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Produced by David Edwards, Emmy and the Online Distributed | |
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was | |
produced from images generously made available by The | |
Internet Archive) | |
[Illustration: BULL RUN.] | |
THE SOCK STORIES, | |
BY "AUNT FANNY'S" DAUGHTER. | |
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE SOCKS. | |
Part Second. | |
BEING | |
THE SECOND BOOK OF THE SERIES. | |
BY | |
"AUNT FANNY'S" DAUGHTER, | |
THE AUTHOR OF "THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL." | |
NEW YORK: | |
LEAVITT & ALLEN, 21 & 23 MERCER ST. | |
1863. | |
ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, by | |
S. L. BARROW, | |
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States | |
for the | |
Southern District of New York. | |
JOHN F. TROW, | |
PRINTER, STEREOTYPER, AND ELECTROTYPER, | |
50 Greene Street, New York. | |
CONTENTS OF VOL. II. | |
PAGE | |
COLONEL FREDDY; OR, THE MARCH AND ENCAMPMENT | |
OF THE DASHAHED ZOUAVES, | |
CHAP. I.--BELLIGERENT POWERS, 5 | |
II.--BULL RUN, 30 | |
III.--BEFORE MONTEREY, 50 | |
IV.--A GRAND REVIEW, 87 | |
V.--"HOME! SWEET HOME!" 111 | |
CONCLUSION, 125 | |
COLONEL FREDDY; | |
OR, | |
THE MARCH AND ENCAMPMENT OF THE DASHAHED ZOUAVES. | |
PART II. | |
CHAPTER I. | |
BELLIGERENT POWERS. | |
TUESDAY morning dawned "as clear as a bell," as an old lady once said, | |
and the Dashahed Zouaves, if not exactly up with the sun, were awake and | |
stirring at a much earlier hour than usual; and after a rather more | |
careful washing and brushing than soldiers usually indulge in, | |
assembled on the lawn, looking as bright as their own buttons. | |
"What fun it is to be soldiers!" cried a little lisping fellow, one of | |
the privates. "I only wish thome Southerners would come along now, and | |
you'd thee how I'd _thmash_ 'em." | |
"Bravo, Louie!" said Harry, laughing; "I dare say, if we were to go to | |
the wars, you'd keep on fighting the battles of your country till you | |
were chopped into inch bits!" | |
"And pickled! I expect to be made Lieutenant-general, | |
Commander-in-chief, Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant | |
Hamilton at the very least!" | |
"Pooh! that's nothing to the feats of bravery I intend to perform!" | |
cried Peter. "In my first battle I shall capture a 2,000-pound | |
columbiad with one hand tied behind me, and carry it home for a paper | |
weight!" | |
"While I'm charging a regiment of mounted infantry single handed, and | |
making them throw away their swords, and pistols, and things, and run | |
for that 'last ditch' of theirs double quick!" said Will Costar, | |
laughing; "but here comes breakfast, I'm happy to say. It strikes me | |
camping out makes a fellow awful hungry, as well as no end of brave." | |
A servant who had been sent from the house with breakfast materials, now | |
approached, and the table being laid, the soldiers drew their camp | |
stools around it; Colonel Freddy sitting at the head and pouring out | |
coffee with great gravity. Everything was going on smoothly enough, when | |
Harry tilted the tray on one side, and Charley knocked his elbow on the | |
other, and away went the coffee to the very end of the table! | |
"Charley," exclaimed the Colonel, severely, "what do you mean, sir? I'll | |
have you put in arrest if you don't look out!" | |
"Who'll put me there?" | |
"Me!" shouted Peter. "I'm the boy to manage refractories. You'll see how | |
I will come after you with a sharp stick--bayonet, I mean--and put you | |
in arrest like that!" snapping his fingers. | |
"By the way, when we've caught our rebels, where is the prison to be?" | |
asked Jimmy. | |
"Why, in the smoke house. There's a patent spring bolt on the | |
door--father had it fixed the last time we had hams made; and if anybody | |
was once in there, they'd never get out in the world, unless they could | |
draw themselves fine like a wire and squeeze through the chimney." | |
"We'll take care to keep out of it, then!" said Charley; "so, Colonel, I | |
beg pardon for tilting the biggin--I didn't mean to do it so | |
much--really!" | |
"I, too!" cried Harry; "shake hands, old chap!" | |
Good-tempered Freddy, always ready to "make up," caught a hand of each | |
of his comrades, and breakfast went on amicably. | |
Now, there lived in the house an old English man servant named Jerry | |
Pike. He had formerly been a groom and attendant on Peter's uncle, Major | |
Schermerhorn, and volunteered in the army at the time of the war with | |
Mexico, that he might follow his dear master, whom he had served and | |
loved ever since the Major was a mere boy. He had fought bravely beside | |
him in many a hard battle, and, for his gallant conduct, been promoted | |
to the rank of sergeant. When the hand of death removed that kind | |
master, Mr. Schermerhorn had gladly taken Jerry to his own house, and | |
promised him that should be his home as long as he lived. So now, like | |
a gallant old war horse, who has a fresh green paddock, and lives in | |
clover in his infirm age, Jerry not only stood at ease, but lived at | |
ease; and worked or not as he felt disposed. | |
When breakfast was over, Peter suddenly cried out, "I say, fellows, | |
suppose we employ ourselves by having a drill! You know old Jerry that I | |
told you about? I'll ask him to give us a lesson!" | |
"Yes! that will be grand fun!" said Freddy. "Do go and find him, Peter; | |
I should really like to learn how to drill as the soldiers do; so when | |
General McClellan comes along, he'll admire us as much as the English | |
General, old Sir Goutby Slogo, did the Seventh Regiment when they | |
paraded before the Prince. 'Really, most extraordinary style of marching | |
these American troops have,' said he, 'most hequal to the 'Orse Guards | |
and the Hoxford Blues coming down Regent street!'" | |
Meanwhile, Peter had scampered off to the house, and in a short time | |
returned with a comical-looking little old man, dressed in faded | |
regimentals. | |
He touched his cap to the boys as he approached, in military style, and | |
then drew himself up so very stiff and straight, awaiting their orders, | |
that, as Freddy whispered to Tom, it was a perfect wonder he didn't snap | |
short off at the waist. | |
"Now, Jerry," began the Colonel, "we want you to give us a _real_ | |
drill, you know, just as you used to learn." | |
"Yes, a regular one!" chimed in the rest; "we'll run for our guns." | |
"Not fur your fust drill, I reckon, genl'men. You'll do bad enough | |
without 'em, hech, hech!" cackled Jerry. | |
"Very well--come begin then, Jerry!" cried impatient Will. | |
"Are ye all ready?" | |
"Yes, and waiting." | |
"Then, genl'men, FALL IN!" exclaimed the sergeant, the first two words | |
being uttered in his natural voice, but the last in an awful sepulchral | |
tone, like two raps on the base kettle drum. Off duty, Jerry rather | |
resembled a toy soldier, but when in giving his orders he stiffened his | |
body, threw up his head, and stuck out his hands, he looked so like the | |
wooden figures out of Noah's ark, that the boys burst into a shout of | |
laughter. | |
"Now, genl'men," exclaimed Jerry in a severe tone, "this won't do. | |
Silence in the ranks. Squad! 'Shun. The fust manoover I shel teach you, | |
genl'men, is the manoover of 'parade rest.' Now look at me, and do as I | |
do." | |
Anybody would have supposed, naturally enough, that to stand at rest | |
meant to put your hands in your pockets and lean against a tree; but | |
what Jerry did, was to slap his right hand against his left, like a | |
torpedo going off, and fold them together; stick out his left foot, lean | |
heavily upon his right, and look more like a Dutch doll than ever. | |
The boys accordingly endeavored to imitate this performance; but when | |
they came to try it, a difficulty arose. Whatever might be their usual | |
ideas on the subject, there was a diversity of opinion now as to the | |
proper foot to be advanced, and a wild uncertainty which was the left | |
foot. The new soldiers shuffled backward and forward as if they were | |
dancing hornpipes; while Jerry shouted, "Now, then, genl'men, I can't | |
hear them hands come together smartly as I'd wished, not like a row of | |
Jarsey cider bottles a poppin' one arter the other, but all at once. | |
Now, then, SQUAD! 'SHUN!" in a voice of thunder, "Stan' at parade rest! | |
No--no--them _lef futs_ adwanced! Well if ever!" And Jerry in his | |
indignation gave himself such a thump on his chest that he knocked all | |
the breath out of his body, and had to wait some moments before he could | |
go on; while the boys, bubbling over with fun, took his scoldings in | |
high good humor, and shrieked with laughter at their own ridiculous | |
blunders, to the high wrath of their ancient instructor; who was so | |
deeply interested and in earnest about his pursuit, that he didn't fail | |
to lecture them well for their "insubornation;" which, indeed, nobody | |
minded, except Tom Pringle, who, by the by, was from Maryland, and many | |
of whose relations were down South. He had been looking rather sulky | |
from the beginning of the drill, and now suddenly stepped from his place | |
in the ranks, exclaiming, "I won't play! now I vow I won't!" | |
"Why, Tom, what is the matter? Are you mad at us?" cried half a dozen | |
voices at once. | |
"Humm--" grumbled sulky Tom. | |
"What say? I can't hear you," said Freddy. "Nonsense, Tom, don't be | |
poky, come back and drill." | |
"I won't! Let us alone, will you?" | |
"All we want is, let us alone!" chanted Peter. "There, Fred, let him be | |
cross if he wants to, we can play without him;" and the boys ran back to | |
their places in the ranks, Freddy calling out, "Come fellows, let's try | |
that old parade rest once more;" and on Jerry's giving the command, they | |
really _did_ do it this time, and were pronounced capable of passing to | |
grander evolutions. | |
The first of these was the turn about so as to fall in ranks; something | |
the Dashahed Zouaves hadn't dreamt of before. Get into ranks? Nothing | |
could be easier than to stand four in a row, as they had done before; | |
but when it came to "right face," most of the soldiers were found to | |
have opposite views on the subject, and faced each other, to their | |
mutual astonishment. The natural consequence was, that in three seconds | |
the regiment was in such a snarl and huddle, that no one could tell | |
which rank he belonged to or anything else; so Jerry, perfectly purple | |
in the face with shouting, by way of helping them out of the scrape, | |
gave them the following remarkable advice: "Squad, 'shun! At th' wud | |
'Foz' the rer-rank will stepsmartly off wi' th' leffut, tekkinapesstoth' | |
