Shorty Before the Court-martial. 257There Was a Chorus of Yells, and then Another Volley. 247
ONE:"Paid in gold for her," said the officer, examining the cow critically. "Pretty high price for that kind of a cow.""O, you worthless little scamp," said Shorty, with tears of joy in his eyes. "You ain't worth the powder that'd blow you up. I could pound you for the worry you've given me in the last hour. But you ain't hurt a bit, are you?"
TWO:With his heart full of hope and joy, the Deacon bustled around to make every possible preparation for the journey."Brother Walker," said Billings, "there's a tall man settin' close by the door that I seem to've seen before, and yit I don't exactly recognize. Please hold that candle nigh his face till I can see it more plainly."
TWO:If Haenlingen wanted to take any action, he insisted, she'd take it against her own division. The Psych people would get most of it. Why, she probably didn't even know who Albin Cendar was...."Go ahead, and don't mind 'em," shouted the others. "They're only Second Lieutenants any way. Tell us what you see."
TWO:"No, not there," nervously interjected Humphrey's, turning with him; "ain't there something stirring down there by the crick?"The rebels thrown out in advance of the gorge, on outlying hills, rocks and cliffs, were swept backward and into the gap by the resistless wave of blue rolling forward, fiery and thundering, gathering force and vehemence as it converged into a shortening semi-circle about the rugged stronghold.
Capt. McGillicuddy, the Orderly, Si, and Shorty strained their eyes to see more of the company disengaging themselves from the throng around the Colonel."We've got a nice, smooth setup," Albin said. "No worries, no fights, a job to do and a place to do it in, time to relax, time to have fun. It's okay.""I don't believe that's any brigade headquarters at all," said Shorty. "Up there, to the right, looks ever so much more like a brigade headquarters. I'm goin' up there to see. You boys stay right there, and don't move off the ground till I come back. I won't be gone long."