by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER I
A CALL FOR ASSISTANCE
"How many miles have we still to go, Deck?"
"Not over seven by this road, Artie," replied Major Deck Lyon,commanding the first battalion, Riverlawn Cavalry, of Kentucky. "Ishould think the surroundings would begin to look familiar to you, evenif we have been away from home for some time."
"I never frequented this road," exclaimed Captain Artie Lyon, commandingthe fourth company of the Riverlawns. "Doesn't it run into that cutwhere you saved Kate Belthorpe and the rest of her party from that gangof so-styled 'Home Guard' ruffians?"
"I believe it does," was the slow response, and Major Dexter Lyonblushed; for although the incident referred to had occurred many monthsbefore, it was still fresh in his mind, as were also the beautiful faceand bewitching eyes of the maiden. The young major was but nineteenyears of age, and it could hardly be said that he was in love, yet awarm attachment had sprung up between these two people. "Does your woundtrouble you in riding, Artie?" he went on, to change the subject, andthus prevent his cousin from teasing him in his most susceptible spot.
"Not enough to count." Artie paused to urge his lagging horse ahead. "Iwonder if any of Morgan's desperadoes are in this neighborhood. Iunderstood from what Captain Ripley said that they were trying tooverrun the whole State. It's a pity we haven't more of such first-classsharpshooters around as he commands."
"What's the matter with Life Knox's tall boys, Artie? I reckon they canshoot about as well as any of Ripley's men, even though they are not aswell drilled. If I know anything about it, Life is a whole host inhimself."
"Oh, I agree with you there, Deck." There was another pause as the pairof horsemen swung around a heavily wooded bend. "What a pity fathercouldn't get a furlough to come home with us. I don't believe he wouldhave been missed, when the main body of the Department of the Cumberlandis doing nothing but keeping an eye on Bragg. Mother and the girls wouldhave been delighted to see--Hullo, if there isn't Levi Bedford comingthis way--and with half a dozen of the boys! Something is up, sure!"
As Captain Artie broke off, a tall, heavy-set man, mounted on acoal-black horse, burst into view, riding at a high rate of speed.Behind the man came six stout negroes; and all of the party carriedguns, and the white man a pistol in addition.
"Hi, Levi!" yelled Major Deck, as soon as the party of seven came withinhailing distance.
"Deck!" burst out the overseer of Riverlawn. "And Artie, by all that'sfortunate!"
"De young mars'rs!" came from several of the colored men. "Proud to seeyo', Mars'r Dexter, an' Mars'r Artie!"
At this Deck and Artie smiled on the slaves. Deck shook hands with LeviBedford, and Artie followed suit. "Is there any special reason for thismeeting being fortunate, Levi?" questioned the major, anxiously.
"I think so," was the hasty answer. "Less than two hours ago, and justafter I had made the rounds at Riverlawn, to make sure that everythingwas all right, and no marauders in sight, I received this note." And theoverseer passed over a small sheet of note-paper, upon which a few lineswere written in pencil, in a small hand.
"DEAR MR. BEDFORD: If you can, come to our assistance at once. A detachment of three soldiers of Morgan's cavalry has arrived at Lyndhall. One of the three is to return to his company at once and bring them here to plunder the estate. I am at home alone with my sister Kate and three servants. The negro who delivers this is a stranger to me, but well known to my father.
"MARGIE BELTHORPE."
"Kate in danger!" The words left Deck's lips before he could think torepress them. "Levi, we must not waste a moment in getting to Lyndhall!"
"Just my idea," responded the overseer. "I didn't lose a minute ingetting the boys together, after I received that. Some of the boys wereout in the back pasture, rounding up two stallions that broke away; butI sent word for them to follow, and I reckon they'll soon be after us,four or five strong."
"Four more will give you eleven men, counting yourself. Artie and I willmake thirteen. An unlucky number--for those ruffians, if we get toLyndhall in time. Forward!" and Major Deck wheeled his horse, followedby Captain Artie; and away went the entire party at the best speed theiranimals could command.
The time was the middle of the month of January, 1863, and the Army ofthe Cumberland, under General Rosecrans, was resting in and aroundMurfreesboro. The long, stubborn fight at Stone River had exhausted themen, and no new campaign could be undertaken until the wrecked andburned lines of communication were restored, the army reclothed andotherwise put into proper shape, and the necessary steps taken to makeMurfreesboro safe as a new base of supplies.
As the readers of the former volumes of this series know, the RiverlawnCavalry was one of the first to be organized in the State of Kentucky,at the time when the Commonwealth was still undecided as to whether itshould remain in the Union or throw its lot in with the Confederacy.The original body of men, forming two companies, had been raised verylargely by Noah Lyon, the father of Dexter, who had used them in puttingdown the lawless uprisings of the Home Guards of the neighborhood--a mobof unprincipled fellows who, under the guise of wishing to defendKentucky's neutrality during the great conflict, secretly plotted to aidthe Confederacy, and later on, when the Commonwealth declared for theUnion, promptly joined the ranks of the Secessionists.
From two companies the command had developed to a full regiment oftwelve companies, of which Noah Lyon was colonel. Following his fatherinto the war, Dexter had, by hard work and a bravery which sometimesbordered on recklessness, risen from the ranks until he became seniormajor, while his cousin Artie, of about Deck's age, had well earned thecommission of a captain. Both had been wounded more than once, Artierather seriously, and both were known to care little or nothing for theinjuries received in such a righteous cause.
