CHAPTER VI.
THE STRUGGLE ON THE TOWER.
Toby was said to be the most thrifty and "forehanded" darkey in thesettlement. Like all the rest of the black people on Mr. Riley'splantation he had a little garden-patch, and as he and his family wereindustrious enough to cultivate it properly, they had vegetables to sellat the "great house" and received cash in hand for them. Being aminister, he did not think it right to spend much for clothing orfinery, and there were those who believed that he had a goodly sum ofmoney laid by. Bud Goble knew that his larder was generally wellsupplied, and he had designs upon it now.
"What do you reckon your Moster would do to ye if I should take thishere docyment to him an' tell him I found you a-readin' of it?" Buddemanded, looking sharply at Uncle Toby. "It's my duty to do it, kase Ib'long to the same committee that he does, bein' one of the mostrespected an' prominent citizens of Barrington. That's the way myletters come."
"Marse Bud," replied the negro (he did not dare venture on the surnameagain for fear of exciting his visitor's wrath), "I didn't go for to dowrong--I didn't for a fac'. Dat paper was gin to me--oh, laws, what am Isayin'?"
"Speak it out, nigger," exclaimed Bud fiercely. "Who gin it to you, an'how did he come by it in the first place?"
"Suah I don't know how he come by it, Marse Bud," replied Toby, who wasgreatly alarmed. "I don't know what 'is name was, nudder, kase I nevahseed him afo'. Dat's de Lawd's truth."
"No, I don't reckon it is," answered Bud, with a grim smile. "But as Iam here on other business, I won't say nothing more on that p'int atthis meetin'. I'll sorter hold it over ye like an overseer's whip, readyto fall when you don't hoe your row like you had oughter. Do you want meto take this here _Trybune_ to your Moster? Well, then, I want you tosell me some of that fine tobacker of your'n. You told me t'other daythat you didn't have none; but I reckon you can find some if you lookaround."
"Mebbe so, sah," replied Toby, with alacrity. His store was growingsmall, but if by breaking into it he could purchase Bud Goble's silence,he was perfectly willing to do it. He knew that he would never see acent for the tobacco, for Bud was much too hightoned to use "twist" whenhe had money to invest in "store plug." He left the room, and in a fewminutes returned with three or four big "hanks," which he handed to hisvisitor with the request that the latter would accept them with hiscompliments.
"Didn't mean to rob ye, Toby," said Bud, as he wrenched a huge mouthfulfrom one of the "hanks" to test the quality. "But I'll tell ye what's afact. When I come home tonight, after a meetin' of that there Committeeof Safety I was tellin' you about, I found that I had plumbdisremembered to fetch along the bacon, meal, an' taters that my wifedone told me to bring, an' so I thought I would jest run over an' see ifI couldn't borry some of you to last me a few days."
Old Toby was astonished at the proposition. It was on the end of histongue to refuse point-blank; but when he glanced at Bud he thoughtbetter of it. The latter was trying to look good-natured, but there wasan expression on his face that brought all the negro's fears back to himwith redoubled intensity. He saw very plainly that it would take morethan a few twists of tobacco to make Bud Goble keep his lips closed.
"Ise got a little meal an' some few taters, Marse Bud," said Tobyreluctantly. "But I tell you for a fac' dat de bacon we done drawed fromde oberseer won't las' de week out for my own folks, let alone givingyou some of it."
"Oh, well, I aint so sot on havin' bacon," replied Bud. "Give me two orthree of them yaller-legged chickens of yourn, an' they will do jest aswell. It's a mighty far ways back to town, an' I do despise walkin'there in the dark," he continued, seeing that Toby hesitated. "It'snigher to the great house, an' so I reckon I'll go up an' smoke a pipewith Riley."
"Set down, Marse Bud," cried Toby hastily. "Set down in dat cheer an'I'll have de things you want directly. An' say, Marse Bud, when I get'em, will you give me dat paper?"
"Oh, yes; you can have the paper," said the visitor. And to show that hemeant what he said, he tossed it upon the nearest shakedown.
"Thank you, sah; thank you kindly," said Toby, with the mentalresolution that he would throw that tell-tale paper into the fire assoon as the visitor took his leave. "If I see dat man agin I'll tell himI don't want no mo' dat sort of trash to read. I'll be back in jes' aminute."
