“Has a pretty daughter, hasn’t he? Fell out of a railroad car and broke her arm, didn’t she?”
“That was the only time I ever saw her, general,” stammered Somers; “and probably I shall never see her again.”
“Why, you are as cold-blooded as a frog! Why don’t you write to the damsel, and tell her you are still alive, if you can’t think of anything else to say?”
“I don’t like to curry favor with great folks.”
“I like that, captain. But you must attend to your duty now. You may have Captain de—what’s-his-name—if you like.”
“Captain de Banyan, sir. He is a brave and noble fellow.”
“Your friend, eh?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, I remember him. He is certainly a brave fellow; for I noticed him at Glendale.”
“At Oak Grove he captured the enemy’s sharpshooters, who were lodged in the old house.”