“Den I hear somebody say Cap’n Lane woun’ed, an’ I slip out toward de creek-road, an’ dar I see dem a-carryin Cap’n Lane, an’ de surgeon walkin’ ‘longside ob him.  My heart jes’ stood still wid fear.  His eyes was shut, an’ he look bery pale-like.  Dey was a-carryin’ him up de steps ob de verandy when Missy S’wanee came runnin’ ter see what was de matter.  Den Cap’n Lane open his eyes an’ he say:  ’Not in here.  Put me wid de oder woun’ed men; ’but Missy S’wanee say, ‘No; he protec’ us an’ act like a gemlin, an’ he shall learn dat de ladies ob de Souf will not be surpassed.’  De missus say de same, but Missy Roberta frown an’ say nuffin’.  She too much put out yet ‘bout dat light in de winder an’ de ’feat it brought her fren’s.  De cap’n was too weak an’ gone-like ter say anyting mo’, an’ dey carry him up ter de bes’ company room.  I goes up wid dem ter wait on de surgeon, an’ he ‘zamin’ de woun’ an’ gib de cap’n brandy, an’ at las’ say dat de cap’n get well ef he keep quiet a few weeks,—­dat he weak now from de shock an’ loss ob blood.

“In de arternoon hundreds more Linkum men come, an’ Cap’n Lane’s cunnel come wid dem, an’ he praise de cap’n an’ cheer him up, an’ de cap’n was bery peart an’ say he feel better.  Mos’ ob de ossifers take supper at de house.  De missus an’ Missy Roberta were perlite but bery cold-like, but Missy S’wanee, while she show dat she was a reb down to de bottom ob her good, kine heart, could smile an’ say sunshiny tings all de same.  Dis night pass bery quiet, an’ in de mawnin’ de Linkum cunnel say he hab orders ter ’tire toward de Union lines.  He feel bery bad ‘bout leabin’ Cap’n Lane, but de surgeon say he mus’ not be moved.  He say, too, dat he stay wid de cap’n an’ de oder badly woun’ed men.  De cap’n tell his cunnel ’bout me an’ my moder an’ what he promise us, an’ de cunnel say he take us wid him an’ send us to Washin’on.  De missus an’ de young ladies take on drefful ’bout our gwine, but I say, ‘I mus’ hab my liberty,’ an’ moder say she can’t part wid her own flesh an’ blood—­”

“Yes, yes, but what did ‘Cap’n’ Lane say?” interrupted Marian.

“He tole me ter say ter you, missy, dat he was gwine ter git well, an’ dat you mus’n’t worry ‘kase you didn’t hear from him, an’ dat he know you’d be kine to us, ’kase I’d help him win de vict’ry.  De surgeon wrote some letters, too, an’ gib dem to de Linkum cunnel.  P’raps you git one ob dem.  Dey put us in an army wagon, an’ bimeby we reach a railroad, an’ dey gib us a pass ter Washin’on, an’ we come right on heah wid Cap’n Lane’s money.  I doesn’t know what dey did with de robber—­”

“Oh, oh,” cried Marian, “it may be weeks before I hear from my friend again, if I ’ever do.”