"The whole post, Miss, except the relief for to-day. There are not fifty
men in the village besides us here. The orderly thought they were to go
down to Braxton's; but he did not know."

Here was news indeed! news so exciting that Huldah went back at once,
and called the other women; and then all of them together began on that
wretched business of waiting. They had never yet known what it was to
wait for a real battle. They had had their beds filled with this and
that patient from one or another post, and had some gun-shot wounds of
old standing among the rest; but this was their first battle if it were
a battle. So the covers were taken off that long line of beds, down on
the west aisle, and from those under the singers' seat; and the sheets
and pillow-cases were brought out from the linen room, and aired, and
put on. Our biggest kettles are filled up with strong soup; and we have
our milk-punch, and our beef-tea all in readiness; and everybody we can
command is on hand to help lift patients and distribute food. But there
is only too much time. Will there never be any news? Anna Thwart and
Doctor Sprigg have walked down to the bend of the hill, to see if any
messenger is coming. As for the other women, they sit at their table;
they look at their watches; they walk down to the door; they come back
to the table. I notice they have all put on fresh aprons, for the sake
of doing something more in getting ready.

Here is Anna Thwart. "They are coming! they are coming! somebody is
coming. A mounted man is crossing the flat, coming towards us; and the
doctor told me to come back and tell." Five minutes more, ten minutes
more, an eternity more, and then, rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat, the mounted
man is here. "Wagons right behind. We bagged every man of them at
Wyatt's. Got there before daylight. Colonel White's men from the Yellows
came up just at the same time, and we pitched in before they knew
it,--three or four regiments, thirteen hundred men, and all their guns."

"And with no fighting?"

"Oh, yes! fighting of course. The colonel has got a train of wagons down
here with the men that are hurt. That's why I am here. Here is his
note." Thus does the mounted man discharge his errand backward.

DEAR DOCTOR,--We have had great success. We have surprised the
whole post. The company across the brook tried hard to get away;
and a good many of them, and of Sykes's men, are hit; but I
cannot find that we have los