The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1862-12-12
EEOlNER's LEzEv1Eus-No. q.
For the Virrinian.
BEAR COVE, WISE Co., Va, Nov. 2

! HOW or 0Jler these war tunes mas so unsettled
ny thinkin and actin fackelties, that haven't
felt qualified to do the subjec justice l want
to discuss. I'll try; but, before enterin upon
EN-, I'm quite sartin you'd like to hear a word
or two about the old man Shadrach and bro
ther Bednigo. Daddy, when you last heard
of him, was barely able to ride the old yaller
Jack Gineral jackson to meetin, but he isn't
as doncy now as he was then, and says that
the vile doins of the Yankees-both them at
home and them from O. distance-has made
his blood bile as hot and as quick as it did
when he went to Norfolk In the old war, and
If it wasn't for the rumatiz, which gives him
q squeeze now and then, he'd shoulder Betsy
the same old fint-lock that .bro't Bill Col
Inns outen the ireland iine the boys that's
fghtin for our rights and privileges, and vines
and tg-trees. Bednigo is in the wars, fat and
sassy and ragged; but as have some things
to say in this letter that'll make some folks
| think queer and others feel mean, if they
have any feelins, I'll not stop to talk about
daddy and Bednigo, but come strait up to the
subject at once, without any simiquivers
was in Abingdon a few weeks ago, and the
reason why didn't call to see you was, that
know'd you'd keep me month and Ak me a
thousand questions, when it was my bisness to
look round and larn, instid of larnin other
| people. put up at the house of my good old
| friends Benham & McCarty, but they was
| gone--one to Gineral Floyd and tother to
| hatntnck-and [ didn't know the man that
| Kept the house, nor [ didn't want to know
| HIM, for It's my notion that house without
wlnlmin Is like anempty jar of preserves or a
cherry PIE without iuards. But the landlord
was a tat, jolly kind Of feiler, with STUN
MEX sttckln out like apot-leg, and treated me
| NIFTY well, tho couldn't tell whether he kept
the house or the house kept him, as he seemed
TO nave sort OF GARDEN, who flew round like
| one side OF sled, and took in and paid out
all the money.
But didn't set down to write about land
lords nor taverns, but TO tell you about some
tanSs saw and something's [ heard, bearin,
upon the present war as is helpin the Yam
KEGS o mazIn sight more than body would
think without studyin. Bednigo, as told
You, Is IN the wars, ragged and barefooted,
and as Abingdon is q big place, or little
place with big ways, md ougilt TO have heap
OF goods, thought III look round and git him
some clothes and u pair of shoes. After lookin
round 1T oil the stores without fndin what [
wanted, % solemeolly lookin Teller behind a
Pile OF tnhaker BOXES in one Of the stores told
me / could End shoes and lnsey both in q
cellar down the street and also at the Go |
vernmsnt. office. Well, seq to myself, SEES /, |
shoes and linsey in q cellar, and lnsey and
shoes in the Government office. that won't do |
and il it hadn't bin for the mans serious
lookin face, I'd thought he was auizzin me. |
But, howsomeFer, sausered to the cellar
and walked in, and sure anuff, there was shoes |
and boots of all Sizes linseYs. and buttons, |
ana crocizeEy ware. some with handles and |
some without handles some made to honor
and some made 60 dishnnor: and now. thinks
TO myself thinks |, Bednieo shant no rar- |
ged and barefuoted no longer, and the old wo- |
man shall have q crock with handle to it to |
put her milk in. So I picked up q pair of |
boots that was marked FIVE dollars on tue |
soles, tho somebody had tried to scratch it OF.
aud ses to the man, Mister, ses |, what do
you AK for them boots? Twenty dollars, ses
he. Twenty snbat5 ses [. Twenty dollars, ses
he, squeelln it out like the whistle of steam
engine. lie mad some shoes, that sed ON their
soies they had cost two dollars, and he axed
me eight, and some that sed ON their soles
they had cost three dollars. and he axed me
twelve, and SO on with.eyevythine he had. and
it seemed to me that ali he had larat at skool
was, to multiply by four.
Wen, ses to mysst, SEES /, Bellnigo, You'll
have to tight and so barefopted, and 60 bare
footed and fight awhile longer w.t. before I'll
let man fleece me with nay eyes open and
with my own consent, bat I'll try him on the
linsey question and cit the full measure of his
patriotism, rs know itdidn't east more than
seventy-tive cents yard at the oatside-ses
|, what do AK for Jeans? Five dollars ward, [
ses he! Jerusalem and Timothy Titns! SAYS
|, Ave dollars yard for linsey, ses I /! Why 3,
man, are you jew, Or q Yankee, or the de-
I'll, or all three mixed M? Why, ses he, /
MY AK you for my goods in proportion to
Ehat nave to pay for corn! What in the de-
nj (aod forgive me for swearing have to do ],
Nth what you have to give for corn, ses I? |
haven't SOLO you no corn at four or Eve times ,
IS honest value, and If somebody else has, is i
hat common sense reason that I should J,
tand here and let you skin me like an eeI9 {
Sell your shoes for twelve dollars. and vo,,,r +
insey for i've dollars, and your crooks With | :
landles to 'eul for two dollars. to them that
kinned you on the corn, and don't stand Shere
nd try to pull my Skin off because ssn,ehoav
lse has pulled yours of on the corn question. n
lie looked socter TOXIN in, and | had a rreat f
mind to take him by the ankles and % 10 0
piitin logs with him. 9
| left that cellar, where nothiH had eoyee 4
ut me and the baots and shoes. and santered |,
own 70 the Governments office, and there in a c.
ttle cnddy- hunk in one corner of o. bio room. Y
saw pile OF iinsey as high as a mans head Y
nd half q dozen boxes of boots and shoes Is,
as sorter afraid TO Ak the men any Questions II
bout the goods, as supposed they was clerks h
! the Government employ, aud in course had II
. right to speki!ate as the Army Recula- Use
ons in soerret SEES they Shant. AM, tI,afss II
BOD regulation, for the Governments amt roin "