Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

THE BURNING BARN. _ ‘ili ‘‘Nor these men ?”? | ‘Nor these men, Bertha;’’ and there was a look in his blue eyes that assured her he was speaking the. truth. ‘“Rorgive me, Royal, if I have wronged you; the fire may have been the result of carelessness on the part of the negroes, they are such lazy, good-for- nothing creatures. Since your President declared them free, uncle has been unable to make them work as they used. It’s ashame to rob us—not only of slaves, but of the substance of the land, too. Ah! there will come a fearful retribution on the North some day—there surely will, Captain Chetwood.’’. She was waxing warm again, as the wrongs of the South seemed to loom up mountain high before her — excited imagination. He stroked his mustache thoughtfully. ‘Bertha, you are a woman of sense; now let me propound a few questions.’ | “Very well.” ‘Who began this war ?’’ ‘The North, by electing a sectional President,” she said, quickly. ‘‘Ask me something more difficult to answer, please.’’ | | A quizzical expression shot from his eyes. “Tt would be easy enough to answer in that way,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t think Pl] ask you any more ques- tions. I wish to see Moses Bluff. How is he, Bertha ??’ “Tmproving.”’ She led the way quickly to the room occupied by the wounded soldier, and then left the two captains together foratime. | | Bluff was anxious to be in the saddle once more. His wound had not proved a bad one, but he was not yet strong enough to take the field. — When the young ranger related the story of Colo- nel T'rafton’s visit but a short time before, and the 4 | *: i comicbooks:.co a