Thus encouraged, the youth proceeded: 

“My name is George Le Dell; and I am the youngest son of General Le Dell, of the Confederate army.  My home is, or rather was, on the Washita River, about ten miles from this very place.  When I was seventeen years of age, I was sent North to complete my education, at Yale College, and was just about commencing my senior year, when I received this letter from my father.”

Here George paused, and drew from his pocket a bundle of papers, carefully tied up, and, producing a letter, from which the writing was almost obliterated, he handed it to Frank, who read aloud as follows: 

    CATAHOOLA PARISH, February 12, 1861.

    MY DEAR GEORGE: 

    Your letter of the 2d ult. was duly received.

Although your ideas of the civil war, to which you seem to look forward with such anxiety, are rather crude, you are, in the main, correct in your conjectures as to our intentions.  Secession is a fixed fact.  You know it has often been discussed by our leading men, and the election of Mr. Lincoln has only served to precipitate our action.  Had he been defeated, it might have been put off four years longer; but it would be certain to come then.  For years the heaven-sanctioned institution of slavery has been subjected to all the attacks that the fiendish imaginations of the Yankee abolitionists could suggest, and we are determined to bear with them no longer.  We intend to establish a confederacy of our own, whose corner-stone shall be slavery.

I wish you to come home immediately, as I have secured you a first lieutenant’s commission in a cavalry company, which is to be mustered into my regiment.  Your brothers have already accepted theirs, and are drilling their companies twice every week.  Of course, we do not expect a war, for we have kept the cowardly Yankees under our thumbs so long that they will not dare to oppose us.  However, we consider it best to be on the safe side.

    Inclosed I send you a check for two hundred dollars, which, I
    think, will be sufficient to pay all your bills, and to defray
    your expenses home.

    Your mother and sisters send their love.

    Hoping to see you soon, and to join hands with you in destroying
    every vestige of the old Union, I remain,

    Yours, affectionately, EDWARD LE DELL.

While Frank was reading this letter, George had sat with his face buried in his hands, not once moving or giving a sign of life:  but, as soon as the letter was finished, he raised his pale face, and inquired, in a husky voice: 

“What do you think of that?  It does not seem possible that a father, who had the least spark of affection for his son, could advise him to follow such a course, does it?  Turn the letter over, and you will see a copy of my answer written on the back.”

It ran as follows: