The Young Sharpshooter at Antietam

by Percy F. Westerman

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  THE PRESIDENT'S ACTION

  An expression of surprise appeared upon the face of Dennis which quicklychanged to one of consternation. Every one in the little band wassilent, watching the young Irishman. What at first had been looked uponsimply as a rough and not altogether good-natured joke, now seemed to betaking upon itself certain other phases that interested every onepresent. Even Levi was speechless in his rage. Several times he made asif he was about to flee from the spot, but every time he came back,either fascinated by the action of Dennis, or eager to secure the paperwhich the young Irishman was holding in his hand.

  "Here, sergeant," said Dennis at last, "I think 'tis likely this is foryou."

  "What is it?" replied the officer as he advanced.

  "It looks as if it might be mighty important. 'Tis my opinion that thelittle spalpeen has been seein' some things he ought not to see and isreportin' what no Johnnie ought to know. Just look at that, will ye!"and Dennis placed the tip of his huge forefinger upon some figures whichwere written upon the paper.

  Taking the sheet from Dennis's hand the sergeant looked keenly at it,and in a moment it was seen that he was as startled and alarmed as hadbeen the young Irish soldier.

  Turning quickly about, he saw that Levi manifestly was aware of what wasgoing on in the mind of the officer and was stealthily working towardthe woods in the distance.

  "Stop that fellow!" ordered the sergeant. "Don't let him get away, notfor a minute!"

  "Shall we try to catch him?" inquired Noel.

  "No, there will be men enough without you. You go after him," he added,turning to some of the others in the band.

  Instantly obeying the command a half-dozen men started in swift pursuitof the little sutler, who now was running at his utmost speed. Thepursuit was not long continued, however, for just before Levi gained therefuge of the woods he stumbled and fell to the ground. Before he couldrise his pursuers were upon him, and in spite of the efforts of thebiting, kicking, striking, howling little sutler he was picked upbodily and carried back to the place where the other members of the bandwere awaiting their return.

  "I suspict," said Dennis, as he tauntingly grinned at the helplessprisoner, "that the little spalpeen has some other papers somewhereabout him. Maybe he has put thim in the heel of his boot. 'Tis myopinion that he ought to be sarched from head to feet."

  "We'll attend to that," said the officer, as he thrust into his pocketthe letter which Dennis had secured and at once gave the word to returnto the camp.

  It was manifest to Noel that the test which had been made of the skillof himself and Dennis, had been a source of deep satisfaction to thechaplain, who now was advancing by his side. Naturally the officer didnot make any comment, but his face was beaming, and it was plain that hewas almost as pleased as were the boys themselves.

  When the party arrived at the guard-tent, and Dennis was free to expresshis opinions once more, he was not slow to embrace the opportunity.

  "'Tis no use at all, at all," he said, "in kapin' Noel and mesilf here.Think of a little spalpeen like Levi Kadoff comin' into the camp andgettin' all he wants to find out and goin' back with it among theJohnnies!"

  "That's what he was doing," said Noel. "I wondered what Levi could haveto do with Sairy Ann's brother-in-law. He made no bones of the fact thathe was a spy, but I never suspected Levi of doing anything of the kindfrom his own wish. We knew he would sell anything he possessed, whetherit was information or clothes, but I never believed that he would goback and forth between the armies and carry news from one to the other."

  "I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the little imp had been bringinginformation here, too."

  "Of course he has!" said Noel. "He got paid at both ends of the journeyand he wasn't very slow to make much of the chance. I wonder how much hehad."

  "He hasn't had as much as he will get!" said Dennis positively. "Justlisten to that, will ye!"

  The roar of great guns in the distance again was distinctly heard, andso threatening was the sound that it did not seem possible to thestartled listeners that the men who were engaged in the combat could befar away.

  "Listen to that!" repeated Dennis. "That means that we're goin' to bebusy just as soon as they take us out of this guard-house."

  "I think I would rather be there than here," said Noel, "although Iconfess that ever since Malvern Hill I have not been eager to go intothe sharpshooters' pit."

  "You'll be in no sharpshooters' pit here. They don't know enough tocount you for what you're worth. If we're fortunate enough iver to getback to the --th, where we belong, there we'll pass for just exactlywhat we are. The most I want here is just to get out of the guard-tent.I think I can take care of the rest of it mesilf."

