| PAGE | |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| Home Again | [7] |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| Harry on a Scout | [23] |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| On Duty Again | [38] |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| The Fight in the Woods | [60] |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| In the Hands of the "Johnnies" Again | [80] |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| An Old Acquaintance | [96] |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| A Close Shave | [111] |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| Taking Down the Captain | [126] |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| A Practical Joke | [144] |
| CHAPTER X. | |
| New Messmates | [153] |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
| A Good Night's Work | [162] |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
| In the Trenches | [183] |
| CHAPTER XIII. | |
| The Scout's Story | [194] |
| CHAPTER XIV. | |
| Running the Batteries | [206] |
| CHAPTER XV. | |
| A Race for the Old Flag | [213] |
| CHAPTER XVI. | |
| The Rival Sharp-Shooters | [227] |
| CHAPTER XVII. | |
| The Smuggler's Cave—Conclusion | [243] |
FRANK BEFORE VICKSBURG.
[CHAPTER I.]
Home Again.
fter all the tragic adventures which Frank Nelson had passed through, since entering the service of his country, which we have attempted to describe in the preceding volume of this series, he found himself surrounded by his relatives and friends, petted and fêted, enjoying all the comforts of his old and well-beloved home.
Only those who have been in similar circumstances can imagine how pleasant that quiet little cottage seemed to Frank, after the scenes of danger through which he had passed. He looked back to the memorable struggle between the lines; the scene in the turret during the first day's fight at Fort Pemberton; the privations he had undergone while confined in the prison at Shreveport; his almost miraculous escape; and they seemed to him like a dream. All his sufferings were forgotten in the joy he felt at finding himself once more at home. But sorrow was mingled with his joy when he looked upon the weeds which his mother wore, and when he saw the look of sadness which had taken the place of her once happy smile. She seemed ten years older than she looked on that pleasant morning, just fifteen months before, when, standing in the door, she had strained her son to her bosom, and uttered those words which had rung in Frank's ears whenever he felt himself about to give away to his feelings of terror: