He had risen with the morning star to do an errand beyond Widewood, and was now getting back to Suez. This very dawn he had made Judge March's acquaintance beside his broken wagon, and had seen him ride toward Suez to begin again the repair of his disasters. Would the small Confederate like to ride behind him? Very quickly John gave an arm and was struggling up behind the saddle. The Captain touched the child's back. "Owch!" "Why, what's the matter? Did I hurt you?" "No, sir." The horse took his new burden unkindly, plunged and danced. "Afraid?" asked the Captain. John's eyes sparkled merrily and he shook his head. "You're a pretty brave boy, aren't you?" said the stranger. But John shook his head again. "I'll bet you are, and a tol'able good boy, too, aren't you?" "No, sir, I'm not a good boy, I'm bad. I'm a very bad boy, indeed." The horseman laughed. "I don't mistrust but you're good enough." "Oh, no. I'm not good. I'm wicked! I'm noisy! I make my ma's head ache every day! I usen't to be so wicked when I was a little shaver. I used to be a shaver, did you know that? But now I'm a boy. That's because I'm eight. I'm a boy and I'm wicked. I'm awful wicked, and I'm getting worse. I whistle. Did you think I could whistle? Well, I can.... There! did you hear that? It's wicked to whistle in the house--to whistle loud--in the house--it's sinful. Sometimes I whistle in the house--sometimes." He grew still and fell to thinking of his mother, and how her cheek would redden with something she called sorrow at his shameless companioning with the wearer of a blue uniform. But he continued to like his new friend; he was so companionably "low flung." "Do you know Jeff-Jack?" he asked. But the Captain had not the honor. "Well, he captures things. He's brave. He's dreadful brave." "No! Aw! you just want to scare me!" "So is Major Garnet. Did you ever see Major Garnet? Well, if you see him you mustn't make him mad. I'd be afraid for you to make him mad." "Why, how's that?" "I dunno," said Johnnie, very abstractedly. As they went various questions came up, and by and by John discoursed on the natural badness of "black folks"--especially the yellow variety--with imperfections of reasoning almost as droll as the soft dragging of his vowels. Time passed so pleasantly that when they came into the turnpike and saw his father coming across the battle-field with two other horsemen, his good spirits hardly had room to rise any higher. They rather fell. The Judge had again chanced upon the company of Major Garnet and Jeff-Jack Ravenel, and it disturbed John perceptibly for three such men to find him riding behind a Yankee. It was a double surprise for him to see, first, with what courtesy they treated the blue-coat, and then how soon they bade him good-day. The Federal had smilingly shown a flask. "You wouldn't fire on a flag of truce, would you?" "I never drink," said Garnet. "And I always take too much," responded Jeff-Jack.