Ef any o' them at Lavergne axes ye imperent questions, ye must hev a story ready 'bout yer being the Nashville niece o' Aunt Debby Brill, who lives on the left hand o' the Nashville pike, jest north o' the public squar in Murfreesboro, an' ye 're on yer way ter pay yer ole Aunty a long-promised visit." "There is such a woman in Murfreesboro ?" "Yes, an' she's talked a great deal 'bout her niece in Nashville, who's comin' ter see her.

I thought"-- the earnestness of the eyes relaxed to a suspicion of a twinkle--"thet sometime I mout come across sich a niece fur the ole lady, an' hit wuz well ter be prepared fur her." "But suppose they ask me about things in Nashville ?" "W'll, ye must fix up a story 'bout thet too.

Ye needn't be ver partickelar what hit is, so long's hit's awful savage on the Yankees.

Be keerful ter say frequently thet the yankees is awful sick o' their job o' holdin' Nashville; that their new Dutch Gineral is a mean brute, an' a coward beside, thet he's skeered 'bout out'n his wits half the time, an' he's buildin' the biggest kind o' forts to hide behind, an' thet he won't dar show his nose outside o' them--leastways not this 'ere Winter.
Talk ez much ez ye kin 'bout the sojers gwine inter Winter quarters; 'bout them being mortally sartin not ter do anything tell next Spring, an' 'bout them desartin' by rijimints an' brigades, an' gwine home, bekase they're sick an' tired o' the war." "My," said Rachel, with a gasp, "what awful things to tell!" "Yes," returned the scout complacently, "I s'posed hit'd strike you thet-a-way.

But my experience with war is thet hit's jest plum full o' awful things.