rare--Fo-o-o-res!" | |
"W-h-a-t!" was the unanimous exclamation. | |
Jerry repeated his mandate, which, after infinite puzzling (the honest | |
sergeant being no assistance whatever), was discovered to mean, "At the | |
word 'Fours,' the rear rank will step smartly off with the left foot, | |
taking a pace to the rear. Fours!" | |
This difficulty solved, the next "article on the programme," as Peter | |
said, was the command March! or "harch!" according to Jerry. | |
Out stepped Freddy, confident that he knew this much at any rate, | |
followed by the others; but here again that celebrated left foot got | |
them into trouble. The right foot _would_ pop out here and there, and as | |
sure as it did, at the third step the unlucky Zouave found his leg | |
firmly stuck between the ankles of the boy in front; and the "man" | |
behind him treading on his heels in a way calculated to aggravate a | |
saint; while meantime, the fellows in the rear rank, who were forever | |
falling behind while they were staring at their feet to make sure which | |
was the left one, _would_ endeavor to make up for it by taking a wide | |
straddling step all of a sudden, and encircled the legs of people in | |
front; a proceeding which, not being in accordance with "Hardee's | |
Tactics," was not received with approbation by Jerry; who, looking at | |
them with a sort of deprecating pity, hoarsely said, "Now, Company D! | |
wot--wrong agin? fowod squad! wun, too, three, foore; hup! hup! hup! | |
hold your head up, Mr. Fred; turn out your toes, Master William, and | |
keep STEADY!" | |
"Goody!" exclaimed Freddy at last, stopping short in the middle of his | |
marching, "I can't stand this any longer! There, Jerry, we've had drill | |
enough, thank you; I am knocked into a cocked hat, for my part!" | |
"Very well, sir; it _is_ powerful hot; an' I must say you young genl'men | |
have kep' at it steadier nor I expected, a gred deal." | |
"Thank you, Jerry," said George, laughing, "we shall not forget our | |
first drill in a hurry. I can't tell, for my part, which has been most | |
bothered, you or we." | |
"Allers glad to give you a little practice," grinned Jerry, "though | |
you'd rive the gizzard out of an army drill sergeant, I'd wenture to | |
say, if he hed the teachin' of you. Hech! hech! hech! Mornin', genl'men, | |
your sarvent," and Jerry touched his cap to Colonel Freddy and marched | |
off chuckling. | |
As soon as he had made his exit, the boys clustered around Tom, as he | |
sat turning his back on as many of the company as possible, and all | |
began in a breath, "Now, Tom, do tell us what you're mad at; what have | |
we done? please speak!" | |
"Well, then," shouted Tom, springing up, "I'll tell you what, Frederic | |
Jourdain! I won't be ordered around by any old monkey like | |
that,"--pointing toward Jerry--"and as for _you_ and _your_ ordering | |
about, I won't stand that either! fine as you think yourself; the | |
Colonel, indeed!" | |
"Why, Tom, how can you talk so? can't you play like the rest of us? I'm | |
sure I haven't taken advantage of being Colonel to be domineering; have | |
I, boys?" | |
"No, no! not a bit, Fred--never mind what he says!" | |
"Oh _do_--_don't_ appeal to them! You do that because you daren't say | |
outright you mean to have everything your own way. That may be very well | |
for them--you're all a parcel of Yankee shopkeepers together--but, I can | |
tell you, no Southern _gentleman_ will stand it!" | |
"North or South, Tom," began Will Costar, pretty sharply, "every | |
regiment must have a head--and obey the head. We've chosen Fred our | |
Colonel, and you must mind him. When he tells you to drill you've _got | |
to do it_!" | |
Tom wheeled round perfectly furious. "You say that again," he shouted, | |
"and I'll leave the regiment! I will. I won't be told by any Northerner | |
that I'm his subordinate, and if my State hadn't thought so too, she'd | |
never have left the Union." | |
"What! you dare to say anything against the Union!" cried George, | |
turning white with rage; "do you mean to say that you _admire_ the South | |
for seceding?" | |
"Yes! I've a great mind to secede myself, what's more!" | |
Freddy, as I said, was as sweet-tempered a little fellow as ever lived; | |
but he was fairly aroused now. His blue eyes flashed fire; he crimsoned | |
to the temples; his fists were clenched--and shouting, "you traitor!" | |
like a flash, he sent Tom flying over on his back, with the camp stool | |
about his ears. | |
Up jumped Tom, kicked away the stool, and rushed toward Fred. But the | |
others were too quick for him; they seized his arms and dragged him | |
back; Peter calling out "No, don't fight him, Colonel; he's not worth | |
it; let's have a court martial--that's the way to serve traitors!" | |
Amid a perfect uproar of rage and contempt for this shameful attack on | |
their Colonel, the Zouaves hastily arranged some camp stools for judge | |
and jury; and George being chosen judge, the oldest members of the | |
regiment took their places around him, and Tom was hauled up before the | |
Court. | |
"Oh stop, pray stop!" cried Freddy at this stage of affairs. "Indeed, I | |
forgive him for what he said to me, if he will take back his language | |
about the Union. I can't stand _that_." | |
"You hear what the Colonel says," said George, sternly; "will you | |
retract?" | |
"No, never! if you think I'm going to be frightened into submission to a | |
Northerner you're very much mistaken! No Southerner will ever be that! | |
and as for your precious Union, I don't care if I say I hope there never | |
will be a Union any more." | |
"Then, by George!" shouted the judge, fairly springing from his seat, | |
"You're a traitor, sir! Fellows, whoever is in favor of having this | |
secessionist put under arrest, say Aye!" | |
"Aye! AYE! AYE!" in a perfect roar. | |
"Does any one object?" Nobody spoke. | |
"Then I sentence him to be confined in the guard house till he begs | |
pardon; Livingston, Costar, and Boorman to take him there." | |
His captors pounced upon their prisoner with very little ceremony when | |
this sentence was pronounced; when Tom, without attempting to escape, | |
suddenly commenced striking out at every one he could reach. A grand | |
hurley-burley ensued; but before long Tom was overpowered and dragged to | |
the smoke, _alias_ guard house; heaping insults and taunts on the Union | |
and the regiment all the way. Harry flung open the door of the prison, | |
a picturesque little hut built of rough gray stone, and covered with | |
Virginia creepers and wild honeysuckles. The others pushed Tom in, and | |
Peter, dashing forward, slammed the door on him with a bang. Snap! went | |
the bolt, and now nothing earthly could open it again but a Bramah key | |
or a gunpowder explosion. Young Secession was fast, and the North | |
triumphant. Hurrah! | |
CHAPTER II. | |
BULL RUN. | |
THEIR first excitement over, the gallant Zouaves couldn't help looking | |
at each other in rather a comical way. To be sure, it was very | |
aggravating to have their country run down, and themselves assailed | |
without leave or license; but they were by no means certain, now they | |
came to think of it, that they had acted rightly in doing justice to the | |
little rebel in such a summary manner. Peter especially, who had | |
proposed the court martial, had an instinctive feeling that if his | |
father were to learn the action they had taken, he would scarcely | |
consider it to tally with the exercise of strict politeness to company. | |
In short, without a word said, there was a tacit understanding in the | |
corps that this was an affair to be kept profoundly secret. | |
While they were still silently revolving this delicate question, little | |
Louie Hamilton suddenly started violently, exclaiming, "Only listen a | |
moment, felloth! what a strange noithe! It sounds like thome wild | |
beast!" | |
"Noise? I don't hear any," said Freddy; "yes I do, though--like | |
something trampling the bushes!" | |
"There's nothing worse than four cows and a house dog about our place," | |
said Peter; "but what that is I don't know--hush!" | |
The boys listened with all their ears and elbows, and nearly stared | |
themselves blind looking around to see what was the matter. They had not | |
long to wait, however, for the trampling increased in the wood, a | |
curious, low growling was heard, which presently swelled to a roar, and | |
in a moment more, an immense brindled bull was seen dashing through the | |
locusts, his head down and heels in the air, looking not unlike a great | |
wheel-barrow, bellowing at a prodigious rate, and making straight toward | |
the place where they stood! | |
"Murder, what _shall_ we do?" cried Louie, turning deadly pale with | |
terror, while the Zouaves, for an instant, appeared perfectly paralyzed. | |
"Why run! run for your lives!" shouted George, who was the first to | |
recover himself. "Peter, you lead the way; take us the shortest cut to | |
the house, and--oh!" | |
Not another word did George utter. He was saving his breath for the | |
race. And now, indeed, began a most prodigious "skedaddle;" the boys | |
almost flying on ahead, running nearly abreast, and their terrible enemy | |
close behind, tearing up the ground with his horns, and galloping like | |
an express! | |
On sped the gallant Zouaves, making off as rapidly from the scene of | |
action as their namesakes from Manassas, without pausing to remark | |
which way the wind blew, until, at last, they had skirted the grove, and | |
were on the straight road for the house. Here Peter stopped a moment, | |
"Because some of the men will be near here, perhaps," he pantingly said, | |
"and Master Bull will be caught if he ventures after us." Scarcely had | |
he spoken, when the furious animal was once more seen, dashing on faster | |
than ever, and flaming with rage, till he might have exploded a powder | |
mill! Now for a last effort! One determined burst over the smooth road, | |
and they are safe in the house! | |
Little Louie, who was only nine years old, and the youngest of the | |
party, had grasped hold of Freddy's hand when they first started; and | |
been half pulled along by him so far; but now that safety was close at | |
hand, he suddenly sank to the ground, moaning out, "Oh Fred, you must go | |
on and leave me; I can't run any more. Oh mamma!" | |
"No, no, Louie! don't do so!" cried Freddy. "Get up, little man! why, | |
you can't think I would leave you, surely?" and, stooping down, the | |
brave little fellow caught Louie up in his arms, and, thus burdened, | |
tried to run on toward the house. | |
The rest of the boys were now far beyond them; and had just placed their | |
