"South is out that way, isn't it?" she asked again, pointing off to the left. "Look here," said the spy, with a look that was humorous, but not only humorous. "What?" "Two or three times last night, and now ag'in, you gimme a sort o' sneakin' notion you don't trust me," said he. "Oh!" exclaimed she, "I do! Only I'm so anxious to be going south." "Jess so," said the man. "Well, we're goin' sort o' due west right now. You see we dassent take this railroad anywheres about here,"--they were even then crossing the track of the Mobile and Ohio Railway--"because that's jess where they _sho_ to be on the lookout fur us. And I can't take you straight south on the dirt roads, because I don't know the country down that way. But this way I know it like your hand knows the way to your mouth, as the felleh says. Learned it most all sence the war broke out, too. And so the whole thing is we got to jess keep straight across the country here till we strike the Mississippi Central." "What time will that be?" "Time! You don't mean time o' day, do you?" he asked. "Yes," said Mary, smiling. "Why, we'll be lucky to make it in two whole days. Won't we, Alice!" The child had waked, and was staring into her mother's face. Mary caressed her. The spy looked at them silently. The mother looked up, as if to speak, but was silent. "Hello!" said the man, softly; for a tear shone through her smile. Whereat she laughed. "I ought to be ashamed to be so unreasonable," she said. "Well, now, I'd like to contradict you for once," responds the spy; "but the fact is, how kin I, when Noo Orleens is jest about south-west frum here, anyhow?" "Yes," said Mary, pleasantly, "it's between south and south-west." The spy made a gesture of mock amazement. "Well, you air partickly what you say. I never hear o' but one party that was more partickly than you. I reckon you never hear' tell o' him, did you?" "Who was he?" asked Mary. "Well, I never got his name, nor his habitation, as the felleh says; but he was so conscientious that when a highwayman attackted him onct, he wouldn't holla murder nor he wouldn't holla thief, 'cause he wasn't certain whether the highwayman wanted to kill him or rob him. He was something like George Washington, who couldn't tell a lie. Did you ever hear that story about George Washington?" "About his chopping the cherry-tree with his hatchet?" asked Mary.