At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

AT A GIRL’S MERCY. | 81 0’ givin’ up w’en we’s so fur, an’ may git de res’ ob de way, ef we’s on’y hab faith.” . Terror was so upon them that they obeyed her me- chanically, though few of them could find words for prayer. But Lola prayed—how she did pray! The struggle in the dark of the previous night for her own life was nothing to the wild pleading she sent up for them all. And lo! a sudden gust of wind, a current of the tide swept in to the bar, and softly, gently, as though even the wind and tide were with them, the boat was lifted and drifted free, and drawn once more out into the current, gliding like a bit of the night on its bosom up to, and close under, and past the Confederate gunboat and down the river away—away ! | For a while none of them stirred; the joy on the heels of terror left them stunned and speechless; then they arose and took up the oars. It was broad daylight when they once more found themselves facing a camp on the shore, with a gun- boat in the river, and knew that they were observed. There was a stir on deck and on shore, and a boat was sent out to capture them, but the broad light fell on the uniforms of blue, and they knew that they were saved. They raised a white handkerchief as a truce, for it was evident the soldiers thought them hostile from the manner of their approach, and welcomed the soldiers gladly. *K + * * aS # * “My child,’ said the general, when Lola had finished her story, ‘‘I shall advise you as I would if you were my daughter. You say you and the young man are to be married. Where and when?’’ ‘‘T doan’ know,’’ replied the girl, softly, with bent GComicbooks m (E(0)