feet upon the doorstone, when a loud shout of "help!" made them turn | |
round; and there was Freddy, with Louie in his arms, staggering up the | |
road, the horns of the bull within a yard of his side! | |
Like a flash of lightning, Will snatched up a large rake which one of | |
the men had left lying on the grass, and dashed down the road. There is | |
one minute to spare, just one! but in that minute Will has reached the | |
spot, and launching his weapon, the iron points descend heavily on the | |
animal's head. | |
The bull, rather aghast at this reception, which did not appear to be at | |
all to his taste, seemed to hesitate a moment whether to charge his | |
adversary or not; then, with a low growl of baffled fury, he slowly | |
turned away, and trotted off toward the wood. | |
The help had not come a minute too soon; for Freddy, his sensitive | |
organization completely overwrought by the events of the morning and his | |
narrow escape from death, had fallen fainting to the ground; his hands | |
still clenched in the folds of little Louie's jacket. Will instantly | |
raised him, when he saw that all danger was over, and he and some of the | |
others, who had come crowding down the road, very gently and quickly | |
carried the insensible boy to the house, and laid him on the lounge in | |
the library; while Peter ran for the housekeeper to aid in bringing him | |
to life. | |
Good Mrs. Lockitt hurried up stairs as fast as she could with camphor, | |
ice water, and everything else she could think of good for fainting. | |
"Mrs. Lockitt, where is papa?" asked Peter, as he ran on beside her. | |
"Gone to New York, Master Peter," she replied; "I don't think he will be | |
home before dinner time." | |
Our little scapegrace breathed more freely; at least there were a few | |
hours' safety from detection, and he reentered the library feeling | |
considerably relieved. | |
There lay Colonel Freddy, his face white as death; one little hand | |
hanging lax and pulseless over the side of the lounge, and the ruffled | |
shirt thrust aside from the broad, snowy chest. Harry stood over him, | |
fanning his forehead; while poor Louie was crouched in a corner, | |
sobbing as though his heart would break, and the others stood looking on | |
as if they did not know what to do with themselves. | |
Mrs. Lockitt hastened to apply her remedies; and soon a faint color came | |
back to the cheek, and with a long sigh, the great blue eyes opened once | |
more, and the little patient murmured, "Where am I?" | |
"Oh, then he's not killed, after all!" cried Louie, running to his side. | |
"Dear, dear Freddy! how glad I am you have come to life again!" | |
This funny little speech made even Freddy laugh, and then Mrs. Lockitt | |
said, "But, Master Peter, you have not told me yet how it happened that | |
Master Frederic got in such a way." | |
The eyes of the whole party became round and saucer-y at once; as, all | |
talking together, they began the history of their fearful adventure. | |
Mrs. Lockitt's wiry false curls would certainly have dropped off with | |
astonishment if they hadn't been sewed fast to her cap, and she fairly | |
wiped her eyes on her spectacle case, which she had taken out of her | |
pocket instead of her handkerchief, as they described Freddy's noble | |
effort to save his helpless companion without thinking of himself. When | |
the narrative was brought to a close, she could only exclaim, "Well, | |
Master Freddy, you are a little angel, sure enough! and Master William | |
is as brave as a lion. To think of his stopping that great creetur, to | |
be sure! Wherever in the world it came from is the mystery." So saying, | |
Mrs. Lockitt bustled out of the room, and after she had gone, there was | |
a very serious and grateful talk among the elder boys about the escape | |
they had had, and a sincere thankfulness to God for having preserved | |
their lives. | |
The puzzle now was, how they were to return to the camp, where poor Tom | |
had been in captivity all this time. It was certainly necessary to get | |
back--but then the bull! While they were yet deliberating on the horns | |
of this dilemma, the library door suddenly opened, and in walked--Mr. | |
Schermerhorn! | |
"Why, boys!" he exclaimed, "how do you come to be here? Fred, what's the | |
matter? you look as pale as a ghost!" | |
There was general silence for a moment; but these boys had been taught | |
by pious parents to speak the truth always, whatever came of it. Ah! | |
that is the right principle to go on, dear children; TELL THE TRUTH when | |
you have done anything wrong, even if you are sure of being punished | |
when that truth is known. | |
So George, as the eldest, with one brave look at his comrades, frankly | |
related everything that had happened; beginning at the quarrel with | |
Tom, down to the escape from the bull. To describe the varied expression | |
of his auditor's face between delight and vexation, would require a | |
painter; and when George at last said, "Do you think we deserve to be | |
punished, sir? or have we paid well enough already for our court | |
martial?" Mr. Schermerhorn exclaimed, trying to appear highly incensed, | |
yet scarcely able to help smiling: | |
"I declare I hardly know! I certainly am terribly angry with you. How | |
dare you treat a young gentleman so on my place? answer me that, you | |
scapegraces! It is pretty plain who is at the bottom of all this--Peter | |
dares not look at me, I perceive. At the same time, I am rather glad | |
that Master Tom has been taught what to expect if he runs down the | |
Union--it will probably save him from turning traitor any more, though | |
you were not the proper persons to pass sentence on him. As for our | |
plucky little Colonel here--shake hands, Freddy! you have acted like a | |
hero! and for your sake I excuse the court martial. Now, let us see what | |
has become of the bull, and then go to the release of our friend Tom. He | |
must be thoroughly repentant for his misdeeds by this time." | |
Mr. Schermerhorn accordingly gave orders that the bull should be hunted | |
up and secured, until his master should be discovered; so that the | |
Zouaves might be safe from his attacks hereafter. If any of our readers | |
feel an interest in the fate of this charming animal, they are informed | |
that he was, with great difficulty, hunted into the stables; and before | |
evening taken away by his master, the farmer from whom he had strayed. | |
Leaving the others to await his capture, let us return to Tom. He had | |
not been ten minutes in the smoke house before his wrath began to cool, | |
and he would have given sixpence for any way of getting out but by | |
begging pardon. That was a little too much just yet, and Tom stamped | |
with rage and shook the door; which resisted his utmost efforts to | |
burst. Then came the sounds without, the rushing, trampling steps, the | |
furious bellow, and the shout, "Run! run for your lives!" Run! why on | |
earth must they? What had happened? and especially what would become of | |
him left alone there, with this unseen enemy perhaps coming at him next. | |
He hunted in vain in every direction for some cranny to peep through; | |
and if it had been possible, would have squeezed his head up the | |
chimney. He shouted for help, but nobody heard him; they were all too | |
frightened for that. He could hear them crunching along the road, | |
presently; another cry, and then all was still. | |
"What shall I do?" thought poor Tom. "Oh, where have they gone to? | |
Please let me out, Freddy! do forgive me, boys! I'll f-fight for the | |
Union as m-much as you like! oh! oh!" and at last--must it be | |
confessed?--the gallant Secesh finished by bursting out crying! | |
Time passed on--of course seeming doubly long to the prisoner--and still | |
the boys did not return. Tom cried till he could cry no more; sniffling | |
desperately, and rubbing his nose violently up in the air--a proceeding | |
which did not ameliorate its natural bent in that direction. He really | |
felt thoroughly sorry, and quite ready to beg pardon as soon as the boys | |
should return; particularly as they had forgotten to provide the captive | |
with even the traditional bread and water, and dinner-time was close at | |
hand. While he was yet struggling between repentance and stomachache, | |
the welcome sound of their voices was heard. They came nearer, and then | |
a key was hastily applied to the fastenings of the door, and it flew | |
open, disclosing the Zouaves, with Freddy at the head, and Mr. | |
Schermerhorn bringing up the rear. | |
Tom hung back a moment yet; then with a sudden impulse he walked toward | |
Freddy, saying, "I beg your pardon, Colonel; please forgive me for | |
insulting you; and as for the flag"--and without another word, Tom ran | |
toward the flag staff, and catching the long folds of the banner in both | |
hands, pressed them to his lips. | |
"The chivalry forever!" said Mr. Schermerhorn, smiling. "That's right, | |
Tom! bless the old banner! it is your safeguard, and your countrymen's | |
too, if they would only believe it. Go and shake hands with him, boys; | |
he is in his right place now, and if ever you are tempted to quarrel | |
again, I am sure North and South will both remember | |
"BULL RUN!" | |
CHAPTER III. | |
BEFORE MONTEREY. | |
IT is not necessary to describe the particular proceedings of the | |
Dashahed Zouaves during every day of their camp life. They chattered, | |
played, drilled, quarrelled a little once in a while, and made it up | |
again, eat and slept considerably, and grew sunburnt to an astonishing | |
degree. | |
It was Thursday morning, the fourth of their delightful days in camp. | |
Jerry had been teaching them how to handle a musket and charge | |
bayonets, until they were quite excited, and rather put out that there | |
was no enemy to practise on but the grasshoppers. At length, when they | |
had tried everything that was to be done, Harry exclaimed, "I wish, | |
Jerry, you would tell us a story about the wars! Something real | |
splendid, now; perfectly crammed with Indians and scalps and awful | |
battles and elegant Mexican palaces full of diamonds and gold saucepans | |
and lovely Spanish girls carried off by the hair of their heads!" | |
This flourishing rigmarole, which Harry delivered regardless of stops, | |
made the boys shout with laughter. | |
"You'd better tell the story yourself, since you know so much about | |
it!" said Tom. | |
"I allow you've never been in Mexico, sir," said Jerry, grinning. "I | |
doubt but thar's palisses somewhar in Mexico, but I and my mates hev | |
been thar, an' _we_ never seed none o' 'em. No, Master Harry, I can't | |
tell ye sich stories as that, but I do mind a thing what happened on the | |
