Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-02-19
CHICK
By Captain F. A. Mitchell.
Copyright, isel. by American Press Associa'
ton.
CHAPTER VI.
TuLIAHoMA.

and will DO obeyed and respected a'
such. TIE announcement, coucbed III
these terms. SO delighted Jakey that he
came well nigh losing his balance ano
falling Off old Toms back and getting
himself trampled on by the rest Of the
staff. But after the first furry he made
most efficient aid id-decamp-that Is,
| il riding close beside the colonel and
being always ready for an order which
tas never given constitutes a good stan
| pRcer.
About noon the Notifications around
the town of Tullahoma suddenly appear
ed before them. Though il was plair
now that they were not TO BE- defended,
the advancing force half expected to SCI
a cloud Of smoke burst from them. Bui
they were silent and impotent withou'
troops to man them.
Dashing from the edge Of the wood,
| Colonel Maynard. followed by Jakey
and the rest Of the staff. rode over the
intervening space. and in few min
utcS were climbing the slanting sidos
Of the earthworks A point had been
| gained which. without the previous ma.
neuyers, would have cost thousands al
lives. Even Jakcy Slack. who can hard.
" be called an educated soldier, eXpe
rienced u certain comfort on riding un
opposed over breastworks so formidable.
Once within them. he got of his horse,
and seeing big siege gun from under
which the carriage had been burned
| climbed on To it and sat a.straddle, wav.
ing his hat and cheering as vociferously
a. If the victory had been exclusively
due 10 his.own genius
His hilarlty was suddenly queuched
b. the colonel. who riding up 10 him,
told him that the brigade was ordered
forward in pursuit Of the Ietrcating
enemy. and that he must 20 back TO
his father and sister. Jakoy begged hard
20 go on, bat his appeal was unavail.
ing His brief dignity must be resigned.
From aid-de-camp on the staff OF the
colonel commanding the -th brigade,
ITO be obeyed and respected as such. !"
he must be reduced 10 the level of q
small boy.
The colonel gave him hug before
parting and told him that he would
send a trooper with him TO see him safe.
" on his way, Had Jakey been sol
dior his action on this occasion would
have been considered by any court mar
tial rank mutiny.
"D'y think | hain't nobody nohow:
Didn't / go with v last summer teI
Chattanooga when y war nuthin but a
scout: y didn't stay III Jail with y:
N now yer talkin bout sendin a sojer
with me 70 nurse.
"All right. Jakey. Go alone If you
prefer II. "
The colonel rode away, and Jakey,
shorn ot the plumage he had worn 80
bccomiuclv for whole half day, pro-
cccdcd on his return journey. BE first
inquired the most direct route 10 Hills
boro. and having been directed 10 IL ho
SIT of ut a brisk trot He had eaten
nothing since early morning and was
rayenously hungry. At u farmhouse by
the way he secured meal for himself
and a good feed for Tom Then the old
woman who furnished them gave him
kiss and started him again ON his
journey.
Jakey had not gone far before no
came TO road connecting Hillsboro
with the cMinnville branch Of the
railroad at a place called Concord. The
road on which he was travelling forked
into the other at an acute angle, the two
running nearly parallel for short dis
tance. Looking ahead toward the fork,
he saw a rig which struck him at once
as being astonishingly familiar. IL was
none other than the rawboned horse and
paint bcreft buggy he had seen several
times before. As IL drew near. .Jakey
could see some one III the buggy. and
he WAS not long in recognizing the Pc
culiar dress Of Miss Betsy Baggs
Hello, Miss Bags! Whar y goin
att" he called.
Never word spoke Miss Baggs. She
sat bolt upright IN her buggy. regard
ing the boy fixedly as Bobby Lee trian-
gula,ed onward. AS she passed she
turned her head slowly, keeping her
speCtacles on Jakey with an unearthly
stare. There l. something superstitiouS
in all human beings and especially III
bows. Something like shiver ran down
Jakev's back a; sight of this singular
person, who knew him perfectly, yet
who passed him, her head turning me-
chanical!y, without uttering word
For a moment he was tempted to believe
that Miss Baggs had perished, and this
was her ghost going TO seek rest III
some other land than war SCARED Ten
nessee. But this feeling was momenta-
~. Throwing it off, he shouted:
shell give yer love ter Rats when
l see him.
If Miss Baggs was trying to make the
boy believe he was mistaken, or that he
saw her disembodied spirit, her effort
failed signally at this point. A peal OF
suppressed laughter came back on the
breeze to Jakey. Looking after her, he
saw the back of the buggy, from which
streamed the tatters of the top and un-
der it Bob Lees four legs mingled in
inextricable confusion, doing some OF
their best work.
''She uus hain't bent on no good,
said Jakey to himself as he gave Tom
/ Jog. Reckon she's up ter somep'n."
Jakey rode on musing upon Miss
Baggs. He had noticed her kind treat
ment of his sister. and as Jakey was
disposed to regard Souri, the most i'm
portant person on earth after Colonel
MAYNARD Miss Baggs had thus found
her way into that youthful something
or other which for want OF a better
name may be called Jakey's heart. His
remark was made with great serious
ness. Jakey felt that it was his duty as
a Union sympathizer to put some one
Oh Hiss Baggs' track. "She mought be
worken TO the Confederates, he mus
ed, "'n then agin she moughtn't. |"
The latter view was most agreeable to
him, because he liked Miss Baggs and
would grieye to see any harm come to
her.
| While he was jogging along. turning
the matter over in his mind, ne saw
several horsemen in blue and yellow
come tearing down the road. They REIN
ed IN when they came up with him and
opened a volley of questions