by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER I
GRACE MORGAN AND HER TREASURE-CHEST
"Are you an honest man, sir?" asked a very pretty young woman, not morethan twenty years old, as she stopped in the open field in front ofSergeant Life Knox of the Riverlawn Cavalry, as it was generallycalled, though the squadron belonged to a numbered regiment inKentucky.
The non-commissioned officer was a tall Kentuckian, over six feet high,lank and raw-boned. He looked at the young woman, and a smile lightedup his thin face.
"I reckon I am, Miss; I never robbed a bank, or stole a poor woman'slast dollar," he replied, thinking it was a queer question if the ladyproposed to trust him on his own recommendation.
"Are you a Confederate soldier, for I see that you wear a uniform?"continued the young woman, looking behind her with a timid glance.
"I am not!" protested Life with earnestness enough to prove that hemeant all that he said. "Don't you see that I wear the uniform of theUnited States army? and, Hail Columby! if I ain't a Union man from thesmallest nail in the heel of my boot to the top hair on my Kentuckyskull!"
"You won't rob me if I tell you the truth, will you?" asked she verysimply, and evidently agitated by painful doubts.
"No, indeed, Missy! I wouldn't do that even if you didn't tell me thetruth; not if you lied to me till you was black in the face," repliedthe sergeant warmly. "But what difference does it make to you whether Iam honest or not? I am forty-two, and I reckon you don't think ofmarrying me without my mother's consent."
"I am very serious, sir, and I hope you will not make fun of me,"pleaded the young woman with a deep blush on her face, as she lookedbehind her and listened.
"I wouldn't say a sassy thing to you for half a Kentucky county; butyou asked me a queer question. I'll do anything I kin for you. I reckonI'm an honest man; and I don't reckon you kin find anybody in my countythat would say I'm not honest."
"That's enough; you look like an honest man, and I believe you," addedthe fair woman, as she took from under her clothing a hard-wood boxabout eight inches long by four in width and depth.
From the effort it required for her to handle it, Life judged that itwas quite heavy. It was bound with straps of brass, screwed to thewood; and the sight of it was enough to convince the sergeant that itcontained something valuable. Her strange question seemed to beexplained by this supposition.
"What is your name, Missy?" asked Life, becoming very sedate all atonce; for, rough as his manners were, he had a kind heart, and wouldnot trifle with the feelings of any one.
"My name is Grace Morgan," replied the lady, looking behind her oncemore, as though she dreaded some peril in that direction.
"Be you afeerd of sunthin', that you keep lookin' over yender?"inquired the cavalryman in kindly tones. "What is it? Tell me all aboutit."
"You say you are a Union man?" she inquired doubtfully.
"Bet your life on't! I'm orderly sergeant of the fust company of theRiverlawn Cavalry. What's it all about?" asked Life, very tenderly forhim.
"Stephen Halliburn, who lives about half a mile over there, is myguardian. About twenty Confederate soldiers, or guerillas, I don't knowwhich, are plundering his house and stable, and they say they will havehis money if they have to pull his house down to find it," answeredGrace, trembling, and glancing frequently behind her, as though shewere in mortal terror of the approach of the enemy.
"Oh, ho, Grace! That's what's the matter, ain't it? We'll soon fix thegorrillas, or the soldiers, whatever they may be," replied Life, as helooked earnestly in the direction of the road, a few rods distant fromthe spot.
"But I can't carry this chest any farther. I am worn out bringing it sofar; for I have been so frightened that all the strength has gone outof me," said Grace, as she placed the box on a rock near her. "I amterribly afraid that Mr. Halliburn will be killed or badly hurt; for heis a Union man, and speaks out just what he thinks."
"We will do what we can for him," added Life, still looking in thedirection of the road, and listening for sounds from the north.
"But you are only a single man; and what can you do against twentyruffians?" asked the Kentucky girl, who still trembled, and did notseem to believe that the stalwart cavalryman could do anything to aidMr. Halliburn.
"About fifty on us," added Life quietly, still looking and listening."I'm a scout sent out ahead of half the fust company marchin' this way.I left my horse in the road, to come over this way and take a look, forI had an idee I heerd sunthin' on the left."
"Perhaps you heard the ruffians who are plundering my guardian,"replied Grace, brightening up when she learned that fifty Unionsoldiers were in the neighborhood. "He is a dear good man, and I lovehim as though he were my father. I would not have left him if he hadnot insisted that I should do something with the chest, which containsall his money and papers. I can't carry it any farther, for it is veryheavy."
"And what were you gwine to do with it?" inquired Life, looking intoher pretty face.
"I was going to carry it over to the house of Colonel Ben Halliburn, myguardian's brother, as he told me to do."
"All right, Missy; I'll tote it over to the road, and report to theleftenant as soon as he comes up with the men," added Life as he pickedup the treasure-chest.
It was heavy, as the young woman had said, though it was a light loadfor the powerful Kentuckian; and he concluded at once that it mustcontain a considerable amount of gold. In the distracted condition ofthe State very few had any confidence in the banks, and some had turnedtheir bills into coin for any emergency that might arise. Before hereached the road he saw another scout getting over the fence.
"Get on your hoss agin, Fronklyn!" shouted Life, who walked with longand hurried strides, so that Grace had to run in order to keep nearhim.
