The white paper
cockade which had been adopted in contradistinction to the hemlock as
the badge of the government party, predominated in many of the towns
through which Abner's party had passed.
"That air proclamashin 's kinder skeert em more'n did us Berkshire
folks." Abner explained to a crowd at the tavern. "They all wanter be
on the hangman's side wen it comes tew the hangin. They hain't got the
pluck of a weasel, them fellers daown east hain't. This ere war'll hev
tew be fit aout in this ere caounty, I guess, ef wuss comes to wuss."
"They've got a slew o' men daown Bosting way," said a farmer. "I
callate we couldn' hole aout agin' em long ef it come tew fightin, an
they should reely tackle us."
"I dunno baout that nuther," declared Abner with a cornerwise nod of
the head. "Thar be plenty o' pesky places long the road wen it gits up
intew the mountings an is narrer and windin like. I wouldn' ass fer
more'n a kumpny tew stop a regiment in them places. I wuz talkin tew
the Duke baout that tidday. He says the hull caounty's a reglar fort,
an ef the folks 'll hang tewgether it can't be tuk by the hull res' o'
the state. We kin hole aout jist like the Green Mounting boys did agin
the Yorkers an licked em tew, and got shet of em an be indypendent
tidday, by gol, same ez Berkshire orter be.
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