Roxy Hastings — page 125: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

11¢ ROXY HASTINGS. air of great amazement, himself attracting no little attent- ion, for adouble reason. His adventures had made him a lion, while in apparel he was a scarecrow. Charles shook hands with him heartily, and Uncle Luke received his thanks very modestly, yet with a jubilant look. “Tank Him, Massa Lee,” he said, looking reverently up- ward. ‘“’Twas wonderful, sah. Dine say de angel dat opened de prison gates to Peter would go with us, and I reckon he did, Massa Lee. Eb’ryting worked so beautiful. But ’twas touch and go, sah, all through; a terrible tight squeeze. I sometimes hab to tink eber so long to make sure we’re out of it.” “Well, now, Luke you know we are your debtors for life.” “No, sah‘ I’se overpaid, and I tinkin’ about givin’ half back to de levtenant. I don’t tink he got much left. Tm afraid it ain’t right to take so much, ’cause, you see, he expected to be hung when he promised it, and all dat a man hath will he gi’ for his life, I don’t tink I ought to hold him to it.” , “Never fear, my good fellow; he doesn’t want it, and beside that, I am going to give you as much more. Come! come along to the suttler’s, and get a new suit of clothes to begin with.” “As much more! Why, Ill be richer dan Jeff Davis!” said Luke, following his friends. “I?ll buy a house and a garden in Norfolk, and have a hundred dollar horse, and a painted wagon to take vegetables to de market. What will Dine say when she comes? What would Shem and Mose say? de vagabones !” A neat suit of gray was found to fit the old man; and the transformation was very pleasing, for he had some- thing almost venerable in his aspect. “T want you to go with us to Washington and New York,” Charles said, “for my friends will want to see you. You can return here, and go to Norfolk afterward if you wish.” Luke was delighted. He had never thought that he should see the great city, he said, but he wished he could have seen it before the war. . | He was asked why. “Oh, ’cause I hke to seen it when de people was dar. Now dey all gone to de war, and de business all stopped, and de grass growin’ in de streets.” “Who told you that, Luke?” ‘comicbooks.com