Page:The woman in battle .djvu/93

Rh declined, but took a wooden stool, upon which she seated herself quite close to me. I could think of nothing so likely to loosen her tongue, and make her properly sociable, as a reference to religious matters; so I asked her if there were any churches in the neighborhood.

She said that there was no regular church, but that on Sun days a preacher held forth in the school-house ; and then, without much difficulty, we got into quite a discussion about religion, and from that to other matters of more immediate interest, if not of so much permanent importance. The old man, I presume, was rather tired, and so, taking advantage of this change of subject in our conversation, he went to bed, and soon was snoring lustily. Finally, Miss Sadie got back to what was the subject uppermost in her thoughts, and began questioning me about my own affairs, by asking if I had any brothers.

"Yes," I replied; "one, older than myself, who is more fortunate, for he is married," giving a look at her out of the corner of my eye, which I intended her to understand as an intimation that, although not married, I had no objections to being so if I could find a girl to suit me.

"You ought to be married, too," said Miss Sadie, with a simper, and apparently appreciating this kind of conversation much better than the war talk the old man and I had been indulging in.

"How can I get married when none of the girls will have me?" I retorted.

"You git out," was the rather irrelevant remark Miss Sadie made at this point, but giving me no reason to believe that she meant her words to be construed literally.

The old woman thinking, I suppose, to flatter me, said, " A handsome young fellow like you, with, I dare say, a pretty fair education, needn't be afraid of the gals not having you."

At this point of the conversation the old man awoke, and sang out, "Don't you women talk that man to death. Why don't you git out and let him go to bed?" and then, pointing to a bed in the corner, he told me to turn in there when I felt like it. . This was a broad enough hint that Mr. Giles did not want to hear any more conversation that night ; so I excused myself to the old woman and the girls, and stepped out on the porch to