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He had Sturgill down, but Hence sank his teeth into Mayhall's thigh while Mayhall's hands grasped his opponent's throat. The captain had only to squeeze, as every rough-and-tumble fighter knew, and endure his pain until Hence would have to give in. But Mayhall was not built to endure.
When he saw Mayhall's old manner and heard the old respectful way of address, and felt the dazed helplessness of the big, beaten man, the heart thumped. "I am sorry about that little amount I owe you; I think I'll be able shortly " But Bill cut him short.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, suh sorry to hear it, suh," he said, with slow, measured speech. "My men are comin' in fast, and you can hardly realize er er what it means to an old soldier er er not to have er " And Mayhall's answering wink was portentous. "My friend here is from over in Kaintucky, and the Harlan Home Gyard over there, he says, is a-making some threats." Mayhall laughed.
"Yes," drawled Bill, with an unction that was strangely sweet to Mayhall's wondering ears, "an' I do it ag'in, Captain Wells." "An' may I axe you," said Mayhall, ruffling a little, "may I axe you why you " "Certainly," said Bill, and he handed over the paper that he held in his hand. Mayhall took the paper and looked it up and down helplessly Flitter Bill slyly watching him.
"If you please, parsing," he said, handing it back, "I hev left my specs at home." The parson read that, whereas Captain Wells had been guilty of grave misdemeanors while in command of the Army of the Callahan, he should be arrested and court-martialled for the same, or be given the privilege of leaving the county in twenty-four hours. Mayhall's face paled a little and he stroked his beard.
"Captain Wells," he said and the emphasis on the title was balm to Mayhall's soul "you have protected me in time of war, an' you air welcome to yo' uniform an' you air welcome to that little debt.
Bill spelled out the name: "Jefferson Davis" and Mayhall's big fingers trembled as he pulled them away, as though to avoid further desecration of that sacred name. Then he rose, and a magical transformation began that can be likened I speak with reverence to the turning of water into wine. Captain Mayhall Wells raised his head, set his chin well in, and kept it there.
Mayhall's mouth widened to the full stretch of his lean jaws, and, when Bill was through reading, he silently reached for the paper and looked it up and down and over and over, muttering: "Well well well!" And then he pointed silently to the name that was at the bottom of the paper.
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