and thar I war under the pile o' boards, curled up like a
hedgehog to keep dry. 'Josh,' says he, 'what ye doin' thar? Why ain't ye
to work?' ''Fraid o' gittin' wet!' says I. 'Pon that he didn't say a
word, but jest come and took me by the collar, and led me to a little
run close by, and jest casoused me in the water, head over heels, and
then jest pulled me out agin. 'Now,' says he, 'ye can go to work, and
you won't be the leastest mite afeard o' gittin' wet. Wal, 'twas about
so. I didn't mind the rain, arter that. 'Wal, Deslow,' says I, 'that
larnt me a lesson; and ever sence I've always thought 'twas a good thing
fur us, when trouble comes, to have the wust happen, and know it's the
wust, fur then we'se prepared fur't, and ain't no longer to be skeert by
a little shower.' That's what I said to Deslow." And Withers continued
scraping his nails.

"Very good philosophy, indeed!" said Mr. Villars. "And what did he
reply?"

"He said, when the wust happened to us, we'd find we had no home, no
property, and no country left; and fur his part he had been thinking
we'd better go and give ourselves up, make peace with the authorities,
and take the oath of allegiance. 'Lincoln won't send no army to relieve
us yet a-while,' says he, 'and even if he does, you know, victory for
the Federals means the death of our institootions! So I see where the
shoe pinched with him; and I said, 'If that continners to be your ways
of thinkin', I hain't the least objections to partin' comp'ny with ye,
as the house dog said to the skunk; only,' says I, 'don't ye go to
betrayin' us, if you conclude to go.' Soon arter that we separated, and
that's the last any on us have seen of him."

"They've begun to whip women, too," said Stackridge. "But, by right good
luck, when this scamp here--" glowering upon Lysander--"sent to have my
wife whipped, he got his own mother whipped in her place! He's a
connection o' your family, I know, Mr. Villars; but I never spile a
story for relation's sake."

"Nor need you, friend Stackridge. Sorry I am for that deluded young man;
but he reaps what he has sown, and he has only himself to blame."

"'Twas a regular secesh operation, that of having his own mother strung
up," said Captain Grudd. "They are working against their own interests
and families without knowing it. When they think they are destroying the
Union, they are destroying their own honor and influence; for so it 'ill
be sure to turn out."

"It was Libert