cried Dick , with a sounding slap on his comrade 's shoulder . `` A brand snatched from the burnin ' . Hallelujah ! '' chanted Flint , seesawing with excitement . `` Then you went to find your wife ? How ? Where ? '' asked Thorn , forgetting vigilance in interest . `` Friend Bent hated war so heartily that he would have nothing to do with paroles , exchanges , or any martial process whatever , but bade me go when and where I liked , remembering to do by others as I had been done by . Before I was well enough to go , however , I managed , by means of Copperhead influence and returned prisoners , to send a letter to my father and receive an answer . You can imagine what both contained ; and so I found myself penniless , but not poor , an outcast , but not alone . Old Bent treated me like a prodigal son , and put money in my purse ; his pretty daughters loved me for Margaret 's sake , and gave me a patriotic salute all round when I left them , the humblest , happiest man in Pennsylvania . Margaret once said to me that this was the time for deeds , not words ; that no man should stand idle , but serve the good cause with head , heart , and hand , no matter in what rank ; for in her eyes a private fighting for liberty was nobler than a dozen generals defending slavery . I remembered that , and , not having influential friends to get me a commission , enlisted in one of her own Massachusetts regiments , knowing that no act of mine would prove my sincerity like that . You should have seen her face when I walked in upon her , as she sat alone , busied with the army work , as I 'd so often seen her sitting by my bed ; it showed me all she had been suffering in silence , all I should have lost had I chosen darkness instead of light . She hoped and feared so much she could not speak , neither could I , but dropped my cloak , and showed her that , through love of her , I had become a soldier of the Union . How I love the coarse blue uniform ! for when she saw it , she came to me without a word and kept her promise in a month . '' `` Thunder ! what a harnsome woman ! ''
exclaimed XXXXX , as Phil , opening the golden case that held his talisman , showed them the beautiful , beloved face of which he spoke .
Copperhead Dick Flint Margaret Massachusetts Thorn burnin left month war