THE FINAL RECKONING
They rode a long time through a war-torn country, and the days bound
the young men together so closely that, at times, it seemed to them
they had fought on the same side all through the war. Sergeant Whitley
was usually their guide and he was an expert to bargain for food and
forage. He exhibited then all the qualities that afterward raised him
so high in the commercial world.
Although they were saddened often by the spectacle of the ruin the long
war had made, they kept their spirits, on the whole, wonderfully well.
The two colonels, excellent horsemen, were an unfailing source of
cheerfulness. When they alluded to the war they remembered only the
great victories the South had won, and invariably they spoke of its end
as a compromise. They also began to talk of Charleston, toward which
their hearts now turned, and a certain handsome Madame Delaunay whom
Harry Kenton remembered well.
As they left Virginia and entered North Carolina they heard that the
Confederate troops everywhere were surrendering. The war, which had
been so terrible and sanguinary only two or three months before, ended
absolutely with the South's complete exhaustion. Already the troops
were going home by the scores of thousands. They saw men who had just
taken off their uniforms guiding the ploughs in the furrows. Smoke
rose once more from the chimneys of the abandoned homes, and the boys
who had faced the cannon's mouth were rebuilding rail fences. The odor
of grass and newly turned earth was poignant and pleasant. The two
colonels expanded.
"Though my years have been devoted to military pursuits, Hector," said
Colonel Leonidas Talbot, "the agricultural life is noble, and many of
the hardy virtues of the South are due to the fact that we are chiefly
a rural population."
"Truly spoken, Leonidas, but for four years agriculture has not had
much chance with us, and perhaps agriculture is not all. It was the
mechanical genius of the North that kept us from taking New York and
Boston."
"Which reminds me, Happy," said St. Clair to Langdon, "that, after all,
you didn't sleep in the White House at Washington with your boots on."
"I changed my mind," replied Happy easily. "I didn't want to hurt
anybody's feelings."
Soon they entered the mountains, and they met many Confederate soldiers
returning to their homes. Harry always sought from them news of his
father, and he learned at last that he was somewhere in the western
part of the state. Then he heard, a day or two later, that a band of
guerrillas to the south of them were plundering and sometimes
murdering. They believed from what details they could gather that it
was Slade and Skelly with a new force, and they thought it advisable to
turn much farther toward the west.
"The longest way 'round is sometimes the shortest way through," said
Sergeant Whitley, and the others agreed with him. They came into a
country settled then but little. The mountains were clothed in deep
forest, now in the full glory of early spring, and the log cabins were
few. Usually they slept, the nights through, in the forest, and they
helped out their food supply with game. The sergeant shot two deer,
and they secured wild turkeys and quantities of smaller game.
Although they heard that the guerrillas were moving farther west, which
necessitated the continuation of their own course in that direction,
they seemed to have entered another world. Where they were, at least,
there was nothing but peace, the peace of the wilderness which made a
strong appeal to all of them. In the evenings by their campfire in the
forest De Langeais would often play for them on his violin, and the
great trees about them seemed to rustle with approval, as a haunting
melody came back in echoes from the valleys.
They had been riding a week through a wilderness almost unbroken when,
just before sunset, they heard a distant singing sound, singularly like
that of De Langeais' violin.
"It is a violin," said De Langeais, "but it's not mine. The sound
comes from a point at the head of the cove before us."
They rode into the little valley and the song of the violin grew
louder. It was somebody vigorously playing "Old Dan Tucker," and as the
woods opened they saw a stout log cabin, a brook and some fields. The
musician, a stalwart young man, sat in the doorway of the house. A
handsome young woman was cooking outside, and a little child was
playing happily on the grass.
"I'll ride forward and speak to them," said Harry Kenton. "That man
and I are old friends."
The violin ceased, as the thud of hoofs drew near, but Harry, springing
from his horse, held out his hand to the man and said:
"How are you, Dick Jones? I see that the prophecy has come true!"
