“Go home; that’s what I propose to do.”
“Do you know what would happen to you were you to do a thing like that?”
“Nothing very much, I guess.”
“Were you to leave now, you would be a deserter. You would be arrested and sent to prison. And that is not all.”
“Go on; what else?”
“You would be disgraced for life. Why do you even think of doing a thing like that?”
“Well, I reckoned I’d like to lick that Pennsylvania Dutchman and then go back home. They’d probably make a fuss about it here, if I give him what he deserves,” replied Sam slowly.
“I should say they would. Forget it. Do your duty. Have too much respect for the Flag under which you are serving, to disgrace it by doing any such foolish thing as you propose. There goes a bugle. It must be some sort of command for us.”
It was.
“Attention!” commanded the officer.