hand, and
his arms were pinioned in an instant; while cries of "Fair play, sir!"
"He's drunk!" "Don't hit a man when he's down," and other like
exclamations, came from all sides.

"Give _me_ fair play, you d----d North Carolina hounds," cried the
Colonel, struggling violently to get away, "and I'll fight the whole
posse of you."

"One's 'nuff for _you_, ye d----d fire-eatin' 'ristocrat;" said a long,
lean, bushy-haired, be-whiskered individual, who was standing near the
counter: "ef ye want to fight, _I'll_ 'tend to yer case to onst. Let him
go, boys," he continued as he stepped toward the Colonel, and parted the
crowd that had gathered around him: "give him the shootin'-iron, and
let's see ef he'll take a man thet's sober."

I saw serious trouble was impending, and stepping forward, I said to the
last speaker, "My friend, you have no quarrel with this gentleman. He
has treated that man only as you would have done."

"P'raps thet's so; but he's a d----d hound of a Secesherner thet's
draggin' us all to h--ll; it'll du the country good to git quit of one
on 'em."

"Whatever his politics are, he's a gentleman, sir, and has done you no
harm--let me beg of you to let him alone."

"Don't beg any thing for me, Mr. K----," growled the Colonel through his
barred teeth, "I'll fight the d----d corn-cracker, and his whole race,
at once."

"No you won't, my friend. For the sake of those at home you won't;" I
said, taking him by the arm, and partly leading, partly forcing him,
toward the door.

"And who in h--ll ar you?" asked the corn-cracker, planting himself
squarely in my way.

"I'm on the same side of politics with you, Union to the core!" I
replied.

"Ye ar! Union! Then give us yer fist," said he, grasping me by the hand;
"by ---- it does a feller good to see a man dressed in yer cloes thet
haint 'fraid to say he's Union, so close to South Car'lina, tu, as this
ar! Come, hev a drink: come boys--all round--let's liquor!"

"Excuse me now, my dear fellow--some other time I'll be glad to join
you."

"Jest as ye say, but thar's my fist, enyhow."

He gave me another hearty shake of the hand, and the crowd parting, I
made my way with the Colonel out of the room. We were followed by Miles,
the landlord, who, when we had reached the front of the entrance-way,
said, "I'm right sorry for this row, gentlemen; the boys will hev a time
when they gets together."

"Oh, never mind;" said the Colonel, who had recovered his co