The man stared at him a moment or two in astonishment, and then grasped
his hand.
"It's Mr. Kenton!" he cried, "an' them's your friends behind you.
'Light, strangers, 'light! Yes, Mr. Kenton, it's come true. I've been
back home a week, an' not a scratch on me, though I've fit into nigh
onto a thousand battles. I reckon my wife, that's Mandy there, wished
so hard fur me to come back that the Lord let her have her way. But
'light, strangers! 'Light an' hev supper!"
"We will," said Harry, "but we're not going to crowd you out of your
house. We've plenty of food with us, and we're accustomed to sleeping
out of doors."
Nevertheless the hospitality of Dick Jones and his wife, Mandy, was
unbounded. It was arranged that the two colonels should sleep inside,
while the others took to the grass with their blankets. Liberal
contributions were made to the common larder by the travelers, and they
had an abundant supper, after which the men sat outside, the colonels
smoking good old North Carolina weed, and Mrs. Jones knitting in the
dusk.
"Don't you and your family get lonesome here sometimes, Mr. Jones?"
asked Harry.
"Never," replied the mountaineer. "You see I've had enough o' noise
an' multitudes. More than once I've seen two hundred thousand men
fightin', and I've heard the cannon roarin', days without stoppin'. I
still git to dreamin' at night 'bout all them battles, an' when I
awake, an' set up sudden like an' hear nothin' outside but the
tricklin' o' the branch an' the wind in the leaves, I'm thankful that
them four years are over, an' nobody is shootin' at nobody else. An'
it's hard now an' then to b'lieve that they're really an' truly over."
"But how about Mrs. Jones?"
"She an' the baby stayed here four whole years without me, but we've
got neighbors, though you can't see 'em fur the trees. Jest over the
ridge lives her mother, an' down Jones' Creek, into which the branch
runs, lives her married sister, an' my own father ain't more'n four
miles away. The settlements are right thick 'roun' here, an' we hev
good times."
Mrs. Jones nodded her emphatic assent.
"Which way do you-all 'low to be goin' tomorrow?" asked Jones.
"We think we'd better keep to the west," replied Colonel Talbot.
"We've heard of a guerrilla band under two men, Slade and Skelly, who
are making trouble to the southward."
"I've heard of 'em too," said Jones, "an' I reckon they're 'bout the
meanest scum the war hez throwed up. The troops will be after 'em
afore long, an' will clean 'em out, but I guess they'll do a lot o'
damage afore then. You gen'lemen will be wise to stick to your plan,
an' keep on toward the west."
They departed the next morning, taking with them the memory of a very
pleasant meeting, and once more pursued their way through the
wilderness. Harry, despite inquiries at every possible place, heard
nothing more of his father, and concluded that, after the surrender, he
must have gone at once to Kentucky, expecting his son to come there by
another way.
But the reports of Slade and Skelly were so numerous and so sinister
that they made a complete change of plan. The colonels, St. Clair and
Langdon, would not try to go direct to South Carolina, but the whole
party would cling together, ride to Kentucky, and then those who lived
farther south could return home chiefly by rail. It seemed, on the
whole, much the wiser way, and, curving back a little to the north,
they entered by and by the high mountains on the line between Virginia
and Kentucky. Other returning soldiers had joined them and their party
now numbered thirty brave, well-armed men.
They entered Kentucky at a point near the old Wilderness Road, and,
from a lofty crest, looked down upon a sea of ridges, heavy with green
forest, and narrow valleys between, in which sparkled brooks or little
rivers. The hearts of Harry and Dick beat high. They were going home.
What awaited them at Pendleton? Neither had heard from the town or
anybody in it for a long time. Anticipation was not unmingled with
anxiety.
Two days later they entered a valley, and when they stopped at noon for
their usual rest Harry Kenton rode some distance up a creek, thinking
that he might rouse a deer out of the underbrush. Although the country
looked extremely wild and particularly suited to game, he found none,
but unwilling to give up he continued the hunt, riding much farther
than he was aware.
