ord, its
scabbard a load, yet he carried it wherever he went. Others of his
company had corn cutters, old scythes and muskets.

Alfred attempted to drill the boys as he had seen the home guards and
Sam Graham's Zouaves do in town. Two old stove pipes were mounted on
wheels for cannon.

It was Alfred's ambition to ride at the head of his command as did the
commander of the Ringold Cavalry, but Lacy had attached the epaulets to
the seat of Alfred's trousers as they came from the shoulders of the old
coat, and the tin shape frames prevented Alfred assuming any attitude
while in the uniform than that of standing. When Alfred spoke to Lacy as
to the advisability of changing the location of the epaulets she
explained that they had nothing suitable to replace them. When Alfred
complained he could not sit down, Lacy said:

"Law sakes, you shouldn't think of it. Them 'air things are too purty to
kiver up."

The battle of Bull Run had been fought. The country was ablaze with
excitement, war and rumors of war, war stories, war talk. Everybody was
up in arms, soldiers moving everywhere, as the locality was not far from
where battles were soon expected.

Uncle Joe and Aunt Betsy went to town to hear the news. Alfred, left
alone, marshalled his hosts in battle array.

In the romance of Pierce Forrest, a young knight being dubbed by King
Alexander, he was so elated he galloped into the woods, cut and slashed
trees until he eased his effervescence and convinced the army he was a
most courageous soldier.

Alfred at the head of his army, strode down the column as Jupiter is
said to have strode down the spheres as he hurled his thunderbolts at
the Titans.

Alfred and his army charged and recharged, Uncle Joe's hedge fence. On
and on they charged, coming on the enemy standing ten deep in line,
asking or giving no quarter; the enemy fell bruised and bleeding. Every
stalk of Uncle Joe's broom corn patch lay on the ground, not one stalk
standing to tell the tale.

How vain are the baubles of war. Alfred standing in the midst of the
field of slaughter--he could not sit down--heard a roar that froze his
hot blood and scattered his army to the winds of anywhere and to the
thickets.

Uncle Joe, returning, had witnessed the slaughter of his broom corn from
the top of the hill by the big shell-bark hickory nut trees. His yells
not only struck terror to Alfred's heart but Black Fan and other stock
broke from the fields into the big roa