iven away, and prepared to depart with the basket
and pail; inviting the guests repeatedly to make themselves quite at
home, and to take whatever they could find.

"Wait!" said they. Each had a knee on the floor, and one hand full of
bread and cheese. They looked up at her with broad, complacent, unctuous
faces, smiling, yet resolute. And one, with his unoccupied hand, laid
hold of the handle of the basket, while the other detained the pail.
"You will tell us where is your husband," said they.

"O, dear me, I don't know! I'm a poor lone woman, and where my husband
is I can't consaive, I'm shore!"

"You will tell us where is your husband," repeated the men; and one of
them, getting upon his feet, stood before her at the door.

"He's on the mountain somewhars. I don't know whar, and I don't keer,"
cried the widow, excited. There was something in the stolid, determined
looks of the brothers she did not like. "He's a bad man, Mr. Stackridge
is! I'm a secessionist myself. You are welcome to everything in the
house--only let me go now."

"You will not go," said the soldier at the door, "till you tell us. We
come for dat."

On entering, they had placed their muskets in the corner. The speaker
took them, and handed one to his comrade. And now the widow observed
that out of the muzzle of each protruded the butt-end of a small
cowhide. Each soldier held his gun at his side, and laying hold of the
said butt-end, drew out the long taper belly and dangling lash of the
whip, like a black snake by the neck.

The widow screamed.

"It's all a mistake. Let me go! I ain't Mis' Stackridge"

Nothing so natural as that the wife of the notorious Unionist should
deny her identity at sight of the whips. The soldiers looked at each
other, muttered something in German, smiled, and replaced their muskets
in the corner.

"You tell us where is your husband. Or else we whip you. Dat is our
orders."

This they said in low tones, with mild looks, and with a calmness which
was frightful. The widow saw that she had to do with men who obeyed
orders literally, and knew no mercy.

"I hain't got no husband. I ain't Mis' Stackridge. I'm a poor lone
widder, that jest come over here to borry a few things, and that's all."

"Ve unterstan. You say shust now you are Mrs. Stackridge. Now you say
not. Dat make no difruns. Ve know. You tell us where is your husband, or
ve string you up."

This speech was pronounced by both the foreigners, a sentence