He was just thinking of the return, when he heard a rustling in a
thicket to his right, and paused, thinking that it might be the deer he
wanted. Instead, a gigantic figure with thick black hair and beard rose
up in the bush. Harry uttered a startled exclamation. It was Skelly,
and beside him stood a little man with an evil face, hidden partly by
an enormous flap-brimmed hat. Both carried rifles, and before Harry
could take his own weapon from his shoulder Skelly fired. Harry's
horse threw up his head in alarm, and the bullet, instead of hitting
the rider, took the poor animal in the brain.
As the horse fell, Harry sprang instinctively and alighted upon his
feet, although he staggered. Then Slade pulled trigger, and a searing,
burning pain shot through his left shoulder. Dizzy and weak he raised
his rifle, nevertheless, and fired at the hairy face of the big man.
He saw the huge figure topple and fall; he heard another shot, and
again felt the thrill of pain, this time in the head, heard a shrill
whistle repeated over and over, and did not remember anything definite
until some time afterward.
When his head became clear once more Harry believed that he had
wandered a long distance from that brief but fierce combat, but he did
not know in what direction his steps had taken him. Nearly all his
strength was gone, and his head ached fearfully. He had dropped his
rifle, but where he did not know nor care. He sat down on the ground
with his back against a tree, and put his right hand to his head. The
wound there had quit bleeding, clogged up with its own blood. He was
experienced enough to know that it was merely a flesh wound, and that
any possible scar would be hidden by his hair.
But the wound in his left shoulder was more serious. The bullet had
gone entirely through, for which he was glad, but the hurt was still
bleeding. He made shift to bandage it with strips torn from his
underclothing, and, after a long rest, he undertook to walk back to the
camp. He was not sure of the way, and after two or three hundred yards
he grew dizzy and sat down again. Then he shouted for help, but his
voice sounded so weak that he gave it up.
He was never sure, but he thought another period of unconsciousness
followed, because when he aroused himself the sun seemed to be much
farther down in the west. His head was still aching, though not quite
so badly as before, and he made a new effort to walk. He did not know
where he was going, but he must go somewhere. If he remained there in
the wilderness, and his comrades could not find him, he would die of
weakness and starvation. He shuddered. It would be the very irony of
fate that one who had gone through Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and all
the great battles in the East should be slain on his way home by a
roving guerrilla.
He rested again and summoned all his strength and courage, and he was
able to go several hundred yards farther. As he advanced the forest
seemed to thin and he was quite sure that he saw through it a valley
and open fields. The effect upon him was that of a great stimulant,
and he found increased strength. He tottered on, but stopped soon and
leaned against a tree. He dimly saw the valley, the fields, and a
distant roof, and then came something that gave him new strength. It
was a man's voice singing, a voice clear, powerful and wonderfully
mellow:
They bore him away when the day had fled,
And the storm was rolling high,
And they laid him down in his lonely bed
By the light of an angry sky.
The lightning flashed and the wild sea lashed
The shore with its foaming wave,
And the thunder passed on the rushing blast
As it howled o'er the rover's grave.
He knew that voice. He had heard it years ago, a century it seemed. It
was the voice of a friend, the voice of Sam Jarvis, the singer of the
mountains. He rushed forward, but overtaxing his strength, fell. He
pulled himself up by a bush and stood, trembling with weakness and
anxiety. Still came the voice, but the song had changed:
Soft o'er the fountain, lingering falls the Southern moon,
Far o'er the mountain breaks the day too soon,
In thy dark eyes' splendor, where the warm light loves to dwell,
Weary looks yet tender speak their fond farewell,
Nita! Juanita! Ask thy soul if we should part,
Nita! Juanita! Lean thou on my heart!
It was an old song of pathos and longing, but Harry remembered well
that mellow, golden voice. If he could reach Sam Jarvis he would
secure help, and there was the happy valley in which he lived. As he
steadied himself anew fresh strength and courage poured into his veins,
and leaving the fringe of forest he entered a field, at the far end of
which Jarvis was ploughing.
