hev ez often ez we desired. Compermises wuz our best holt. Whenever we
wanted anything, all we hed to do wuz to ask for it. The Ablishinists
wood object, the Dimocrisy wood draw up a compermise, wich inklooded, ez
a rool, twice or 3 times wat we asked, and pass it to save the Union.
Sich a Union wuz worth havin, and I opposed all efforts to dissolute it.
Hed the South succeeded, I shood hev gone with em; for Kentucky
alone--the only nigger State in the North--wood hev bin helpless.
Scaldin tears hev I shed when contemplatin the horrors uv war; but I
cood do nothin to avert it. Kentucky wuz loyal, but nootral."

I find down here that the loyal citizens uv Kentucky who hev returned
from the confedrit service are not at all discouraged; on the contrary,
they are hopeful. Sed one to me (I bleeve he wuz a Kernel under Gen.
Forest; indeed, I think he told me he participated in the glorious
victory at Fort Piller),--

"Why art thou cast down? Things is workin eggsackly to our hand."

In a mournful tone, I retorted that I failed to perseeve it.

"I kin," sez he. "Lookye, my venerable friend. Is the Northern Dimocrisy
still troo?"

"They is," I replied, "wat few remains. But, alas! war, crool war, hez
decimated our ranks five times."

"How so?" sez he. "None uv your kind uv Democrats jined in this unholy
croosade, and fell afore our deth-deelin swords--did they?"

"Not any," sez I; "but Kanady and Montana took em afore each draft. That