Chapter 8
But before he could say any more the window shattered. Several
bullets flew across the room lodging themselves in the wall, and
tearing up furniture. Outside in the street voices could be heard
screaming "Lincolnites! Lincoolnites! They've fired on the
capitol! Get them!"
More shots rang out and more screaming was heard. The standing
Jefferson Davis reached up to his head. When he brought his hand back
down it was covered in blood! His counterpart at the desk leaped
to his feet, whisked off the gaudy necktie he was wearing, folded it,
and used it as a compress to slow the bleeding. The door burst
open and several men in gray uniforms, pistols drawn, entered.
"Are you all right, Mr. President?" one of them asked.
"Yes General Lee!" the President answered. "Please holster
your pistols and assist me here!
My cousin has been wounded."
"Damn Yankee filth!" one of the other officers snapped. He
quickly came forward holstering his pistol and steadied the visitor on
the other side. "Well, you can sure tell you two are related, Mr.
President!" the man remarked. "Except for being a few years
older he's your spitting image! Let's get him out on the couch
and lay him down 'til our doctor can be fetched."
The visitor was made comfortable. It was some time before the
others drifted away and The President could speak.
"What do you mean, you're ME?" he inquired.
"I am you," his guest answered, "I came from the future.
There's some papers in my pocket. In a little while a Professor
Daniel MacClain will contact a man named on them. Can't remember
it right now. He'll sell him some plans. Those plans must
be captured, they must be destroyed. No one must ever see them or
mankind will be destroyed! MacClain must be shot, he must not
return where he came from. You MUST believe me!"
President Davis took the papers and began to look through them. A
doctor arrived, examined the patient, produced a pair of pliers from
his bag and pulled two slivers of glass out of the patient's
head. He then produced needles and thread and stitched the
wounds, cleaning them with alcohol. "Not too serious," the doctor
remarked. "There's also a bruise. He must've been hit by
something. Couldn't have been a bullet, probably a piece of the
window frame. I'll send some men to have him taken to the hospital."
"No," President Davis ordered. "He will be taken to my
home. Two armed guards are to accompany him, in addition to those
already guarding my residence.
"Yes, Mr. President!" an officer snapped. In a few minutes
the visitor was carried away.
"General Lee!" The President snapped, "I need an officer for a
special mission and a dozen picked men, civilian clothes, two side
arms apiece, as quickly as possible."
"You will have them within an hour," the General answered.
"Fine!" President Davis continued, "I will be in my office
working. Do not get anyone to fix the window until I am done
briefing that officer. Then workmen may enter. Make sure
there is no one outside within ear shot."
"Yes, Mr. President!" the General answered.
President Davis went back into his office and continued to work.
Almost exactly an hour later there was a knock on his door.
"Enter!" the President snapped. A gaunt looking man
entered. The President wondered if he was fit enough to serve in
the army. The man came to attention and spoke.
"Captain Howards, sir! You need someone for a special
operation. I have a lieutenant and twelve good men ready to
proceed, sir. What do you need?"
The President picked up the papers he had been given and held them
out. "There is, sir, at the consumption sanitarium in this city,
a Patrick Shaunassey, a boiler maker. In a short time he will be
contacted by a gentleman named MacClain, who will sell him some
plans. Those plans are for a useless weapon that The Union is
trying to get us to waste our time on manufacturing. MacClain is
a Union spy. You are to intercept those plans, destroy them, and
execute MacClain. Shaunassey is an innocent, a patriot. He
does not know he is being used by Union subversives. Did I make
everything clear, Captain? Do you understand what must be done?"
The Captain looked through the papers. "I understand perfectly,
sir! We will find suitable observation posts, and keep this
person under surveillance. Am I to report back to you at the
conclusion of my mission?"
"You are indeed to," The President answered. "Captain, there may
be at third party attempting to interfere with this operation. I
do not think the incident this morning was an attempt on my life, but
was an attempt to kill the messenger that warned me of this plot!
Be careful, Captain! Be diligent and alert!"
"Understood, sir!" the Captain answered.
"You may go!" President Davis snapped.
The Captain came to attention, nodded, and departed. Barely had he got
out the door than carpenters entered and began dismantling the
shattered window as President Davis continued to work. But his thoughts
were on the men hurrying acrossed the city. He knew his visitor
wasn't quite telling the truth, but he knew that MacClain had to be
stopped, and he hoped these brave men could stop him. But how
great was the danger they were facing? He would worry until they
returned, he would worry very much!