it must be confessed that jack was startled, for he had not heard the approach of the surgeon and his companions, who had come up noiselessly and on foot.
"hullo, you here?" asked dr. mackey, as he gazed at jack in some astonishment.
"what brings you here, dr. mackey?" demanded our hero.
"i am looking for the dead or wounded in this neighborhood," was the answer. "whom have you here?"
"a guerrilla we shot down."
"ha! who shot him?"
"i did. he was trying to steal our horses."
"dr. mackey, don't you know me?" came from the guerrilla.
"pete gendron!" muttered the surgeon. "i never expected to see you here."
"nor did i calkerlate to see you, doc. but i'm mighty glad yer come. ye kin git me out o' this fix."
as he spoke, the guerrilla eyed dr. mackey sharply. on more than one occasion he had been the doctor's tool, and now he thought it no more than fair that the medical man should stand by him.
"evidently you know this guerrilla," said jack slowly.
"i do," answered the doctor slowly. he hardly knew how to proceed.
"i aint no guerrilla, an' dr. mackey kin prove it," cried pete gendron. the coming of the medical man had raised his spirits wonderfully.
"you are a guerrilla."
"i aint. dr. mackey will prove my words. he's a friend o' mine. aint ye, doc?"
there was a peculiar emphasis to the guerrilla's words which made the surgeon shift uneasily from one foot to the other.
"if i don't humor gendron, he may expose me," thought the surgeon dismally. "he knows too much to be made an enemy of."
"is he your friend?" asked jack.
"not exactly my friend, jack, but i know him pretty well," answered dr. mackey slowly, as if trying to feel his way.
"i aint a guerrilla, am i?" put in pete gendron eagerly.
"n—no, he is not a—a guerrilla," stammered the surgeon. "there must be some mistake."
"i want to be taken to the confed'rate hospital," went on pete gendron.
"but he and his comrades were trying to steal our horses," said jack firmly.
"as i said before, my dear jack, there must be some mistake," returned the surgeon smoothly. suddenly his face brightened. "gendron, you made a mistake by leaving the hospital so soon. your fighting in to-day's battle must have made you light-headed. you probably came here by mistake."
the guerrilla was crafty enough to seize upon the cue thus given.
"thet must be the size on it," he murmured. "my head has felt queer ever since i got out in the sun. reckon i aint accountable fer all my actions, doc."
"he is a perfectly honest man," said dr. mackey to jack. "i have seen him fight most bravely in half a dozen battles."
jack felt that the surgeon was falsifying, but how could he prove it? then he felt that there would be no use in keeping the guerrilla at the plantation.
"well, take him away, if you want to," he answered. "but i shall still hold my opinion of the rascal."
"you are as insulting as ever, jack," sneered the medical man. "i came here, hoping to find you of a different turn of mind."
"i shall never change my mind regarding you, dr. mackey," was our hero's ready reply.
"come outside, i would like to talk to you in private."
the surgeon spoke in a whisper, and feeling there would be no harm in listening to what he might have to say, jack followed him into the open.
"i want to know what you intend to do about coming with me, jack," said the medical man, when they were out of hearing distance of the others.
"i don't intend to go with you, dr. mackey."
"you are hard on your father."
"once and for the last time, let me say that i do not acknowledge you as my father."
"nevertheless, i am your parent, and will soon be in a position to prove my claim."
"and when that time comes i may be in a position to prove you an impostor, dr. mackey."
"what! this to me!" ejaculated the medical man, in a rage.
"yes, that to you."
"boy, you are—are mad—you do not know what you are saying."
"i know perfectly well what i am saying."
"prove me an impostor?"
"yes."
"but how can you, when i am exactly what i claim to be."
"dr. mackey, where were you located before the war broke out?"
"you heard my story, jack. there is no use to repeat it."
"you came from philadelphia."
"ha! who told you that?"
"you were connected with a medical company there which was put out of business by the post office authorities because of using the mails fraudulently."
at this assertion dr. mackey fell back as if shot.
"jack, i demand to know who has told you this?"
"you are a bachelor, and were never married to my mother or to any other lady."
"i demand to know who told you this—this—string of falsehoods!" cried the doctor, catching our hero by the arm.
"a part of the story came from mrs. ruthven's nephew."
"what, st. john ruthven? i hardly know the fellow."
"no, another nephew, dr. harry powell, who is now attached to the yankee army. he hails from philadelphia."
"that viper!" ejaculated the medical man, then tried to check himself. "i—er—that is, i know powell distantly. but he is much mistaken."
"i don't think so—and neither does mrs. ruthven nor marion."
"so you have been harboring a yankee in this place, eh? a pretty business to be in surely," sneered the surgeon.
"we could not help ourselves. but i have another witness against you."
"another?"
"yes, a confederate soldier who knows you well. he can testify that you never had either sweetheart or wife."
"who is the man?"
"for the present i must decline to disclose his identity."
"you are trying to fool me!" stormed dr. mackey.
"no, i am telling you only the truth. now i wish you to answer me a few questions. why are you so anxious to claim me as your son?"
"because you are my son. good or bad, i cannot go back upon my own flesh and blood, as you are trying to do."
"i will never believe i am your son!" cried jack impetuously. "do you know what i think? i think you are trying to get hold of me so that you can obtain some money belonging to me."
"you—you little rascal!" cried dr. mackey. "how dare you talk to me in this fashion?"
"because i believe you are a fraud, that's why," answered our hero defiantly.
a commingled look of rage and disappointment came into the medical man's face, which suddenly gave place to a look of cunning.
"i will make you smart for this," he stormed, and caught jack firmly by both arms. "garder! mason! come here!" he called loudly.
"what is wanted?" asked one of the confederate soldiers, as both came rushing from the stable.
"conduct this young man to our camp, and see that he does not escape from you."
"you shan't take me from home!" ejaculated jack. "let me go!"
he struggled to release himself, but the two soldiers were powerful fellows, and soon made him their prisoner.
"you are making a mistake," puffed jack. "dr. mackey is a first-class fraud."
"dr. mackey is all right," put in gendron, the guerrilla.
"he must be held," said the surgeon. "i will be responsible for this arrest."
"at least let me see mrs. ruthven before i go."
"no, take him away at once," cried the surgeon quickly. "then you can return for gendron."
"where shall we take him, doctor?" asked one of the privates.
"to the old red house up the river. you know the place?"
"yes, sir."
no more was said, and a minute later jack found himself being conducted across the plantation by a back way. he wanted to cry out, but one of the soldiers leveled his gun and commanded him to keep silent.
as soon as the party of three was gone dr. mackey entered into earnest conversation with gendron, at the same time giving attention to the guerrilla's wound.
"very well, pete," he said, at the conclusion. "stick by me and i'll stick by you."
"it's a whack," replied the wounded man.
"if anybody from the house comes here, tell them that jack went off to get some confederate ambulance corps to take you away."
"i will."
a few words in addition passed between the pair, and then dr. mackey left the stable.
he was anxious to have another talk with mrs. ruthven, but concluded that he must postpone the interview until later.
"i reckon i have done enough for one night," he said to himself grimly. "with that boy in my power, perhaps she and the others will sing a different tune. anyway, i'll not let the lad out of my grasp until he promises to do exactly as i desire."
