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Roads of Destiny

him at ‘Look away! look away!’ and shook his hand for five minutes.

“‘I never thought,’ says Doc, taking a chew fretfully, ‘that I’d ever try to save any blame Yank’s life. But, Mr. O’Keefe, I don’t see but what you are entitled to be considered part human, anyhow. I never thought Yanks had any of the rudiments of decorum and laudability about them. I reckon I might have been too aggregative in my tabulation. But it ain’t me you want to thank—it’s the Confederate States of America.’

“‘And I’m much obliged to ’em,’ says I. ‘It’s a poor man that would n’t be patriotic with a country that’s saved his life. I’ll drink to the Stars and Bars whenever there’s a flag-staff and a glass convenient. But where,’ says I, ‘are the rescuing troops? If there was a gun fired or a shell burst, I did n’t hear it.’

“Doc Millikin raises up and points out the window with his flute at the banana-steamer loading with fruit.

“‘Yank,’ says he ‘there’s a steamer that’s going to sail in the morning. If I was you, I’d sail on it. The Confederate Government’s done all it can for you. There was n’t a gun fired. The negotiations was carried on secretly between the two nations by the purser of that steamer. I got him to do it because I did n’t want to appear in it. Twelve thousand dollars was paid to the officials in bribes to let you go.’

“‘Man!’ says I, sitting down hard—‘twelve thousand—how will I ever—who could have—where did the money come from?’

“‘Yazoo City,’ says Doc Millikin; ‘I’ve got a little