He was red, breathless, excited, and suddenly broke out in his thin boy-like voice, "Hurrah! They've fired on the flag."
"Who—what flag?"
"Don't know." He had no least idea of what his words meant. "Don't know," and crying "Hurrah! They've fired on the flag," fled away.
Ann said, "Go to the village and find out what that idiot meant."
In a half hour Leila came back. "Well, what is it?"
"The Charleston troops have fired on Fort Sumter—My God! Aunt Ann—on the flag—our flag!"
Ann rose, gathered up her work, hesitated a moment, and saying, "That is bad news, indeed," went into the house.
Leila sat down on the step of the porch and broke into a passion of tears, as James Penhallow coming through the woods dismounted at her side. "What is the matter, my dear child?"
"They have fired on the flag at Sumter—it is an insult!"
"Yes, my child, that—and much more. A blunder too! Mr. Lincoln should
thank God to-day. He will have with him now the North as one man. Colonel
Anderson must surrender; he will be helpless. Alas for his wife, a
Georgia woman!—and my Ann, my dear Ann."