Toby was gone a good deal longer than that, but when he returned hebrought with him two meal bags, partly filled, which he placed upon thefloor beside Bud Goble's chair. The latter thrust his arm into them, oneafter the other, and found that the first contained corn meal enough tokeep him and his hungry family in hoe-cake until he could earn moneyfrom the committee to buy more, and that there were three chickens andabout a peck of potatoes in the other.
"That's what I'm a-needin'," said he, with a satisfied chuckle. "I bidyou a kind goodnight, you an' your fambly; an' if I hear anybody talkabout takin' you out in the bresh an' lickin' on ye, I won't let 'em."
Toby stood in the door to "shoo off the dogs," and drew a long sigh ofrelief when he saw his unwelcome guest disappear in the darkness.
"Dinah," said he, when he returned to the cabin, "de money you've got indat stockin' of yourn has got to be buried in de groun' somewhar defirst thing in de mawnin'. Ise dat skeared of having it in de house datI can't sleep. I thought sure dat Gobble white trash man gwine ask fordat money."
Bud was not long in reaching home. He was so highly elated that heseemed to be treading on air, and the distance was passed over almostbefore he knew it. It was the source of great gratification to him tolearn, by actual test, that his relations with the Committee of Safetyput such power into his hands. There was one thing about it, he toldhimself: From that time forward he and his family would have more andbetter food to eat than they had ever had before, and be better clothed.If the scheme he had just put into operation would work once, he waspositive it would succeed every time it was tried.
"There, now!" exclaimed Bud triumphantly, as he walked into his ownhouse and dropped the bags by the side of his wife's chair. "Two headsare better'n one, if one is a woman's head. There's meal an' taters an'chickens; now go on an' dish up a good supper. I'll get your dressto-morrer."
"Where you goin' to get it?" inquired his wife, knocking the ashes fromher pipe and rising from her seat. The knowledge that there was food inthe house put a little energy into her, and at the same time quieted thecomplaining children.
"I'm workin' this job for all there is into it, let me tell you,"replied Bud, taking his wife's pipe from her hand and filling it for hisown benefit. "I ketched old preacher Toby with a babolition paper in hishand, an' that's the way I come to get the grub an' tobacker. To-morrerI'll go an' call on the storekeeper. He told me t'other day that hewouldn't trust me no more, but I kinder think he'll change his mind whenI tell him that I'm onto that committee. An' then there's that Meth'distpreacher, Elder Bowen, who I suspicion gin Toby that babolition_Trybune._ There's a heap of hams an' side-meat in that smokehouse ofhis'n, an' it sorter runs in my mind that I can talk him into givin' mesome of it."
"An' did you speak to Toby about the money they say he's got hidsomewheres?" asked Mrs. Goble, who was dressing two of the chickenspreparatory to consigning them to the kettle, which she had placed uponthe coals. "What business has he got to have money when white folks--"
"Set me down for a fuel!" exclaimed Bud, hitting his rheumatic leg sucha slap that he could hardly repress the howl of anguish that arose tohis lips. "There I was talkin' to him for as much as ten or fifteenminutes an' never onct thought of that money. Well, there's another daycomin', an' Toby'll have to hand that money over or get whopped."
"An' if I was you," continued his wife, "I wouldn't say a blessed wordto nobody about it. Keep your business to yourself, kase if you don't,them that helps you will want to share in what you get."
"Susie, you've got a long head an' that's a fac'," said Bud, whowondered why he had not thought of all these little things himself."I'll bear the
m idees in mind. Now, punch up the fire a little an' letme see if I can read what's into this letter. One of the most prominentan' respected citizens of Barrington; that's what I be, an' the fellerwho writ to me knows it."
Having lighted his pipe and waited until the blaze from the fire hadattained sufficient brightness, Bud drew the letter from his pocket andread aloud:
"Dear sir and frind i take my pen in hand to let you know that you aintdoing as you had oughter do you are paid by the committee of safety tokeep an eye on all the abolitionists in the kentry and you dont do ittheres plenty of them in barington and a hul pile of them up to thecademy wich is a disgrace to the town them boys some of them is spilingfor a licking sich as you and your frinds had oughter give them long agobut aint done it and had oughter have a little sense knocked into theirheads why dont you send them warning to shet up or clear themselvesouten the federasy like the govment says they must do inside of ten daystheres that gray boy for one and that graham boy for an other but theyaint no kin though theyre awful sassy and need looking to if you donttend to business bettern this i shall have to see that the committeegets some body else in your place hurra for jeff davis and the south andlong may she wave that is my moto."
