The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War

ed man sto

lar jim-dandy." He thoughtfully poked one of the docile hands with his foot. "I wonner where he got 'is str

ed, but his tongue lay dead in the tomb of his mouth. He

ed man sto

we might as well begin t' look out fer ol' number one. This here thing is all over. He 's up an' gone, ain't 'e? An

d quickly up. He saw that he was swinging uncertainly on

ed, "you ain't goin

e said. "All I want is some pea soup an' a goo

He pointed. "And now I find 'im here. And he was coming from over there, too." He ind

an, "there ain't no use in our stayin'

arily. They both turned to ga

murmured

wa'n't 'e?" said the tatt

. For a time they stole softly, treading with th

tered man, suddenly breaking one of his little si

ndered if he was to be the torture

it! There too much dependin' on me fer me t' die yit. No, sir! Nary die! I

could see by the shadow of a smile

ed, I wouldn't die th' way that feller did. That was th' funniest thing. I'd

ss an' beller at me. 'Yer shot, yeh blamed infernal!'-he swear horrible-he ses t' me. I put up m' hand t' m' head an' when I looked at m' fingers, I seen, sure 'nough, I was shot. I give a holler an' begin t' run, but b'fore I could git

em-little ones-but they 're beginnin' t' have fun w

s it located?" But he continued his harangue without waiting for a reply. "I see 'a feller git hit plum in th' head when my reg'ment was a-standin' at ease onct. An' everybody yelled out to 'im: Hurt, John? Are yeh hurt much? 'No,' ses he. He looked kinder surprised, an' he

e!" he said. He was enraged against the tattered man, and could have strangled him. His companions seemed ever to play intolerable parts. They were ever upraisin

ther. There was a little accent of despair in his voice as

elf and casting glances of hatred and contempt at the tat

at him, could see that he, too, like that other one, was beginning to act dumb and animal-like. His thoughts seemed to be flound

vaguely. "Over t

't do, now, Tom Jamison. It won't do. I know yeh, yeh pig-headed devil. Yeh wanta go trompin' off with a bad hurt. It ain't right-now-Tom Jamison-it ain't

and started away. He could hear the

d about angr

ow, Tom Jamison

tance he saw the tattered man wande

at he envied those men whose bodies lay strewn over the g

sistency made him feel that he could not keep his crime concealed in his bosom. It was sure to be brought plain by one of those arrows which cloud the air and are constantly pricking,