“Suddenly Rebecca was inspired with a brilliant plan.
“When the Yankee officers left the place they took the convalescent prisoners with them. Now Rebecca suggested that negotiations be started to exchange Vernon for Newell.
“Mr. Crudup immediately sent Tim to Nashville to see if this could be done, and friends there promised to attend to it without delay. Consequently, in a few days, a number of soldiers from Nashville rode to the Crudup house and carried away the prisoner, giving Mrs. Crudup the slip of paper that stated that Newell’s freedom would be granted upon the return of Vernon.
“We all felt sorry about losing Vernon, but he promised to visit me at Happy Hills when the war was over.”
Aunt Selina stopped and the children began plying questions.
“Aunt Selina, what became of Imp?” asked Dot.
“We kept him in the cave for a few days more, and then, one morning, the negroes all turned green with fear when they saw Rebecca riding Imp down the road from the paddock, for they believed Imp to have been taken with the other horses, and were sure that this was a ghost of the real Imp.” And Aunt Selina laughed as she recalled Rebecca’s mad ride down the lane and the high wall Imp vaulted before he stopped stock still in front of the quaking, superstitious slaves.
“Did Newell come back home?” asked Betty, whose sympathy was all for the mother who lost one boy and then had the other one taken prisoner.
“We received word of his transfer from the Yankee army to his own. He went into active service again and fought all through the rest of the war. He won many honors for bravery before the Confederate Army was disbanded.”
“Do you know what became of him afterwards?” asked Don, interested in such a fighter.