and find food for your husband and sons when they
come back from the war."

As soon as the woman had turned back Vincent and Tony continued on their
way. The former had, as soon as they were fairly out from the Federal
camp, told Tony in a few words that his wife was safe at home and their
boy flourishing, and he now gave him further details of them.

"And how came you to enter the army, Tony?"

"Well, sah, dare wasn't much choice about it. De Northern people, dey
talk mighty high about der love for de negro, but I don't see much of it
in der ways. Why, sah, dey is twice as scornful ob a black man as de
gentlemen in de Souf. I list in de army, sah, because dey say dey go to
Richmond, and den I find Dinah and de boy."

"Well, Tony, I little thought when I did you a service that it would be
the means of you being able to save my life some day."

"Not much in dat, sah. You sabe my life, because dey would, for suah,
hab caught me and killed me. Den you save my wife for me, den you pay
out dat Jackson, and now you hab killed him. I could hab shouted for
joy, sah, when I saw you hit him ober de head wid de shovel, and I saw
dat dis time he gib no more trouble to no one. I should hab done for him
bery soon, sah. I had my eye upon him, and the fust time we got into
battle he got a ball in his back. Lucky he didn't see me. He not officer
ob my company, and me look quite different in de uniform to what me was
when I worked on de plantation; but I knew him, and wheneber I see him
pass I hang down my head and I say to myself, 'My time come soon, Massa
Jackson; my time come bery soon, and den we get quits.'"

"It is wrong to nourish revenge, Tony; but I really can't blame you very
much as to that fellow. Still, I should have blamed you if you had
killed him--blamed you very much. He was a bad man, and he treated you
brutally, but, you see, he has been already punished a good deal."

"Yes, you knock him down, sah. Dat bery good, but not enough for Tony."

"But that wasn't all, Tony. You see, the affair set all my friends
against him, and his position became a very unpleasant one. Then, you
see, if it hadn't been for you he would probably have got through to our
lines again after he had escaped with me. Then, you see, his father, out
of revenge, stole Dinah away."

"Stole Dinah!" Tony exclaimed, stopping in his walk. "Why, sah, you hab
been telling me dat she is safe and well wid Mrs. Wingfield."

"So she is, Tony. But he s