THE NEXT day Sunday after the battle dawned as clear, bright and sparkling as only a Winter's day can dawn in Tennessee, after a fortnight of doleful deluges1. Tennessee Winter weather is like the famous little girl with the curl right down in the middle of her forehead, who,
"When she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad, she was horrid2."
After weeks of heart-saddening down-pour that threatened to drench3 life and hope out of every breathing thing, it will suddenly beam out in a day so crisp and bright that all Nature will wear a gladsome smile and life become jocund4.
When the reveille and the Orderly-Sergeant's brogans aroused Si and Shorty the latter's first thought was for the strip of canvas which he had secured with so much trouble from the wagon-cover, and intended to cherish for future emergencies. He felt his neck and found the strip that he had tied there, but that was all that there was of it. A sharp knife had cut away the rest so deftly5 that he had not felt its loss.
Shorty's boiler6 got very hot at once, and he began blowing off steam. Somehow he had taken an especial fancy to that piece of canvas, and his wrath7 was hot against the man who had stolen it.
Shorty Retaliates8. 126
"Condemn9 that onery thief," he yelled. "He ought to be drummed out o' camp, with his head shaved. A man that'll steal ought to be hunted down and127 kicked out o' the army. He's not fit to associate with decent men."
"Why, Shorty," said Si, amused at his partner's heat, "you stole that yourself."
"I didn't nothin' o' the kind," snorted Shorty, "and don't want you sayin' so, Mr. Klegg, if you don't want to git into trouble. I took it from a teamster. You ought to know it's never stealin' to take anything from a teamster. I'll bet it was some of that Toledo regiment11 that stole it. Them Maumee River Muskrats12 are the durndest thieves in the brigade. They'd steal the salt out o' your hardtack if you didn't watch 'em not because they wanted the salt, but just because they can't help stealin'. They ought to be fired out o' the brigade. I'm going over to their camp to look for it, and if I find it I'll wipe the ground up with the feller that took it. 'Taint13 so much the value of the thing as the principle. I hate a thief above all things."
Si tried to calm Shorty and dissuade14 him from going, but his partner was determined15, and Si let him go, but kept an eye and ear open for developments.
In a few minutes Shorty returned, with jubilation16 in his face, the canvas in one hand and a nice frying-pan and a canteen of molasses in the other.
"Just as I told you," he said triumphantly17. "It was some o' them Maumee River Muskrats. I found them asleep in a bunch o' cedars19, with our nice tent stretched over their thievin' carcasses. They'd been out on guard or scoutin', and come in after we'd gone to sleep. They were still snorin' away when I yanked the tent off, an' picked up their fryin'-pan an' canteen o' molasses to remember 'em by."128
"I thought you hated a thief," Si started to say; but real comrades soon learn, like husband and wife, that it is not necessary to say everything that rises to their lips. Besides, the frying-pan was a beauty, and just what they wanted.
It became generally understood during the day that the Army of the Cumberland would remain around Murfreesboro' indefinitely probably until Spring to rest, refit and prepare for another campaign. Instructions were given to regimental commanders to select good camping ground and have their men erect20 comfortable Winter quarters.
The 200th Ind. moved into an oak grove21, on a gentle slope toward the south, and set about making itself thoroughly22 at home.
Si and Shorty were prompt to improve the opportunity to house themselves comfortably.
Si had now been long enough in the army to regard everything that was not held down by a man with a gun and bayonet as legitimate23 capture. He passed where one of the Pioneer Corps24 had laid down his ax for a minute to help on some other work. That minute was spent by Si in walking away with the ax hidden under his long overcoat. Those long overcoats, like charity, covered a multitude of sins.
The ax was not sharp no army ax ever was, but Si's and Shorty's muscles were vigorous enough to make up for its dullness. In a little while they had cut down and trimmed enough oak saplings to make a pen about the size of the corn-crib at Si's home. While one would whack25 away with the ax the other would carry the poles and build up the pen. By129 evening they had got this higher than their heads, and had to stop work from sheer exhaustion26.
"I'll declare," said Si, as they sat down to eat supper and survey their work, "if father'd ever made me do half as much work in one day as I have done to-day I should have died with tiredness and then run away from home. It does seem to me that every day we try a new way o' killing27 ourselves."
"Well," said Shorty, arresting a liberal chunk28 of fried pork on the way to his capacious grinders to cast an admiring glance on the structure, "it's worth it all. It'll just be the finest shebang in Tennessee when we git it finished. I'm only afraid we'll make it so fine that Gen. Rosecrans or the Governor of Tennessee 'll come down and take it away for him self. That'd just be our luck."