field afore Monterey." | |
The boys, delightedly exclaiming, "A story! a story! hurrah!" drew their | |
camp stools around him; and Jerry, after slowly rubbing his hand round | |
and round over his bristling chin, while he considered what to say | |
first, began his story as follows: | |
JERRY'S STORY. | |
"It wor a Sunday night, young genl'men, the 21st | |
of September, and powerful hot. We had been | |
fightin' like mad, wi' not a moment's rest, all | |
day, an' now at last wor under the canwas, they of | |
us as wor left alive, a tryin' to sleep. The | |
skeeters buzzed aroun' wonderful thick, and the | |
groun' aneath our feet wor like red-hot tin | |
plates, wi' the sun burnin' an blisterin' down. At | |
last my mate Bill says, says he, 'Jerry, my mate, | |
hang me ef I can stan' this any longer. Let you | |
an' me get up an' see ef it be cooler | |
out-o'-doors.' | |
"I wor tired enough wi' the day's fight, an' | |
worrited, too, wi' a wound in my shoulder; but | |
the tent wor no better nor the open field, an' we | |
got up an' went out. Thar wor no moon, but the sky | |
was wonderful full o' stars, so we could see how | |
we wor stannin' wi' our feet among the bodies o' | |
the poor fellows as had fired their last shot that | |
day. It wor a sight, young genl'men, what would | |
make sich as you sick an' faint to look on; but | |
sogers must larn not to min' it; an' we stood | |
thar, not thinkin' how awful it wor, and yet still | |
an' quiet, too. | |
"'Ah, Jerry,' says Bill--he wor a young lad, an' | |
brought up by a pious mother, I allow--'I dunnot | |
like this fightin' on the Sabba' day. The Lord | |
will not bless our arms, I'm afeard, if we go agin | |
His will so.' | |
"I laughed--more shame to me--an' said, 'I'm a | |
sight older nor you, mate, an' I've seed a sight | |
o' wictories got on a Sunday. The better the day, | |
the better the deed, I reckon.' | |
"'Well, I don't know,' he says; 'mebbe things is | |
allers mixed in time o' war, an' right an' wrong | |
change sides a' purpose to suit them as wants | |
battle an' tumult to be ragin'; but it don't go | |
wi' my grain, noways.' | |
"I hadn't experienced a change o' heart then, as I | |
did arterward, bless the Lord! an' I hardly | |
unnerstood what he said. While we wor a stannin' | |
there, all to onct too dark figgers kim a creepin' | |
over the field to'ard the Major's tent. 'Look | |
thar, Jerry,' whispered Bill, kind o' startin' | |
like, 'thar's some of them rascally Mexicans.' I | |
looked at 'em wi'out sayin' a wured, an' then I | |
went back to the tent fur my six-shooter--Bill | |
arter me;--fur ef it ain't the dooty o' every | |
Christian to extarminate them warmints o' | |
Mexicans, I'll be drummed out of the army | |
to-morrer. | |
"Wall, young genl'men--we tuck our pistols, and | |
slow and quiet we moved to whar we seed the two | |
Greasers, as they call 'em. On they kim, creepin' | |
to'ard my Major's tent, an' at las' one o' 'em | |
raised the canwas a bit. Bill levelled his | |
rewolver in a wink, an' fired. You shud ha' seed | |
how they tuck to their heels! yelling all the way, | |
till wun o' em' dropped. The other didn't stop, | |
but just pulled ahead. I fired arter him wi'out | |
touching him; but the noise woke the Major, an' | |
when he hearn wot the matter wor, he ordered the | |
alarm to be sounded an' the men turned out. 'It's | |
a 'buscade to catch us,' he says, 'an' I'm fur | |
being fust on the field.' | |
"Bill an' I buckled on our cartridge boxes, caught | |
up our muskets, an' were soon in the ranks. On we | |
marched, stiddy an' swift, to the enemy's | |
fortifications; an' wen we were six hundred yards | |
distant, kim the command, 'Double quick.' The sky | |
hed clouded up all of a suddent, an' we couldn't | |
see well where we wor, but thar was suthin' afore | |
us like a low, black wall. As we kim nearer, it | |
moved kind o' cautious like, an' when we wor | |
within musket range, wi' a roar like ten thousand | |
divils, they charged forred! Thar wor the flash | |
and crack o' powder, and the ring! ping! o' the | |
bullets, as we power'd our shot on them an' they | |
on us; but not another soun'; cr-r-r-ack went the | |
muskets on every side agin, an' the rascals wor | |
driven back a minnit. 'Charge bayonets!' shouted | |
the Major, wen he seed that. Thar wos a pause; a | |
rush forred; we wor met by the innimy half way; | |
an' then I hearn the awfullest o' created | |
soun's--a man's scream. I looked roun', an' there | |
wos Bill, lying on his face, struck through an' | |
through. Thar wos no time to see to him then, fur | |
the men wor fur ahead o' me, an' I hed to run an' | |
jine the rest. | |
"We hed a sharp, quick skirmish o' it--for ef thar | |
is a cowardly critter on the created airth it's a | |
Greaser--an' in less nor half an' hour wor beatin' | |
back to quarters. When all wor quiet agin, I left | |
my tent, an' away to look fur Bill. I sarched an' | |
sarched till my heart were almost broke, an at | |
last I cried out, 'Oh Bill, my mate, whar be you?' | |
an' I hearn a fibble v'ice say, 'Here I be, | |
Jerry!' | |
"I swon! I wor gladder nor anything wen I hearn | |
that. I hugged him to my heart, I wor moved so | |
powerful, an' then I tuck him on my back, an' off | |
to camp; werry slow an' patient, fur he were sore | |
wownded, an' the life in him wery low. | |
"Wall, young genl'men, I'll not weary you wi' the | |
long hours as dragged by afore mornin'. I med him | |
as snug as I could, and at daybreak we hed him | |
took to the sugeon's tent. | |
"I wor on guard all that mornin' an' could not get | |
to my lad; but at last the relief kim roun', an' | |
the man as was to take my place says, says he, | |
'Jerry, my mate, ef I was you I'd go right to the | |
hosp'tl an' stay by poor Bill' (fur they all knew | |
as I sot gret store by him); 'He is werry wild in | |
his head, I hearn, an' the sugeon says as how he | |
can't last long.' | |
"Ye may b'lieve how my hairt jumped wen I hearn | |
that. I laid down my gun, an' ran fur the wooden | |
shed, which were all the place they hed fur them | |
as was wownded. An' thar wor Bill--my mate | |
Bill--laying on a blanket spred on the floore, wi' | |
his clothes all on (fur it's a hard bed, an' his | |
own bloody uniform, that a sojer must die in), wi' | |
the corpse o' another poor fellow as had died all | |
alone in the night a'most touching him, an' | |
slopped wi' blood. I moved it fur away all in a | |
trimble o' sorrer, an' kivered it decent like, so | |
as Bill mightn't see it an' get downhearted fur | |
hisself. Then I went an' sot down aside my mate. | |
He didn't know me, no more nor if I wor a | |
stranger; but kept throwin' his arms about, an' | |
moanin' out continual, 'Oh mother! mother! Why | |
don't you come to your boy?' | |
"I bust right out crying, I do own, wen I hearn | |
that, an' takin' his han' in mine, I tried to | |
quiet him down a bit; telling him it wor bad fur | |
his wownd to be so res'less (fur every time he | |
tossed, thar kim a little leap o' blood from his | |
breast); an' at last, about foore o'clock in the | |
day, he opened his eyes quite sensible like, an' | |
says to me, he says, 'Dear matey, is that you? | |
Thank you fur coming to see me afore I die.' | |
"'No, Bill, don't talk so,' I says, a strivin' to | |
be cheerful like, tho' I seed death in his face, | |
'You'll be well afore long.' | |
"'Aye, well in heaven,' he says; and then, arter a | |
minnit, 'Jerry,' he says, 'thar's a little bounty | |
money as belongs to me in my knapsack, an' my | |
month's wages. I want you, wen I am gone, to take | |
it to my mother, an' tell her--'(he wor gaspin' | |
fearful)--'as I died--fightin' fur my country--an' | |
the flag. God bless you, Jerry--you hev been a | |
good frien' to me, an' I knows as you'll do | |
this--an' bid the boys good-by--fur me.' | |
"I promised, wi' the tears streamin' down my | |
cheeks; an' then we wor quiet a bit, fur it hurt | |
Bill's breast to talk, an' I could not say a wured | |
fur the choke in my throat. Arter a while he says, | |
'Jerry, won't you sing me the hymn as I taught you | |
aboard the transport? about the Lord our Captin?' | |
"I could hardly find v'ice to begin, but it wor | |
Bill's dying wish, an' I made shift to sing as | |
well as I could-- | |
"'We air marchin' on together | |
To our etarnal rest; | |
Niver askin' why we're ordered-- | |
For the Lord He knoweth best. | |
Christ is our Captain! | |
'Forred!' is His word; | |
Ranks all steady, muskets ready, | |
In the army o' the Lord! | |
"'Satan's hosts are all aroun' us, | |
An' strive to enter in; | |
But our outworks they are stronger | |
Nor the dark brigades o' sin! | |
Christ is our Fortress! | |
Righteousness our sword; | |
Truth the standard--in the vanguard-- | |
O' the army o' the Lord! | |
"'Comrads, we air ever fightin' | |
A battle fur the right; | |
Ever on the on'ard movement | |
Fur our home o' peace an' light. | |
Christ is our Leader! | |
Heaven our reward, | |
Comin' nearer, shinin' clearer-- | |
In the army o' the Lord!' | |
"Arter I hed sung the hymn--an' it wor all I could | |
do to get through--Bill seemed to be a sight | |
easier. He lay still, smilin' like a child on the | |
mother's breast. Pretty soon arter, the Major kim | |
in; an' wen he seed Bill lookin' so peaceful, he | |
says, says he, 'Why, cheer up, my lad! the sugeon | |
sayd as how you wor in a bad way; but you look | |
finely now;'--fur he didn't know it wor the death | |
look coming over him. 'You'll be about soon,' | |
says the Major, 'an' fightin' fur the flag as | |
brave as ever,' | |
"Bill didn't say nothing--he seemed to be getting | |
wild agin;--an' looked stupid like at our Major | |
till he hearn the wureds about the flag. Then he | |
caught his breath suddint like, an', afore we | |
could stop him, he had sprang to his feet--shakin' | |
to an' fro like a reed--but as straight as he ever | |
wor on parade; an', his v'ice all hoarse an' full | |
o' death, an' his arm in the air, he shouted, | |
'Aye! God--bless--the--flag! we'll fight fur it | |
till--' an' then we hearn a sort o' snap, an' he | |
fell forred--dead! | |
"We buried him that night, I an' my mates. I cut | |
off a lock o' his hair fur his poor mother, afore | |
we put the airth over him; an' giv it to her, wi' | |
poor Bill's money, faithful an' true, wen we kim | |
home. I've lived to be an old man since then, an' | |
see the Major go afore me, as I hoped to sarve | |
till my dyin' day; but Lord willing I shel go | |
next, to win the Salwation as I've fitten for, by | |
Bill's side, a sojer in Christ's army, in the | |
Etarnal Jerusalem!" | |
The boys took a long breath when Jerry had finished his story, and more | |
