Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1869-01-07

stint. That weapon was her tongue. With
this she dashed the intruders upon numer-
GUS occasions-it is one of her s'observa-
tons" which we here propose to record.
The outrages Of her opponents culmina-
ted, one morning, in manner more pic
turesque and striking than agreeable.
A private soldier of the Federal cavalry
commenced by becoming decidedly tipsy,
In one of the low taverns, and then in this
infamed condition of mind, cast about for
some means Of exhibiting his huge disdain
and hatred for the vile ssecesh' element
of the town. What better than to offer
an open and public insult to Mrs.
one of the most notorious Southern SYM
pathizers of the community to show her
that ORATORS had no rights" that rebels,
even rebel-esses were beyond the pale Of
civilized warfare. To accomplish this laud-
able undertaken-to exhibit the unuttera-
BILE contempt which he, good Union man,
experienced towards her, vile adherent
of the ''secesh" faction-no better means
suggested itself. than to mount his horse,
proceed to her house, ride booted. spur
red, and armed into her draaoing room,
and then and there denounce her as the
offscouring of the earth-as not only cone
of the wicked" but the incarnation itself
of wickeness, inasmuch as she refused so
persistently to acknowledge the authority
of ssthe best government the world ever
saw" ....
This brilliant idea was executed as
promptly as it was conceived-or rather
the author thereof bent all his energies to
the accomplishment of his object. He
went at gallop to Mrs. IS house, a
large and comfortable mansion on the main
street of the town spurred his horse across
the pavement to the broad door, in front
of which extended marble portico, pro-
tected on either side side by handsome
iron ratings then, driving the animal
against the door, the bold dragon burst it
open. But he was only upon the thresh-
hold-Iterally- his unde rtaking. His
aim was to penetrate, on horseback, to the
drowing room; but he now discovered
that this was not SO easy an affair. The
drawing groom was not upon the first, but
upon the second foor-from the street
door, a broad fight of steps led upward to
the passage upon which the apartment
opened.
All this was taken in at a glance-but
the design of the resolute milttaire was not
abandoned. Was a Federal patriot, a
soldier of the great Union army, to be ar
rested by so trivial an obstacle? Was the
great lesson which he had resolved upon
to be abandoned, simply because mate
rial, ignoble fight of steps interviewed be-
tween himself and the object of his desire :?
1t was the duty of soldier to rise superb
or to all obstacles-to crush beneath his
feet every barrier in the pathway to his
ends. Animated by the spirit of the ia
nous utterance, "The old guard dies but
does not surrender" the resolute Federal
resolved to accomplish his great object
or perish in the attempt.
Execution followed the conception-as
the thunder follows the lightning. On
fire with high resolve" the blue clad
knight Grant, storming this modern cas-
tie of enchantment, forced his steed toward
the stairs, with spur and voice the horses
hoofs Jared against the delicate steps tear
ing and splintering them; in three min
utes the bold dragon had mounted, still
in the saddle, halfway up the long fight
of steps.
Then, all at once, there appeared at the
head of the staircase-the enemy. Need
less to say who this enemy was, but, as
some readers require plain statement up
on every point, we add that the enemy in
question was Mis-. .
She was standing looking at the intru-
der and it is probable that many who
peruse this historic incident will here make
the comment-"Y and it is easy to un-
derstand how justly enraged, how furious,
how eloquent in the use of all the forms
of Pronunciation and invective, the good
| lady proved herself to be-" The reader is
mistaken. Mrs was perfectly calm !;
not the slightest color in her cheeks indi-
Gated anger nor was the least astonish-
ment painted upon the composed and sa-
tirically smiling countenance, which greet
ed the eyes of the bold dragon.
Something like howl issued from the
infuriate troopers lips. The sight of his
enemy-even though female enemy
produced the effect upon his feelings which
the appearance of the red flag Of the ma
tador waved in the ring, produces upon
the eyes Of the wild bull. Insult, execra-
ton, denunciation, assembled the staircase
AS did the horse of the trooper, some adj
ditional steps, driven by the spur.
/ MIS- smiled 4
"Do you wish to see any member Of
the family, sir ?" W ago
A torrent of excavations was the reply,
and an announcement of his intended on
slaught upon the drawing room.
What! mounted as you are, sir 2"