On the day following Nancy Pansy’s visit to the camp of the Baby
Veterans, Adams took to the post-office a bundle addressed to
“Nancy Pansy,” and a letter addressed to a friend of his who was in
Washington. The bundle contained “Harry,” as fully restored as her
shattered state would admit of; the letter contained a draft and a
commission, the importance of which latter Captain Adams had put in the
very strongest light.
He held his head very high as he dropped his letter into the box,
for over the table bent the slender figure of the little dark-eyed
postmistress, who had wiped her dainty fingers so carefully after
handling his letter. Perched near her on the table, just as she had
been that day, with her tangled hair all over her face, was Nancy
Pansy. She was, as usual, very busy over something; but, hearing a
step, she glanced up.
“Oh, there’s Tom Adams!” she exclaimed; and, turning over on her face,
she slipped down from the table and ran up to him, putting up her face
to be kissed, just as she always did to the old doctor.
[Illustration: SHE RAN UP TO HIM, PUTTING UP HER FACE TO BE KISSED.]
Adams stooped over and kissed her, though, as he did so, he heard
her sister turn around, and he felt as if she might be going to shoot
him in the back. He straightened up with defiance in his heart. She was
facing him; but what was his astonishment when she advanced, and with a
little smile on her lovely face, said:
“Captain Adams, I am Miss Seddon. My mother has desired me to thank you
in her name, and in all our names, for your act of protection to my
little sister on yesterday.”
“Yes,” said Nancy Pansy; “he jus’ knocked that bad man down,” and she
gave her little head a nod of satisfaction to one side.
The young officer blushed to his eyes. He was prepared for an attack,
but not for such a flank movement. He stammered something about not
having done anything at all worthy of thanks, and fell back behind
Harry, whom he suddenly pulled out and placed in Nancy Pansy’s hands.
It all ended in an invitation from Mrs. Seddon, through Nancy Pansy and
her pretty sister, to come up to the house and be thanked, which he
accepted.
After this the Baby Veterans and Middleburgh came to understand each
other a good deal better than before. Instead of remaining in their
camp or marching up and down the streets, with arrogance or defiance
stamped on every face and speaking from every figure, the Baby Veterans
took to loafing about town in off-duty hours, hanging over the gates,
or sauntering in the autumn twilight up and down the quiet walks.
They and Middleburgh still recognized that there was a broad ground,
on which neither could trespass. The Baby Veterans still sang “The
Star-spangled Banner” in the Court-house Grove, and Middleburgh still
sang “Dixie” and the “Bonnie Blue Flag” behind her rose trellises;
but there was no more gathering up of skirts, and disdainful wiping
of hands after handling letters; and the old doctor was allowed to go
jogging about on his rounds, with Nancy Pansy and the scarred Harry at
his side, as unmolested as if the Baby Veterans had never pitched their
tents on the Court-house Square. It is barely possible that even the
rigid investment of the town relaxed a little as the autumn changed
into winter, for once or twice old Limpid disappeared for several days,
as he used to do before his arrest, and Nancy Pansy’s pretty sister
used to get letters from Harry, who was now a major. Nancy Pansy heard
whispers of Harry’s coming before long, and even of the whole army’s
coming. Somehow a rumor of this must have reached the authorities,
though Nancy Pansy never breathed a word of it; for an officer was sent
down to investigate the matter and report immediately.
Just as he arrived he received secret word from some one that a rebel
officer was actually in Middleburgh.
That afternoon Nancy Pansy was playing in the bottom of the yard when a
lot of soldiers came along the street, and before them rode a strange,
cross-looking man with a beard. Tom Adams was marching with the
soldiers, and he did not look at all pleased. They stopped at the old
doctor’s gate, and the strange man trotted up to her place and asked
Nancy Pansy if she knew Captain Harry Hunter.
“Yes, indeed,” said Nancy Pansy, going up to the fence and poking her
little rosy face over it; “Harry’s a major now.”
“Ah! Harry’s a major now, is he?” said the strange man.
Nancy Pansy went on to tell him how her Harry was named after the other
Harry, and how she was all broken now; but the officer was intent on
something else.
“Where is Harry now?” he asked her.
“In the house,” and she waved her hand toward the old doctor’s house
behind her.
“So, so,” said the officer, and went back to Tom Adams, who looked
annoyed, and said:
“I don’t believe it; there’s some mistake.”
At this the strange man got angry and said: “Lieutenant Adams, if you
don’t want the rebel caught, you can go back to camp.”
My! how angry Tom was! His face got perfectly white, and he said:
“Major Black, you are my superior, or you wouldn’t dare to speak so to
me. I have nothing to say now, but some day I’ll out-rank you.”
Nancy Pansy did not know what they were talking about, but she did not
like the strange man at all; so when he asked her: “Won’t you show me
where Harry is?” at first she said “No,” and then “Yes, if you won’t
hurt him.”
“No, indeed,” said the man. As Tom Adams was there she was not afraid;
so she went outside the gate and on into the old doctor’s yard,
followed by the soldiers and Tom Adams, who still looked angry, and
told her she’d better run home. Some of the soldiers went around behind
the house.
“Where is he?” the strange gentleman asked.
“Asleep up-stairs in the company-room,” said Nancy Pansy in a whisper.
“You mustn’t make any noise.”
She opened the door and they entered the house, Nancy Pansy on tiptoe
and the others stepping softly. She was surprised to see the strange
man draw a pistol; but she was used to seeing pistols, so, though Tom
Adams told her again to run home, she stayed there.
“Which is the company-room?” asked the strange man.
She pointed to the door at the head of the steps. “That’s it.”
He turned to the soldiers.
“Come ahead, men,” he said, in a low voice, and ran lightly up the
stairs, looking very fierce. When he reached the door he seized the
knob and dashed into the room.
Then Nancy Pansy heard him say some naughty words, and she ran up the
stairs to see what was the matter.
They were all standing around the big bed on which she had laid
Harry an hour before, with her head on a pillow; but a jerk of the
counterpane had thrown Harry over on her face, and her broken neck and
ear looked very bad.
“Oh, you’ve waked her up!” cried Nancy Pansy, rushing forward, and
turning the doll over.
The strange man stamped out of the room, looking perfectly furious, and
the soldiers all laughed. Tom Adams looked pleased.