than one bright eye was filled with tears. The rough words, and plain, | |
unpolished manner of the old soldier, only heightened the impression | |
made by his story; and as he rose to go away, evidently much moved by | |
the painful recollections it excited, there was a hearty, "Thank you, | |
sergeant, for your story--it was real good!" Jerry only touched his cap | |
to the young soldiers, and marched off hastily, while the boys looked | |
after him in respectful silence. But young spirits soon recover from | |
gloomy influences, and in a few moments they were all chattering merrily | |
again. | |
"What a pity we must go home Monday!" cried Louie; "I wish we could camp | |
out forever! Oh, Freddy, do write a letter to General McClellan, and ask | |
him to let us join the army right away! Tell him we'll buy some new | |
india-rubber back-bones and stretch ourselves out big directly, if he'll | |
only send right on for us!" | |
"Perhaps he would, if he knew how jolly we can drill already!" said | |
Peter, laughing. "I tell you what, boys, the very thing! let's have a | |
review before we go home. I'll ask all the boys and girls I know to come | |
and look on, and we might have quite a grand entertainment. Won't that | |
be splendid? We can march about all over, and fire off the cannons and | |
everything! I'm sure father will let us." | |
"Yes, but how's General McClellan to hear anything about it?" inquired | |
practical Louie. | |
"Why--I don't know," said Peter, rather taken aback by this view of the | |
subject. "Well, somehow--never mind, it will be grand fun, and I mean | |
to ask my father right away." | |
"Take me with you?" called a dozen fellows directly. Finally it was | |
concluded that it might make more impression on Mr. Schermerhorn's mind, | |
if the application came from the regiment in a body; so, running for | |
their swords and guns, officers and men found their places in the | |
battalion, and the grand procession started on its way--chattering all | |
the time, in utter defiance of that "article of war" which forbids | |
"talking in the ranks." Just as they were passing the lake, they heard | |
carriage wheels crunching on the gravel, and drew up in a long line on | |
the other side of the road to let the vehicle pass them; much to the | |
astonishment of two pretty young ladies and a sweet little girl, about | |
Freddy's age, who were leaning comfortably back in the handsome | |
barouche. | |
"Why, Peter!" exclaimed one of the ladies, "what in the world is all | |
this?" | |
"This!" cried Peter, running up to the carriage, "why, these are the | |
Dashahed Zouaves, Miss Carlton. We have been in camp ever since Monday. | |
Good morning, Miss Jessie," to the little girl on the front seat, who | |
was looking on with deep interest. | |
"Oh, to be sure, I remember," said Miss Carlton, laughing; "come, | |
introduce the Zouaves, Peter; we are wild to know them!" | |
The boys clustered eagerly about the carriage and a lively chat took | |
place. The Zouaves, some blushing and bashful, others frank and | |
confident, and all desperately in love already with pretty little | |
Jessie, related in high glee their adventures--except the celebrated | |
court martial--and enlarged glowingly upon the all-important subject of | |
the grand review. | |
Colonel Freddy, of course, played a prominent part in all this, and with | |
his handsome face, bright eyes, and frank, gentlemanly ways, needed only | |
those poor lost curls to be a perfect picture of a soldier. He chattered | |
away with Miss Lucy, the second sister, and obtained her special promise | |
that she would plead their cause with Mr. Schermerhorn in case the | |
united petitions of the corps should fail. The young ladies did not know | |
of Mrs. Schermerhorn's departure, but Freddy and Peter together coaxed | |
them to come up to the house "anyhow." The carriage was accordingly | |
taken into the procession, and followed it meekly to the house; the | |
Zouaves insisting on being escort, much to the terror of the young | |
ladies; who were in constant apprehension that the rear rank and the | |
horses might come to kicks--not to say blows--and the embarrassment of | |
the coachman; who, as they were constantly stopping unexpectedly to turn | |
round and talk, didn't know "where to have them," as the saying is. | |
However, they reached their destination in safety before long, and | |
found Mr. Schermerhorn seated on the piazza. He hastened forward to meet | |
them, with the cordial greeting of an old friend. | |
"Well, old bachelor," said Miss Carlton, gayly, as the young ladies | |
ascended the steps, "you see we have come to visit you in state, with | |
the military escort befitting patriotic young ladies who have four | |
brothers on the Potomac. What has become of Madame, please?" | |
"Gone to Niagara and left me a 'lone lorn creetur;'" said Mr. | |
Schermerhorn, laughing. "Basely deserted me when my farming couldn't be | |
left. But how am I to account for the presence of the military, | |
mademoiselle?" | |
"Really, I beg their pardons," exclaimed Miss Carlton. "They have come | |
on a special deputation to you, Mr. Schermerhorn, so pray don't let us | |
interrupt business." | |
Thus apostrophised, the boys scampered eagerly up the steps; and Freddy, | |
a little bashful, but looking as bright as a button, delivered the | |
following brief oration: "Mr. Schermerhorn: I want--that is, the boys | |
want--I mean we all want--to have a grand review on Saturday, and ask | |
our friends to look on. Will you let us do it, please?" | |
"Certainly, with the greatest pleasure!" replied Mr. Schermerhorn, | |
smiling; "but what will become of you good people when I tell you that | |
I have just received a letter from Mrs. Schermerhorn, asking me to join | |
her this week instead of next, and bring Peter with me." | |
"Oh! father, please let me stay!" interrupted Peter; "can't you tell ma | |
I've joined the army for the war? We all want to stay like everything!" | |
"And forage for yourselves?" said his father, laughing. "No, the army | |
must give you up, and lose a valuable member, Master Peter; but just | |
have the goodness to listen a moment. The review shall take place, but | |
as the camp will have to break up on Saturday instead of Monday, as I | |
had intended, the performances must come off to-morrow. Does that suit | |
your ideas?" | |
The boys gave a delighted consent to this arrangement, and now the only | |
thing which dampened their enjoyment was the prospect of such a speedy | |
end being put to their camp life. "Confound it! what was the fun for a | |
fellow to be poked into a stupid watering place, where he must bother to | |
keep his hair parted down the middle, and a clean collar stiff enough to | |
choke him on from morning till night?" as Tom indignantly remarked to | |
George and Will the same evening. "The fact is, this sort of thing is | |
_the_ thing for a _man_ after all!" an opinion in which the other _men_ | |
fully concurred. | |
But let us return to the piazza, where we have left the party. After a | |
few moments more spent in chatting with Mr. Schermerhorn, it was decided | |
to accept Colonel Freddy's polite invitation, which he gave with such a | |
bright little bow, to inspect the camp. You may be sure it was in | |
apple-pie order, for Jerry, who had taken the Zouaves under his special | |
charge, insisted on their keeping it in such a state of neatness as only | |
a soldier ever achieved. The party made an extremely picturesque | |
group--the gay uniforms of the Zouaves, and light summer dresses of the | |
ladies, charmingly relieved against the background of trees; while Mr. | |
Schermerhorn's stately six feet, and somewhat portly proportions, quite | |
reminded one of General Scott; especially among such a small army; in | |
which George alone quite came up to the regulation "63 inches." | |
Little Jessie ran hither and thither, surrounded by a crowd of adorers, | |
who would have given their brightest buttons, every "man" of them, to be | |
the most entertaining fellow of the corps. They showed her the battery | |
and the stacks of shining guns--made to stand up by Jerry in a wonderful | |
fashion that the boys never could hope to attain--the inside of all the | |
tents, and the smoke guard house (Tom couldn't help a blush as he looked | |
in); and finally, as a parting compliment (which, let me tell you, is | |
the greatest, in a boy's estimation, that can possibly be paid), Freddy | |
made her a present of his very largest and most gorgeous "glass agates;" | |
one of which was all the colors of the rainbow, and the other | |
patriotically adorned with the Stars and Stripes in enamel. Peter | |
climbed to the top of the tallest cherry tree, and brought her down a | |
bough at least a yard and a half long, crammed with "ox hearts;" Harry | |
eagerly offered to make any number of "stunning baskets" out of the | |
stones, and in short there never was such a belle seen before. | |
"Oh, a'int she jolly!" was the ruling opinion among the Zouaves. A | |
private remark was also circulated to the effect that "Miss Jessie was | |
stunningly pretty." | |
The young ladies at last said good-by to the camp; promising faithfully | |
to send all the visitors they could to the grand review, and drove off | |
highly entertained with their visit. Mr. Schermerhorn decided to take | |
the afternoon boat for the city and return early Friday morning, and the | |
boys, left to themselves, began to think of dinner, as it was two | |
o'clock. A brisk discussion was kept up all dinner time you may be sure, | |
concerning the event to come off on the morrow. | |
"I should like to know, for my part, what we do in a review," said | |
Jimmy, balancing his fork artistically on the end of his finger, and | |
looking solemnly round the table. | |
"Why, show off everything we know!" said Charley Spicer. "March about, | |
and form into ranks and columns, and all that first, then do charming | |
"parade rest," "'der humps!" and the rest of it; and finish off by | |
firing off our guns, and showing how we can't hit anything by any | |
possibility!" | |
"But these guns won't fire off!" objected Jimmy. | |
"Well, the cannon then!" | |
"But I'm sure father won't let us have any powder," said Peter | |
disconsolately. "You can't think how I burnt the end of my nose last | |
Fourth with powder! It was so sore I couldn't blow it for a week!" | |
The boys all burst out laughing at this dreadful disaster, and George | |
said, "You weren't lighting it with the end of your nose, were you?" | |
"No; but I was stooping over, charging one of my cannon, and I dropped | |
the 'punk' right in the muzzle somehow, and, would you believe it, the | |
nasty thing went off and burnt my nose! and father said I shouldn't play | |