Men of sense do not usually give a second thought to anonymouscommunications, but put them into the fire as soon as they ascertaintheir character; but Goble, of course, did not know this, and besides hewas not that sort of a fellow. He was not strictly honorable himself,and was glad to receive hints, even if they came from a correspondentwho was too much of a coward to sign his name to what he had written. Hesaw at once that he had been remiss in his duty, and the threatcontained in the closing lines made him a little uneasy.
"Land sakes, I plumb forgot to keep an eye on them boys at the 'cademy,"he said, as he folded the letter and prepared to return it to theenvelope. As he did so, he found that there were a few lines written onthe outside which he had not before noticed. They ran as follows:
"Them boys I spoke of that gray and graham boy are the verry ones whofooled you about that under ground rail road--"
When Bud read these words he hit his rheumatic leg another heavy blow,and jumped to his feet with a fierce exclamation on his lips.
"So them's the fellers that fooled me, are they?" he shouted, as soon asthe pain in his leg would permit him to speak. "You haven'tdisremembered how they offered me a cool hundred dollars in gold if Iwould look around in the woods an' find the ladder or the stairs thatled down to that railroad, have you, Susie? If it hadn't been for RileyI might have been lookin' for it yet. I said at the time that I wouldget even with them for that, but I couldn't seem to find no way to doit, kase I don't never have no dealin's with 'em; but I've got an ideenow. I wisht I could think up some way to get them two out in the woodsby theirselves. I'll have to have somebody to help me if I try that,Susie."
As that was very evident to Mrs. Goble she made no reply, but went onwith her preparations for supper, while Bud smoked and meditated. Whenthe chickens, potatoes, and hoe-cake were declared to be ready, he didnot change his position, but grabbed what he wanted from the table, anddevoured it while sitting by the fire and trying to conjure up some planfor making himself square with those fun-loving academy boys. Heinferred that they had been preaching Union doctrines at the school, butBud did not care a straw for that. He wanted to punish them for makinghim search for that underground railroad. When the dishes were clearedof everything eatable that had been placed upon them, and the tablemoved back to its place, Bud stretched his heavy frame on the ground infront of the fire and went to sleep, using his hat and boots for apillow.
At an early hour the next morning another serious inroad was made uponthe slender stock of provisions Bud had frightened out of old UncleToby, and then Bud shouldered his long squirrel rifle, which he carriedwith him wherever he went, and set out for Barrington, not forgetting toassure his wife that she might confidently expect him to bring that newdress when he returned at night. While he is on the way let us go backto the academy and see what is taking place there.
The sentries who were on duty at daylight took note of the fact thatmore than half the boys in school arose without waiting for _reveille._Even a stranger would have known that there was something afoot. Thestudents gathered in little groups in the corridors and held mysteriouswhisperings with one another, or sauntered around with their hands intheir pockets, as if in search of something they were in no particularhurry to find; and while some seemed scarcely able to refrain fromlaughing outright and dancing hornpipes, the faces of others wore aresolute look that had a volume of meaning in it. Rodney Gray, with theflag of the Confederacy tucked safely under the breast of his coat, tooka stroll about the building and grounds, looking sharply at every one hemet, and finally drew off on one side to compare notes with some of hisfriends.
"I don't at all like the way the land lies," said he. "If Marcy and hisgang haven't something on their minds, they certainly act like it.Graham, you know where the old flag is, do you not?"
"I do, for a fact. It is safe under lock and key, and in the keeping ofone who knows how to take care of it," answered Dick.
"I wish I had insisted on seeing it destroyed the minute you got hold ofit," continued Rodney. "Then I should know that there is no danger ofits being hoisted again."
"I pledge you my word that you will never again set eyes on that flag aslong as you remain at this academy," said Dick earnestly. "Thatassurance ought to satisfy you."
"Perhaps it ought, but it doesn't," Rodney took occasion to say toBillings and Cole a few seconds later, when Dick had gone off on somebusiness of his own. "I wish now that some true Southern boy had hadpluck enough to steal the flag, for then we should know where it is atthis moment. Marcy and his friends certainly suspect something; and ifthey know that the colors are gone, they take it in an easy way I don'tlike."
"Dick has given his word that we shall never see the flag again, and Ibelieve him," said Cole. "He is a good fellow and ought to be one ofus."
