Under the
great thatch of eyebrow the keen little eyes twinkled. He made John
think of a huge, white and inoffensive bear.
The general's roving eye caught sight of Scott and he exclaimed:
"Come here, you young Yankee! I hear that you distinguished yourself
last night by saving the life of one of our enemies, thus enabling him
perhaps to fight against us once more."
"I beg your pardon, General," said John, "but I'm no Yankee."
"What, denying your birthright! I never heard an American do that
before! Everybody knows you're a Yankee."
"Pardon me. General, you and all other Europeans make a mistake about
the Yankees. At home the people of the Southern States generally apply
it to those living in the Northern states, but in the North it is
carried still further and is properly applied to the residents of the
six New England states. I don't come from one of those states, and so
I'm not in a real sense a Yankee."
"What, sir, have I, a Frenchman, to do with your local distinctions?
Yankees you all are and Yankee you shall remain. It's a fine name, and
from what I've seen in this war you're great fighting men, worthy to
stand with Frenchmen."
"Thank you for the compliment, General," said John, smiling. "Hereafter
I shall always remain a Yankee."
"And now do you and your friends take your food there with de Rougemont.
Pages:
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56