At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 195: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

184 AT A GIRI’S MERCY, for they were free, and held in slavery only by some sort of treachery—as hundreds of them were—and the others we had to keep. But this fellow was the image of you, with his sunny eyes and smile, and the curls all over his head, and the general even couldn’t help giving in to him when he wanted the dancing for the good luck of the wedding party. He gave in to him as he’d give in to you if you were to ask him something pretty hard, I am sure, Nurse Courtland. You don’t believe it, but try him and see.’ Nan laughed happily, though there was a mist be- fore those same sunny eyes, as she would have an- swered the soldier’s last words had not one of the women come up to her at that moment, a paper, dis- _colored and ragged from much travel and wear, in her hand, a kindly interest on her face. ‘“‘T wonder if you know this man, nurse,’’ she said, gently, the xindness in her eyes touching the girl’s heart. ‘“‘I happened across the account, and wished you to see it. The paper was sent here to this camp a few days ago, but we have had no time for read- ing the news here,’’ a tender smile on her face. ‘‘It. is seldom we get hold of papers, anyway, and this must have been sent here by some friend knowing of your presence among us, for it has a blue mark around the heading.’’ In her heart she thought it anything but a friend who would send such a notice, if it were for Nan, to the girl at such a time, but she herself had nothing to do with it, and would simply learn if her belief in its being for the girl were groundless. — Nan took the paper with slowly dawning interest, her thoughts so filled with the account she had just heard of her brother—she was so sure it was her brother—that she scarcely realized what the woman had said to her. She glanced aimlessly down the columns in search of the blue mark around the head- Ing of the article, and then suddenly her sweét face blanched as though the touch of death were upon her, and the life and light went out of her face as she stood as one turned to stone before her kindl companion. The woman’s heart was deeply toushed: a ts . 5 “x | = ~ 7 €omicbooks.com