The little group of negroes stood watching the two soldiers.
“If you asks me I’d ’vise you to put off out ob dis paht of de lan’,” said Dulcie. “Dar’s sojers in blue coats up Hagerstown way dis minute.”
“Come on, Richard,” said the taller of the two men, “I reckon we’d better take Mammy’s advice and let the Yank go,” and they made their way down the slope, climbed the wall, and hurried to the highway. As they ran past the thicket they both shouted in amazement and anger, for the road was deserted. Not only had Polly and her brown horse disappeared but the fine saddle-horses were gone.
“That red-headed girl has made off with our horses, and for all we know may bring a party of Yanks after us,” declared Richard; “we’d better make for the Virginia line.”
His companion promptly agreed, and they hurried across the bridge, turned into a path that led by the river and disappeared.
CHAPTER III
A PAPER CIRCUS
But it was not Polly who had made off with the two saddle-horses; for as the two soldiers dashed up the slope after Roxy the runaway had appeared from his hiding-place, carrying the loaf of bread in one hand, and had hastened to where the two horses stood nibbling at the wayside grass; without a word to Polly he slipped the bread into a big pocket of one of the saddles, seized the swinging bridle reins and mounted the horse, and leading the other, was off at a gallop down the road toward Sharpsburg.
Polly stared after him until the sound of the hoofs of the speeding horses died away in the distance, and then turned her horse toward home. Her quick glance had noted the loaf of bread, and that something resembling the frame of a chicken bulged from the young man’s pocket.
“He must have been hiding there all the time. I wonder where he got the bread?” thought the surprised girl, and she smiled at the thought of the two men who were in search of him and who had been so cleverly misled.
“If Roxy had known about the man and planned to help him she could not have done anything better,” thought Polly. “Poor little Roxy! They frightened her half out of her senses,” and Polly resolved to go over that very evening and see her friend and tell her of the hidden man and of his escape from his pursuers.