CHAPTER XIII.
A MERRY-MAKING.
In Search of active Employment. On the Road to Bowling Green, Kentucky. My travelling Companions. A Halt at Paris. A Hog-killing and Corn-shucking Frolic. Dancing all Night in the School-house. A Quilting-Party. My particular Attentions to a Lady. The other Girls unhappy. The Reward of Gallantry. What General Hardee had to say to me. The Woodsonville Fight. On the back Track for Fort Donelson.
T would, perhaps, have been better for me, in many respects, had I gone back to Virginia; for the probabilities were that I would, very shortly, if not immediately, have obtained the gratification of my desire for active employment in the secret service corps, and I would, consequently, not only have put in my time to much better advantage than I did, both for myself and for the Confederacy, but I would have been spared a number of particularly unpleasant occurrences which were fruitful of nothing but abundance of disgust on my part. If everything happened to us, however, just as we desired in this world, not only would we not properly appreciate heaven, when we get there, if we ever do, but adventure would lose much of its zest. So, the best way, after all, is, perhaps, to take things about as they come, and keeping a sharp lookout for the main chances, do what we can with them to advance the ends we have in view.
My campaign in the West, before I trod Virginia ground again, was certainly adventuresome enough to satisfy all my cravings, were adventure alone what I wanted. While, how ever, I plunged into adventures for the love of the thing, and cared not what perils presented themselves when I had an object to attain, I was neither reckless nor foolhardy, and wanted to have something definite in view beyond the excitement of the hour.
It was because I thought that there would be a chance for
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