At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

82 AT A GIRLS MERCY. head; ‘‘he sed hg ‘en we git ter a place w’ere we kin fin’ a min’ster.’ ‘‘Well,’? was the kindly answer, for the general’s heart was warm, and this girl in her innocence touched him strangely, ‘‘you have already come so far with him in company with your friends, but as we must hold all excepting yourself and the man as contrabands, you will have to continue the rest of your journey alone; you and he are free, and can go, but if you were my daughter I would wish you safely married first; you will find no better place than this, and the chaplain shall marry you to- night, and you shall start at once for the North in company with one of our men, who goes at mid- night. Will you be ready, child?’’ ‘But,’ and the red streamed under the dark of her cheek, “‘I’se got nothin’ ter w’ar, gen’ral. I’se got nothin’ but dese clothes, an’ dey isn’t fit ter git marred in. Et’s on’y a’ ole dress put on over de men clothes I had on, as de res’ ob us did. I cayn’t git marr’ed in dese.’’ | ‘I know,’’ he said, and the kindly face was stirred with asmile. ‘I know how you feel, Lola; all girls feel so, I suppose, but it is the best you can do. The ceremony will be at eight. Be ready.”’ And she accepted his command gravely, lifting her head with a half proud gesture. . “My mammy’d wish et, I’m sho’,’’ she said, ADE y ; ; ‘but Ise cayn’t b’ar ter git marr’ed in dese t’ings.”’ They were married that night at the fort, and the officers, with their .wives, and the privates, made a sort of gala time of it, it was such an original en- tertainment, and there was the wedding dinner and dancing at the end of it, and as the night grew late,