Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 205: what you’re looking at

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

198 A STRANGE OCCURRENCE. o “T_T meant ter live an’ go back with flyin’ colors,’’ pursued the youth, huskily. ‘‘Mother an’ Uncle Jose would a been glad to see me, and knowed I’d fit fur ther flag. But the Lord knows best, don’t he, captain ?”’ Ves, my boy. Don’t worry on that account. You have done your duty nobly. Some one has a monster crime to answer for, some one.”’ “T know it. That’s what Uncle Jose always said. It’s Jeff Davis and his pals. They’ll be hung, won’t they ?”’ . Perhaps.’ | ‘‘But then, I don’t hate nobody, as I once did,’’ uttered Andy again. ‘‘Mebbe Jeff Davis’ll die of re- morse, ef they don’t hang him. I’m sorry if I’ve did anybody an injury, even the Confeds, if they didn’t deserve it. But I fit for the flag; and them as spit on it, an’ dragged itin the dust hez got ther punish- _ment. I—TI feel that the Stars an’ Stripes’l] come out ahead in the end. It’s worth dyin’ fur, captain.’’ ‘‘Yes,’’? answered the captain, with moist eyes. ‘“Thousands have died for the old emblem of the re- _ public, and thousands more will lay down their lives, if need be, for its preservation.”’ Se we eS Se CHAPPER XXXYVIII. A STRANGE OCCURRENCE. A short silence fell over the little group by the camp-fire. : The drawn, white face ofthe dying Buckeye boy looked almost ghastly in the sombre shadows. It was an occasion for deep gravity, and the fre- quent cheers and laughter seemed’ out of place at such a time. - It was a glorious victory, however, and even the (el @) ~€oO LiKe 200 CS