The singer was happy. He drove a stout bay horse, and as he walked
along in the furrow he watched the rich black earth turn up before the
ploughshare. He hated no man, and no man hated him. The war had never
invaded his valley, and he sang from the sheer pleasure of living. The
world about him was green and growing, and the season was good. His
nephew, Ike Simmons, was ploughing in another field, and whenever he
chose he could see the smoke rising from the chimney of the strong log
house in which he lived.
Harry thought at first that he would go down the end of the long field
to Jarvis, but the ploughed land pulled at his feet, and made him very
weak again. So he walked straight across it, though he staggered, and
approached the house, the doors of which stood wide open.
He was not thinking very clearly now, but he knew that rest and help
were at hand. He opened the gate that led to the little lawn, went up
the walk and, scarcely conscious of what he was doing, stood in the
doorway, and stared into the dim interior. As his eyes grew used to
the dusk the figure of an old, old woman, lean and wrinkled, past a
hundred, suddenly rose from a chair, stood erect, and regarded him with
startled, burning eyes.
"Ah, it's the governor, the great governor, Henry Ware!" she exclaimed.
"Didn't I say to you long ago: 'You will come again, and you will be
thin and pale and in rags, and you will fall at the door.' I see you
coming with these two eyes of mine!"
As she spoke, the young man in the tattered Southern uniform, stained
with the blood of two wounds, reeled and fell unconscious in the
doorway.
When Harry came back to the world he was lying in a very comfortable
bed, and all the pain had gone from his head. A comfortable, motherly
woman, whom he recognized as Mrs. Simmons, was sitting beside him, and
Colonel Leonidas Talbot, looking very tall, very spare and very
precise, was standing at a window.
"Good morning, Mrs. Simmons," said Harry in a clear, full voice.
She uttered an exclamation of joy, and Colonel Talbot turned from the
window.
"So you've come back to us, Harry," he said. "We knew that it was only
a matter of time, although you did lose a lot of blood from that wound
in the shoulder."
"I never intended to stay away, sir."
"But you remained in the shadowy world three days."
"That long, sir?"
"Yes, Harry, three days, and a great deal of water has flowed under the
bridge in those three days."
"What do you mean, colonel?"
"There was a military operation of a very sharp and decisive character.
When you fell in the doorway here, Mrs. Simmons, who happened to be in
the kitchen, ran at once for her brother, Mr. Jarvis, a most excellent
and intelligent man. You were past telling anybody anything just then,
but he followed your trail, and met some of us, led by Sergeant
Whitley, who were also trailing you."
"And Slade and Skelly, what of them?"
"They'll never plunder or murder more. We divined much that had
happened. You were ambushed, were you not?"
"Yes, Slade and Skelly fired upon me from the bushes. I shot back and
saw Skelly fall."
"You shot straight and true. We found him there in the bushes, where
your bullet had cut short his murderous life. Then we organized,
pursued and surrounded the others. They were desperate criminals, who
knew the rope awaited them, and all of them died with their boots on.
Slade made a daring attempt to escape, but the sergeant shot him
through the head at long range, and a worse villain never fell."
"And our people, colonel, where are all of them?"
"Most of the soldiers have gone on, but the members of our own
immediate group are scattered about the valley, engaged chiefly in
agricultural or other homely pursuits, while they await your recovery,
and incidentally earn their bread. Sergeant Whitley, Captain St. Clair
and Captain Mason are putting a new roof on the barn, and, as I
inspected it myself, I can certify that they are performing the task in
a most workmanlike manner. Captain Thomas Langdon is ploughing in the
far field, by the side of that stalwart youth, Isaac Simmons, and each
is striving in a spirit of great friendliness to surpass the other. My
associate and second in command, Lieutenant Colonel Hector St. Hilaire,
has gone down the creek fishing, a pursuit in which he has had much
success, contributing greatly to the larder of our hostess, Mrs.
