Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1905 — IN THE DEBATABLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

IN THE DEBATABLE

BY EDWARD S. ELLIS.

CHAPTER XVII. BRIDGING THE CHASM. Jack, the Superb thoroughbred, carried Lieutenant Oakman over the moonlit road with a swiftness and ease that filled his rider with admiration. The steed, as black as the eyes of his mistress, seemed tireless. It w~s so long since he had had an opportunity for stretching his peerless limbs that he reveled in the enjoyment of sweeping mile after mile behind him. Twice during the night the lieutenant met other horsemen, but, although they exchanged salutations, the uniform of the officer awoke no suspicion, if indeed it was noticed. Some time later, however, he found himself suddenly pursued by a squad of cavalry, who shouted to him to halt and give an account of himself. Figuratively speaking, Jack laughed at the party and with little effort threw them hopelessly to the rear.

But Oakman knew how to treat such a noble animal. Jnst as it was growing light he turned off from the main road and approached a negro’s cabin, that belonged to one cf the plantations that were the rule in that state. It was little risk for a Union fugitive to trust any member of the African race, and when the horseman had made known who he was the negro and his wife showed him genuine southern hospitality. While the man was looking after the horse, the “mammy” prepared a nourishing meal of pone, bacon and potatoes, which was fully enjoyed by the oflßcer, who then lay down in a rear room and slept uninterruptedly until the middle of the afternoon. Upon coming to himself, Oakman was surprised to hear men conversing in the front room. Listening for a moment, he recognized the voices as those of white persons who had made him the subject of their conversation. It was easy to tell from their words that they had come down upon the dwelling so suddenly that the negro had no time to warn his guest. As the only thing, therefore, to do, he stoutly maintained that he had no guest at all. “I tole yo’,” he insisted, “dere ain’t nobody hyah. Dar wam’t nobody in blue clothes like MarseLinknm’s sojers dat rid np here dis mornin jes’ afore day an had breakfas’. Dar ain’t no such pusson, am dar, Dine?” Tims appealed to, the wife came to the rescue of her embarrassed husband nobly. “Co’se dey ain’t!” she indignantly protested. “An his black hoss, dat’s de finest critter in Jawgy, ain’t out in de bawn eatin like blazes. Co’se he ain’t. ”

“All that being so,” said one of the men with a laugh, “there won’t be any harm in onr taking a look around. ” He rose to his feet and moved toward the open door, leading to the rear apartment, where Oakman had risen and was listening to the conversation. “Doan’ go in dar!” called Dinah in comical consternation. “Why not?” asked the man, stopping short and looking inquiringly at her. “Dat’s my room. Ain’t yo’ ’nongh ob a geniman not to intrcod?” “But you’re not in there,” was the superfluous remark of the man, who was getting a good deal "t>f fun out of the situation. “But I’ll be dar when bedtime comes.” “And we'll be somewhere else. So long as the lady of the house is not in her retiring apartment, there is nothing improper”— There <s no saying how the situation would ha\Ne ended had it not been unexpectedly solved by Lieutenant Oakman himself. After a moment's attention he recognized the voices of the two visitors, who were having some quiet amusement with the simple minded couple. Without hesitation, therefore, he strode from the darkened chamber at the rear and, advancing into the front room, extended his hand toward the visitor who stood in front of the entrance.

“Hello, Jim, I’m glad to see you! And there’s Tim too. How are yon, boys?” The callers at the negro’s cabin were his old acquaintances. Tim Masters and Jim Ackers, the same who had made him prisoner on the plantation of General Eldridge weeks before. The meeting was not a surprise to the two Confederates that Oakman anticipated. They had heard of his departure for the Union lines. They knew the circumstances and, understanding his danger, set out to find him, that they might offer their eervices. This was at the urgent request of Captain Trenholm, who censured himself intensely because a suitable escort had not been furnished his “exchange.” Masters and Ackers were finely mounted, but it took the greater part of the day before they could overtake Oakman, because of the speed of the matchless Jack that had borne him to the friendly negro’s cabin. The shrewd Confederates knew that when he halted it would be at such a place, and, by keeping track of him, through inquiries from those whom they occasionally met, they finally ran down the fugitive. When the delighted Oakman began to explain matters, Ackers interrupted with a wave of his hand. “We know all that, leftenant, so yon can cut it short. We don’t want to see that letter of Captain Trenholm, either, for he told us about it. He feels

