“Cat’s foot! She won’t like you any more. If she does, she ain’t the gal I take her to be. Do you suppose she will want you off all the time, when you—”
“Come, mother, you are getting ahead of my time,” said the young captain, with a blush. “Well, I wish the papers would come, for I am in a hurry to be at work again.”
“They’ll come soon enough,” added the mother, sadly, as she thought of another long separation, and the dismal hours that would be spent in waiting for intelligence of him after a battle had been fought.
The next day came a long letter from De Banyan, in which he congratulated himself and his friend on the prospect before them, and proposed to meet him at Louisville on the journey to the new field of operations. The commission and the appointment soon followed, and Somers again donned his staff uniform. The hardest thing before him was to leave home, which had become doubly endeared to him by his long stay. He had seen his twin brother, now in the navy, during a brief visit the latter made to Pinchbrook, when sent to Boston as prize-master of a brig he had captured. This was the only time they had met since the departure of Thomas, at the commencement of the war.
Mrs. Somers was a woman of tender feelings, and she wept bitterly as she again bade her son adieu, and gave him into the keeping of the almighty Father, who had protected and preserved him through so many perils. In Boston, as may well be supposed, he hastened to the house of Mr. Ashford, and saw Lilian, who had already been informed of his intended departure. She now had a deeper interest in him than ever before; and she was sad, but hopeful. Another earnest prayer to God for his safety was to be added daily and nightly to those which went up from the humble home in Pinchbrook.
“Do you see this bundle, Lilian?” said Somers, as he opened the parcel in his hand.
“What is it?”
“Don’t you see?”
“Socks!”
“They are the banner under, or, rather, over, which I fight,” said he, handing her the articles.