The Deserter, and Other Stories

w sat up and looked about him in a half-puzzled fashion, mech

ered, after a minute's silence. "

od staring down in astonishment at his old friend, Mose Whipple. He had r

n to me that way for?" he ask

dn't know who you was. You come tromplin' on me here when I was fast asleep, and I took

Talk

ut there wasn't no need to throw

lained the other, still in a whisper. "But who else

're gettin' the cans out into the sleigh. They'll all

d, upon reflection: "Say, sonny, can you manage to get me something

se," he went on, "I bet I can tell what you did the first thing when you came into t

have got in head first. I tell you, sonny, I was about as near freezin' to death as they make 'em. I couldn'

anyway?" asked Job. "You ain't

u can call it what you like. One thin

ertain, too," the boy put i

point. "Anyway, I'll see the old man first,"

ommented, after another little silence. "What are you

the old man, and-and-well, see how he is, that's all. Mebbe I can manage it so that I can skip out again, and nobody be

oin' over this afternoon myself, if I could git the time, to see him. The fact is, Mose, I guess he is failing some. It's been a pretty tough

denly revived energy. "If he's let the old man suffer-if he ain't kept his wor

and get hung for into the bargain, I should think,"

ld be heard on the floor between the stanchions. Mose threw himself flat, and rolled under the hay as best he could. Job began to sing in a low-voiced, inco

and doing odd chores about the house and barns. When he saw Job he stopped. He was in a sociable mood, and though he lea

der the double row of broad pink noses on either side. He made the task

me of it down South, with nothin' to do and plenty o' help to do it, than we are here to hum. Why, Steve Trimble's brother-in-law writes him that they're havin' more fun down there than you can shake a stick at; livin'

t then?" demanded Job, cur

ou do that, nohow. A lot of 'em tries to sneak off, they say, but Steve's brother-in-law says they've got cavalry-men on horseback all around outside the camps, and t

erters," said Job, pausi

as lieve be one as the other. I guess they make it a rule to hang them that gits off into the North and h

s get up North-I guess they ain't much cha

m! They've got their detectives in every county just doin' nothin' but watchin' for deserters. T

sued Job, "so long as he's got ordinary clothes on and mi

omesick. So all the detectives have got to do is to watch their place, and nab 'em when they try t

texts of employment in the cow-barn, and was only too obviously waiting to accompany t

about with his foot for where Mose lay hidden in the dark, and drop th

urred to him that Mose must have effected an entrance by the door at the other end, which was f

-barn, as he had on those which protected his horses and wagons and grain. If he had, there would have

y cold night, but was it not only to lose it agai

his own coffin, while files of soldiers were being drawn up to witness his impending punishment. Although the artist had gi

of the prisoner seemed to change into the freckl

m into the house a h

homestead. Three or four hired men were seated at one end of the long table, making stacks of hot

ey spoke never a word. The red-faced women over at the stove did not talk either, but worked in anxious s

f the first plate of cakes which the girl brought to the table, without a sign of protest. This was not

e asked, with his spoon in the

utter instead," he made reply. He added after a pause,

heir cakes alike no two days in the week. First the batter's sour, and then they put in more sody; and then it's too flat, and they dump in a lot o' salt; and then they need

looked up at Job, wh

girls here do with ours, why, the whole barnful of 'em would 'a' dried up before snow blew. But th

e had left the cow-barn with it definitely planned out. As soon as the other men, who for the moment were idli

inutes ago," remonstrated Nelse, between

' that all day long. He sung it over at Steve Trimble's huskin', I remember, and Lib Truax let him see her home, just on account of it. She wouldn't so much as looked

ried-and that's more'n most shiftless coots like him have. He always said that as long's the old man was alive, he'd keep a roof

around, and worked stiddy, and put somethin' by for a rainy day, even if he did marry into the bargain, in

ver see father and son so wrapped up in one another as them two was. Seems's if they didn't need no other co

Hornbeck; "there was the interest com

and giving a backward nod of the head toward the women by the stove. "Want

usied themselves at making way with the steaming fr

elessness as he could manage, and walked up to the other end of the t

he night's intense cold, and had not been near enough to the fire to be softened. So Job could on

conveyed the bread to his jacket pocket. Nobo

his back had been opened wide, and that Elisha Teachout wa

everybody-and his was at the best of times a somewhat uncomfortable

of his hired help's shortcomings as he was vigilant in looking out for them. But in the winter, when rheumatism put its dread touc

ttle steel-colored eyes had an abnormally piercing effect. His pallid face, hairless and wrinkled, with its sunken li

is gaze from Job to look at his old silver watch, which he to

g?" he demanded, raising his

season," replied the hea

at home with it. As a matter of fact the milk from the Teachout farm was

snarling tone. "If I didn't get up and come out, sick as I am, I suppose you'd be settin' here gorgi

ection, he had taken advantage of the attack upon the oth

cks of the yard to the cow-barn. There was a perilous show of pink

he stanchions to the hay, and be

led out. "It's almost daylig

foot by foot over the whole mow