looked
down among the green branches. Yes, now it became a ray, and probably
shone from some dwelling in the heart of the wood. I called the good
news to Father Friday.

"_Deo gratias_!" he exclaimed. "Where is it?"

"Over there," said I, pointing in the direction of the light.

I got to the ground as fast as I could, and we made our way toward it.
Soon we saw it plainly, glowing among the trees; and, following its
guidance, soon came to a cleared space, where stood a rude log cabin,
in front of which burned a fire of pine knots. Before it was a man of
the class which the darkies were wont to designate as "pore white
trash." He was a tall, gawky countryman, rawboned, with long, unkempt
hair. His homespun clothes were decidedly the worse for wear; his
trousers were tucked into the tops of his heavy cowhide boots, and
perched upon his head was the roughest of home-woven straw-hats.

At the sound of our footsteps he turned, and to say that he was
surprised at our appearance would but ill describe his amazement.
Father Friday speedily assured him that we were neither raiders nor
bush-rangers, but simply two very hungry wanderers who had been astray
in the woods all day.

"Wa-all now, strangers, them is raither hard lines," said the man,
good-naturedly. "Jest make yerselves ter home hyere ternight, an' in
the mornin' I'll put yer on the right road to A------. Lors, but yer
must a-had a march! Been purty much all over the woods, I
reckon.--Mirandy!" he continued, calling to some one inside the cabin.
"Mirandy!"

"I'm a-heedin', Josh. What's the matter?" inquired a _scrawny_,
sandy-haired woman, coming to the door, with her arms akimbo. "Mussy
me!" she ejaculated upon seeing us.

"Hyere's two folks as has got lost in this hyere forest, an' is plum
tired out an' powerful hongry," explained her husband.

"Mussy me!" she repeated, eyeing my blue coat askance, and regarding
Father Friday with suspicious wonder. She had never seen a uniform
like that long black cassock. To which side did he belong, Federal or
Confederate?

"Mirandy's Secesh, but I'm for the Union," explained Josh, with a wink
to us. "Sometimes we have as big a war as any one cyares ter see,
right hyere, on 'ccount of it. But, Lors, Mirandy, yer ain't a-goin'
ter quarrel with a man 'cause the color of his coat ain't ter yer
likin' when he ain't had a bite of vittles terday!"

"No, I ain't," answered the woman, stolidly. Glancing again at