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Why, Quinn and I had to sit and listen to Ned Ferry a solid half-hour last night, telling us the decent things he'd known Gholson to do, and the allowances we'd ought to make for a man with Gholson's sort of a conscience!
"No, never mind that," he said, "Miss Rothvelt was here and saw me this afternoon, herself." Up to the point of my arrival at the bridge I had merely to fumble my cap and answer his crisp questions. But there he lighted a fresh cigar and said "Now, go on." Gholson dropped in with something to be signed, and the General waved him to wait and hear.
I said that entering the cool shade of the Sessions grove after the blazing heat of that long lane gave any one the right to a little shudder, and as we turned toward the house Gholson murmured "If you say you'll speak to Ned as I've asked you, I'll sort o' toll Squire Sessions off with me so's to give you the chance. It's for his own sake, you know, and you're the only one can do it."
"They've dismounted on the far edge of the grove," said Gholson to me as we rode abreast, with Ferry a length ahead; "they'll form line on each side the road at right angles to it!" and again he was right.
Wall mumbled to him to "hush up;" for the fifth was to Cecile. "Yes," guilefully said Charlotte, "Richard's letter!" and we all followed Gholson to where his saddle lay on the gallery. There he handed out Ferry's document and went on rummaging for mine. "The two were right here together," he said, "and Mr. Smith's was marked 'valuable' and had something hard in one corner of it."
The flattered Gholson received the signed paper and passed out, and the General smiled again, at his back. I hope no one has ever smiled the same way at mine. Ferry and I slept side by side that night, and he told me two companies of our Louisianians were gone to cut off Jewett and his band.
And then, to cap to clap to clap the ki' to cap the climax consound that word, I never did know what it meant to clap the climax, Ned sends for Gholson and gets Quinn to speak to him civilly aw, haw, haw! Quinn showing all the time how he hated the job, like a cat when you make him jump over a stick!
"Ten minutes for prayer is a good while to allow you, my amiable friend; we ain't heard for our much speaking, are we, Brother Gholson? Still, we've given you that, and it's half gone. If you don't want the other half we won't force it on you; we've got that wedding to go to, and I'm afraid we'll be late." The bound man sat like a statue.
Two gasping words from Charlotte brought his ear down, and with a worshipping light in his eyes he said to her "Yes, yes!" and then to me, "Yes, I shall report to him in person. Now, Smith, the top of your speed!" Reveille was sounding as I entered the camp. In the middle of my story to the General "Saddle my horse," he said to an attendant, "and send Mr. Gholson to me.
Gholson, that you never turned a hand nor an eye to save him?" "Great Scott! wha'd Gholson say?" "Gholson, s'e, 'I done as I done, sir, from my highest sense o' duty. This ain't Lieutenant Helm's own little private war, Lieutenant Quinn, nor mine, nor yours." "Jo'! that to Quinn! wha'd Quinn answer?"
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