Mark Twain

“ It was about a stand-off; so both of them had to whoop up their dangersome adventures, and try to get ahead that way. That bullet-wound in Tom's leg was a tough thing for Nat Parsons to buck against, but he done the best he could; done it at a disadvantage, too, for Tom didn't set still, as he'd orter done, to be fair, but always got up and sauntered around and worked his limp whilst Nat was painting up the adventure that he had one day in Washington; for Tom never let go that limp after his leg got well, but practiced it nights at home, and kept it good as new right along. ”

“ I am peaceable, and don't get up no rows with people that ain't doing nothing to me. I allowed if the paynim was satisfied I was, and we would let it stand at that.
Now, Tom he got all that notion out of Walter Scott's books, which he was always reading. And it WAS a wild notion, because in my opinion he never could 'a' raised the men, and if he did, as like as not he would 'a' got licked. I took the books and read all about it, and as near as I could make it out, most of the folks that shook farming to go crusading had a mighty rocky time of it. ”

“ Well, it was this way, as near as I can remember:
He come a-loping into Washington, and put up his horse and shoved out to the President's house with his letter, and they told him the President was up to the Capitol and just going to start for Philadelphia—not a minute to lose if he wanted to catch him. Nat 'most dropped, it made him so sick. His horse was put up, and he didn't know what to do. But just then along comes a nigger driving an old ramshackly hack, and he see his chance. ”