426 
AMEEIOAIs AGRIOULTUEIST. 
[October, 
all farewell, saying it was necessary for him to rc- 
tura immediately. Will and Nellie climbed to 
the top of the high rail fence, and watched him as 
he passed up the steep, shady road, until he arrived 
at a place ^vhere it made a quick turn, taking- 
off his cap he waved it several times over his head, 
and a moment later the dark trees completely hid 
him from view. Then they got off the fence and 
began questioning their mother, who seemed great¬ 
ly worried over something. She told them that a 
great Union army was marching to take the moun¬ 
tain, and their father had permission to come and 
direct her what to do in ease of danger. The boy 
and girl must not venture far from home for fear 
something might happen to them. Will and Nellie 
did not always heed their mother’s advice, and 
the following morning Will proposed to go to 
the top of the mountain and see their father. ‘ I 
tell you, Nell,’ he .said, coaxingly, ‘you’ll see a 
lieap j'ou don’t know what it is; you just ought 
what to do, they were suddenly startled by a dis¬ 
charge of guns in a distant part of the mountain. 
‘ Oh, the Unions ! ’ they said, and tilled with ter¬ 
ror they turned, and made a desperate effort to find 
the road which they meant to follow home, not 
knowing that each step they took was taking them 
directly from it. The firing had now become very 
frequent, and was not confined to any particular 
part of the mountain, but seemed to be all around; 
and then began the booming cf cannon, which 
would, for the time, drown the clatter of musketry, 
and cause the whole mountain to tremble from top 
to bottom, as with the shock of an earthquake. 
“ ‘ Come on fast, Nell, let’s find the road and 
get home !’ said Will.—‘ Oh, we’ll be killed !’ cried 
Nellie, as she hurried along at his side. For a 
while there seemed to be a pause in the firing, but 
in a few minutes it was renewed very near, and 
suddenly there was a rustling noise among the dry 
leaves, a swaying to and fro of the dense under¬ 
Caught in the Battle. 
A VIRGINIAN. 
“Now, Uncle Edward,” said Tom and Bessie 
Grayland, “ the last time you were here we asked 
you to tell us a story, and you said that you hadn't 
time then, but would do so when you came to see 
us again ; so put away your paper and tell us a 
good one.”—“So I did,” replied their uncle ; “.and 
if you will be attentive, I will relate an incident 
that happened in the first year of the civil war, 
which you have read about in your school history. 
“ In the wilds of the southern Alleghanies, there 
once lived a boy and girl whom I shall 
now call Wall and Nellie. Unlike you two 
youngsters — who 
have been to the 
great cities, where 
ON THE PICKET LINE AT NIGHT. 
you walked the streets and saw huge ships—these- 
tow-headed children had never seen anything of 
the outside world. Their principal amusements 
were hunting wild flowers on the mountain side, 
chasing butterflies up and down the lonely road, 
and fishing for minnows and craw-fish in a little 
brook that flowed through the orchard. After 
awhile came the great war, and Will’s and Nel¬ 
lie’s father was drafted into the Southern service. 
Away up on the top of a high mountain his regi¬ 
ment was intrenched, and one time he took Will 
up with him, and the boy had wonderfiiLthings to 
tell Nellie when he got home, about the immense 
earthworks all bristling with cannon and bayonets. 
One day they were much surprised to see their 
father come home. It was nothing unusual for 
him to visit his family on Sund.ays, but this day 
was no Sunday, and why he came was then a mys¬ 
tery. After remaining a short time he bade them 
Drawn and Engraved for the American AgricidtnruL 
to see all of those cannons and guns.’—‘ But sup¬ 
pose the other soldiers come while we are up there, 
then what would we do?’ inquired Nellie.—‘Oh, 
you needn’t be afraid of them,’ said Will, ‘we'll 
be back long before they can get here.’ Nellie 
hesitated for a while, but finally Will’s glowing 
description of the things she would sec, overcame 
her disposition to remain at home, and she willing¬ 
ly consented to accompany him. Uji, up, u)), 
they went, until the long windings became very 
tiresome, ]5artieularly to Nellie. Will, in order 
to facilitate the ascent, suggested that it would be 
much easier to go directly up, instead of following 
the long, winding road. This they attempted, and 
w.alked and walked, and still the top which they 
every minute hoped to reach, seemed as far otf as 
ever. They reached the top, but alas ! it was not 
the top they sought, only a spur of the mountain. 
They were lost. While they stood there wondering 
growth, and a Large number of men in blue clothes 
and with bright guns sw'ejit by. A few of them 
appeared to see the children, for they looked to¬ 
ward them wonderingly, but of course could not 
render them any assistance. ‘That’s the Unions,’ 
said Nellie, crying bitterly, and Will, no longer 
able to restrain himself, .also gave way to tears. 
Away went the soldiers up the rough mountain 
side, and Will and Nellie saw some of them fall, 
as volley after volley was poured among them ; and 
every now and then a big bomb, with its fierj^ 
trail, screamed by in its lofty flight over the trees 
On, on they wandered, over fallen timber and huge 
rocks, and through deep ravines, until the day was 
nearly spent, and still the Rattle raged, but at a 
long distance from them. All at once they came 
upon a wounded soldier. They drew back in hor¬ 
ror, but when they saw the poor dying man beckon 
to them, they summoned all their courage, went 