The story of the bearer of the chest had fully aroused him by thistime; and he was ready for action, whether it was in a fight, or in theservice of the fair maiden, though there was hardly a fibre ofsentimentalism in his composition. When he reached the road, SergeantFronklyn had mounted his horse, and was waiting for orders from thechief scout.
"Ride back like a streak o' lightnin', and tell Leftenant Lyon that thegorrillas is cleanin' out a house over yender!" said Life in hurriedspeech. "How fur back is the platoon?"
"Not more than half a mile," said Fronklyn.
"Go it, and don't let the grass grow under your hoss's irons!"
The other scout went off at the fastest gallop of his steed, and soondisappeared beyond a turn in the road. The Riverlawn Cavalry had beenenlisted, drilled, and mustered into the loyal army at the plantationof Noah Lyon, who had inherited the property under the will of hiselder brother. The raising of hemp and horses had made the deceasedbrother, Colonel Duncan Lyon, a rich man, as worldly possessions weregauged in this locality. His property had been fairly divided among hisheirs. The plantation had been given to his younger brother, greatly tothe dissatisfaction of the elder one.
Titus Lyon, the other surviving brother, was an entirely different kindof man from Noah, as the original owner of Riverlawn was well awarewhen he gave the place to his younger brother. All of them had comefrom New Hampshire, the colonel in his early manhood, and Titus a fewyears before Noah. The latter was a man of character, with loftyprinciples, while his living brother was far from being a high-tonedperson. He had always been what is called "a moderate drinker," and hispolitics had always been the opposite of Noah's in the North.
Titus believed that he ought to have been born a rich man. He was amason by trade, and had gone to Kentucky to establish himself in thisbusiness. For a time he did very well. He fawned upon and tried toflatter his brother; but he drank more whiskey than ever. When thecolonel's health began to fail him, he looked forward to the possessionof Riverlawn. When it went to Noah he was mortally offended, and anunhappy feud grew into being, though it was altogether on the side ofTitus.
The dissatisfied brother, apparently as much to spite Noah, who was anenthusiastic Union man, cast in his lot with the Secessionis
ts. Withthe money he had received from his deceased brother's estate he becamea leader among them. They were bullies and ruffians for the most part,operating at first in the interests of neutrality, the governor'sfavorite scheme, and in the end falling very naturally into the ranksof the enemies of the Union. Titus raised a company of Home Guards, inwhich thousands of the citizens of the State were organized, some onone and some on the other side of the question.
Titus was ambitious, and he was chosen captain of his company. Hedisplayed more energy and activity than he had ever manifested in hisbusiness, and spent his money recklessly in fitting out and arming hisrecruits. He purchased a considerable quantity of muskets, cannon, andrevolvers, with the ammunition for them. He concealed these militarysupplies in a "sink," or cave, till he could organize his command. Oneof Noah's sons discovered them while exploring the creek that flowed byRiverlawn.
When the discovery was reported to his father, Major Lyon, as he wascourteously called before he was entitled to this handle to his name,immediately decided that his duty to his country required him to takepossession of the arms and munitions. They were all removed to abuilding prepared for their reception at Riverlawn. Captain Titus knew,or suspected, that his brother had taken the military supplies, and hiswrath knew no bounds. When the Union men held a meeting in aschoolhouse the smouldering fire was fanned into a blaze. The ruffians,led on by their captain, marched upon Riverlawn, proposing to burn themansion and hang its owner to a tree on the lawn, though Titus deniedthat he had any such intention, and declared that he had prevented hisfollowers from committing this outrage.
Major Lyon had heard of the threats against him and his property, andhe was prepared for the marauders. With the aid of his neighbors, andarming his negroes, he fought the "Battle of Riverlawn," defeating anddispersing the ruffians. Then, as arranged at the Union meeting, heproceeded to raise a company of cavalry. The enthusiasm among the loyalpeople was immense, and two companies were enlisted and mustered in.Against his wishes he was chosen major of the battalion.
Levi Bedford was his overseer. He was a Tennessee Unionist in whom theplanter had unbounded confidence. When the major left his home incommand of the squadron of two companies, Levi took charge of hisfamily and estate. This family consisted of a daughter Hope, and a sonDexter, now a lieutenant at eighteen. Noah had brought up in his familyfrom their early childhood the children of a brother who died pennilessin Vermont. Artemas, always called Artie, was sixteen, and a soldier inone of the companies. Dorcas, the adopted daughter, was eighteen. Theyhad always been a happy family; and all the young people called Noahand his wife, who treated them as their own, father and mother.
The squadron had been on detached duty. Their first service was toprotect a railroad bridge which Captain Titus's company and a troop ofTexan cavalry had been sent to destroy in order to prevent thetransportation of Union forces to Bowling Green. The Texans werethoroughly defeated, and the Home Guards surrounded, beaten, andcaptured. The major's brother was sent with them to the North, where hehad the opportunity to repent and get sober. His two sons, Alexanderand Orlando, half starved and disgusted, had fled from Bowling Green;and when their mother and sisters went back to the North, the two boyshad enlisted in the Riverlawn Cavalry.
The next service of the squadron was in repressing guerilla outrages;and they took part in the small battle of Munfordsville. When it wasknown that the Confederates were marching into Kentucky from the southand east, the squadron was sent to take part in the operations in thisquarter. The command arrived at Columbia, from which Major Lyon sentthe first company towards Mill Springs, where the enemy were reportedto be, by the way of Liberty and Miltonville. The second company wereto proceed by Millersville and Jamestown, with the same objective pointin view.