with powder any more, because I might have put out my eyes." | |
"Well, we must take it out in marching, then," said Freddy, with a | |
tremendous sigh. | |
"No, hold on; I'll tell you what we can do!" cried Tom, eagerly. "I have | |
some 'double headers' left from the Fourth; we might fire them out of | |
the cannon; they make noise enough, I'm sure. I'll write to my mother | |
this afternoon and get them." | |
The boys couldn't help being struck with the generosity of this offer, | |
coming from Tom after their late rather unkind treatment of him; and the | |
older ones especially were very particular to thank him for his present. | |
As soon as dinner was over, he started for the house to ask Mr. | |
Schermerhorn to carry his message. As he hurried along the road, his | |
bright black eyes sparkling with the happiness of doing a good action, | |
he heard trotting steps behind him, felt an arm stealing round his neck, | |
schoolboy fashion, and there was Freddy. | |
"I ran after you all the way," he pantingly said. "I want to tell you, | |
dear Tom, how much we are obliged to you for giving us your crackers, | |
and how sorry we are that we acted so rudely to you the other day. | |
Please forgive us; we all like you so much, and we would feel as mean as | |
anything to take your present without begging pardon. George, Peter, and | |
I feel truly ashamed of ourselves every time we think of that abominable | |
court martial." | |
"There, old fellow, don't say a word more about it!" was the hearty | |
response; and Tom threw his arm affectionately about his companion. "It | |
was my fault, Freddy, and all because I was mad at poor old Jerry; how | |
silly! I was sorry for what I said right afterward." | |
"Then we are friends again?" cried Freddy, joyfully. | |
"Yes; I'll like you as long as I live! and ever so much longer." And so | |
we will leave the two on their walk to the house, and close this | |
abominably long chapter. | |
CHAPTER IV. | |
A GRAND REVIEW. | |
THERE are really scarcely words enough in the dictionary properly to | |
describe the immense amount of drill got through with by the Dashahed | |
Zouaves between three o'clock that afternoon and twelve, noon, of the | |
following day. This Friday afternoon was going to be memorable in | |
history for one of the most splendid reviews on record. They almost ran | |
poor old Jerry off his legs in their eagerness to go over every possible | |
variety of exercise known to "Hardee's Tactics," and nearly dislocated | |
their shoulder blades trying to waggle their elbows backward and forward | |
all at once when they went at "double quick;" at the same time keeping | |
the other arm immovably pinioned to their sides. Then that wonderful | |
operation of stacking the rebellious guns, which obstinately clattered | |
down nine times and a half out of ten, had to be gone through with, and | |
a special understanding promulgated in the corps as to when Jerry's | |
"'der arms!" meant "shoulder arms," and when "order arms" (or bringing | |
all the muskets down together with a bang); and, in short, there never | |
was such a busy time seen in camp before. | |
Friday morning dawned, if possible, still more splendidly than any of | |
the preceding days, with a cool, refreshing breeze, just enough snowy | |
clouds in the sky to keep off the fiery summer heat in a measure, and | |
not a headache nor a heartache among the Zouaves to mar the pleasure of | |
the day. The review was to come off at four o'clock, when the July sun | |
would be somewhat diminished in warmth, and from some hints that Jerry | |
let fall, Mrs. Lockitt, and the fat cook, Mrs. Mincemeat, were holding | |
high council up at the house, over a certain collation to be partaken of | |
at the end of the entertainments. | |
As the day wore on the excitement of our friends the Zouaves increased. | |
They could hardly either eat their dinners, or sit down for more than a | |
moment at a time; and when, about three o'clock, Mr. Schermerhorn | |
entered the busy little camp, he was surrounded directly with a crowd of | |
eager questioners, all talking at once, and making as much noise as a | |
colony of rooks. | |
"Patience, patience, my good friends!" laughed Mr. Schermerhorn, holding | |
up a finger for silence. "Every one in turn. Tom, here are your 'double | |
headers,' with love from your mother. Fred, I saw your father to-day, | |
and they are all coming down to the review. George, here is a note left | |
for you in my box at the Post Office, and Dashahed Zouaves in | |
general--I have one piece of advice to give you. Get dressed quietly, | |
and then sit down and rest yourselves. You will be tired out by the end | |
of the afternoon, at all events; so don't frisk about more than you can | |
help at present;" and Mr. Schermerhorn left the camp; while the boys, | |
under strong pressure of Jerry, and the distant notes of a band which | |
suddenly began to make itself heard, dressed themselves as nicely as | |
they could, and sat down with heroic determination to wait for four | |
o'clock. | |
Presently, carriages began to crunch over the gravel road one after | |
another, filled with merry children, and not a few grown people besides. | |
Mr. and Mrs. Jourdain, with Bella, were among the first to arrive; and | |
soon after the Carltons' barouche drove up. Jessie, for some unknown | |
reason, was full of half nervous glee, and broke into innumerable little | |
trilling laughs when any one spoke to her. A sheet of lilac note paper, | |
folded up tight, which she held in her hand, seemed to have something to | |
do with it, and her soft brown curls and spreading muslin skirts were in | |
equal danger of irremediable "mussing," as she fidgetted about on the | |
carriage seat, fully as restless as any of the Zouaves. | |
Mr. Schermerhorn received his guests on the piazza, where all the chairs | |
in the house, one would think, were placed for the company, as the best | |
view of the lawn was from this point. To the extreme right were the | |
white tents of the camp, half hidden by the immense trunk of a | |
magnificent elm, the only tree that broke the smooth expanse of the | |
lawn. On the left a thick hawthorne hedge separated the ornamental | |
grounds from the cultivated fields of the place, while in front the view | |
was bounded by the blue and sparkling waters of the Sound. | |
Soon four o'clock struck; and, punctual to the moment, the Zouaves could | |
be seen in the distance, forming their ranks. Jerry, in his newest suit | |
of regimentals, bustled about here and there, and presently his voice | |
was heard shouting, "Are ye all ready now? SQUAD, 'SHUN! HARCH!" and to | |
the melodious notes of "Dixie," performed by the band, which was | |
stationed nearer the house, the regiment started up the lawn! Jerry | |
marching up beside them, and occasionally uttering such mysterious | |
mandates as, "Easy in the centre! keep your fours in the wheel! _Steady_ | |
now!" | |
Oh, what a burst of delighted applause greeted them as they neared the | |
house! The boys hurrahed, the girls clapped their hands, ladies and | |
gentlemen waved their hats and handkerchiefs; while the Dashahed | |
Zouaves, too soldierly _now_ to grin, drew up in a long line, and stood | |
like statues, without so much as winking. | |
And now the music died away, and everybody was as still as a mouse, | |
while Jerry advanced to the front, and issued the preliminary order: | |
"To the rear--open order!" and the rear rank straightway fell back; | |
executing, in fact, that wonderful "tekkinapesstoth'rare" which had | |
puzzled them so much on the first day of their drilling. Then came those | |
other wonderful orders: | |
"P'_sent_ humps! | |
"_Der_ humps! | |
"Gr'_nd_ humps!" | |
And so on, at which the muskets flew backward and forward, up and down, | |
with such wonderful precision. The spectators were delighted beyond | |
measure; an enthusiastic young gentleman, with about three hairs on | |
each side of his mustache, who belonged to the Twenty-second Regiment, | |
declared "It was the best drill he had seen out of his company room!" a | |
celebrated artist, whose name I dare not tell for the world, sharpened | |
his pencil, and broke the point off three times in his hurry, and at | |
last produced the beautiful sketch which appears at the front of this | |
volume; while all the little boys who were looking on, felt as if they | |
would give every one of their new boots and glass agates to belong to | |
the gallant Dashahed Zouaves. | |
[Illustration: "DOUBLE-QUICK."] | |
After the guns had been put in every possible variety of position, the | |
regiment went through their marching. They broke into companies, | |
formed the line again, divided in two equal parts, called "breaking into | |
platoons," showed how to "wheel on the right flank," and all manner of | |
other mysteries. | |
Finally, they returned to their companies, and on Jerry's giving the | |
order, they started at "double quick" (which is the most comical | |
tritty-trot movement you can think of), dashed down the <DW72> of the | |
lawn, round the great elm, up hill again full speed, and in a moment | |
more were drawn up in unbroken lines before the house, and standing once | |
again like so many statues. | |
It was really splendid! Round after round of applause greeted the | |
Zouaves, who kept their positions for a moment, then snatching off | |
their saucy little fez caps, they gave the company three cheers in | |
return, of the most tremendous description; which quite took away the | |
little remaining breath they had after the "double quick." | |
Thus ended the first part of the review; and now, with the assistance of | |
their rather Lilliputian battery, and Tom's double headers, they went | |
through some firing quite loud enough to make the little girls start and | |
jump uncomfortably; so this part of the entertainment was brought to | |
rather a sudden conclusion. Jerry had just issued the order, "Close up | |
in ranks to dismiss," when Mr. Schermerhorn, who, with Miss Carlton and | |
Jessie, had left the piazza a few minutes before, came forward, saying, | |
"Have the goodness to wait a moment, Colonel; there is one more ceremony | |
to go through with." | |
The boys looked at each other in silent curiosity, wondering what could | |
be coming; when, all at once, the chairs on the piazza huddled back in a | |
great hurry, to make a lane for a beautiful little figure, which came | |
tripping from the open door. | |
It was Jessie; but a great change had been made in her appearance. Over | |
her snowy muslin skirts she had a short classic tunic of red, white, and | |
blue silk; a wreath of red and white roses and bright blue jonquils | |
