Roxy Hastings — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

80 | ‘’ ROXY HASTINGS. ~~ ~ ~ ws ———— “Dat is de coat,” he said. ‘‘De pants same color—under dese old patched ones—and a silk vest.” “Did you get a white cravat, as I told you?” “Ves, sah; it’s in my pocket.” : “Well, I don’t see but one way to get these things off you. Iwill let all my friends into the secret, and have them gather around you here, at this end of the room, pretending to examine your basket of stores, and while they thus hide you you must sit down on the floor and strip as quickly as possible.” ! “Yes, sah.” “T will go near the door—Hess is on guard, and if he comes back before you get through I will try to keep his attention on something else.” Lee took out a couple of his double eagles as he spoke, and clinked them in his hand. | “Yes, sah. Dat’s de kind o’ bait for him,” said Luke. “I nebber saw nobody so greedy for it as he is, sah—nebber.” “He has had some pretty good bites, and they whet his - appetite, of course.” Alfred found his friends all ready to enter into his plot, though his last competitor for the death lot whispered aside to another of the second lieutenants that it wasn’t fair for Lee to try to get off. “They’ll only draw again,” he said, “and it is our inter- est to stop him, rather than help him get away.” He was scouted and shamed out of his poltroonery or at least out of any further exhibition of it. Alfred had himself entertained some scruples on this point, and had conversed with several of his friends on the propriety of attempting an escape if opportunity should offer. They had laughed at his doubts, and told him not to hesitate, as they certainly would not under similar circum- stances. They did not believe that President Davis would order a second man hung after one had escaped by the re- missness of his guards, as such a course would be barbar- ous and shocking to the moral sentiment of the world. But they did not believe that any chance would be offered Lee to escape, nor had he more than the slightest hope of such a result himself, but he was resolved to exercise a wise prevision in preparing as far as possible for any favor- ite contingency which might offer. But to return to Luke. : | No sooner was he well surrounded than he stooped down and began rapidly to disrobe, while Lieutenant Lee, sta- tioned by the door, near the opposite end of the room, cComicbooks (ele)