“This little out-of-the-way corner was a good place for him to lie quiet between jobs. He didn’t do much right here except some mischief-making among foolish negroes and silly whites.� Jake Andrews reddened, but Mr. Osborne did not look at him. “Instead of being a chewing-gum salesman, as he pretended, Smith had a nice little business of directing bomb throwers. He got plans of all the railroad bridges in this section, with a view to their destruction, so as to hinder troop movements. The high bridge was such a tempting mark that he wanted a whack at it himself, preferably with a troop train on it. I found out that just in time.
“Now, Andrews, you’d better go to Redville; the telegraph office will be open. Mr. Jones comes down on that 8.45 train, and he must wire up and down the road, and see that Smith is arrested.�
“I’ll do whatever you say, Mr. Osborne,� Andrews said humbly.
“Here comes Albert. Well, folks, let’s go home. A fine morning for an early ride.�
It was, indeed, a glorious day, early November in Southside Virginia. The sunshine lighted up the bright gold of hickory and the pale gold of down-fluttering locust leaves and the tawny purple of black haw and the rich or flaming reds of oaks and Virginia creeper, all the more splendid against the steadfast green of pines.
“Our woods look like an army with banners,� said Black Mayo. “Banners of victory! It’s at hand,� he said confidently.
Ever since Château-Thierry, the Allies had been on the offensive. The mittel-Europa dream of Germany faded as Bulgaria and Turkey and Austria-Hungary fell. Only Germany was left now. And all the world, and none better than the kaiser and Von Hindenburg and Ludendorff, knew that she soon must yield. “Retreat! retreat! retreat!� was the one order. Never again, “Forward!�
The victory news came two days later. David had ridden to Redville for the daily Dispatch, and he came galloping up The Street, waving a paper that had a big black headline:
“ARMISTICE SIGNED!�
The President had gone before Congress and given it the great tidings. “My fellow countrymen: The armistice was signed this morning. Everything for which America fought has been accomplished. The war thus comes to an end.