Smyrna times., 1868-06-24
.MiScc//UWcONS.
THE LAST CAKE OF BREAD.

One night while the war was raging in the
Southern States, and when many and many
once wealthy family were in bitter want, one
poor widow, who lived in the kitchen of what
had been fine mansion, for the reason that
all the rest of the dwelling had been burnt to
crumbling ruins, arose from her seat beside her
small fire and looked at her three children, one
girl and two boys.
I'VE must have something to eat once more,
if we can, said she, and counted around,
" one, two, three, four If can make four
cakes out of the meal will, - she said, and set
to work with will. There was very little left
in the meal bag, and it was impossible to say
how 1t would be rctilled, but the widow put on
her grlddle, wet tho meal, made four cakes and
baked them. Any one mouth there could have
eaten four times the whole easily.
They had one tin plate On this, when
they were done, the cakes were dished, and the
mother called her flock to supper As they
sat down there came a knock at the door. The
eldest boy opened It. A soldier, with his arm
in sling, stood thcrc-a soldier in the enc
mics uniform. lie was pale, and wretched,
and ragged.
Give me mouthful to eat, for heaven 5
sake, he said; " am starving.
And he looked it.
The woman looked at the four cakes, then at
the soldier
Three of these cakes are for my children, {"
she SAID. Mine you shall have, it S the cast
morsci, but I'll trust in God, Take it soldier. 4"
Are you telling the truth" asked the man.
Then he burst into tears. g see you are, y
he said. 81 won take it." But he glared at
the food with famishcd eyes.
=" y Iou are hungrier than |, F" said she, "and
| ill besides. Ill share with the childrcn-you
eat that :"
And the man ate it, Then he knelt down at
the woman feet and kissed her hand, and
went in silence.
So the last meal was gone, and the next day
there was neither fire nor tCOd-nOr yet the
next. The children wept for hunger The
mother grew faint. There was no help to be
had, others were as bad as they. 1t seemed
that they must starve. At midnight the wo-
man knelt with her children and prayed as one
near death might.
While she was praying, once more there
came a knocking at the door; once more a
child opened it.
AS he did so man staggered ina soldier,
with one arm in sling-with the other hand
he flung something on the floor and sank
| down beside it.
The widow knew the soft thud of meal bag,
and saw also a side of bacon Coarse viands
enough, but food nevertheless. She knew also
| the face of the soldier she had given her last
cake to a few days before.
"lcaven bless you!" she cried; but the sol
dier stopped her.
"IIush?" he said, "you saved me from
starving. owe you this. No matter how !
got it, it was soldier way | must not wait
to tell you. ] must be back to camp before
they miss me"
And he was gone.
This time he was the Deneiactor, and so great
was the gratitude Of the poor woman that the
children were taught to pray each night for the
unknown soldier who fought amongst their enc
mics The meal did not last forever, but in
some way they were helped, and so lived on
until the war was over. Then when peace
reigned once more, there rode one day to the
door an officer in the Union uniform.
Well mounted, well dressed and heathful
the woman did not know the ragged soldier
who had begged of her. until he told who he
was, and sat down amongst them with the chill
dren at his knee; all but the eldest, girl nov