Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-12-12


~ INCIDENTS OF HOSPITAL LIFE.-l II
der this head the New York Erening Pest
contains some interesting incidents from
lady, the wife of an officer in the army The
following is an extract
NEGRO INCIDENTS.
Speaking of negroes, reminds me of some
very funny scenes witnessed from my window
during my stay. Every day long freight
trains brought in cotton from Tuscum3ia
Ala, and other places along the line. have
seen them two hundred yards in length,
piled up with miscellaneous articles, while
crowning them were old beds, tied in
sheets, and all sorts of bundles. through
which little negroes swarmcd like bees
Look where you would little black face
and woolly head pecpcd out, while shining
black eyes flashed and twinkled in innocent
wonder upon all sides.
Yet it was pitiful sight too, these poor
half-starved, half-clothcd creatures. TO see
them swarming over the place, sleeping upon
the ground, and yoraciously eating the ra-
tions dealt out to them by government Off
cials, was enough to bring tears to the ewes
of the hardest. Poor, ignorant, helpless
creatures with no homc and a dark future
before them
People have often laughingIy wondered if
"TOpsy" was not creature of Mrs. Stoves
prolific fancy. Could they have cnioycd
brief season in Corinth think they would
scarcely have questioned the truthfulncss of
the character Topsics might be found here
by the hundred.
| had one in my room, bright, quiet
little creature, with tiny round face as
black as the ace of spades | dressed her
nm nd ont h.,r hon Il l.
for me, while the chambcrmaids in the house
found her as much a source of amusement as
usefulness. She would dance, sing and act
quite as comically as Topsy ever did.
had to laugh heartily one day at the
dolcful face of one of the clerks, as he came
into my room, his hand covered with blood
please give me bandage for this, Mrs
S. he said, laughingly, his tones at the
same time full of veXation. That Nell is a
perfect little imp. See what she has done
to me :"
"Iow1 Why, your hand looks full of
little pricks as if from teeth"
Pins, you mean | declare, its too rich
She's Il little smart one you may rest assured
1t happened this way: We BOYS love to
tcaze her, and often get her into the store
down stairs to hear her make droll remarks
got into the habit of tapping her upon the
head. pretending to be vCXed. just to see her
roll up her eyes at me in her comically-de-
precatng way. Her wool is thick and |
guess ! tapped her pretty hard sometimes,
relying upon its sUttness to protect her.
Well, the little imp, what does she do but
stick about forty pins along, under the hair
through the edge of the turban, the points
out. They formed a circle around her droll
head, and just now tapped her on the side
of the head, so hard rs to get dozen right
through my hand. The smart veNed me.
and tapped the other side, then the top
You see the result"
BY this time had finished binding UP
the laceratcd hand, and INDUCED in a con
vulsivc burst of merriment at his expense.
lie went away laughing, and IL few moments
later, when Nell came in, examined her
head, finding, at the least, half an ounce of
pins deposited in the curly locks crimpcd
up tightly over her head
She stood demurcly, with her hands fold
ed during the examination, and in answer
to my question as to why she did it, said
graycly:
why, miss, he was allus spattiu o
me-"