"Great Scott!" said Si, looking at it with a groan29; "how much work there is to do yet. What are we goin' to do for a roof? Then, we must cut out a place for a door. We'll have to chink between all the logs with mud and chunks30; and we ought to have a fireplace."
"I've bin31 thinkin' of all them things, and I've thunk 'em out," said Shorty cheerfully. "I've bin thinkin' while you've bin workin'. Do you know, I believe I was born for an architect, an' I'll go into the architect business after the war! I've got a head plumb33 full of the natural stuff for the business. It growed right there. All I need is some more know-how34 an' makin' plans on paper."
"O, you've got a great big head, Shorty," said Si, admiringly, "and whatever you start to do you do splendid. Nobody knows that better'n me. But what's your idee about the roof?"130
"Why, do you see that there freight-car over there by the bridge" (pointing to where a car was off the track, near Stone River), "I've bin watchin' that ever since we begun buildin', for fear somebody else'd drop on to it. The roof of that car is tin. We'll jest slip down there with an ax after dark, an' cut off enough to make a splendid roof. I always wanted a tin-roofed house. Old Jack35 Wilson, who lives near us, had a tin roof on his barn, an' it made his daughters so proud they wouldn't go home with me from meetin'. You kin10 write home that we have a new house with a tin roof, an' it'll help your sisters to marry better."
"Shorty, that head o' your'n gits bigger every time I look at it."
Si and Shorty had the extreme quality of being able to forget fatigue36 when there was something to be accomplished37. As darkness settled down they picked up the ax and proceeded across the fields to the freight-car.
"There's someone in there," said Si, as they came close to it. They reconnoitered it carefully. Five or six men, without arms, were comfortably ensconed inside and playing cards by the light of a fire of pitch-pine, which they had built upon some dirt placed in the middle of the car.
"They're blamed skulkers," said Shorty, after a minute's survey of the interior. "Don't you see they hain't got their guns with 'em? We won't mind 'em."
They climbed to the top of the car, measured off about half of it, and began cutting through the tin with the ax. The noise alarmed the men inside. They jumped out on the ground, and called up:131
"Here, what're you fellers doin' up there? This is our car. Let it alone."
"Go to the devil," said Shorty, making another slash38 at the roof with the ax.
"This is our car, I tell you," reiterated39 the men. "You let it alone, or we'll make you." Some of the men looked around for something to throw at them.
Si walked to the end of the car, tore off the brake-wheel, and came back.
"You fellers down there shut up and go back in side to your cards, if you know what's good for you," he said. "You're nothing but a lot of durned skulkers. We are here under orders. We don't want nothin' but a piece o' the tin roof. You kin have the rest. If any of you attempts to throw anything I'll mash40 him into the ground with this wheel. Do you hear me? Go back inside, or we'll arrest the whole lot of you and take you back to your regiments41."
Si's authoritative42 tone, and the red stripes on his arm, were too much for the guilty consciences of the skulkers, and they went back inside the car. The tearing off the roof proceeded without further interruption, but with considerable mangling43 of their hands by the edges of the tin.
After they had gotten it off, they proceeded to roll it up and started back for their "house." It was a fearful load, and one that they would not have attempted to carry in ordinary times. But their blood was up; they were determined to outshine everybody else with their tin roof, and they toiled44 on over the mud and rough ground, although every132 little while one of them would make a misstep and both would fall, and the heavy weight would seem to mash them into the ground.
"I don't wonder old Jake Wilson was proud of his tin roof," gasped46 Si, as he pulled himself out of a mudhole and rolled the tin off him and Shorty. "If I'd a tin roof on my barn durned if my daughter should walk home with a man that didn't own a whole section of bottom land and drove o' mules47 to boot."
It was fully32 midnight before they reached their pen and laid their burden down. They were too tired to do anything more than lay their blankets down on a pile of cedar18 boughs48 and go to sleep.
The next morning they unrolled their booty and gloated over it. It would make a perfect roof, and they felt it repaid all their toils49. Upon measurement they found it much larger each way than their log pen.
"Just right," said Shorty gleefully. "It'll stick out two feet all around. It's the aristocratic, fashion able thing now-a-days to have wide cornishes. Remember them swell50 houses we wuz lookin' at in Louisville? We're right in style with them."
The rest of Co. Q gathered around to inspect it and envy them.
"I suppose you left some," said Jack Wilkinson. "I'll go down there and get the rest."
"Much you won't," said Si, looking toward the car; "there ain't no rest."
