Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-06-11

and he chucked him unuer the cum, anu
said
"Chucky, chucky! Larcom's kid, hey
Bow WOW, gobble, gobble !" slapping his
jaws and grinding his teeth in mock
fierceness First young son Of Yank !
ever see. And he leered close to the child
and made hideous grimaces in his face:
The mother clasped the child tighter, and
drew back step. But he was bold lit.
tie fellow he scowled back, and glanced
at his mother as much as to say, Don't
be afraid" and struck the grinning face
with his clenched little fist, and gripped
his little fingers in the mans beard
"rhe little devil !" cried Trap. Lord
amt he spunky, thought"
Katie looked little alarmed, and the
guard stopped and put in
Say. now, you Trap, let up on that
now. You better mosy now; You had"
''Oh, you choke, Staples" Trap. an
swered and more that was not OF the
kind that turns away wrath, and need not
be repeated here but he moved out OF
reach of the long guards bayonet.
Woman and child were dusty and hot
looking. Trap turned and asked her alb
ruptly If she didn't want some cold water.
Staples knew Trap was upon some trick
with her then, and he warned her against
him bluntly enough.
''If you want to drink, and wash the
young one" Trap said, "l'll show you the
place" He stood facing her, with his
back to the guard, as he spoke, and she
looked at him a minute, then turned and
went with him. They turned the angle of
the prison-walls, and walked along the
road to the west quarter of a mile. turned
out through fringe of bushes that hid the
road, and found a spring FLASHING out of
a bank through trough. He did not
speak all the way. She took tin
cup from her pocket, and Trap lay down
on the grass and watched her washing the
child's and her own hands and face. and
the little fellow drinking with his
face in the cup and his two hands grip
ping it hard. Trap moved round and held
his head under the spout, and let the cool
water dash upon his head, shaking it like
dog at first, and then lying still and
grimacing out of the shower-bath
at the child. Katy paid no heed, but
stolidly mopped the water from the neck
and face. The baby stared fixedly at Trap
awhile, after the solemn manner of his
kind, and then broke into one broad smile,
at which the fellow grimaced and snapped
his teeth more hideously than ever. Then
he came out of the waterfall. and shook
the water from his eyes.
"Now them" he said to Katy, "tell us
all about it"
In her grave, even, stolid way, she told
him her little story. Larcom had bought
her poor little shanty and good bit of
garden ground with his bounty and what
he had saved, by northern country road
side. There she had lived, and there her
little boy was born. She had not wanted
she raised good many vegetables on the
bit of ground, and the towns-people did
not forget the soldiers wives. She was
hoeing among her cabbages one morning,
when ragged, hungry looking stranger
came to the fence and asked if her name
was Katy. He said his name was Brown,
and he told her how her John had broken
away, and tried to come to her.
alt was Ply der spring, wasser like das,
he say to me, dot mein Chon say he can
not longer to watt she said, and looked
up at Trap, inquiring. The child had slid
down from his mothers lap and sat in the
grass bolt upright, his baby eyes staring
unwinkingly in Traps face. Trap was
holding down a branch of bush over the
little fellows head, to keep off the sun,
looking at him and listening to the wo-
mans quiet talk He looked up and an
swered them
''Ses so. ma 'am. This yeres the spot"
The child's staring eyes, shut down
after little, and he lay over and fell
fast asleep with his head on the soldiers
arm. Trap curled down beside him, with
out moving his arm, and held the branch
lower so that it hid the two faces that
were SO very far apart.
Katy went on with her story. Brown
told her how he had escaped and her hus-
band had been wounded. taken, and
fetched back. She took Brown in when
he had done and gave him some TODD. and
ate herself, and fed the child. When
Brown was rested and started out, she
came out too. and locked the door. Brown
asked her what she was going to do.
II 20 to Chon," she answered. With
her child in her arms, without money or
friends, calmly and undoubtingly, this
stolid, slow-witted German woman set out
to go q thousand miles. He had tried to
come to her and his child and could not !;
then they must 60 to him. That was all.
She did not hurry or fret if she went
wrong, she turned back as calmly as she
had come. She had infinite patience and
endurance, unwavering purpose and the
faith that removes mountains. Almost
everywhere she got help for the asking.
They gave her free ride on the railroads
most of the way to the scene of war. BY
the same untiring persistence she got her.
self passed beyond the lines and into the
enemy's country. 1t made no difference
to her whose ground it was it was to be
got over, that was all. She used no art-
fee whatever; everywhere she had the
one story to tell
II 60 to mein mon. He is in milidaire
chail. He was dry to me came. he is cut
on de bet, he will die und not to see his
papy. must to him come"
Her simplicity was better than any art
she had nothing to hide, no part to play,
no disguise to maintain. They asked her
if she was this and that.
II know not de boledick, vas es is" she
answered. II am not dis und someding
else. only poor Dutch woman, und 60
to mein mon in milidaire chail. You will
not to me stop?"
CONTINUED TOMORROW.