The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-04
d1ROHER,s DANDY

4 ss79NA osss3s sSAlfby VI HIS ckg ntCCt
years his face wore scared look.
Mother did you take my uniform ou
OF my wardrobe?'
mo, my son.
y ssGirlsa'' looking at us with fierce sus
| picion. 900 --.e~-.
do you think I'd touch those sacred
garmentsgn said Sue. --e.s 4s---..
AS soen NEEDLE with your nous.
tache," added little Nan, shipping her
Tom banged the door and went of
| muttering.
Poor fellow! wonder where it lis. u
said Aunt Annie. anxiously, gathering
up her work.
| 'Now, mother, sit still and don't
trouble yourself said Sue HE never
knows where any Of his things are. ]
wish the ridiculous coat and trousers
were burned, anyhow. Such tom-fool-
cry! 1t is drawing the attention of Mar
shall Paul on us. I heard he said every
man who had be1ongedto that company
was marked a rebel.'i
Marshal Paul, indeedr' said Nan.
tossing her head. paul Pryr'
could not help shudder Up in the
little Northern town from which I had
just comet was in an early year of
the Civil War-we regarded every Union
soldier with reverence. We saw the
war vaguely in the distance; but with
all its gigantic horror it was a sacred
movement to us.
Here, IN the border-town of Dryford,
it put on commonplace, even absurd,
phases, especially when seen through
the eyes of my giddy cousins. Dryford
was an old river town made up of few
Southern families and many North
ern newcomers; the war had degener-
ated into the squabble of neighbor-
hood.
AS a rule, the old people sided with
the Government. Young fellows like
Tom stole off to join Ashby or Lee, and
the girls banged Dixie or 1.-The Bonny
Blue Flag on their pianos,
One week the Streets would be filled
with the army blue. Majors and col
onels would gallop up and down the
town; the next they would vanish. Wild
reports would fly about that Lee was
within an hours march; the Southern
ers would come out into the sun s1nil-
ing, and the loyal women would fall to
burying their spoons, or sewing up their
rings in their skirts. Down in the mud
die and swirl of these little eddies one
forgot whittier the great current of the
war was tending.
Dandy, Toms muiatto body-servant,
set the position of the family before me,
as he drove me from the railroad sta
ton.
''Glad you's come, Miss Aggy. Duh
house 's'vided 'gainst itself bout disyer
fuss. Miss Sue, she bobolitioner. Missy
Nan, she secesh. Mahs Tum an all dat
boys sojer compiny he jine fob de wah,
dey out an out rebel, an me an ole
mist, we hab jes' to keep de balance
tween 'em.'
IF anybody gets into trouble, it viii
be that imp Dandy said Tom, angrily,
when reported the statement.
Dandy was thorn in Tom's side at
dogs and broken horses together peace
ably enough since they were born, but
the mulatto lately had taken to aping
TOMS jaunty airs and graces with in
siderable accuracy. He was of the
same size and almost as white as Tom;
and there was, too, Il singular resem-
blance in feature and expression which
goaded Tom to madness. Dandy, too,
had picked up correct knowledge of
English which he used When occasion
served.
On the evening in question, Toan thrust
his head in the door of the sewing-room
again. s|Thatuniform? Dandy has gone
to the meeting. Do you think he would
dare to take it2o
Sue laughed II have no doubt he
has it on. sword and al. -
III whale him within an inch of his
1ifer' shouted Tom, clapping on his hat
and rushing out.
Now the meeting was one of South
ern sympathizers. 1t was held in the
town hall, and as the aisles were filled
with Union men and boys, the proceed
ings were very lively. AS Tom arrived,
an ex.Congressman-a colonel-was in
the midst of a fiery speech in defence of
the Rebellion. 1t was received coldly.
even by his friends, the colonel having,
the week before, ANONYMOUSLY backed
out of a fight with man named Porter,
in q way which had set the county in a
roar
just as Tom pushed into the door, the
colonel was hurting terrific defiance
against all who differed with him. He
paused to take breath, when shrin |
voice called OUT ~~>--=--
. And how win you pay Porter, coll
onelP''
A startled silence followed. The col
onel stepped to the edge of the platform,
one shaking hand on his jaws, from |
which all the blood had receded.
''The question is an insult to which |
have but one answer He drew out
his card and flung it on the floor. ''H
you are a gentleman, you viii take
bhatr'
An excited mGrT1ur ran over the hall.
In the midst of II, a tall figure dressed
IN a glittering uniform leisurely passed
through the crowd, lifted the card, bow
ed to the colonel, and turning to the
audience, nodded with a familiar wink
and grin.
"Areher's Dandy Toms doubleF'
The shouts and laughter and confusion
we're heard where we sat sewing at Aunt
Annie's. A few moments later, Tom
came In pale with rage.
II will not stay in Dryford another
lay, am the laslghing-stock of the
ownt' he gasped, as his mother met
aim.
The next morning, to my astonish-
nent, Tom really was missing, and Aunt
Annie and the girls went about with
Eyes swollen from weeping.
'sHe has gone" whispered Sue to me.
He is going to get through the lines and
DIN Lee. He has been frantic TO go for
year but mother has kept him. He'll
never cross the lines into the Confeder-
icy alive
was very fond of poor Tom, with
Ill his headstrong whirns; and faithful
Is was TO the Tin; ON, could not help
ceiling more mereiful to the Rebellion
low that the boy had taken mart in it. |