Roxy Hastings — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

— ROXY HASTIN' GS. S68 handed, and let Mr. Lee know what you have got for him. He’ll manage it, I'll be bound.” But here a difficulty arose. Pickard wished to reserve ten dollars of Luke’s fee until his job was done, and he tags not change the double eagle which Charles had given im. “Pil get it changed in Richmond,” said Luke, extending his hand confidently for the coin, “and bring back half or de resate. Dat will be all right.” “ All right,” replied the doctor. ‘Use it if necessary to pay your way past the guards, and I’ll see that you are made whole.” Luke took the parcel, and quickly transferred it to an old shackly cart, before which a skeleton of a white horse was harnessed, where he placed it in the bottom of an empty basket, and covered it carefully with some straw. He had no pocket capacious enough to hold it, but. he re- solved not to leave it fora moment, and as his load of fruit was all sold, and it was about sundown, he prepared to start at once for the city. Among the hangers on at camp was a tall, ugly, free mulatto who had been impressed to-work on the fortifica- tions, had been severely wounded by a fragment of shell, and discharged from duty. While convalescent he came into the lines occasionally, ‘drawn apparently only by curiosity, and, perhaps owing to his services and his wounds, was quite a privileged charac- ter. Hrom a distance he had chanced to see the interview between Pickard and Uncle Luke, and the curiosity it ex- cited had been greatly enhanced when he saw the negro receive a seemingly heavy package from the surgeon, and hasten with it to his cart. He followed saunteringly, and seeing that the old man was making preparations to start immediately for home, he became certain that there was something of unusual im- portance going on, and he resolved to know what it was. “Give us a lift home to-night, Uncle Luke,” he said, without exhibiting any surprise at the other’s movements. “My head is worse, and I hadn’t oughter come out yet to- day at all.” Now Luke had often extended this privilege to Shem, though he bore no enviable character, but he would rather have forfeited half of the golden piece which he had in the depths of his trousers pocket than to have him for a pas- senger that evening, especially as he knew it would be dark before they reached the city. cS (e(@) Gomichoo