They went to the American general's
headquarters some two milds off. A hundred varieties of palm trees
grow along the road and every sort of tropical tree. The natives wuz
all dark complected, but some good lookin', most all bareheaded or
else with a gay turban and knives stuck in the sashes of their gay
tunics.

One day whilst the party wuz gone Tommy and I wuz takin' a little
walk; Josiah couldn't go, he had got hold of a New York paper of
three weeks before, and was readin' it through from title page to Lost
and Found column. We wandered into a little cross street lined on each
side with little shops with the shopkeepers squattin' in the door, and
outside the native wives and children. Everything under the sun almost
wuz to be found in these shops, and we had wandered along for quite a
good ways lookin' at the curious things, and still more curious
people, when we met Aronette and Lucia, accompanied by the two young
men I had seen with 'em on the boat; they wuz on the stoop of one of
the old business buildin's, gigglin' and laughin' like a bevy of
swallers round the eaves of a Jonesville barn.

But, as I said before, I didn't like the looks of the young men, and
on Aronette's return I told her so, feelin' I wuz in a measure
responsible for her safety whilst her mistress wuz away. Aronette wuz
combin' Tommy's hair and curlin' it over her finger as I talked to
her, which made me feel some mean to attact her whilst in my service,
but Duty's apron string fluttered down before me and I stiddied myself
on it as I spoke real good warnin' words to her.

Sez I, "My dear, I didn't like the looks of the young men I saw you
walkin' with to-night." Sez I, "I saw them two young men coming out of
a saloon not a half hour before, and" sez I, "they look to me
dissipated and mean. They drink; I know by their looks they do."

And she sez, "Oh, dear madam, I only went out to take the air a little
while. You know I care for nobody in this country. My heart is in old
Normandie," sez she, the tears welling up to the blue well of her
eyes. "My heart is with my Pierre, but," sez she, kinder tossin' her
head, not a high toss, only a little vain pretty motion of a pretty,
thoughtless girl, some like a bluebird in the spring of the year, "if
a young man insists on paying you a little attention what can a poor
little girl do? The days are long when one is young and her own Pierre
so far away, and, dear madam, Lucia was with me."

"Another