The Blue Balloon: A Tale of the Shenandoah ValleyHorsley, Reginald
History
The Blue Balloon: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley
Horsley, Reginald
Adventure stories; Balloons -- Fiction; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction
‘Roll ’em up a bit, then,’ advised the Grizzly. ‘Set your cap a leetle
more ter wan side. Thar, now ye’ll do. Say, ain’t we a pair er
fust-class invaders when all’s said and done?’
‘You seem to have forgotten one thing,’ said Lucius lightly, for he was
beginning to accommodate himself to circumstances.
‘And what might that be, bub?’
‘Why, though no doubt we shall be all right if we meet any Federals so
long as we have these uniforms on, yet, suppose we run against our own
men, where shall we be then?’
‘Safe, I reckon,’ answered Ephraim promptly. ‘I guess in thet case we’ll
be took prisoners, and if we’re not, why, we’ll give ourselves up ter
the fust Confederate we set eyes on, and arsk him ter be obligin’ enuff
ter arrest us.’
‘But supposing they shoot before they ask?’ went on Lucius.
‘I’ll be durned ef I suppose ennything er the kind,’ retorted Ephraim.
‘I’ll wait till it happens and then tell ye both what I think of
it.—Thar’s wan thing, though, Luce,’ he added. ‘Ye look all right in wan
way, smart and spry and all thet; but ye’re too young by a long sight.’
‘I can’t help that,’ giggled Lucius, ‘unless you’ll lend me a bit of
your beard.’
‘I would and willin’,’ answered Ephraim seriously, ‘ef it would stick
on.—Hi! I’ve got a notion. Hold up a minnit, Luce. Ye mustn’t mind ef I
spoil yer beauty a bit.’
He grubbed up a handful of loose soil as he spoke, and catching hold of
the astonished Lucius, rubbed it well into his face and neck.
‘What’s that for?‘cried Lucius indignantly, starting back.
‘Reckon thet’s taken some er the bloom off’n ye,’ grinned Ephraim. ‘Hold
on! I han’t finished with ye yet. Plague take it, I wish I hadn’t lost
my knife. By time! hyar’s one in the corner er this yer coat pocket.
What a good thing! I never felt it before. Now, lend us yer
handkercher.’
‘Why,’ said Lucius, handing him the required article, ‘whatever are you
going to do?’
‘I’ll show ye afore ye kin turn round,’ replied the Grizzly, and opening
the clasp-knife, deliberately cut his finger.
‘Grizzly!’ cried Lucius. ‘Are you gone mad?’
‘Not me,’ retorted Ephraim coolly. ‘Never felt more level-headed in all
my life, thank ye. See thet now.’
He let the blood from his finger drip upon Luce’s handkerchief until the
latter was thoroughly spotted with the bright red stains.
‘Now then, up she goes,’ he cried; and plucking off Luce’s cap, with a
deft turn he bound the blood-soaked handkerchief about the boy’s brow.
‘Thar,’ he chuckled, as he replaced the cap, and stepped backwards to
survey his handiwork. ‘Ye’ll do now, I should say. Why, don’t ye know,
thet puts three or four years onter ye at once. Not ter speak er it
givin’ ye a look ez ef ye’d come through some tar’ble hard fightin’. We
kin move along now ’thout worryin’ ourselves, Luce, fer thar ain’t a
Yank ez is likely ter stop us, ’ceptin’, ef course, ef we’re seen tryin’
ter pass the pickets.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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