ght him back, and this
had the beneficial effect of dampening Sammy's runaway schemes. He was
also incensed at Shorty's perfidy in not sending him the rebel gun, and
thought that his being brought back was righteous retribution.

"Served you right, you black-hearted promise-breaker," he hissed at
Shorty when they found themselves momentarily alone. "I writ you that
letter, and it nearly killed me--brung me down with the measles, and you
never sent me that gun. But I'll foller yer trail till you do."

"Don't be a little fool, Sammy. You stay right here. You've got the best
home in the world here. If you do I'll send you your gun inside of a
month, with some real rebel catridges and a bayonet that's killed a
man, and a catridge-box with a belt that you kin carry your ammunition
in--that is, if you'll write me another letter, all about Maria."

"I won't write you a word about Maria," said the youth, seeing his
advantage, "onless you promise to send me a whole lot o' catridges--a
hatful. Powder and lead costs a heap o' money. And so do caps."

[Illustration: I'LL SEND YOU A CATRIDGE AND CAP FOR EVERY WORD YOU WRITE
ABOUT MARIA. 213]

"You shall have 'em. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll send you a
catridge and cap for every word you write about Maria."

"It's a go," said the delighted boy. "I'm goin' to learn someway to
write without bitin' my tongue, an' I'll write you as many words every
day as I want catridges to shoot off, so that I'll have enough for
the next Fourth o' July, and kill all old Pete Walker's snappin' dogs
besides."

The boys were to leave on the midnight train. The bigger part of Si's
leave-taking seemed to be outside of his family, for he quit the house
immediately after supper and did not leave Annabel's side until he had
just barely time to get back home, take leave of his weeping mother and
help store in the spring wagon more than he and Shorty could carry of
the good things she had provided for them.

"What's this?" said Si to Shorty the next day at Jeffersonville, when
they had reported to the Provost-Marshal, and had mustered before them
the squad of recruits that they were to conduct to their regiment. "Have
they bin roundin' up some country school-houses, and enlisted all the
boys that was in the fourth reader and Ray's arithmetic?"

"Seems like it," said Shorty, looking down the line of bright,
beardless, callow faces. "Some o' them don't look as if they'd got as
fur as the fourth read