s as proud of him as the "squires" of old were of the
knights. Jess, to doubly secure this "cloth of gold" so dear to the
heart of his master, folded the suit nicely and put it in his knapsack
and the knapsack under his head, while he slept the sleep of the just
in the far corner of the box car. When we reached Charlotte Captain
Nance concluded to rig himself out, as this was to be our last place
of stoppage until Columbia was reached, and should his wife meet
him there, then he would be ready. So he orders water and towel,
and behind the car he began preparations for dressing, all the while
bantering the boys about his suit.

At last he was ready to receive the treasured gray. He called out to
his man Jess, "Bring out the uniform."

Jess goes into the car. He fumbles, he hunts--knapsacks thrown aside,
guns and accoutrements dashed in every direction--the knapsack
is found, hastily opened, and searched, but no uniform! The more
impatient and more determined to find the missing clothes, the idea
began more forcibly to impress Jess that he might have slept on the
way. So engrossed was he in the search for the missing suit, that he
failed to hear the orders from his master to--

"Hurry up! If you don't soon bring on that coat I'll frail you out.
You think I can wait out here naked and freeze?"

But still the hunt goes on, haversacks once again thrown aside,
knapsacks overhauled for the third time, while beads of perspiration
begin to drop from the brow of Jess. The real facts began to dawn more
surely upon him. Then Jess spoke, or I might say gave a wail--

"Marse John, 'fore God in heaven, if some grand rascal ain't done
stole your clothes." His great white eyes shone out from the dark
recesses of the car like moons in a bright sky.

Nance was speechless. Raising himself in a more erect position, he
only managed to say: "Jess, don't tell me that uniform is gone. Don't!
Go dig your grave, nigger, for if you black imp of Satan has gone to
sleep and let some scoundrel steal my clothes, then you die."

Such a laugh, such a shout as was set up from one end of the train
to the other was never heard before or since of the "Lone Pine Tree
State." All of us thought at first, and very naturally, too, that it
was only a practical joke being played upon the Captain, and that all
would be right in the end. But not so. What became of that uniform
forever remained a mystery. If the party who committed the theft
had seen or knew