The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane (books to read to improve english txt) đ
- Author: Stephen Crane
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He sprang from the bunk and began to pace nervously to and fro. âGood Lord, whatâs thâ matter with me?â he said aloud.
He felt that in this crisis his laws of life were useless. Whatever he had learned of himself was here of no avail. He was an unknown quantity. He saw that he would again be obliged to experiment as he had in early youth. He must accumulate information of himself, and meanwhile he resolved to remain close upon his guard lest those qualities of which he knew nothing should everlastingly disgrace him. âGood Lord!â he repeated in dismay.
After a time the tall soldier slid dexterously through the hole. The loud private followed. They were wrangling.
âThatâs all right,â said the tall soldier as he entered. He waved his hand expressively. âYou can believe me or not, jest as you like. All you got to do is sit down and wait as quiet as you can. Then pretty soon youâll find out I was right.â
His comrade grunted stubbornly. For a moment he seemed to be searching for a formidable reply. Finally he said: âWell, you donât know everything in the world, do you?â
âDidnât say I knew everything in the world,â retorted the other sharply. He began to stow various articles snugly into his knapsack.
The youth, pausing in his nervous walk, looked down at the busy figure. âGoing to be a battle, sure, is there, Jim?â he asked.
âOf course there is,â replied the tall soldier. âOf course there is. You jest wait âtil tomorrow, and youâll see one of the biggest battles ever was. You jest wait.â
âThunder!â said the youth.
âOh, youâll see fighting this time, my boy, whatâll be regular out-and-out fighting,â added the tall soldier, with the air of a man who is about to exhibit a battle for the benefit of his friends.
âHuh!â said the loud one from a corner.
âWell,â remarked the youth, âlike as not this storyâll turn out jest like them others did.â
âNot much it wonât,â replied the tall soldier, exasperated. âNot much it wonât. Didnât the cavalry all start this morning?â He glared about him. No one denied his statement. âThe cavalry started this morning,â he continued. âThey say there ainât hardly any cavalry left in camp. Theyâre going to Richmond, or some place, while we fight all the Johnnies. Itâs some dodge like that. The regimentâs got orders, too. A feller what seen âem go to headquarters told me a little while ago. And theyâre raising blazes all over campâ âanybody can see that.â
âShucks!â said the loud one.
The youth remained silent for a time. At last he spoke to the tall soldier. âJim!â
âWhat?â
âHow do you think the regâmentâll do?â
âOh, theyâll fight all right, I guess, after they once get into it,â said the other with cold judgment. He made a fine use of the third person. âThereâs been heaps of fun poked at âem because theyâre new, of course, and all that; but theyâll fight all right, I guess.â
âThink any of the boysâll run?â persisted the youth.
âOh, there may be a few of âem run, but thereâs them kind in every regiment, âspecially when they first goes under fire,â said the other in a tolerant way. âOf course it might happen that the hull kit-and-boodle might start and run, if some big fighting came first-off, and then again they might stay and fight like fun. But you canât bet on nothing. Of course they ainât never been under fire yet, and it ainât likely theyâll lick the hull rebel army all-to-oncet the first time; but I think theyâll fight better than some, if worse than others. Thatâs the way I figger. They call the regâment âFresh fishâ and everything; but the boys come of good stock, and most of âemâll fight like sin after they oncet git shootinâ,â he added, with a mighty emphasis on the last four words.
âOh, you think you knowâ ââ began the loud soldier with scorn.
The other turned savagely upon him. They had a rapid altercation, in which they fastened upon each other various strange epithets.
The youth at last interrupted them. âDid you ever think you might run yourself, Jim?â he asked. On concluding the sentence he laughed as if he had meant to aim a joke. The loud soldier also giggled.
The tall private waved his hand. âWell,â said he profoundly, âIâve thought it might get too hot for Jim Conklin in some of them scrimmages, and if a whole lot of boys started and run, why, I sâpose Iâd start and run. And if I once started to run, Iâd run like the devil, and no mistake. But if everybody was a-standing and a-fighting, why, Iâd stand and fight. Be jiminey, I would. Iâll bet on it.â
âHuh!â said the loud one.
The youth of this tale felt gratitude for these words of his comrade. He had feared that all of the untried men possessed great and correct confidence. He now was in a measure reassured.
IIThe next morning the youth discovered that his tall comrade had been the fast-flying messenger of a mistake. There was much scoffing at the latter by those who had yesterday been firm adherents of his views, and there was even a little sneering by men who had never believed the rumor. The tall one fought with a man from Chatfield Corners and beat him severely.
The youth felt, however, that his problem was in no wise lifted from him. There was, on the contrary, an irritating prolongation. The tale had created in him a great concern for himself. Now, with the newborn question in his mind, he was compelled to sink back into his old place as part of a blue demonstration.
For days he made ceaseless calculations, but they were all wondrously unsatisfactory. He found that he could
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