I'm allers willin' ter bow ter the will o' the Lord without a murmur.On'y let me know what hit is.""Why, Aunt Debby, thar hain't been nothin' happened ter 'em," said Fortner, deeply surprised."Thar ain't nothin' ter tell ye 'bout 'em.They're all safe.They're in Kunnel Garrard's rijimint, ez ye know, an' hit fit behind breastworks, and didn't lose nobody, scacely--leastwise none uv our kin."She rose quickly from her chair.The ball of yarn fell from her lap and rolled unheeded toward the glowing coals under the forelog.
With arm outstretched, hands clasped, and eyes directed upward in fervent appeal, there was much to recall that Deborah from whom she took her name--that prophetess and priestess who, standing under the waving palm trees of Ball-Tamar, inspired her countrymen to go forth and overthrow and destroy their Canaanitish oppressors.
"O, God!" she said in low, thrilling tones, "Thou's aforetimes gi'n me much ter be thankful fur, as well ez much ter dumbly ba'r when Thy rod smote me fur reasons thet I couldn't understand.Thou knows how gladly I'd've gi'n not on'y my pore, nigh-spent life, but also those o' my kinsmen, which I prize much higher, fur sech a vict'ry ez this over the inimies of Thee an' Thy people.But Thou'st gi'n hit free ez Thy marcy, without axin' blood sacrifice from any on us.I kin on'y praise Thee an' Thy goodness all my days."Fortner rose and listend with bowed head while she spoke.When she finished he snatched up the ball of shriveling yarn and quenched its smoking with his hand.Looking fixedly at this he said softly:
"Aunt Debby, honey, I hain't tole ye all yit.""No, Jim?"
"No," said he, slowly winding up the yarn, "Arter the fouten wuz thru with at the Gap I slipt down the mounting, an' come in on the r'ar uv those fellers, an' me an' this ere man drapt two on 'em.""I kinder 'spected ye would do something uv thet sort.""Then we tuk a short cut an' overtuk 'em agin, an' we drapt another."Aunt Debby's eyes expressed surprise at this continued good fortune.
"An' then we tuk 'nuther short cut, an' saved 'nuther one."Aunt Debby waited for him to continue.
"At last--jess ez they come ter the Ford--I seed OUR man.""Seed Kunnel Bill Pennington?" The great gray eyes were blazing now.
"Yes." Fortner's speech was the spiritless drawl of the mountains, and it had now become so languid that it seemed doubtful if after the enunciation of each word whether vitality enough remained to evolve a successor."Yes," he repeated with a yawn, as he stuck the ball of yarn upon the needles and gave the whole a toss which landed it in the wall-basket, "an' I GOT him, tew.""O, just God! Air ye shore?"
"Jess ez shore ez in the last great day thar'll be some 'un settin'
in judgement atween him an' me.I wanted him ter be jess ez shore about me.I came out in plain sight, and drawed his attention.
He knowed me at fust glimpse, an' pulled his revolver.I kivered his heart with the sights an' tetcht the trigger.I'm sorry now thet I didn't shoot him thru the belly, so thet he'd been a week a-dyin' an' every minnit he'd remembered what he wuz killed fur.
But I wuz so afeered that I would not kill him ef I hit him some place else'n the heart--thet's a wayall pizen varmints hev--thet I didn't da'r resk hit.I wuz detarmined ter git him, too, ef Ihad ter foller him clean ter Cumberland Gap.""Ye done God's vengence," said Aunt Debby sternly."An' yit hit wuz very soon ter expect hit." She clasped her hands upon her forehead and rocked back and forth, gazing fixedly into the mass of incandescent coals.
"Hit's gwine to cla'r up ter-morrow," said Fortner, returning from an inspection of the sky at the door."Le's potter off ter bed,"he continued rousing up Harry.They removed their outer garments and crawled into one of the comfortable beds in the room.
Later in the night a sharp pain in one of Harry's over-strained legs awoke him out of his deep slumber, for a few minutes.Aunt Debby was still seated before the fire in her chair, rocking back and forth, and singing softly:
"Thy saints in all this glorious war, Shall conquer ere they die.
They see the triumph from afar--
By faith they bring hit nigh.
Sure I must suffer ef I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain."
He went to sleep again with the sweet strains ringing in his ears, as if in some way a part of the marvelous happenings of that most eventful day.
