"
"You went forth like a man to fight for your country, didn't you?"
"Na, sah!"
"How'd you get there?"
"Dey volunteered me, sah."
"Volunteered you, did they?" the President laughed.
"Yassah--dat dey did. Dey sho' volunteered me whether er no----"
"And how did it happen?"
"Dey done hit so quick, sah, I scacely know how dey did do hit. I was in
de war down in Virginia wid Marse John Vaughan--an' er low-lifed
Irishman on guard dar put me ter wuk er buryin' corpses. I hain't nebber
had no taste for corpses nohow, an' I didn't like de job--mo' specially,
sah, when one ob 'em come to ez I was pullin' him froo de dark ter de
grave----"
"Come to, did he?" the President smiled.
"Yassah--he come to all of er sudden an' kicked me! An' hit scared me
near 'bout ter death. I lit out fum dar purty quick, sah, an' go West.
An' I ain't mor'n got out dar 'fore two fellers drawed dere muskets on
me an' persuaded me ter volunteer, sah. Dey put dese here cloze on me
an' tell me dat I wuz er hero. I tell 'em dey must be some mistake 'bout
dat, but dey say no--dey know what dey wuz er doin'. Dey keep on tellin'
me dat I wuz er hero an', by golly, I 'gin ter b'lieve hit myself till
dey git me into trouble, sah."
"You were in a battle?"
Julius scratched his head and walled his eyes:
"I had er little taste ob it, sah,----"
"Well, you tried to fight, didn't you?"
"No, sah,--I run.
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