They all looked that way. Early as it was the car had totally disappeared, down to the wheels, which some men were rolling away.133
"That must be some o' them Maumee River Muskrats," said Shorty, looking at the latter. "They'll steal anything they kin git away with, just for the sake of stealin'. What on earth kin they do with them wheels?"
"They may knock 'em off the axles an' make hearths51 for their fireplaces, and use the axles for posts," suggested Si.
"Here, you fellers," said Shorty, "give us a lift. Let's have a house-raisin'. Help us put the roof on."
They fell to with a will, even the Captain assisting, and, after a good deal of trouble and more cut hands, succeeded in getting the piece of tin on top of the pen and bent52 down across the ridge-pole. Si and Shorty proceeded to secure it in place by putting other poles across it and fastening them down with ropes and strips of bark to the lower logs.
"Your broad cornice is aristocratic, as you say," said the Captain, "but I'm afraid it'll catch the wind, and tip your house over in some big storm."
The House Beautiful. 133
"That's so," admitted Shorty; "but a feller that puts on airs always has to take some chances. I don't want people to think that we are mean and stingy about a little tin, so I guess we'll keep her just as she is."
The next day they borrowed a saw from the Pioneers, cut out a hole for the door, and another for the fireplace. They made a frame for the door out of pieces of cracker-boxes, and hung up their bit of canvas for a door. They filled up the spaces be tween the logs with pieces of wood, and then daubed clay on until they had the walls tight. They gathered up stones and built a commodious53 fireplace, daubing it all over with clay, until it was wind and water tight.
"What are we goin' to do for a chimney, Si?" said135 Shorty, as their fireplace became about breast-high. "Build one o' sticks, like these rebels around here? That'll be an awful lot o' work."
Solid Comfort. 135
"I've had an idee," said Si. "I ain't goin' to let136 you do all the thinkin', even if you are a born architect. When I was helpin' draw rations54 yesterday, I looked at the pork barrels, and got an idee that one of them'd make a good chimney. I spoke55 to Bill Suggs, the Commissary-Sergeant, about it, and he agreed to save me a barrel when it was empty, which it must be about now. I'll go down and see him about it."
Si presently came back rolling the empty barrel. They knocked the bottom out, carefully plastered it over inside with clay, and set it up on their fireplace, and made the joints56 with more clay. It made a splendid chimney. They washed the clay off their hands, built a cheerful fire inside, cooked a bountiful supper, and ate it in the light and comfort of their own fireside. It was now Saturday night. They had had a week of severer toil45 than they had ever dreamed of performing at home, but its reward was ample.
"Ah," said Shorty, as he sat on a chunk of wood, pipe in mouth, and absorbed the warmth, "this is something like home and home comforts. It's more like white livin' than I've had since I've bin in the army. Let's act like men and Christians57 tomorrow, by not doin' a lick o' work o' any kind. Let's lay abed late, and then wash up all over, and go to hear the Chaplain preach."
"Agreed," said Si, as he spread out their blankets for the night.
It had been threatening weather all day, and now the rain came down with a rush.
"Ain't that music, now," said Shorty, listening to the patter on the roof. "Nothin' sounds so sweet as137 rain upon a tin roof. Let it rain cats and dogs, if it wants to. The harder the better. Si, there's nothin' so healthy to sleep under as a tin roof. I'll never have anything but a tin roof on my house when I git home. And we've got the only tin roof in the regiment. Think o' that." But Si was too sleepy to think.
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1
deluges
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| v.使淹没( deluge的第三人称单数 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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3
drench
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| v.使淋透，使湿透 | |
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jocund
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| adj.快乐的，高兴的 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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6
boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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8
retaliates
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| v.报复，反击( retaliate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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muskrats
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| n.麝鼠（产于北美，毛皮珍贵）( muskrat的名词复数 ) | |
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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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15
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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16
jubilation
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| n.欢庆，喜悦 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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18
cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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cedars
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| 雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 ) | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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whack
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| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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chunk
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| n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量） | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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chunks
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| 厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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know-how
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| n.知识；技术；诀窍 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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slash
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| vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩 | |
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39
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
mash
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| n.麦芽浆，糊状物，土豆泥；v.把…捣成糊状，挑逗，调情 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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43
mangling
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| 重整 | |
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44
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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45
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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46
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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47
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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48
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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49
toils
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| 网 | |
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50
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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51
hearths
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| 壁炉前的地板，炉床，壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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52
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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53
commodious
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| adj.宽敞的；使用方便的 | |
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54
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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55
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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56
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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