On a second call from Major Harper, when handed a document to open and read, he went through it carefully twice, and then dropping it on the coverlet asked--"and Quinn?"
"Oh, Quinn's turn will come."
"Ah! Major, that is not fair to Quinn!" said Ferry. Yet when he took up the paper again he gazed on it with a happy gravity; it made him a captain. "By the by," he said, "that Yankee horse that Dick Smith captured at Sessions's; I'd like to buy that horse from you, Major." They made the sale. "And there's that captured ambulance still here, Major, with its team eating their heads off."
"Yes, I'm going to take that away with me to-day."
This meant that Charlotte's negro man and his daughter, her maid, had come with her spring-wagon5, and Harry6 and I would have liked the Major better if he had smiled at this point, as he did not. Yet he was most lovable; sent so kind a message up to Charlotte that Harry and I wondered; and received back from her a reply so gracious that--since we could not wonder--we worshipped. In the evening of that day Ferry and Charlotte were transferred, she into the room behind her, and he upstairs into the one out of which she was taken. That night a slave and his wife, belonging to the place, ran away to the enemy. If they should tell the Yankees Ned Ferry was here--! "By Jo'!" said Harry Helm, "I'm glad I didn't cut my throat; I told that darkey, yesterday, Ned's name was O'Brien!"
Toward the close of that day came tidings of the brigade's splendid work at a steamboat-landing on the Mississippi River, how they had stolen in by night between two great bodies of the enemy, burned a vast store of military supplies, and then brilliantly cut their way out; yet we were told to be ready to withdraw into Mississippi again as soon as our newly made captain could safely be moved. Pooh! what of that? Lee was on his way into Pennsylvania; the war was nearly over, sang the Harper girls, and we were the winners! They cheerily saw Helm and me, next morning, ride southward in search of further good news. At a cross-roads I proposed that we separate, and meet there again near the end of the day. He turned west; I went an hour's ride farther south and then turned west myself.
When we met again I knew that he--while he did not know that I--had been to Gilmer's plantation7. We wanted to see if the Federals had left a grave there. They had left three, and a young girl who had been one of the dancers told me she had seen Oliver's body carried off by two blue troopers who growled8 and cursed because they had been sent back to bury it. Neither Harry nor I mentioned the subject when we met at the cross-roads again, for we came on our horses' necks at a stretched out run; the Federals were rolling up from the south battalion9 after battalion, hoping to find Major Harper's store of supplies feebly guarded and even up with us for that steamboat-landing raid. Presently as we hurried northward10 we began to hear, off ahead of us on our left, the faint hot give-and-take of two skirmish lines. We came into the homestead grove11 at a constrained12 trot13 and found the ladies out on the veranda14 in liveliest suspense15 between scepticism and alarm.
"Yes, they're fighting, now, on the edge of town," we said, "but our boys will keep them there." Our host and hostess moaned their unbelief. "However," added Harry, "I'll go tell the old man to hitch16 up the little mules17 and--"
"You dawn't need," said Cécile, "'tis done!" and Camille confirmed her word, while the planter and his wife returned to the kitchen yard, where the servants were loading the smokehouse meat into a wagon to hide it in the woods; Miss Harper and Estelle went into the house, summoned by Charlotte's maid. On Ferry's chamber18 floor sounded three measured thumps19 of his scabbarded sword.
"Dick, you answer that," exclaimed Harry, reining20 in half wheeled; "but keep him on his back, if you have to hold him down!" He spurred away to learn whether we had better stay or fly. I threw my rein21 to Camille and flew up the hall stairs.
Ferry lay in bed with three pillows behind him and his sheathed22 sword across his lap. "Good-evening, Richard," he said, "you are returned just in time; will you please hand me my two pistol' from yonder?--thank you." He laid one beside each thigh23. "Now please turn the head of my bed a little bit, to face the door--thank you; and now, good-bye. You hear those footstep' there in the room behind? she is dressing24 to go; the other ladies they are helping25 her. Richard, I place them in your charge; have them all ready to get into her wagon at a moment's notice, with you on your horse--and you better take that Jewett horse, too; he came to-day."
I hesitated, but a single flash of authority from his eye was enough and I had passed half-way to the door, when, through the window over the front veranda, I saw a small body of horsemen trotting26 up through the grove. The dusk of the room hid me, but there was no mistaking them. "Too late, Captain," I said, "they've got us."
"How many do you see?"
"About sixteen. Our two horses will be Yankees again to-morrow."
"Ah! not certainly. Where is your carbine?"
"Just outside this door. They know you're here, Captain, they're surrounding the house." As I reached toward the door I heard his sword crawl out, the doorknob clicked without my touching27 it, the door swung and closed again, and Charlotte Oliver was with us. The light of the western window shone full upon her; she was in the same dress, hat and all, in which I had seen her the night we rode together alone. Though wasted and pale, she betrayed a flush on either cheek and a smile that mated with the sweet earnest of her eyes. She tendered me my carbine, patted my hand caressingly28, and glided29 onward30 to Ferry's bedside. With my back to them and my ear to the door I hearkened outward. In the front doorway31 below sounded the jingling32 tread of cavalry-boots and a clank of sabres.
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1
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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2
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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3
delicacies
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| n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到 | |
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4
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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5
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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10
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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11
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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13
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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14
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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15
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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16
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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17
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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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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19
thumps
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| n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 ) | |
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20
reining
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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22
sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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23
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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24
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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25
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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26
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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27
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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28
caressingly
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| 爱抚地，亲切地 | |
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29
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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30
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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31
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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32
jingling
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| 叮当声 | |
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