Excerpt from McClure's Magazine, Vol. 7: Reminiscences of Harriet Beecher Stowe, June, 1896If Dan became a victim of police duty, no jeering was so destructive to the feel ings as Billies comment. If Billie got a call to appear at the headquarters, none would so genially prophesy his complete undoing as Dan. Small' misfortunes to one were, in truth, invariably greeted with hilarity by the other, who seemed to see in them great reenforcement of his opinion.As soldiers, they expressed each for each a scorn intense and blasting. After a certain battle, Billie was promoted to corporal. When Dan was told of it, he seemed smitten dumb with astonishment and patriotic indignation. He stared in silence, while the dark blood rushed to Billie's forehead, and he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Dan at last found his tongue, and said: Well, I'm durned! If he had heard that an army mule had been appointed to the post of corps com mander, his tone could not have had more derision in it. Afterward, he adopted a fervid insubordination, an almost religious reluctance to Obey the new corporal's orders, which came near to developing the desired strife.It is here finally to be recorded also that Dan, most ferociously profane in speech, very rarely swore in the presence of his brother, and that Billie, whose oaths came from his lips with the grace of falling pebbles, was seldom known to express himself in this manner when near his brother Dan.At last the afternoon contained a sug gestion of evening. Metallic cries rang suddenly from end to end Of the column. They inspired at once a quick, business-like adjustment. The long thing stirred in the mud. The men had hushed, and were looking across the river. A moment later the shadowy mass of pale-blue figures was moving steadily toward the stream. There could be heard from the town a clash of swift fighting and cheering. The noise of the shooting coming through the heavy air had its sharpness taken from it, and sounded in thuds.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.