The Soldier Boy | Page 6

mother, I mean, most of all."
"Certainly not."
"Squire Pemberton has been talking too loud for his own good."
"I know that; he was in the store this forenoon, and Jeff Davis himself
is no bigger traitor than he is."
"Some of the people are going to make him a call to-night."
"What for?"
"What do you suppose? Can't you see through a millstone, Tom, when

there is a hole in it?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"You can come with us if you like, and then you will know all about
it," added John, mysteriously.
"But what are you going to do?"
"We are going to make him hoist the American flag on his house, or
hang it out of his window."
"Well, suppose he won't."
"Then we'll hang him where the flag ought to be. We'll pull the house
down over his head."
"I'm with you, Jack," replied Thomas, with enthusiasm.
"We won't have a traitor in Pinchbrook. If we can't cure him, we'll ride
him on a rail out of the town."
"I don't know as you and I ought to get into this scrape," added Thomas,
thoughtfully.
"Why not?"
"You know the squire has a mortgage on our house, and he may get
ugly."
"Let him, if he likes. I'm not going to tolerate a traitor because he has a
mortgage on my father's house. Besides, that is a fair business
transaction; the squire gets his interest."
"Mother is afraid of him, as she is of the evil spirit."
"Women are always timid," said John, sagely.
"By George! there comes the very man himself!" exclaimed Thomas, as
he discovered a horse and chaise slowly approaching.
"So it is; that old chaise looks rather the worse for the wear. It looks as
though it had been through the wars."
The vehicle did bear very evident marks of hard usage. One of the
shafts was broken, the dasher wrenched off, and the top stove in. The
horse was covered with mud, and limped badly from the effects of his
fall. The broken shaft and the harness were now plentifully adorned
with ropes and old straps. In fact, the catastrophe had utterly ruined all
claim which the chaise ever might have had to be considered a
"hahnsome kerridge."
"There'll be fun nearer home, I reckon," said John, as he obtained his
first view of the sour visage of the squire.
"Can't help it," added Thomas.

"Keep a stiff upper lip, Tom."
"I intend to do so."
"Don't say a word about to-night, Tom."
"Of course not."
When the chaise had approached near enough to enable the squire to
recognize the author of his misfortunes, he stopped the horse, and got
out of the vehicle, with the whip in his hand.
"Now, you young scoundrel, I will teach you to insult me and my son,
and destroy my property. Stay in the chaise, Fred, and hold the horse,"
he added to his son.
But there was not much need of holding the horse now, for he was too
lame to run fast or far. Thomas and John came to a halt; and if the
squire had been a prudent man, he might have seen by the flash of their
eyes, that he was about to engage in an unsafe operation.
"I am going to horsewhip you within an inch of your life, you villain,
you!" roared the squire, brandishing the whip.
"No, you are not," replied Thomas, coolly.
"If you drop the weight of that lash on my brother, I'll smash your
head," added John.
The squire paused, and glanced at the wiry form of the young sailor.
Better thoughts, or at least wiser ones, came to his aid.
"I can bring you to your senses in another way," said he, dropping his
whip, and getting into the chaise again. "You will hear from me before
the week is out."
"Let him go; don't say a word, Tom," added John.
"He will prosecute me, I suppose he means by that."
"Let him prosecute and be hanged! I'll bet by to-morrow morning he
will think better of it. At any rate, he will find out what the people of
Pinchbrook think of him."
The boys resumed their walk, and soon reached the store, where they
found the group of idlers, that always frequent shops in the country,
busily engaged in discussing the affair in which Thomas had been the
principal actor. As the boys entered, the hero of the Pinchbrook Battle
was saluted with a volley of applause, and his conduct fully approved
and commended, for a copperhead in that day was an abomination to
the people.

CHAPTER III
.
TAMING A TRAITOR.
With the exception of Squire Pemberton, Pinchbrook was a thoroughly
loyal town; and the people felt that it was a