That was enough for the boy, who was disgusted with life on board a privateer. He hastened below, and in less than twenty minutes presented himself in Beardsley"s cabin with his "grip" in one hand and a paper in the other.
"That"s a leave of absence," said Marcy, placing the paper before the captain. "I don"t suppose it is drawn up in proper form, but it will serve to show the people at home that I am there with your permission. I"d be glad if you would sign it."
The captain did so without a word of objection, gave Marcy a few messages to be delivered to his friends in and around Nashville, and promised to look out for his share of the prize money.
"You can keep it, if you can bring yourself to touch it," thought the boy, as he walked ash.o.r.e, after shouting good-by to the crew, and bent his steps toward the nearest telegraph office. "It would burn my hands."
He sent a dispatch to his mother requesting that Morris might be sent to meet him at the depot at a certain time, and to allay any fears that might be awakened in her mind by his sudden return to Newbern, he announced that the privateer had just brought a valuable prize into port. Those few words sent the dispatch through without a cent"s worth of expense to himself.
"So you are one of those gallant fellows, are you?" said the operator. "Well, I"ll send it off and call it square. You deserve a world of credit."
"I can"t for the life of me see where an armed vessel wins credit in capturing one that is entirely without means of defense," replied Marcy, who had heard so much of this sort of talk since he reached Newbern that he was tired of it.
"But that isn"t the point," said the operator. "See what a blow you have struck at the enemy"s commerce. Keep it up long enough and you will drive his hated old rag from the sea."
Marcy had another ride with Morris, who was at the depot waiting for him when his train came in, and reached home at last to receive a tearful welcome from his mother.
"You don"t gush over me at all," said he, as she threw her arms about his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. "Don"t you know that I have roamed the high sea, smelled powder, and helped capture a Yankee vessel? It"s the most despicable business in the world," he added, as he led his mother into the house out of earshot of all the servants. And then he told her how the capture had been effected, and explained why Beardsley would not immediately put to sea to try his luck again. He said, with a long-drawn sigh, that he was glad to get home, and hoped from the bottom of his heart that the Osprey might sink at her wharf before he was ordered to report aboard of her again. As for the prize-money, he supposed he would have to take it or set Beardsley"s tongue in motion; but he would put it carefully away, and send it to the master of the Hollins if he ever had the chance.
"You don"t feel at all as your Cousin Rodney does," said his mother, when he ceased speaking. "A long letter from him addressed to you came during your absence, and I took the liberty to read it. Yes, he enlisted almost as soon as he reached home, and is going with his company to Missouri, where he hopes to join d.i.c.k Graham, who belongs to the state troops under General Price."
"They have both lived up to their principles, but how have I lived up to mine?" said Marcy, taking the letter from his mother"s hand. "I told them I should be true to my colors, no matter what happened, and how have I held to my resolution? I can"t tell them just how I am situated, for suppose the letter should miscarry and fall into the hands of some fellow like Captain Beardsley? This is a nice way to live."
Rodney wrote as if he were full of enthusiasm, and gave a complete history of his movements since the day on which he bade his cousin good-by in Barrington. There was one short paragraph in his letter which will serve as a very good introduction to the second volume of this series of books, and we produce it entire. It ran as follows:
"It wouldn"t be safe for you to come to this country, old fellow, and talk as you did while we were at school. You would be mobbed in spite of all I could do to prevent it. I hope you haven"t got into any trouble by trying to be true to your colors since you have been in North Carolina. I can talk as I please here, and you know I please to denounce everything except secession and independence. I belong to an independent company of cavalry. The colonel commanding the regiment we wanted to join didn"t think he had any authority to accept us unless we would give up our independent organization, and as we were resolved we wouldn"t do that, we began to think we would be obliged to fight on our own hook; but just in the nick of time we learned that the troops serving in Missouri, under Price and McCulloch, were mostly partisans, and that either of those commanders would be glad to accept us. So there is where we are going as soon as we can get transportation, and who knows but I may see our old friend d.i.c.k Graham? Shall I tell him "h.e.l.lo!" for you? We furnish our own horses, the government allowing us sixty cents a day for the use of them. If they die or are killed in action, we are to get another mount from the enemy. Come and join us, Marcy. Throw your Union sentiments to the winds-you"ll have to sooner or later-take sides with the friends of your state, swear allegiance to the flag of the Confederacy and battle for the right. Come and join my company and we"ll have some high old times running the Yankees out of Missouri."
But the sequel proved that the despised Yankees could not be so easily driven; on the contrary they drove the rebels. Marcy"s cousin manfully bore a soldier"s part in some of the hardest battles that were fought in Missouri; and just what he did, and whether or not he enjoyed the "high old times" that came rather sooner than he expected, shall be told in the succeeding volume of this series which will be ent.i.tled, "RODNEY, THE PARTISAN."
THE END.