mighty mean that you should be left alone to grope your way back to your lines, while it was all plain sailing with him. ” “The captain is one of the bravest and most honorable of men. He would have been glad enough to provide me with an escort, but there was none at his command.” “Yes, there was, ” remarked Tim Masters, with a twinkle cf his hazel eyes. “How was that?” asked Oakman. “He could have given you a squad of Wilkins’ cavalry.” “Of course,” added Ackers, “and there wouldn’t have been left anything for us to do. ” “Nor for any one else, except the undertaker,” added the lieutenant grimly. “Those fellows were very pressing in their intentions. ” “Well,” said Tim, as he proceeded to light his pipe, “Jim and me are going to see you through this time. After un-

cle here has given ns all a square meal and onr animals have had time to rest and eat, we’ll be off. I hear that Sherman, with that army of 14,000,000, not counting the 1,700,000 niggers that have come in on the chorus, is so far over towArd the sea that there ain’t any donbt he’s aiming for Savannah. ” “Such I happen to know to be the fact,” replied the lieutenant, who saw no risk in making known what he had learned weeks before, though he took care to give no intimation'of the channel through which the knowledge was filtered to hhn.

“They seem to be taking their time, ” observed Masters thoughtfully. “And, though it’s mighty tough, I don’t know that I blame ’em. I suppose it’s the fortunes of war, and it looks to me as if the wind up isn’t far off.” “When I learned that that big army had cut loose from Atlanta,” added Ackers, “I said that if they dived plumb through the heart of the Confederacy it would make a split that never could heal. What do you think, lieutenant?” “There’s no earthly doubt of it,” replied the officer, who repressed the secret delight in his heart, through his sympathy for these two brave men that had fought so long and well on the losing side. “Grant is hemming in Lee in Virginia, and he cannot hold out much longer. When he surrenders, the Southern Confederacy dies.” “And what will make Uncle Bob give in?” asked Ackers, over whose bearded face there spread an expression of pitiful pathos. “When he yields, it wilUbe to overwhelming numbers. The wildest partisan of the north will never dare claim that her success was attained through superior generalship or heroism. Had the contending forces been equal, with the same resources for each, the south never would have been conquered.” Jim Ackers struck his knee a resounding slap and swore an oath. “As true as gospel! Not forgetting, though, that we have had the advantage of fighting on the defensive; but then we're, all Americans and belong to the same family, which the same being the case, I reckon, Yank, we can shake.” Lieutenant Oakman heartily grasped each hand in turn. CHAPTER XVIIt NEWS. Those two grizzled Confederates were knights to the core. When about to mount for their eastward ride over the broad sWath of destruction left by Sherman’s army, Ackers gently took the arm of Lieutenant Oakman and, pointing to the horse which the Confederate had ridden to the cabin, said: “Leftenant, that mare is acting as if she knowed you. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll ride Miss Eldridge’s Jack and you can stick to your own.” The tears came to the eyes of the Union ofticer. He bad already recognized his mare Fanny, who whinnied her delight at sight of him, but he resolutely kept his face averted, feeling that he could ask no further favors of his friends. “Thank you, Ackers. I shall never forget your kindness. ” The next moment the officer had reached the happy mate, who stretched out her silken nose, which was caressed and patted, as well as her graceful neck, the endearment ending by the owner giving her a kiss, 1 hen all three vaulted ihto the saddles and away they went.

