The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1864-02-02

Just such building as you would set
down at once as haunted, its walls stain
ed and mildewed by time, its cellars
draped in cobwebs and darkness, its lit
tie flights of stairs in out of the way
places, its long dim corridors, over
which frightfully who long after mid
night the unsteady footsteps of some
straggler who on the strength of Pro-
vost pass and his good luck in not be-
ing caught Sin diagrams direlicts" by the
Provost guard has been having jollif.
cation in places where pretty waiter
girls and poor liquors are more abund
ant than good morals. IL ff
But ghosts and goblins, if there ever
were any, have long since departed, and
the only spirits with which we are &C.
quainted, are of totally different ma
ture, in too many instances am sorry
to say, coming under the head of " ia
miliar" spirits. II 81. oaa RI" ota
But enough for the building. let us
have glance at some Of the inmates. -
And first at the kitchen in the basement,
which is our dining room, wash room
and store room as well. Three long
wooden. benches and sundry frames com :
prise the furniture (you see we are not
extrayagant) with AN old singer of a
stovelin the centre, which is generally
keptat red heat to the detriment of di.
vers coat tails and pantloons that crowd
around. -11u 2@5H /.
Make you acquainted with our two
cooks. George and Chris! good fellows
and o. K. in the culinary line. To be
sure, they are not as well posted in the
art of fixing up French flumadiddles and
nickshaws, but for plain boil or roast,
commend me TO their good graces. 1t is
no joke / can assure you to cater for SO
or 60 volacious stomachs, and if YOU
believe any fool can do it, try it on for a
week, and you will have poorer opin
ion of yourself and better one of the
@. @. than You have now. Uncle Sam
kindly allows two coored cooks for each
company to those vino may apply for
them, but we have not yet reached tina,
point of aristocracy and we have been
blessed to overfowing already in the me-
gro line, but more of that anon.
Yet the floors might be shade clean
err, and no doubt the white china that
graces your board is preferable to the
battered tin mugs and plates upon our
rough tables; but we that are s.prafted
into the army" soon come Ia look with
sublime Indifference upon all such tri
aes, and have one blessing that many a
nabob that dimes off gold and silver
would give half his wealth to obtain I
agood appetite and freedom from indi.
geslion. = .7
/ And now we will ascent TO the officers
room where also your humble servant
holds forth aud makes himself as com.
Portable as circumstances will permit
There is rousing fire in the CRATE
which you will perceive il you go close
enough. and jammed into one corner OF
the fire place, upon block of coal sits
St. Lathrop's boy 90" fast asleep
Don't disturb him, | beg Of you: quiet
moments since he came among us are
like angels visits, and If he should hap.
pen TO yawn in the waking up the open.
ing in his face might starlle you. The
capacity Of those jaws is astonishing
| think he could swallow anything he
undertook unless ii was his fee,--he
never could get them down. Darkey JIG
has history if he isn't a Brigadiel
General. He came from Tennessee with
the "sojers'' he says. "Ole Masss
Crawford" was his master. and one Fl ne
morning he cleft" How a boy Of 9 OF
10 years could have come so far with
no one 10 look after him, and in the dead
Of winter, is a problem; but then it i.
very easily explained when you know
'niggers cant take care of themselves. .
10 is the very embodiment of mischief
into anything and everything except the
wash basin and towels. He is ubiqui
tous. "Topsey" is not to be mentioned
in the same breach with HIM. You hear
a yell in the kitchen and the next mo
ment he is in the room, pouring out al
the top Of his voice some jargnn which
he calls a song, or strutting about the
room with the Lieulenants drawn sword
and giving orders enough to confuse ,
brigade. lie is the pest Of tho cooks
1.-THE scapegoat of the boys. and the quint
essence of impudence. He receives
thumps and blows enough in the course
Of the day TO have half dozen coroners
! inquesls, but as he is tougher than 8
white oak knot, and they generally hi
them on the head, he seems to thrive
under it. Luckily he soon takes his de
parture for Iowa. NY best wishes at
tend the family who next takes him
in.
l do not say have lost all faith in ne
gro regeneration, but as ieelingly re
marked when l had occasion to reprov.
him for the fourteenth time for trying tc
punch hole in his peg top with my
gold pen, am woefully discouraged
But enough for the present. Short let
ters like short credits make plenty 0
friends, and so adieu until next time.