Dick began to gather from the old woman's words a dim idea of what had
occurred. Harry Kenton must have passed there, and as they went into
the next room where food and coffee were placed before them, Jarvis
explained.
"Your cousin, Harry Kenton, came through here last spring on his way to
Virginia," he said. "He came with me an' this lunkhead, Ike, all the
way from Frankfort and mostly up the Kentucky River. Grandmother was
dreaming and she took him at first for Henry Ware, his very self.
She saluted him and called him the great governor. It was a wonderful
thing to see, and it made me feel just a little bit creepy for a second
or two. Mebbe you an' your cousin, Harry Kenton, are Henry Ware an'
Paul Cotter, their very selves come back to earth. It looks curious
that both of you should wander to this little place hid deep in the
mountains. But it's happened all the same. I s'pose you've just been
moved 'round that way by the Supreme Power that's bigger than all of us,
an' that shifts us about to suit plans made long ago. But how I'm
runnin' on! Fall to, friends--I can't call you strangers, an' eat an'
drink. The winter air on the mountains is powerful nippin' an' your
blood needs warmin' often."
The boys and the sergeant obeyed him literally and with energy. Jarvis
sat by approvingly, taking an occasional bite or drink with them.
Meanwhile they gathered valuable information from him. A Northern
commander named Garfield had defeated the Southern forces under Humphrey
Marshall in a smart little battle at a place called Middle Creek.
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