The Littlest Rebel | Page 9

quickly his dear wife would know the full extent of the
peril with which he felt himself surrounded. And so his reply was short
and seemingly gruff, as many another man's has been under too heavy
circumstances.
"Scouting duty. I've been on it for the past two months."
Mrs. Cary's hand went to her heart.
"A _scout_, Herbert! But, darling, why? It's so dangerous--so
horrible--so--"
He put up his hand, with a forced smile, to check her, and broke in
gayly.

"Ah, but think of the fun in it. It's like playing hide-and-go-seek with
Virgie."
But his wife was not to be put off so lightly and she put her impelling
hands on his arm.
Gary changed his tone. His voice deepened.
"They need me, dear," he said earnestly. "What does danger to one man
mean when Dixie calls us all? And I'm doing work--good work. I've
already given one battle to General Lee and now I have information
that will give him another and a bigger one. Two nights ago I came
through the Union lines. I ..."
Mrs. Cary rose unsteadily to her feet.
"Through the Yankee lines! Oh, Herbert. _Not as a spy!_"
"A spy? Of course not. I hid in the woods all day, then climbed a tall
pine tree and got the lay of their camp--the number of their guns--the
disposition of forces and their lines of attack. Yesterday I had the wires
at Drury's Bluff and started trouble. I'm on my way now to join my
command, but I had a good excuse for coming home to hold you in in
my arms again, if only for a moment. You see, poor old Roger got a
wound in his flank--from a stray bullet."
"A stray bullet," asked Mrs. Gary, doubtfully.
"Yes," he smiled, for he had escaped it, "a stray bullet meant for me."
"But, Daddy," Virgie interrupted, "while you were up in the tree--"
A wild whoop broke off Virgie's question. Sally Ann was rushing down
the steps, her eyes rolling up with excitement.
"Mars' Cary! Mars' Cary! Somebody comin' long de road!"
"Who? How many?" Cary demanded, springing up and running
towards the gate that opened on the wagon road over the hills.

"Des' one," responded Sally Ann with naïve truthfulness. "Ol' Dr.
Simmons. He drivin' by de gate in de buggy."
Mrs. Cary threw up her hands with a muffled cry of relief and laughter.
"Oh, Sally! Sally!" she exclaimed, "you'll be the death of me."
"But Lor! Miss Hallie," said Sally plaintively, "he tole me fer to tell
him."
Cary, returning, waved Sally Ann back to her post. "That's right," he
laughed. "You're a good sentry, Sally Ann. Go back and watch again.
_Scoot_!"
"Herbert," and his wife stood before him. "Come into the house and let
me give you something to eat."
For answer Cary gently imprisoned her face in his hands. "Honey, I
can't," he said, his eyes grown sad again. "Just fix me up
something--anything you can find. I'll munch it in the saddle."
For a moment their lips clung and then she stepped back with a broken
sigh. "I'll do the best I can, but oh! how I wish it all were over and that
we had you home again."
A spasm crossed the man's face. "It soon will be over, sweetheart. It
soon will be."
His wife flung him a startled look. "You mean--Oh, Herbert! Isn't there
a single hope--even the tiniest ray?"
Cary took her hands in his, looked into her eyes and his answer
breathed the still unconquered spirit of the South. "There is always
hope--as long as we have a man." Mrs. Cary went into the house,
slowly, wearily, and Cary turned to Virgie.
"Well, little lady," her father said, resting his hand on Virgie's shining
head. "Have you been taking good care of mother--and seeing that
Uncle Billy does his plowing right?"

"Yes, sir," came the prompt response. "Susan Jemima an' me have been
lookin' after everything--but we had to eat up General Butler!"
"General Butler," cried her father, astounded.
"Yes, Daddy--our lastest calf. We named him that 'cause one day when
I was feedin' him with milk he nearly swallowed my silver spoon."
"Ha-ha," laughed the amused soldier, and swept her up in his arms. "If
we could only get rid of all their generals as easy as that we'd promise
not to eat again for a week. Everything else all right?"
"No, sir," said Virgie, dolefully. "All the niggers has runned away--all
'cept Uncle Billy and Sally Ann. Jeems Henry runned away this
morning."
"The deuce he did! The young scamp!"
"He's gone to join the Yankees," Virgie continued.
"What's that?" and Cary sprang up to pace to and fro. "I wonder which
way he went?"
"I don' know," whimpered Virgie forlornly.