Simmons."
"And where is Sam Jarvis?"
The colonel raised the window.
"Listen!" he said:
Up from the valley floated the far mellow notes:
I'm dreaming now of Hallie, sweet Hallie,
For the thought of her is one that never dies.
She's sleeping in the valley
And the mocking bird is singing where she lies.
Listen to the mocking bird singing o'er her grave,
Listen to the mocking bird, where the weeping willows wave.
"The words of the song are sad," said Colonel Talbot, "but sad music
does not necessarily make one feel sad. On the contrary we are all
very cheerful here, and Mr. Jarvis is the happiest man I have ever
known. I think it's because his nature is so kindly. A heart of gold,
pure gold, Harry, and that extraordinary old woman, Aunt Suse, insists
that you are your own greatgrandfather, the famous governor of
Kentucky."
"I was here before in the first year of the war, colonel, and she
foretold that I would return just as I did. How do you account for
that, sir?"
"I don't try to account for it. A great deal of energy is wasted in
trying to account for the unknowable. I shall take it as it is."
"What has become of Colonel Winchester, sir?"
"He rode yesterday to a tiny hamlet about twenty miles away. We had
heard from a mountaineer that an officer returning from the war was
there, and since we old soldiers like to foregather, we decided to have
him come and join our party. They are due here, and unless my eyes
deceive me--and I know they don't--they're at the bead of the valley
now, riding toward this house."
Harry detected a peculiar note in Colonel Talbot's voice, and his mind
leaped at once to a conclusion.
"That officer is my father!" he exclaimed.
"According to all the descriptions, it is he, and now you can sit up
and welcome him."
The meeting between father and son was not demonstrative, but both felt
deep emotion.
"Fortune has been kind to us, Harry, to bring us both safely out of the
long war," said Colonel Kenton.
"Kinder than we had a right to hope," said Harry.
The entire group rode together to Pendleton, and Dick was welcomed like
one risen from the dead by his mother, who told him a few weeks later
that he was to have a step-father, the brave colonel, Arthur Winchester.
"He's the very man I'd have picked for you, mother," said Dick
gallantly.
The little town of Pendleton was unharmed by the war, and, since bitter
feeling had never been aroused in it, the reunion of North and South
began there at once. In an incredibly short period everything went on
as before.
The two colonels and their younger comrades remained a while as the
guests of Colonel Kenton and his son, and then they started for the
farther south where St. Clair and Langdon were to begin the careers in
which they achieved importance.
Harry and Dick in Pendleton entered upon their own life work, which
they were destined to do so well, but often, in their dreams and for
many years, they rode again with Stonewall in the Valley, charged with
Pickett at Gettysburg, stood with the Rock of Chickamauga, or advanced
with Grant to the thunder of the guns through the shades of the
Wilderness.
Appendix: Transcription notes:
The following modifications were applied while transcribing the printed
book to etext:
Chapter 6
Page 103, para 11, change "Turner" to "Warner"
Chapter 7
Page 112, para 6, insert missing period
Chapter 11
Page 186, para 2, fix punctuation typos
Chapter 17
Page 290, para 2, fix typo "unforgetable"
The following words were printed with accented vowels, but I chose not
to post an 8-bit version of this text:
Chapter 6
Page 94, para 1, "coordinate" with accented "o"
Chapter 15
Page 270, para 1, accented "o" in "cooperate"
As is typical in this series, there are a number of instances where the
use of the comma in the printed book seems to me inappropriate.
However, I have adhered to the punctuation as printed (except for
obvious printing errors, which are noted above).
For example:
The horses given to them by special favor of Sheridan in place of
their worn-out mounts, were splendid animals, and Sergeant Whitley
himself had prepared them for their first appearance before their
new masters.
The horsemen firing their own carbines and swinging aloft their
sabers, galloped forward in a mighty rush.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Tree of Appomattox, by Joseph A. Altsheler