“‘Mother, good-by,’ cried Ed, as he caught a kiss from her lips, and Newell hurriedly did the same.
“The next minute all was confusion as the soldier boys jumped into the saddle, while still buckling on knapsacks and ammunition belts.
“Five minutes after Jeremiah had given the alarm, the boys were lost in a cloud of dust galloping on the way to Nashville. But not soon enough!”
Here, Aunt Selina leaned back in her chair and looked away over the lawns as if she saw again the scurrying horses racing for dear life in one direction, while from the opposite direction she saw another picture she had not yet mentioned.
“If you are wearied, Aunt Selina, we will postpone the story for another day,” suggested Mrs. Talmage.
“Oh, no! please don’t!” begged the excited children.
“Oh, Flutey, I simply couldn’t wait until to-morrow to find out what happened,” cried Ruth, beseechingly.
Aunt Selina smiled at the children, and Uncle Ben added: “They are right! I don’t want to wait either!”
“Really! is it as good as that?”
“Good! I should say it is! It’s a big ‘seller’ if it was only in a book!” returned Uncle Ben.