It could not have been a squirrel,
for it did not move after it fell. His old hunter's instinct
caused him to look keenly down the path as he turned the clump of bushes
which stopped his view; but he saw no squirrel or other moving thing.
The only thing he saw was a little brown something with a curious spot on it
lying in the path some little way ahead. As he came nearer it,
he saw that it was a small parcel not as big as a man's fist.
Someone had evidently dropped it the evening before. He picked it up
and examined it as he strode along. It was a little case or wallet
made of some brown stuff, such as women carry needles and thread in,
and it was tied up with a bit of red, white and blue string,
the Confederate colors, on the end of which was sewed a small bow
of pink ribbon. He untied it. It was what it looked to be:
a roughly made little needle-case such as women use, tolerably well stocked
with sewing materials, and it had something hard and almost square
in a separate pocket. Darby opened this, and his gun almost slipped
from his hand. Inside was the Testament he had given back to Vashti
the evening before. He stopped stock-still, and gazed at it in amazement,
turning it over in his hand. He recognized the bow of pink ribbon
as one like that which she had had on her dress the evening before.
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