Red, White, Blue Socks Part 9

"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 b.l.o.o.d.y 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. G.o.d 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 s.h.i.+ft 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, s.h.i.+nin' 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 hoa.r.s.e an' full o' death, an' his arm in the air, he shouted, 'Aye! G.o.d--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 pa.s.sing 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 pa.s.s 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!"