Litchfield enquirer., 1865-02-09

p o, it. Sl e usually made her appearance in th d large parlor soon after breakfast; and to dane ). her for few moments in our arms was one
 the first daily duties of each one. Then til IT morning reports began to arrive from the diff F ferent outposts-a mounted officer or courie e coming in from each place, dismounting at tn s door. and clattering in with jingling arms an n spurs. each new excitement for Annie. Sh e usually got some attention from any officer wh + came. recieying with her wonted dignity an : daring kiss or pinch of the cheek. When tn !, messenger had ceased to be interesting, ther r were always the horses to be looked at, held Q tethered under the trees beside the sunny piaz 5 "a. After the various couriers had been re 3 ceived. other messengers would be despatchet to the town. seven miles away. and Baby hat all the excitement of their mounting and de
 parture. Her father was often one of the riders and would sometimes seize Annie for good by kiss. place her on the saddle before him '] gailop her round the house once or twice, ant then gave her back to her nurses arms again
 She WAS perfectly fearless, and such boisterou.
 attentions never frightened her, nor did they
 ever interfere with her sweet, infantine self possession.
 |j After the riding parties had gone there was
 the piazza still for entertainment. with a sen. tinel pacing up and down before it; but Annie did not enjoy the sentinel, though his breast
 plate and buttons shone like gold, so much as the hammock which always hung swinging be- tween the pillars, It was a pretty hammock. with great open meshes and she delighted to lie in it, and have the netting closed above her so she conld only be seen through the aper- lures. l can see her now. the fresh little rosy thing, in her blue and scarlet wrappiags. with one round and Gimpled arm thrust forth through | a fbo of blushing roses and fragrant magnoas She
 lsoked like those pretty little French has re- liefs of Cupids imprisoned in baskets, and
 peeping through. That hammock was very useful appendage; it Was couch for US, a era
 for Baby, nest for the kittens, and we b ad
 moreover, little hen, which tried to roost there every night.
 | When the mornings were colder, and the stove up stairs smoked the wrong way. Biby was brought dowr in a very incomplete state of toilet. and finished her dressing by the great fire. We found her bare shoulders very be- coming. and she was very much interested n her own little pink toes, After very slow dressing, she had still slower breakfast out dE tin cup cf warm milk of which she generally I split good deal, as she had much to do ln watching everybody who came into the room, and seeing that there was no mischief -dOne--
 
 only piece of carpet, and the kittens would be brought in for her to play with.
 We had, at different times. 3 variety of petss of whom Annie d;dxnet take much iee Sometimes we had young pSrtriges, caught py the little boys in trap cages. The children called them Bob and Chloe" because the first notes of the male and female sound like, those names. Que day I brought home 2. opossum. with her blind bare little y.11ns clinging to the droIl little porch wheE .n.. .nenr mothers keep them. Sometimes We @o pre',y title green lizards, their color '"fetn!ng ot deepening. like that of chamelc'hs m hgut U. fancy were the kittens, They perfectly de- I;yhtai her from tha ast moment she saw tbam thev vara tba >nly things younger than herself tbat she basever beheld, and tine only tb;nps softer ihs themselves that her small hands had pr,eped. It was astonishing to sae how muA the kittens would endure from her The could scarcely be touched by any ohe elsesithout moving; but when Annie seized one by the head and the other by the l tail And rubbed them violently together. they didhot make sound. I suppose that baby g easp is really soft. even if it seems ferocous, And so it gives less pain than one would think At any rate. the little animals had the best of it very soon; for they entirely outstripped
  soon scramble away beyond her reach, while she sat in a,sort of dumb despair, unable to comprehend why anything so much smaller than herself should be so much nimbler.- Meanwhile, the kittens would sit up and look at her with the most provoking indifference. just out of arms length. until some of us would take pity on the young lady, and toss her furry playthings back te her again. Little baby" | she learned to call them ; and these were the very first words she spoke.
 1 Baby had evidently natural turn for war, further cultivated by an intimate knowledge of drills and parades. The nearer she came to actual conflict, the better she seemed to like it. peaceful as her own little ways might be- Twice, at least while she was with us on
 picket, we had alarms from the rebel troops
 who would bring down cannon to the opposite
 side of the Ferry, about two miles beyond us,
 and throw shot and shell over upon our side-
 Then the officer at the Ferry would think that
 there Was to be an attack made, and couriers
 would be sent riding to and fro, and the men
 would all be called to arms in hurry, aud the
 ladies al headquarters would all put on their best bonnets and come down stairs. and the ambulance tor as some of the men called it,
 '.the omeet") would be made ready to carry
 them to place ot safety before the expected
 fight. Or such occasions, Baby was ip all her
 glory. She shouted with delight at being sud
 denly uneribbed and thrust into her little scar
 let cloak. and brought down stairs, at an utterly
 unusual and improper hour, to piazza with lights and people and horses and general ex- ctement. She crowed and gurgled and made gestures with her little fists, and screamed out , what seemed to be her advice on the military situation, as freely as if she had been news
 paper editor. Except that it was rather d'll } cult to understand her precise directions, d'
 not know but the whole rebel force migh have been captured through her plans. Ant P at any rate. should much rather obey he , orders than those of some Generals whom : have known for she at least meant no harm } and would lead one into no mischief
 l However, at last the danger, such as It was | would be all over. and the ladies would be ID - duced to go peacefully to bed again and An !, r nie would retreat with them to her ignobi }. cradle, very much disappointed, and iookin !. yainly back at the more martial scene peio" e Th. next morning, she would seem to have fol IS gotten all about it. and would spill her breae # and milk by the fire as if nothing had happeI i- ed.
 ?, suppose we hardly knew, at the time, ho' IS large part of the sunshine of our daily i've of was contributed by dear little Annie. 1e s when now look back on that pleasant Sout1 $ ern home. she seems as essential part oi U n the mocking birds or the magnolias, and cal er not convince myself that in returning to It g shoul& nftt Snd her thera Rut Annie eau