The first duty of the Riverlawns as a regular military body had been toput down the raids of several bands of guerillas operating in countiesbordering upon, or near, the Tennessee State line. Successful in these,the command had become a part of the Union army, and as such had takenan active part in the battle of Mill Springs, or Logan's Crossroads, asit is sometimes called. After this had come a series of operations onand around Duck River, and in the entrenchments before Corinth, and thenhad come the advance of Rosecrans's forces upon Murfreesboro, ending inthe bloody battle of Stone River, which, while hardly a victory, causedthe shattered forces of the Confederate General Bragg to retreat, and gointo winter quarters at Tullahoma.
Although each of the Lyons fought with the warmth and enthusiasm of atrue Kentuckian, not one of the members of the several families livingat Riverlawn and at Barcreek, a small, nearby town, had been born withinthe borders of the State. All hailed from New Hampshire, and were Yankeebred as well as born.
The original emigrant to Kentucky had been Duncan Lyon, one of fourbrothers, who had settled at Riverlawn and made a comfortable fortunein raising hemp, tobacco, and horses. Duncan Lyon had been asgood-hearted as he was successful, and under his care Riverlawn hadbecome a model plantation and stock-breeding farm, with Levi Bedford assuperintendent or overseer, and with fifty-one slaves, old and young,who thought "Mars'r Lyon de best gen'men in de hull world."
The next member of the family to come West had been Titus Lyon, anotherof the four brothers. Titus was a mason by trade, and inclined to beshiftless, and when Duncan Lyon wrote that the mason at Barcreek wasdead, Titus had very promptly come on with his wife, two sons, and threedaughters. It had taken a good deal of help from Duncan to place Tituson his feet, and even then the proprietor of Riverlawn was pained tonote that the mason was more inclined to loaf around the village,drinking whiskey and talking politics, than he was to work at his trade.
During the times that Duncan Lyon and Titus were locating in Kentucky,Noah Lyon was attending strictly to his farm in New Hampshire, not alarge place, but still one upon which, by economy, he managed to earn aliving not only for himself, his wife, and his two children, Dext
er andHope, but also for the two children of his deceased brother Cyrus,Artemas and Dorcas. From the time that Artie and Dorcas came into thefamily they were looked upon as brother and sister by Deck and Hope, andboth always referred to Mr. and Mrs. Noah Lyon as father and mother.
The somewhat unexpected death of Duncan Lyon had proved a shock to allhis relatives, but when Lawyer Cosgrove, of Bowling Green, the countyseat, came forward to read the plantation owner's will, the secondshock, to Titus Lyon, was even greater than the first.
Duncan Lyon had valued his estate at one hundred thousand dollars.Riverlawn was put down as being worth twenty-five thousand dollars, andthis magnificent property, including all things in the house and on thegrounds and the fifty-one slaves, went to Noah Lyon, who likewisereceived ten thousand dollars, half cash and half stocks, for havingtaken care of Artie and Dorcas since they had become orphans. It mayhere be remarked that Duncan Lyon had been a bachelor, and had neverfelt capable of raising the children himself. To the children he leftone-quarter of his estate, half cash and half stocks, Noah to remaintheir guardian until of age.
Of the balance of his property he gave to Titus only twenty-fivethousand dollars, from which amount was to be deducted a note for fivethousand, leaving the mason twenty thousand dollars, half cash and halfin stocks. All the stocks to be divided were named in a schedule, sothere might be no disputes.
As might be supposed, Titus Lyon was very angry over the provisions ofhis brother's will, thinking that Riverlawn should have been settledupon himself. When Noah Lyon gave up his home in the East to take chargeof Riverlawn, Titus did not call upon him for several days, and for sometime after that the unreasonable mason talked about being swindled outof five thousand dollars, he thinking he ought to have had half of theten thousand given to Noah for supporting Cyrus's children, although hehad never lifted a hand to assist the orphans.
With the breaking out of the war Titus had been in his element. Strangeas it may seem, he had sided with the South in the struggle, and hadeven gone so far as to spend a large amount of money in equipping acompany of Home Guards, of which he was to be captain. But the arms andammunition, hidden away in a cavern, had been discovered by Artie andDeck who had turned them over to Noah Lyon, for use, later on, by theUnionists. This confiscation of property had made matters even worsebetween the two families, and for a long while Titus and his two sonswere very bitter. They entered the Confederate service much against thewishes of Titus's wife, and while serving under the stars and bars oneof the sons, Orly, was killed and Titus was taken prisoner.
His own capture and the killing of Orly, coupled with the fact thatSandy, the older son, was nearly starved while in the Southern service,produced a profound impression upon Titus Lyon. While a prisoner he gaveup drinking and signed the pledge. Then when Sandy suddenly left theConfederate service to enlist on the Union side under his Uncle Noah, hebegan to study the situation, and he wrote to Noah that he had seen theerror of his ways and was now for the Union, once and forever. Later onhe was released, and he joined the Riverlawns, to become adjutant of theregiment in which Sandy was now a second lieutenant of the fifthcompany, second battalion, the battalion being commanded by Major TomBelthorpe, of Lyndhall and the company by Captain Gadbury, a dashingyoung soldier, who was far more attentive to Margie Belthorpe than DeckLyon had ever dared to be to her younger sister.
There had been but one thing concerning Duncan Lyon's will which hadexcited much curiosity when the document was read and when the lawyerhaving the matter in hand had had his say. This was concerning thefifty-one negroes installed at Riverlawn. Noah Lyon was requested not topart with any of them. Furthermore, the heir to the plantation was lefta sealed letter which was not to be opened until five years later. TheLyons sometimes imagined the contents of the letter concerned thedisposition of the slaves, but they had no positive information on thepoint.
