The Blue Birds' Winter Nest Part 20

"When it was found that young Vernon was missing, with no trace of him anywhere, it was thought that he had been taken captive by a few of the Confederates who got away. Rebecca and I felt dreadfully lonesome after our friend was missing, and I wished, for the first time since I came South, that I could go home.

"Then one morning, Rebecca and I decided to go through the hole in the live-oak tree and crawl to the cave to see Imp. We had not dared to visit him for some days, as a Yankee sentry was stationed in the woods by the waterfall.

"Rebecca hid a small lantern under her cloak and we strolled unconcernedly down the lane toward the dell. We looked carefully about to make sure no spies were watching, and in another minute both of us disappeared. We groped along until we reached the opening into the cave and as we crawled out near Imp's bed, he greeted us with a joyful whinny. Rebecca ran over and placed her hand over his mouth, so she did not see the apparition that stared at me from the mattress. Had I held the lantern I would have dropped it. As it was, I almost dropped myself, so frightened was I.

"I clutched Rebecca's arm and she turned about to see what ailed me. In a second she recognized Vernon and ran over with the lantern. As he could not tell us how he came there, but confided that Tim and Mr.

Crudup came daily to attend to him, we learned that they knew of his whereabouts. Rebecca snapped her teeth close and her eyes blazed at the thought of her father keeping this man a prisoner in such a suffocating place.

"While we were there, Tim and Mr. Crudup crept through the tunnel and found us talking to the sick man.

"'Becky, better leave this business to us,' suggested Mr. Crudup.

"'Father, how could you keep this man in such a place?' cried Rebecca, unguardedly.

"'Ss.h.!.+' warned Tim, apprehensively.

"Mr. Crudup told Rebecca how Tim had carried Vernon here to square accounts for Ed's death; how he had shown Tim the folly of the deed, and that being done, it had to be made the best of, or disclose the secret of the cave. Tim was so repentant that he agreed to remain in the cave and nurse the prisoner.

"After our discovery, Rebecca spent several hours with Vernon each day reading or talking to him, while Imp began to show his fondness for Vernon in every way a horse can.

"Matters at the house became troublesome, for the larder was empty, and there was no way to get at the great store-rooms dug out of the ground without letting the Yankees into the secret.

"Tim had been very meek since he found the serious blunder he had made with Vernon, and he was eager to make amends in any way.

"From the time that Tim heard of the threatened famine he was seldom seen about the place. Now and then, one of the family would meet him coming from the bas.e.m.e.nt with his face and hands smeared with black, but he never confided in anyone as to his work or whereabouts, and being an aged favored man, Mr. Crudup never questioned him.

"One morning the cook entered the room where the family was gathered and announced: 'There ain't no aigs fer brekfus.'

"'Have plain ham or bacon,' suggested Mrs. Crudup.

"'De ham an' bacon done all et up, too,' said cook.

"Mrs. Crudup looked deeply concerned, but said: 'Then we'll have just coffee and m.u.f.fins.'

"'Done used all de flour yistiddy--not a smitch lef'.'

"Here, indeed, was a quandary! Nothing to eat!

"This was Tim's opportunity.

"He came in, bowed with old hat in his hand, and turned to the cook with the request, 'You please 'scuse yo-se'f fum de room whiles I conflab wid de missus?'

"Cook tossed her head and went out, followed by everyone except Mr. and Mrs. Crudup.

"Tim turned his hat about in his hands for a time and then looked up smilingly and said: 'I done squared myself wid you all fer makin' dat blunner 'bout the Yank. I done gone and dug a tunnel fru fum de coal cellah to the fust storehouse on de fiel'. I fixed a doh to the cellar an' heah's de key to de padlock.'

"'You what!' exclaimed Mr. Crudup, in amazement.

"'Yas'm, das whad I did!' said Tim.

"Mr. Crudup threw back his head and laughed while he slapped Tim on the back and said, 'Tim, it will take more than a company of Yankees to starve us out while you are about!'

"But Mrs. Crudup took Tim's hand and thanked him with tears in her eyes.

"The supply question was easily solved after that. No one but Tim knew where the tunnel was, for Mr. Crudup never allowed anyone to be about when the old servant started his daily trip to the underground store-rooms. Oftentimes, the officers expressed their wonder as to how Southern cooks could manage the way they did, with so little on hand to cook with. If they suspected the truth they never hinted at it.

"The secret of Vernon's prison had been kept, and several weeks after the fight that disabled him, his company was ordered to join the main army. The moment the place was entirely freed from the Yankees, Mr.

Crudup ordered one of the guest-rooms prepared, and, to the surprise of Mrs. Crudup, told her he had a prisoner to bring in. That night Vernon was blindfolded, placed upon a stretcher, and taken to the house.

"As soon as he could sit up and come down upon the veranda, we wondered what to do with him. He was our prisoner but we had no use for him.

Everyone liked him and disliked sending him to the dirty barrack-jail in Nashville.

"Suddenly Rebecca was inspired with a brilliant plan.

"When the Yankee officers left the place they took the convalescent prisoners with them. Now Rebecca suggested that negotiations be started to exchange Vernon for Newell.

"Mr. Crudup immediately sent Tim to Nashville to see if this could be done, and friends there promised to attend to it without delay.

Consequently, in a few days, a number of soldiers from Nashville rode to the Crudup house and carried away the prisoner, giving Mrs. Crudup the slip of paper that stated that Newell's freedom would be granted upon the return of Vernon.

"We all felt sorry about losing Vernon, but he promised to visit me at Happy Hills when the war was over."

Aunt Selina stopped and the children began plying questions.

"Aunt Selina, what became of Imp?" asked Dot.

"We kept him in the cave for a few days more, and then, one morning, the negroes all turned green with fear when they saw Rebecca riding Imp down the road from the paddock, for they believed Imp to have been taken with the other horses, and were sure that this was a ghost of the real Imp."

And Aunt Selina laughed as she recalled Rebecca's mad ride down the lane and the high wall Imp vaulted before he stopped stock still in front of the quaking, superst.i.tious slaves.

"Did Newell come back home?" asked Betty, whose sympathy was all for the mother who lost one boy and then had the other one taken prisoner.

"We received word of his transfer from the Yankee army to his own. He went into active service again and fought all through the rest of the war. He won many honors for bravery before the Confederate Army was disbanded."

"Do you know what became of him afterwards?" asked Don, interested in such a fighter.

"He married and settled out West upon a large ranch. Now and then Rebecca's daughter has a letter from him, giving news of his children or the grandchildren."

"Oh, then, Rebecca married too. Did you know who it was?" asked several curious voices.

"Yes," smiled Aunt Selina. "She married the very beau she had selected for me."

"I am so anxious to know if that fine old house is still there and if we could find the cave and underground store-rooms if we ever went there?"

asked Norma.

"No, dear; the beautiful old mansion was entirely destroyed by fire started from a sh.e.l.l during the time the battle line closed about Nashville. I was not there at the time, but Rebecca wrote and told me of the dreadful scenes. Almost every family for miles about was left homeless and dest.i.tute. The Pines, Rebecca's home, stood as long as any and sheltered every homeless Southerner round about."

"I guess Rebecca liked to remember that, didn't she?" said Ruth.

"Yes, indeed, Fluff."