"Oh, he will come out all right, and so will Marcy," said Billingsconfidently. "Wait till this excitement culminates in a fight, and thenyou will see a big change of opinion among these weak-kneed chaps. Theyexpect a skirmish this morning and are prepared for it. We'll see funbefore that new flag of ours goes up on the tower, and I'll bet on it."
"Boom!" said the gun, whereupon the drums began their racket, and thefifes piped forth the first strains of the morning call. The boys allstarted on the run for the court (a large glass-covered room in thecenter of the building which was used for morning inspection, and fordrills and parades when stormy weather prevailed), and when the roll hadbeen called, the sergeants of the several companies reported all presentor accounted for. But still there were some boys missing, and no reportwas made as to their whereabouts. A familiar voice answered to MarcyGray's name, but it was not Marcy's voice. Rodney's quick ear detectedthe cheat, and when ranks were broken he looked everywhere for hiscousin, but he was not to be seen. With frantic gestures Rodney summoneda few of his right-hand men to his side and communicated his fears tothem in hasty, whispered words.
"Seen Marcy during roll-call?" he inquired.
No one had. Didn't he answer to his name?
"No, he did not," replied Rodney, hastily scanning the faces of thestudents that filed by him on their way out of the court. "Somebodyanswered 'here,' but it wasn't Marcy. The sergeant must know where heis, for he reported the company present or accounted for."
"Doesn't that go to show that Marcy and the chap who answered to hisname, as well as the sergeant himself, must be in some sort of a plot?"inquired Billings.
"I'll bet they are on the tower," declared Rodney. "Let's go up there,quick."
Rodney's friends did not at first see what Marcy could be doing on thetower, for had not Dick Graham assured them that the flag was all right,and that they would never see it hoisted again? But if Marcy suspectedthat his Cousin Rodney would make an effort to run up his newConfederate flag in place of the
Stars and Stripes, might it not be thathe and a chosen squad had taken possession of the tower, intending tohold it so that Rodney could not carry out his design? If that was thecase there was bound to be a struggle more or less desperate, andRodney's adherents would be expected to be on hand; so they followed himto the top of the tower, but halted when they got there, astonished andappalled at the scene that was presented to their gaze. The cousins wereclinched and swaying about in alarming proximity to the low parapet,over which they were in imminent danger of falling to the ground; thesentry on duty was vainly endeavoring to part them by placing his musketbetween the struggling boys and crowding them toward the middle of thetower; and Marcy Gray was clinging to the halliards leading up to themasthead, from which the starry flag was floating in all its glory. Itwas not the old flag, however, but a newer and better one, whose glossyfolds had never before been kissed by the breeze.
"Stop this!" shouted Cole, recovering himself by an effort and dartingforward to assist in separating the angry and reckless boys. "Haven'tyou any sense left? A misstep on the part of one would be the death ofboth of you. Don't you know that the academy is four stories high, andthat the tower runs up one story higher? Let go, Rodney. Give me thosehalliards, Marcy."
"Stand back, both of you!" cried the latter. "I'd rather go over thangive up the halliards. If I had two hands I would very soon end thefracas, but I haven't a friend to hold the ropes while I defendmyself."
THE STRUGGLE FOR THE FLAG.]
Perhaps he hadn't when he began speaking, but a second or two later hehad plenty of them. Hasty steps sounded in the hall below and came upthe ladder, and in less time than it takes to write it the top of thetower was covered with boys. The last one who came up turned about andslammed down the trap-door through which he had gained access to theroof. It was Dixon, the tall student who had compelled the orderly tofold the flag properly, and who afterward told Dick Graham right whereto find it. Being a Kentuckian, he was just now "on the fence," andready to jump either way, according as his State decided to go out ofthe Union or remain in it. He was opposed to secession, and that beingthe case, it was strange that he should afterward find himself enrolledamong John Morgan's raiders, but that was right where he brought up.Although he was a close student, a good soldier, and one of the bestfellows that ever lived withal, he was at any time ready for a fight ora frolic, and it didn't make any great difference to him which it was.
"Now," said he cheerfully, as he closed the trap-door behind him, "wecan have a quiet squabble and no one can come up to interfere with us.But look here, boys," he added, stepping to the parapet and lookingover. "It's a mighty far ways to the ground--five stories or so--and ifyou go down, you will be sure to get hurt. On the whole, I think we hadbetter adjourn for a while."
