Impressions 



he means to be,' says I, and rowed up as near 

 as I could get. 



" 'Don't you come no furder,' hollers the oP 

 man. 



"I didn't holler back, but pulls ashore and 

 goes 'round the blind side o ' the house. Nance 

 know'd if she didn't a-see me, and luck had it 

 ag'in, for the ol' man kep' his eye on the river. 

 When I got back o' the house I made a motion 

 to come out, and Nance opened a little winder 

 and waved her hand. Wake snakes! but my 

 heart giv' a thump, and I know'd then I was in 

 for biziness. I crep' up along the garden fence 

 and got real close. She saw and said, softly- 

 like, she couldn't clim' thro', an' Daddy would 

 ketch her if she opened the back door. 



" ' Ketch or no ketch,' says I, 'an' I'll tend 

 to Daddy,' says I, and fust I know'd, she was 

 out o' doors and I grabb'd her. 'Fore the ol' 

 man saw she was in the boat, and thar he came 

 a-hollerin'. You never saw a madder man than 

 the ol' man was. He hollered, 'Gome back!' 

 but she knew it was for her life she was runnin', 

 an' we put out into the river. 



"It was fool-work, sure enough, but I was 

 only a fool of a chunk then, and tho't only o' 



13 



