the week to follow the events recorded in the last chapter was a trying one for the inhabitants of oldville, as the district around the ruthvens' plantation was called.
the army of the north had pressed the army of the south back steadily day after day, until the confederates were encamped less than four miles away from jack's home. for two days the cannon-firing could be distinctly heard, and the women folks were filled with dread, thinking the invaders from the north were about to swoop down upon their homes and pillage them.
"oh, jack! do you think they will come here?" was the question marion asked at least a dozen times.
"they had better not," was the sturdy reply. "if they do, they will find that even a boy can fight."
"but you could do nothing against an army, jack."
"perhaps not. but i'll do what i can to protect you and mother."
"old ben told me that you and darcy gilbert were organizing a home guard."
"yes; we have organized a company of boys. we have twenty-three members, and i am the captain," answered jack, with just a bit of pride in his tones.
"then you are captain jack!" exclaimed marion. "let me congratulate you, captain. but have you any weapons?"
"yes. i have an old sword and also a pistol, and all of the others have pistols or guns. i think, if we were put to it, we might do our enemy some damage."
"no doubt, since i know you and darcy can shoot pretty straight. you ought to ask st. john to join the command."
"not much, marion! don't you know that st. john is a coward at heart, even if he is a man?"
"yes, i know it. one of the colored help on his plantation told old ben that the cannon-firing so close at hand made him so uneasy he couldn't eat or sleep."
"is it possible! now the cannon-firing simply makes me crazy to be at the front, to see what is going on, and to take part."
"then you must be a born soldier, jack." marion heaved a sigh. "oh, i wish this war was over! why must the men of the south and the north kill each other?"
"the world has always had wars and always will, i reckon. do you want to come to town and see us drill?"
"will it be safe?"
"i think so, marion. i don't believe the enemy are coming here very soon."
soon after this jack and marion were on their way to oldville, a sleepy town containing two general stores, a tavern, and a blacksmith shop.
in front of the tavern was a large green, and here a number of boys were playing various games.
"hurrah, here comes captain jack!" was the cry, when our hero appeared.
"are we to drill to-day?" questioned darcy gilbert, as he ran up and nodded to marion.
"if you will," said jack. his new honors had not made him in the least dictatorial.
"all right," returned darcy.
he was first lieutenant of the company, which had styled itself the oldville home guard, and he quickly summoned the young soldiers together.
all had uniforms, made of regular home suits with stripes of white sewed down the trouser-legs and around the coat-sleeves. the boys with pistols were placed in the front rank, those with guns in the second rank. one lad had a drum and another a fife.
"company, attention!" ordered jack, coming to the front with drawn sword, and the boys drew up in straight rows across the green. the drum rattled, and presently quite a crowd of old men, women, and children collected to see the drill.
"carry—arms!" went on jack, and the guns came to a carry, and likewise the pistols. "present—arms! shoulder—arms! forward—march!"
"dum! dum! dum, dum, dum!" went the drummer, and off marched the company to the end of the green.
"right—wheel!" came the next command, and the boys wheeled with the order of a veteran body, for each was enthusiastic to do his best. "forward!" and they marched on again, and so the marching kept up until the square had been covered several times.
"halt!" thus the commanding went on. "load! take aim! fire!"
and twenty-odd gun and pistol hammers came down with a sharp clicking, for none of the weapons were loaded, the boys saving their powder and ball until such time as they might actually be needed. a short parade around the main streets followed, and then jack dismissed the company.
"it was splendid!" cried marion enthusiastically. "i declare, jack, how did you ever get them drilled so nicely?"
"oh! the fellows take to it naturally. besides, darcy did as much as i did."
"no, jack is our chief drillmaster," put in darcy. "he takes to soldiering as a duck takes to a pond."
"it's wonderful. still, i hope you never have to go to war," concluded marion.
"if we do, we'll try to give a good account of ourselves," said darcy, as marion walked away.
"indeed we will!" cried our hero.
now she was in town marion concluded to do some shopping, and accordingly made her way to one of the general stores, a place kept by lemuel blackwood, one of the oldest merchants in that part of the state.
blackwood's store was usually crowded with goods of every description, but the war had all but wrecked his trade, and his stock was scanty and shop-worn.
"how do you do, marion?" said he, when the girl entered. he had known her from childhood.
"how do you do, mr. blackwood?" she returned.
"pretty fairly, for an old man, marion. that is, so far as my health goes. business is very poor, though."
"the war has taken the people's money."
"yes, yes! it is awful! sometimes i think it will never end."
"do you think we will win, mr. blackwood?"
at this the old man shook his head slowly.
"i used to hope so, marion. but now—the most of our best soldiers have been shot down. the north can get new recruits, but we don't seem to have many more men to go to the front."
"have you any more calico like that which i got a few weeks ago?"
"no, i can't get a single piece, no matter how hard i try."
"what have you in plain dress goods?"
"nothing but what i showed you before. i tried to get something new last week, but the wholesale houses had nothing, and couldn't say when anything new would come in. their business has been wrecked, just as mine has been. two of the best houses i used to do business with are bankrupt."
"then show me what you have again, please. mamma and i must have something, even if it is out of date. we'll wear it for the honor of the south."
at this old mr. blackwood smiled. "you are a loyal girl, marion. i like to see it in a person, especially in one who is young. it shows the right training."
"but supposing i was a northerner," said marion, with a sly twinkle in her eye.
"it would make no difference in my opinion."
"you believe people should be true to their convictions?"
"yes, no matter what side they stand upon. we think we are right, and are willing to fight for our opinions. they think they are right, and they are willing to fight, too."
"but who is right?"
mr. blackwood shrugged his shoulders. "let us trust that god will bring this difficulty to a satisfactory conclusion. if we lose in this war, my one hope is that the south will not lose everything—that the north will be generous."
"but they say grant is a stubborn general. that he will demand everything of general lee."
"i cannot believe it. i have a cousin who knew grant, and he said grant was not so hard-hearted as painted."
"some say the south, if defeated, will be held in virtual slavery by the north."
"yes, some hot-heads say everything. i had such a fellow in here yesterday; a surgeon in our army, who gave his name as dr. mackey. he was ranting around, declaring that, if we lost, the northern soldiers would march clear through to new orleans and loot and burn every village, town, and city, and that neither life nor property would be safe. his talk was enough to scare a timid person most to death."
"a surgeon in our army," said marion. she had been told by jack of the meeting on the bridge. "what kind of a looking man was he?"
as well as he could mr. blackwood described the individual.
"did he seem to have a finger on one hand doubled up and stiff?"
"yes. do you know him, marion?"
"i know of him. he met jack on a bridge some days ago and ordered him off as if jack were a slave."
"he appeared to be as headstrong as he was unreasonable. i have seen him around here several times, but i cannot make out what he is doing here. he asked me about the wreck on hemlock bluff rocks."
"what!" and marion showed her surprise.
"yes. he said he had heard of the wreck and was curious to visit it."
"that was strange."
"i asked him why he wished to visit the wreck, but he did not answer the question."
at this point some other customers came in and the conversation was changed. marion bought what she wanted and went out, and presently joined jack on the way home.
"it was odd that surgeon should want to visit the wreck," was our hero's comment, after he had heard what the girl had to say. "i wonder if he knows anything of the ship and her passengers? if he does, i would like to interview him, uncivil as he is."
