"Captain Sterling dangerously wounded. Tell his wife to come atonce. E. WILKINS.""No bad news I hope, ma'am?" said the young fellow anxiously, as hishalf-written letter fluttered to the ground, and Christie satlooking at that fateful strip of paper with all the strength andcolor stricken out of her face by the fear that fell upon her.

 

　　"It might be worse. They told me he was dying once, and when I gotto him he met me at the door. I'll hope for the best now as I didthen, but I never felt like this before," and she hid her face as ifdaunted by ominous forebodings too strong to be controlled.

 

　　In a moment she was up and doing as calm and steady as if her heartwas not torn by an anxiety too keen for words. By the time the newshad flown through the house, she was ready; and, coming down with noluggage but a basket of comforts on her arm, she found the hall fullof wan and crippled creatures gathered there to see her off, for nonurse in the hospital was more beloved than Mrs. Sterling. Many eyesfollowed her,--many lips blessed her, many hands were outstretchedfor a sympathetic grasp: and, as the ambulance went clattering away,many hearts echoed the words of one grateful ghost of a man, "TheLord go with her and stand by her as she's stood by us."It was not a long journey that lay before her; but to Christie itseemed interminable, for all the way one unanswerable questionhaunted her, "Surely God will not be so cruel as to take David nowwhen he has done his part so well and the reward is so near."It was dark when she arrived at the appointed spot; but ElishaWilkins was there to receive her, and to her first breathlessquestion, "How is David?" answered briskly:

 

　　"Asleep and doin' well, ma'am. At least I should say so, and Ipeeked at him the last thing before I started.""Where is he?""In the little hospital over yonder. Camp warn't no place for him,and I fetched him here as the nighest, and the best thing I could dofor him.""How is he wounded?""Shot in the shoulder, side, and arm.""Dangerously you said?""No, ma'am, that warn't and ain't my opinion. The sergeant sent thattelegram, and I think he done wrong. The Captain is hit pretty bad;but it ain't by no means desperate accordin' to my way of thinkin',"replied the hopeful Wilkins, who seemed mercifully gifted with anunusual flow of language.

 

　　"Thank heaven! Now go on and tell me all about it as fast as youcan," commanded Christie, walking along the rough road so rapidlythat Private Wilkins would have been distressed both in wind andlimb if discipline and hardship had not done much for him.

 

　　"Well, you see we've been skirmishin' round here for a week, for thewoods are full of rebs waitin' to surprise some commissary storesthat's expected along. Contrabands is always comin' into camp, andwe do the best we can for the poor devils, and send 'em along wherethey'll be safe. Yesterday four women and a boy come: about asdesperate a lot as I ever see; for they'd been two days and a nightin the big swamp, wadin' up to their waists in mud and water, withnothin' to eat, and babies on their backs all the way. Every womanhad a child, one dead, but she'd fetched it, 'so it might be buriedfree,' the poor soul said."Mr. Wilkins stopped an instant as if for breath, but the thought ofhis own "little chaps" filled his heart with pity for that bereavedmother; and he understood now why decent men were willing to be shotand starved for "the confounded niggers," as he once called them.

 

　　"Go on," said Christie, and he made haste to tell the little storythat was so full of intense interest to his listener.

 

　　"I never saw the Captain so worked up as he was by the sight of themwretched women. He fed and warmed 'em, comforted their poor scaredsouls, give what clothes we could find, buried the dead baby withhis own hands, and nussed the other little creeters as if they werehis own. It warn't safe to keep 'em more 'n a day, so when nightcome the Captain got 'em off down the river as quiet as he could. Meand another man helped him, for he wouldn't trust no one but himselfto boss the job. A boat was ready,--blest if I know how he gotit,--and about midnight we led them women down to it. The boy was astrong lad, and any of 'em could help row, for the current wouldtake 'em along rapid. This way, ma'am; be we goin' too fast foryou?""Not fast enough. Finish quick.""We got down the bank all right, the Captain standing in the littlepath that led to the river to keep guard, while Bates held the boatstiddy and I put the women in. Things was goin' lovely when the poorgal who'd lost her baby must needs jump out and run up to thank theCaptain agin for all he'd done for her. Some of them sly rascals waswatchin' the river: they see her, heard Bates call out, 'Come back,wench; come back!' and they fired. She did come back like a shot,and we give that boat a push that sent it into the middle of thestream. Then we run along below the bank, and come out further downto draw off the rebs. Some followed us and we give it to 'emhandsome. But some warn't deceived, and we heard 'em firin' away atthe Captain; so we got back to him as fast as we could, but itwarn't soon enough.--Take my arm, Mis' Sterlin': it's kinder roughhere.""And you found him?"--"Lyin' right acrost the path with two dead men in front of him; forhe'd kep 'em off like a lion till the firin' brought up a lot of ourfellers and the rebs skedaddled. I thought he was dead, for by thestarlight I see he was bleedin' awful,--hold on, my dear, hold on tome,--he warn't, thank God, and looked up at me and sez, sez he, 'Arethey safe?' 'They be, Captain,' sez I. 'Then it's all right,' sezhe, smilin' in that bright way of his, and then dropped off as quietas a lamb. We got him back to camp double quick, and when thesurgeon see them three wounds he shook his head, and I mistrustedthat it warn't no joke. So when the Captain come to I asked him whatI could do or git for him, and he answered in a whisper, 'My wife.'"For an instant Christie did "hold on" to Mr. Wilkins's arm, forthose two words seemed to take all her strength away. Then thethought that David was waiting for her strung her nerves and gaveher courage to bear any thing.

 

　　"Is he here?" she asked of her guide a moment later, as he stoppedbefore a large, half-ruined house, through whose windows dim lightsand figures were seen moving to and fro.

 

　　"Yes, ma'am; we've made a hospital of this; the Captain's got thebest room in it, and now he's got the best miss that's g............