Rodney knew just how to take these words. Like that notice in thepost-office, "there was reading between the lines." Seeing that he andhis friends were taken at disadvantage and greatly outnumbered, hethought it best to handle his cousin with a little less rudeness; but hewould not cease his efforts to pull down that hated flag and hoist hisown Stars and Bars until he was compelled to do so. He let go his holdupon his cousin and seized the halliards.
"Never mind the relationship," he yelled, when Marcy said that if Rodneywere not his cousin he would be tempted to thrash him within an inch ofhis life. "I am more ashamed of it than you can possibly be. Let gothose halliards."
"Looks as though there might be a slight difference of opinion betweenthe parties most interested, and there's no telling who is Governoruntil after the election," said Dixon quietly. "But I respectfullysubmit that the top of a high tower is no place to settle a dispute thatmay end in a scrimmage. We don't want to begin killing one another untilwe have to, and there are two ways in which the matter can be arranged:Wait until after dark, and then go silently to the parade and have itover before anybody knows a thing about it, or else kiss and makefriends right here."
Dick Graham, who had thus far kept himself on the other side of thebelfry out of sight, broke into a loud laugh when Dixon, speaking withthe utmost gravity, made the last proposition. Dick had a cheery,wholehearted laugh, and the effect was contagious. The laugh becamegeneral and finally such an uproar arose that the students at the footof the tower, who had been watching proceedings on the top with nolittle interest and anxiety, pulled off their caps and joined in withcheers and yells, although they had not the faintest idea what they werecheering and yelling for. Marcy smiled good-naturedly as he looked intohis cousin's face, but Rodney scowled as fiercely as ever. When anythingmade him angry it took him a long time to get over it. He was almostready to boil over with rage when he caught his cousin in the act ofhoisting a brand new flag in place of the one that had been stolen, andif his friends had only been prompt to hasten to his support, he wouldhave torn that flag into fragments in short order. But they had heldback and given Marcy's friends time to come to his assistance, and nowthere was no hope of victory. This made him believe that the boys whopretended to side with him were cowards, the last one of them.
"If I will give you the halliards, will you promise not to haul thecolors down?" asked Marcy, who had no heart for trouble of this sort.
"I'll promise nothing," answered Rodney, in savage tones. "You and yourgang have the advantage of me this time, but it will not be so when nextwe meet. Mark that."
"Hear, hear!" cried some of the boys.
"You shut up!" shouted Rodney. "You fellows are mighty ready to talk,but I would like to see you do something. As for you, Marcy, you are atraitor to your State. Let go those halliards."
"I'll not do it. Your ancestors and mine have fought under this flagever since it has been a flag, and if I can help it, you shall not bethe first of our name to haul it down."
"But that flag does not belong up there any longer, and I say, and weall say, that it shall not stay there. Here's our banner," exclaimedRodney, and as he spoke he drew the Stars and Bars from under his coatand shook out its folds. "It's a much handsomer flag than yours, and ifthere's a war coming, as some of you seem to think, it will lead us tovictory on every battle-field."
The sight of the Confederate emblem seemed to arouse a little martialspirit among Rodney Gray's friends. They cheered it lustily, and Rodneybegan to hope that they would make energetic and determined effort torun it up; but they lacked the courage. The disgusted Rodney told themin language more forcible than elegant that they were nothing but a lotof wind-bags.
"Sentry, you were stationed here to protect that flag," said Marcy, ashe made the halliards fast to a cleat beside the door leading into thebelfry.
"Are you officer of the day?" demanded the guard. "Then you are taking agood deal upon yourself when you presume to tell me what my duties are.Go below, the last one of you, or I will call the corporal."
"That is what you would have done long ago if you had been a goodsoldier, but I reckon he's coming without waiting to be called,"observed Dixon, as an imperious knock, followed by the command to "openup here, immediately," was heard at the trapdoor. "Now, Rodney, don'tlet's have any more nonsense over the flag."
"I shall do as I please about that, and you can't help yourself,"replied Rodney. "I'll settle the matter with you on the parade tonight,if you feel in the humor. That flag shall not float over this schoolwith my consent."
"Then I am sorry to say that it will have to float without your consent.It will be time enough to make war upon it when the North makes war onus; and you will get plenty of that, I bet you. Now let's have a look atour friend below, who seems to be in something of a hurry to come up,and then we'll go down and attend to the business of the hour, which, Ibelieve, means breakfast."
So saying Dixon raised the trap-door, revealing the flushed and excitedfaces of the commandant and officer of the day, who were mostrespectfully saluted when they entered the belfry.