  The conversation of the young soldiers continued in spite of therepeated sounds of the distant firing. Two hours or more had elapsed,and still no word was brought them, nor had the chaplain returned.Eagerly the boys had talked over the possibilities of Levi being a spy,Dennis firmly contending that there was not "spunk enough in the littlespalpeen to do anything for himself." Noel, however, claimed that theformer sutler was not without a form of courage of his own.

  "There comes the chaplain," said Dennis, after a few minutes more hadelapsed. "From the look of him I think he has got something he wouldlike to say to us."

  Nor was the young Irishman disappointed. When the chaplain entered thetent his face was beaming and his satisfaction over what he was about tosay was so manifest that every one of the inmates was confident goodnews of some kind had been brought.

  "We have just heard from Washington!" said the chaplain eagerly. "Wesent a message to President Lincoln informing him just what had beendone here,--the number of deserters, who had been hanged, and who hadbeen shot, and how many were on hand, and asked what we should do next."

  "Did you tell him about us?" broke in Dennis.

  "Yes, we told him about you and the others, too."

  "Well, what word did you get? Why don't you out with it, yer Riverence?"

  The kind-hearted chaplain laughed and said, "I was just about to say,when you interrupted me, that after we had sent our message toWashington we did not expect to receive word in reply so soon. But themessage has just come that the President has received our communicationand--"

  "The Saints presarve us!" broke in Dennis. "Won't you please tell uswhat's happened?"

  "That's what I am telling you," continued the chaplain. "If you wouldn'tinterrupt me so frequently you would find out what I have come to say."

  "Well, tell us, then!" said Dennis. And although every inmate wassilent, the face of every one gave evidence of the eagerness with whichhe was waiting for the visitor's word.

  "We have just received our message," began the chaplain once more, "andI confess that I have a feeling toward the President such as I nevercherished before."

  "But what did he say?" broke in Dennis.

  "Be silent and I'll explain," said the chaplain. "We were not lookingfor an answer for several hours yet, but to our surprise the messengerhas returned and has brought us word that President Lincoln has decidedto--"

  As the chaplain paused again, Dennis impatiently broke in, "For the loveof the Saints in heaven tell us what he has decided to do! I can't standmuch more o' this. It isn't the spache we want. It's to know what thePrisident said."

  "He has decided to pardon every one of you."

  A shout went up from the guard-tent. In their enthusiasm several werefor leaving the place at once.

  "Hold on," warned the chaplain. "I have no right to let you go. I waspermitted to come and bring you the word. You will have to wait untilorders come from the colonel before you will be free. It won't hurt youvery much to wait a little while because you know you will not have tostay long. It's a great message and I'm glad I am the one to bring it toyou. Are you pleased, both of you?"

  "In course I'm pleased," said Dennis.

  "And how is it with you, Noel?" asked the chaplain keenly as he turne
dto the other young soldier.

  "I didn't want any 'pardon'," declared Noel quietly. "I haven't doneanything for which I ought to be pardoned. I have been charged withbeing a deserter, by a man whose word was taken instead of ours, and,too, he is now said to be a spy. I don't feel like taking a pardonbecause I haven't done anything which deserves a pardon."

  "Don't be foolish, lad," suggested the chaplain. "This matter will allbe straightened out. If there is time you may be sent back to thedivision where you belong, but if there isn't and we have to advancenow, there will be plenty of work for you to do before many hours havepassed. Don't stand on a little thing like that."

  "I don't want to," said Noel, "and perhaps I shall not stay in theguard-tent. I am not made of the stuff of which they used to makemartyrs. I appreciate what President Lincoln intended to do, but at thesame time I don't want to stay here as one who has been pardoned forsomething which he never did."

  "That will be fixed all right," said the chaplain soothingly. "And justas soon as you receive word from the colonel that you are free, I hopeyou won't stay here any longer."

  "Niver a bit will we stay here any longer," declared Dennis. "You watchme, if you want to! You'll see some dust, but not me nor me feet when Iget word to lave this tent."

  True to the promise of the chaplain, word was brought in a brief timethat a message from the President had been received and that all thedeserters had been pardoned on the condition that every man shouldresume his place in the army and do his duty.

  Nor had they been long released before another and more startlingexperience came. The heavy firing of cannon in the distance had nowincreased, and it was manifest throughout the camp that preparations foran advance were rapidly being made.