encircled her curls, and in her hand she carried a superb banner. It | |
was made of dark blue silk, trimmed with gold fringe; on one side was | |
painted an American eagle, and on the other the words "Dashahed | |
Zouaves," surrounded with a blaze of glory and gold stars. She advanced | |
to the edge of the piazza, and in a clear, sweet voice, a little | |
tremulous, but very distinct, she said: | |
"COLONEL AND BRAVE SOLDIERS: | |
"I congratulate you, in the name of our friends, | |
on the success you have achieved. You have shown | |
us to-day what Young America can do; and as a | |
testimonial of our high admiration, I present you | |
the colors of your regiment! | |
"Take them, as the assurance that our hearts are | |
with you; bear them as the symbol of the Cause you | |
have enlisted under; and should you fall beneath | |
them on the field of battle, I bid you lay down | |
your lives cheerfully for the flag of your | |
country, and breathe with your last sigh the name | |
of the Union! Colonel, take your colors!" | |
Freddy's cheeks grew crimson, and the great tears swelled to his eyes as | |
he advanced to take the flag which Jessie held toward him. And now our | |
little Colonel came out bright, sure enough. Perhaps not another member | |
of the regiment, called upon to make a speech in this way, could have | |
thought of a word to reply; but Freddy's quick wit supplied him with | |
the right ideas; and it was with a proud, happy face, and clear voice | |
that he responded: | |
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: | |
"I thank you, in the name of my regiment, for the | |
honor you have done us. Inspired by your praises, | |
proud to belong to the army of the Republic, we | |
hope to go on as we have begun. To your kindness | |
we owe the distinguishing colors under which we | |
march hereafter; and by the Union for which we | |
fight, they shall never float over a retreating | |
battalion!" | |
Oh! the cheers and clapping of hands which followed this little speech! | |
Everybody was looking at Freddy as he stood there, the colors in his | |
hand, and the bright flush on his cheek, with the greatest admiration. | |
Of course, his parents weren't proud of him; certainly not! | |
But the wonders were not at an end yet; for suddenly the band began | |
playing a new air, and to this accompaniment, the sweet voice of some | |
lady unseen, but which sounded to those who knew, wonderfully like Miss | |
Lucy Carlton's, sang the following patriotic ballad: | |
"We will stand by our Flag--let it lead where it will-- | |
Our hearts and our hopes fondly cling to it still; | |
Through battle and danger our Cause must be won-- | |
Yet forward! undaunted we'll follow it on! | |
'Tis the Flag! the old Flag! still unsullied and bright, | |
As when first its fair stars lit oppression's dark night | |
And the standard that guides us forever shall be | |
The Star-spangled Banner, the Flag of the Free! | |
"A handful of living--an army of dead, | |
The last charge been made and the last prayer been said; | |
What is it--as sad we retreat from the plain | |
That cheers us, and nerves us to rally again? | |
'Tis the Flag! the old Flag! to our country God-given, | |
That gleams through our ranks like a glory from heaven! | |
And the foe, as they fly, in our vanguard shall see | |
The Star-spangled Banner, the Flag of the Free! | |
"We will fight for the Flag, by the love that we bear | |
In the Union and Freedom, we'll baffle despair; | |
Trust on in our country, strike home for the right, | |
And Treason shall vanish like mists of the night. | |
Then cheer the old Flag! every star in it glows, | |
The terror of traitors! the curse of our foes! | |
And the victory that crowns us shall glorified be, | |
'Neath the Star-spangled Banner, the Flag of the Free!" | |
As the song ended, there was another tumult of applause; and then the | |
band struck up a lively quickstep, and the company, with the Zouaves | |
marching ahead, poured out on the lawn toward the camp, where a | |
bountiful collation was awaiting them, spread on the regimental table. | |
Two splendid pyramids of flowers ornamented the centre, and all manner | |
of "goodies," as the children call them, occupied every inch of space on | |
the sides. At the head of the table Jerry had contrived a canopy from a | |
large flag, and underneath this, Miss Jessie, Colonel Freddy, with the | |
other officers, and some favored young ladies of their own age, took | |
their seats. The other children found places around the table, and a | |
merrier fete champetre never was seen. The band continued to play lively | |
airs from time to time, and I really can give you my word as an author, | |
that nobody looked cross for a single minute! | |
Between you and me, little reader, there had been a secret arrangement | |
among the grown folks interested in the regiment, to get all this up in | |
such fine style. Every one had contributed something to give the Zouaves | |
their flag and music, while to Mr. Schermerhorn it fell to supply the | |
supper; and arrangements had been made and invitations issued since the | |
beginning of the week. The regiment, certainly, had the credit, however, | |
of getting up the review, it only having been the idea of their good | |
friends to have the entertainment and flag presentation. So there was a | |
pleasant surprise on both sides; and each party in the transaction, was | |
quite as much astonished and delighted as the other could wish. | |
The long sunset shadows were rapidly stealing over the velvet sward as | |
the company rose from table, adding a new charm to the beauty of the | |
scene. Everywhere the grass was dotted with groups of elegant ladies and | |
gentlemen, and merry children, in light summer dresses and quaintly | |
pretty uniforms. The little camp, with the stacks of guns down its | |
centre, the bayonets flashing in the last rays of the sun, was all | |
crowded and brilliant with happy people; looking into the tents and | |
admiring their exquisite order, inspecting the bright muskets, and | |
listening eagerly or good-humoredly, as they happened to be children or | |
grown people, to the explanations and comments of the Zouaves. | |
And on the little grassy knoll, where the flag staff was planted, | |
central figure of the scene, stood Colonel Freddy, silent and thoughtful | |
for the first time to-day, with Jerry beside him. The old man had | |
scarcely left his side since the boy took the flag; he would permit no | |
one else to wait upon him at table, and his eyes followed him as he | |
moved among the gay crowd, with a glance of the utmost pride and | |
affection. The old volunteer seemed to feel that the heart of a soldier | |
beat beneath the little dandy ruffled shirt and gold-laced jacket of the | |
young Colonel. Suddenly, the boy snatches up again the regimental | |
colors; the Stars and Stripes, and little Jessie's flag, and shakes | |
them out to the evening breeze; and as they flash into view and once | |
more the cheers of the Zouaves greet their colors, he says, with | |
quivering lip and flashing eye, "Jerry, if God spares me to be a man, | |
I'll live and die a soldier!" | |
The soft evening light was deepening into night, and the beautiful | |
planet Venus rising in the west, when the visitors bade adieu to the | |
camp; the Zouaves were shaken hands with until their wrists fairly | |
ached; and then they all shook hands with "dear" Jessie, as Charley was | |
heard to call her before the end of the day, and heard her say in her | |
soft little voice how sorry she was they must go to-morrow (though she | |
certainly couldn't have been sorrier than _they_ were), and then the | |
good people all got into their carriages again, and drove off; waving | |
their handkerchiefs for good-by as long as the camp could be seen; and | |
so, with the sound of the last wheels dying away in the distance, ended | |
the very end of | |
THE GRAND REVIEW. | |
CHAPTER V.--AND LAST. | |
"HOME, SWEET HOME." | |
AND now, at last, had come that "day of disaster," when Camp McClellan | |
must be deserted. The very sun didn't shine so brilliantly as usual, | |
thought the Zouaves; and it was positively certain that the past five | |
days, although they had occurred in the middle of summer, were the very | |
shortest ever known! Eleven o'clock was the hour appointed for the | |
breaking up of the camp, in order that they might return to the city by | |
the early afternoon boat. | |
"Is it possible we have been here a week?" exclaimed Jimmy, as he sat | |
down to breakfast. "It seems as if we had only come yesterday." | |
"What a jolly time it has been!" chimed in Charley Spicer. "I don't want | |
to go to Newport a bit. Where are you going, Tom?" | |
"To Baltimore--but I don't mean to Secesh!" added Tom, with a little | |
blush. "I have a cousin in the Palmetto Guards at Charleston, and that's | |
one too many rebels in the family." | |
"Never mind!" cried George Chadwick; "the Pringles are a first rate | |
family; the rest of you are loyal enough, I'm sure!" and George gave | |
Tom such a slap on the back, in token of his good will, that it quite | |
brought the tears into his eyes. | |
When breakfast was over, the Zouaves repaired to their tents, and | |
proceeded to pack their clothes away out of the lockers. They were not | |
very scientific packers, and, in fact, the usual mode of doing the | |
business was to ram everything higgledy-piggledy into their valises, and | |
then jump on them until they consented to come together and be locked. | |
Presently Jerry came trotting down with a donkey cart used on the farm, | |
and under his directions the boys folded their blankets neatly up, and | |
placed them in the vehicle, which then drove off with its load, leaving | |
them to get out and pile together the other furnishings of the tents; | |
for, of course, as soldiers, they were expected to wind up their own | |
affairs, and we all know that boys will do considerable _hard work_ when | |
it comes in the form of _play_. Just as the cart, with its vicious | |
little wrong-headed steed, had tugged, and jerked, and worried itself | |
out of sight, a light basket carriage, drawn by two dashing black | |
Canadian ponies, drew up opposite the camp, and the reins were let fall | |
by a young lady in a saucy "pork pie" straw hat, who was driving--no | |
other than Miss Carlton, with Jessie beside her. The boys eagerly | |
surrounded the little carriage, and Miss Carlton said, laughing, "Jessie | |
begged so hard for a last look at the camp, that I had to bring her. So | |
you are really going away?" | |
"Really," repeated Freddy; "but I am so glad you came, Miss Jessie, just | |
in time to see us off." | |
"You know soldiers take themselves away houses and all," said George; | |
