Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

40 - 'PRAFTON ELUDES HIS NEMESIS. | man, that was a narrow escape. But, plase the | pigs, Tl be all right in the twist of a cat’s tail, so I will.”? Royal started from the shock of a sudden surprise. The tones were familiar to him. He looked searchingly at the speaker. “Major de Banyan, I think,’’ he said, sternly. ‘’That’s Iny name, sure enough,’’ replied the ex- army surgeon, ‘‘but pon. my honor, I can’t place you for the life of me.’ “‘Look again, sir.’ “Raith, I’m looking,’’? said the major, quite puzzled indeed, ‘‘where have 1 met you, my dear fellow ?”? ‘Is it possible you don’t recognize me: >? said Royal. The divil a bit, were I to be hanged for it this blessed minute. ”’ ‘‘Shall I assist your recollection ?”’ “Tt would be very obliging on your part, for by the staff of St. Patrick, I’d be willing to swear I never saw you before in my life.’’ ‘Your memory seems to be very much at fault,”’ said Royal, “‘if you cannot identify the man you shot.’ er ‘“The man I shot!’ exclaimed the major. ‘‘It’s joking you are, my dear boy.”’ ‘It was no joke for me. You left me for dead that night on the old stone turnpike road, some five weeks ago.’ If our hero had expected to startle the major by this revelation, he was certainly disappointed. ‘‘My dear fellow,’’? exclaimed de Banyan, effus- ively, ‘‘I am heartily ashamed of myself, soI am. It was all a mistake, I assure you. I took you for a footpad, upon me soul, I did, until I saw your name mentioned in the Mercury next day. Any reparation I can offer—on the honor of a de Banyany I stand _ ready to make,”’ GComicbooks.