hat on. The Marshal motioned for Mose to take off his hat and the stammerer made similar motions at the Marshal, as if answering a flirtation. The Marshal made a sign to Foster, who, while Mose was looking in another direction, advanced and took off his hat. Mose wheeled about, s.n.a.t.c.hed his hat, and, recognizing Foster, shook hands with him. Then he shook hands with the Marshal, turned and walked over toward the Judge, who was still absorbed in his paper.
"Judge," said the Marshal, "these are the witnesses."
Mose stretched forth his hand, and with a sharp pencil rap upon the desk, the Judge commanded: "Stand where you are."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "IF YOU AIR THE JEDGE, I AM SORTER DISERP"INTED IN YOU."]