"you will see the tents come down with a run presently." | |
"And here comes Jerry to help us!" added Harry. As he spoke, the donkey | |
cart rattled up, and Jerry, touching his cap to the ladies, got out, and | |
prepared to superintend the downfall of the tents. By his directions, | |
two of the Zouaves went to each tent, and pulled the stakes first from | |
one corner, then the other; then they grasped firmly the pole which | |
supported the centre, and when the sergeant ejaculated "Now!" like a | |
flash! the tents slid smoothly to the ground all at the same moment, | |
just as you may have made a row of blocks fall down by upsetting the | |
first one. | |
And now came the last ceremony, the hauling down of the flag. | |
"Stand by to fire a salute!" shouted Jerry, and instantly a company was | |
detached, who brought the six little cannon under the flagstaff, and | |
charged them with the last of the double headers, saved for this | |
purpose; Freddy stood close to the flagstaff, with the halyards ready in | |
his hands. Crack! fizz! went six matches for the cannon. "Make ready! | |
apply light, FIRE!" | |
BANG! and the folds of the flag stream out proudly in the breeze, as it | |
rapidly descends the halyards, and flutters softly to the greensward. | |
There was perfectly dead silence for a moment; then the voice of Mr. | |
Schermerhorn was heard calling, "Come, boys, are you ready? Jump in, | |
then, it is time to start for the boat." The boys turned and saw the | |
carriages which had brought them so merrily to the camp waiting to | |
convey them once more to the wharf; while a man belonging to the farm | |
was rapidly piling the regimental luggage into a wagon. | |
With sorrowful faces the Zouaves clustered around the pretty pony | |
chaise; shaking hands once more with Jessie, and internally vowing to | |
adore her as long as they lived. Then they got into the carriages, and | |
old Jerry grasped Freddy's hand with an affectionate "Good-by, my little | |
Colonel, God bless ye! Old Jerry won't never forget your noble face as | |
long as he lives." It would have seemed like insulting the old man to | |
offer him money in return for his loving admiration, but the handsome | |
gilt-edged Bible that found its way to him soon after the departure of | |
the regiment, was inscribed with the irregular schoolboy signature of | |
"Freddy Jourdain, with love to his old friend Jeremiah Pike." | |
As for the regimental standards, they were found to be rather beyond | |
the capacity of a rockaway crammed full of Zouaves, so Tom insisted on | |
riding on top of the baggage, that he might have the pleasure of | |
carrying them all the way. Up he mounted, as brisk as a lamplighter, | |
with that monkey, Peter, after him, the flags were handed up, and with | |
three ringing cheers, the vehicles started at a rapid trot, and the | |
regiment was fairly off. They almost broke their necks leaning back to | |
see the last of "dear Jessie," until the locusts hid them from sight, | |
when they relapsed into somewhat dismal silence for full five minutes. | |
As Peter was going on to Niagara with his father, Mr. Schermerhorn | |
accompanied the regiment to the city, which looked dustier and red | |
brickier (what a word!) than ever, now that they were fresh from the | |
lovely green of the country. By Mr. Schermerhorn's advice, the party | |
took possession of two empty Fifth avenue stages which happened to be | |
waiting at the Fulton ferry, and rode slowly up Broadway to Chambers | |
street, where Peter and his father bid them good-by, and went off to the | |
depot. As Peter had declined changing his clothes before he left, they | |
had to travel all the way to Buffalo with our young friend in this | |
unusual guise; but, as people had become used to seeing soldiers | |
parading about in uniform, they didn't seem particularly surprised, | |
whereat Master Peter was rather disappointed. | |
To go back to the Zouaves, however. When the stages turned into Fifth | |
avenue, they decided to get out; and after forming their ranks in fine | |
style, they marched up the avenue, on the sidewalk this time, stopping | |
at the various houses or street corners where they must bid adieu to one | |
and another of their number, promising to see each other again as soon | |
as possible. | |
At last only Tom and Freddy were left to go home by themselves. As they | |
marched along, keeping faultless step, Freddy exclaimed, "I tell you | |
what, Tom! I mean to ask my father, the minute he comes home, to let me | |
go to West Point as soon as I leave school! I must be a soldier--I | |
can't think of anything else!" | |
"That's just what I mean to do!" cried Tom, with sparkling eyes; "and, | |
Fred, if you get promoted before me, promise you will have me in your | |
regiment, won't you?" | |
"Yes I will, certainly!" answered Freddy; "but you're the oldest, Tom, | |
and, you know, the oldest gets promoted first; so mind you don't forget | |
me when you come to your command!" | |
As he spoke, they reached his own home; and our hero, glad after all to | |
come back to father, mother, and sister, bounded up the steps, and rang | |
the bell good and _hard_, just to let Joseph know that a personage of | |
eminence had arrived. As the door opened, he turned gayly round, cap in | |
hand, saying, "Good-by, Maryland; you've left the regiment, but you'll | |
never leave the Union!" and the last words he heard Tom say were, "No, | |
by George, _never_!" | |
* * * * * | |
And now, dear little readers, my boy friends in particular, the history | |
of Freddy Jourdain must close. He still lives in New York, and attends | |
Dr. Larned's school, where he is at the head of all his classes. | |
The Dashahed Zouaves have met very often since the encampment, and had | |
many a good drill in their room--the large attic floor which Mr. | |
Jourdain allowed them for their special accommodation, and where the | |
beautiful regimental colors are carefully kept, to be proudly displayed | |
in every parade of the Zouaves. | |
When he is sixteen, the boy Colonel is to enter West Point Academy, and | |
learn to be a real soldier; while Tom--poor Tom, who went down to | |
Baltimore that pleasant July month, promising so faithfully to join | |
Freddy in the cadet corps, may never see the North again. | |
And in conclusion let me say, that should our country again be in danger | |
in after years, which God forbid, we may be sure that first in the | |
field, and foremost in the van of the grand army, will be our gallant | |
young friend, | |
COLONEL FREDDY. | |
CONCLUSION. | |
IT took a great many Saturday afternoons to finish the story of "Colonel | |
Freddy," and the children returned to it at each reading with renewed | |
and breathless interest. George and Helen couldn't help jumping up off | |
their seats once or twice and clapping their hands with delight when | |
anything specially exciting took place in the pages of the wonderful | |
story that was seen "before it was printed," and a great many "oh's" and | |
"ah's" testified to their appreciation of the gallant "Dashahed | |
Zouaves." They laughed over the captive Tom, and cried over the true | |
story of the old sergeant; and when at length the very last word had | |
been read, and their mother had laid down the manuscript, George sprang | |
up once more, exclaiming; "Oh, I wish I could be a boy soldier! Mamma, | |
mayn't I recruit a regiment and camp out too?" "And oh! if I could only | |
present a flag!" cried his sister; "I wish I had been Jessie; what a | |
pity it wasn't all true!" | |
"And what if I should tell you," said their mother, laughing, "that a | |
little bird has whispered in my ear that 'Colonel Freddy' was | |
wonderfully like your little Long Island friend Hilton R----?" | |
"Oh, mamma! why, what makes you think so?" | |
"Oh, something funny I heard about him last summer; never mind what!" | |
The children wisely concluded that it was no use to ask any more | |
questions; at the same moment solemnly resolving that the very next time | |
they paid a visit to their aunt, who lived at Astoria, they would beg | |
her to let them drive over to Mr. R----'s place, and find out all about | |
it. | |
After this, there were no more readings for several Saturdays; but at | |
last one morning when the children had almost given up all hopes of more | |
stories, George opened his eyes on the sock hanging against the door, | |
which looked more bulgy than ever. "Hurrah!" he shouted; "Aunt Fanny's | |
daughter hasn't forgotten us, after all!" and dressing himself in a | |
double quick, helter-skelter fashion, George dashed out into the entry, | |
forgot his good resolution, and slid down the banisters like a streak of | |
lightning and began pummelling on his sister's door with both fists; | |
shouting, "Come, get up! get up, Nelly! here's another Sock story for | |
us!" | |
This delightful announcement was quite sufficient to make Helen's | |
stockings, which she was just drawing on in a lazy fashion, fly up to | |
their places in a hurry; then she popped her button-over boots on the | |
wrong feet, and had to take them off and try again; and, in short, the | |
whole of her dressing was an excellent illustration of that time-honored | |
maxim, "The more _haste_, the worse _speed_;" George, meanwhile, | |
performing a distracted Indian war dance in the entry outside, until his | |
father opened his door and wanted to know what the racket was all about. | |
"Socks! socks! father!" cried George, joyfully. | |
At this moment Helen came out, and the two children scampered down | |
stairs, and sitting down side by side on the sofa, they proceeded to | |
examine this second instalment of the Sock stories. They found it was | |
again a whole book; and the title, on a little page by itself, read | |
"GERMAN SOCKS." | |
"Oh, I am so glad!" said Helen. "These must be more stories like that | |
dear 'Little White Angel.'" | |
And so they proved to be; for, on their mother's commencing to read the | |
first story, it was found to be called, "God's Pensioners;" and | |
commenced, "It was a cold--" but stop! halt! This book was to be devoted | |
to "Colonel Freddy;" but if you will only go to Mr. Leavitt's, the | |
publishers, you will there discover what was the rest of the second Sock | |
Stories. | |
THE END. | |
* * * * * | |
Transcriber's Notes: | |
Obvious punctuation errors repaired. | |
Page 41, "dilemna" changed to "dilemma" (horns of this dilemma) | |
Page 81, "arttisically" changed to "artistically" (his fork | |
artistically) | |
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Red, White, Blue Socks. Part Second, by | |
Sarah L. Barrow | |
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