“The Fourth Alabama! I thought so,” exclaimed the stranger with a pleasant smile, as though the information was particularly agreeable to him. “I belong to the Fourth Alabama myself.”
“Do you, indeed?” added Somers with the most intense disquiet, wishing all the time that the soldier had been in Alabama, or anywhere but in the house of Mr. Raynes.
“Can you tell me where the regiment is?”
“I cannot. I have been looking for it myself for the last two hours. As I can be of no assistance to you, you will excuse me if I leave you.”
“Not so fast, comrade; I will go with you. I have some directions which I think will enable us to find the regiment; and, if you please, I will bear you company.”
Somers did not please; but he could hardly refuse the offer without exciting the suspicion of the family, which he felt might be fatal to him. It would be better to depart with the member of the Fourth Alabama, and part company with him by force of stratagem when they had left the house.
“I won’t keep you waiting but a minute. I called here to see my friends; but none of them seem to know me. You are Mr. Raynes, I presume?” continued the soldier, addressing the old man.
“I am; but I don’t remember to have ever seen you before,” replied the farmer.
“You never did, sir; but I will venture to say that my name is well known in this house,” added the soldier with a mysterious smile, which caused Somers to dread some new development that would compromise him.
“Ah!” said Mr. Raynes, ever ready to welcome any one who had the slightest claim upon his hospitality.