Under the escort of the two Confederates and protected by the letter of Captain Trenholm no further trouble occurred, though the party were held up and questioned more than once. Winter had come, but its rigors were softened in that southern clime. Sherman was well over in South Carolina, his columns spreading devastation and ruin far and wide, but he had not yet got to Savannah when Lieutenant Oakman reached the army and reported to headquarters. At a safe distance he bade goodby to Ackers and Masters, the former of whom promised to return the black horse to his mistress, many miles away in Georgia. The subsequent campaign of General Sherman is a matter of history. All know how he telegraphed the capture of Savannah as a Christmas present to President Lincoln, after which began his resistless sweep northward, on his way to join Grant, who was hammering the breath of life out of the famishing Army of Northern Virginia under the leadership of the great Lee in front of Richmond, and in the following spring the end came. The sun of the Southern Confederacy set forever behind the hills of Appomattox, and the Union was restored, mightier than before, to continue as long as grass grows and water runs. Throughout those days, when Lieutenant Oakman, who had been made a captain, recalled his experience in Georgia, he was frequently impressed with a feeling, that it was his duty to send an expression of gratitude to Miss Eldridge for her immense kindness to him. Finally he wrote the letter, though, in the disturbed state of the country, he doubted whether it would ever reach he*. It was written in February, in North Carolina, just after the battle of Bentonville and ran thus: Dear Miss Eldridge— Thanks to your kindness in loaning me your splendid horse Jack, 1 was soon placed beyond all danger from pursuit. Then Ackers and Masters appeared at the right moment and, like the brave men they are, accompanied me all the way to my own lines. Ackers placed me under additional obligations by returning my own animal to me and by taking your horse back to you. I trust that no accident befell him or Jack, for I could not forgive myself If you failed to have your pony restored to you. If you will be good enough to drop me a line stating that he is with you again, it will be a vaßt relief to me. The times are so out of joint that this note may be a long time In reaching ybu and possibly may fail to find you at all. I give my address below, so that if the spirit moves you to write me a few lines I think they will eventually come to my hands. It will be a great pleasure to receive such an expression from you. In closing I beg you to express my fervent thanks to Captain Trenholm for his chivalrous friendship, and I venture to hope that at no distant day I may have the pleasure of clasping his hand. Please say to him for me that o.ie reason why we are pushing the war for the Union so hard is that the south ia so full of glorious fellows like him that we are too selfish to let 'em go. They've got to stay with us. But there are a few things to which pen and words are unequal. One is to express my gratitude to you for your acts to which my life is owing. Probably I shall soon pass from your remembrance, but you can never be forgotten by me.

One hour after this missive had passed beyond his control, Captain Oakman began a series of frantic efforts to obtain possession of it agaib. “It is the most preposterous stuff that ever was written, ” was his humiliating thought. “Those last lines are a virtual declaration of love! They are impertinent and unpardonable! They will make her despise me! She will give them no heed 1 I shall never dare look in her face again! What possessed me? Confound it!” Nevertheless, some months later, a dainty missive wound its way in and out of the wreck and remnants of the Southern Confederacy, and finally was opened by the trembling hands of the young veteran in his faraway northern home: Lieutenant Ledvard Oakman (she didn't knot* of his promotion): Dear Sir— l thank you very much for your thoughtfulness in returning Jack, who, through the kindness of Mr. Ackers, reached me in due time, much benefited, I think, by the outing which he received. I was glad to learn of your safe arrival among your friends without further mishap and trust that now that the unhappy war is over you will find full enjoyment and happiness with your dear ones in the north. My brother, Captain Trenholm, asks me to send you his congratulations and good wishes. He joins me in saying that if ever in the future inclination should lead you to visit the south, now sitting in her sackcloth and ashes, you will lie welcomed at the home of General Eldridge, where we can promise that your visit will be more quiet and less exciting than the former one. Very sincerely, A dele Eldridge. (Concluded next week.)

Lieutenant Oakman heartily grasped each hand in turn.