He heard voices approaching--one sympathetic and encouraging, the other weak, pain-breathing, almost despairing. He looked out and saw the Chaplain helping back to the hospital a sick man who had over-estimated his strength and tried to reach his company. The man sat down on a rock, in utter exhaustion. Shorty thrust the letter back into his blousepocket, sprang forward, picked the man up in his strong arms, and carried him bodily to the hospital. It taxed his strength to the utmost, but it sobered him and cleared his brain. He returned to his covert, took out his letter, and again scanned its exterior carefully. He actually feared to open it, but at last drew his knife and carefully slit one side. He unfolded the inclosure as{160} carefully as if it had been a rare flower, and with palpitating heart slowly spelled out the words, one after another: [Illustration: SHORTY READING THE LETTER 160] "Bad Ax, Wisconsin, "April the Twenty-First, 1863. "Mister Daniel Elliott, Company Q, 200th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. "Respected Sir: I taik my pen in hand toe inform you that I am wel, and hoap that you aire in joying{161} the saim blessing. For this, God be prazed and magnified forever." "Goodness, how religious she is," said he, stopping to ruminate. "How much nicer it makes a woman to be pious. It don't hurt a man much to be a cuss--at least while he's young--but I want a woman to be awfully religious. It sets her off more'n anything else." He continued his spelling exercise: "I am verry glad that my sox reached you all rite, that they fell into the hands of a braiv, pious Union soldier, and he found them nice." "Brave, pious Union soldier," he repeated to himself, with a whistle. "Jewhilikins, I'm glad Bad Ax, Wis., is so fur away that she never heard me makin' remarks when a mule-team's stalled. But I must git a brace on myself, and clean up my langwidge for inspection-day." He resumed the spelling: "I done the best I could on them, and moren that no one can do. Wimmen cant fite in this cruel war, but they ought all to do what they can. I only wish I could do more. But the wimmen must stay at home and watch and wait, while the men go to the front." "That's all right. Miss Jerusha Ellen Briggs," said he, with more satisfaction. "You jest stay at home and watch and wait, and I'll try to do fightin' enough for both of us. I'll put in some extra licks in future on your account, and they won't miss you from the front." The next paragraph read: