The Republican journal., 1872-12-05
A Virginia Mother.
BY DOM PIATT.

After accomplishing five miles of the
gorge through which the road made its
winding way, the driver stopped near II
log cabin 10 give his slow stecds some
water OF course we got out. When Il
stage-cOach comes TO u stand, all the pas
sengers get out and wander about Why
they should put themselves to this extra
cXertion no one could answer. but they
do. The mother OF the Gracchj made
her way to the cabin, and having nothing
better to do / followed. If was a forl0rn
interior, swarming with white headed chill
dren, and all the furniture could have
been covered with a sheet A thin, ang-
ular female sat nursing y babe, known to
the vale ol tears Tor the space of four
months, probably. She begged pardon
for not offering us seats. The apology
was quite uncalled for, as she had none 10
offer.
In the dialect Of the Potomac she told
us her story OF how they were emigratin0
west to ''Illnoy," when one night upon
the roadside, there was an addition TO the
population Of Virginia. ii. q the mother
and child did as well as could be expect
ed, but this expectation did not extend to q
continuation OF the journey, and the hus-
band, finding this deserted log cabin
took possession. II seems that the owner
OF the land lived North, somewhere, and
no one interfering, the husband fixed up
the fences and put in a field of corn.
One day It gentleman drove up in car
riaoe from the springs and halocd them
ont. The husband was away and when she
came out the gentleman began swearing
at her, but he soon ceased this and fell 10
laughing. He was the owner Of the land
and ended by giving her five dollars
with permission 70 remain until next
spring. "We're doing purity wen con
Siderin', but my man wants to oct out to
Illnoy, mighty bad. We amt named our
baby yet. Would you, mum, les give
him y name? He's our eighth, an, it
seems rs if names had run out"
The number mentioned struck The heart
of the kind mother of that quantity of
boys. and pulling out her handsome
portmonnaie, she handed over pictorial
promise to pay issued by the government,
the sum of five dollars.
But she left the mother to find Il name
| suggested Horace Greeley. the kind
hearted man who went on the bond of
Jcf Davis. The suggestion brought ont
no enthusiasm, and | discovered after n
few searching questions that this mother
Of Virginia, who had done so much for
its population. did not know of Horace
Greeley-had never heard Of this coun-
try's hope.
We hurried to our stage in disgust,
We were talking the matter over after
starting again, when the driver gave his
everlasting quid of tobacco an extra roll,
and looking qnizzicaIly from the corners
| Of his pig eyes, said:
''Been tryin' that little dodge on yo,
| Ell? Does it with 'em all. That vallibie
baby has been named Grant, jeff. Davis.
| present every time. Good investment
that child"
The mother of the eight noble boys
| laughed till the tears came. Ii struck hel
rs such II ludlcrous idea. There was 8
knowledge Of human nature there wortl
knowing.
There are some disadvantages in living
on the second floor. A Danbury house
wife thus situated left a bar OF soap OF
the stairs while she exchanged a few
words with the first floor tenant, and {
| plumber who was up stairs mendlng tht
| pipes came down a moment later will
several tongs and wrenches in one hand
and sheet iron furnace in the other
and when he reached the immediate
locality of the soap his legs suddenly
spread apart, a look of astonishment stole
into his face, and in an instant his heaC
was half way through the front door
and his coat tail on fire, and those tonps
and wrenches were up in the air struggl
ing for dear life with that sheet iron lur
mace. He says now that his father forced
him TO learn the trade of plumbing ant
that it was not his own choice. News