Lieutenant immediately in front
of them, and two trusted boys of the squad directly behind, with strict
injunctions to press up close, allow nobody between, and keep a
hawk's eye on everybody. But both Si and Shorty were breathless with
apprehension till they got through the crowd and were seated in the car,
and a hasty feeling of various lumps about their persons assured them
that their charges were safe. They were in a passenger car, for luck.
The Lieutenant sat in front, Si and Shorty next, and the two trusty boys
immediately behind. They breathed a sigh of relief. As they stood their
guns over against the side of the car, Si suddenly asked:

"Shorty, did you draw your charge before you rammed that money in?"

Shorty jumped to his feet in a shudder of alarm, and exclaimed:

"Great Jehosephat, no. I forgot all about it."

"What's that you're saying about guns?" inquired the Lieutenant, turning
around. "You want to load them, and keep them handy. We're liable to
strike some guerrillas along the way, and we must be ready for them."

"You fellers'll have to do the shootin'," whispered Shorty to Si. "It'll
be a cold day when I bang $150 in greenbacks at any rebel that ever
jumped. I'm goin' to take the cap off en my gun. The jostlin' o' the
train's likely to knock it off at any time, and send a small fortune
through the roof o' the car. I'd take the money out, but I'm afraid o'
tearin' it all to pieces, with the train plungin' so."

He carefully half-cocked his piece, took off the cap, rubbed the nipple
to remove any stray fragments of fulminate, and then let the hammer down
on a piece of wadding taken from his cap.

The long ride to Nashville over the ground on which they had been
campaigning and fighting for nearly a year would have been of deepest
interest to Si and Shorty, as it was to the rest, if they could have
freed their minds of responsibilities long enough to watch the scenery.
But they would give only a cursory glance any say:

"We'll look at it as we come back."

In the crowded depot at Nashville they had an other panic, but the
Provost-Guard kept a gangway clear as soon as it was discovered that
they were on duty.

"You can stack your arms there, boys," said the Sergeant of the Guard,
"and go right over there and get a warm supper, with plenty of coffee."

All but Shorty obeyed with alacrity, and stacked their guns with the
quickness of old and hungry vet erans.

Shorty kept hold of his gun and