New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-02

OuSt, 6Al0, ana OlQ easy kneoll0g Op-
posite, broke forth into low wailing, and
rocked her body to and fro. Then We filled
the grave.
/ remember :hat I worked with feverish
strength; if it was not done quickly knew
1 could never do it all. Can yon realize
what it would be to stand and shovel the
earth with your own hands upon your dead!
To hear the gravel fall and strike, To soc
the last shrcuded outline disappear urdsr
the sitting, heavy clods, Ali this was
mine to do. When all this was over l
turned to CO. and for the first time lifted
my eyes. There ut the fence corner stood
a row Of federal soldiers, SILENT attentive,
and with barred heads. NY father was
buried with military honors after all
During all that day and night the blue
coated ranks marched by; there sc emed to
be no end to the line of glittering m1skets.
l watched them passively, holding the
orphan boy on my knee; felt as though
should never move or speak again. But
after the army came the army followers and
stragglers, carbon birds who dew behind
the conquerors and devoured what they
had left They swept the town clean of
food and ralnent; many houses they wan
tonly burned; what they could not carry
with them they destroyed. My own home
did not escape; rude men ransacked every
closet and drawer, and cut in ribbons the
old portraits on tho wall A German co1-
ing in from the smoke house, dripping with
bacon juice, wiped his hands upon my wed
ding veil, which had been discovered and
taken from its box by former intruder;
the German was young-he meant no
special harm, but regarded the whole
march as sort Of prolonged picnic.
1t was little thing; but, oh, how it did
hurt me! At length the last straggler
left anG NJ pvpoipoI ho
ashes. We could not set down and weep
for ourselves or for our dead-the care Of
finding where withai to eat or else die thrust
its coarse necessity upon US, and forced us
to our feet. had thought that all the rest
OF my life would be but bowed figure at
the door of q sepulchre; but the camp fol-
lowers came by. took the bowed figure by
the arm. and forced it back to every day
life. 1t could no longer taste the luxury Of
tears. For days our people lived on the
refuse left by the army, the otis of meat
and bread they had thrown aside from their
plenty; we picked up the corn with which
they had fed their horses, kernel by kernel,
and boiled it for our dinner we CROPPED in
the ashes of their camp free; little children
learned the sasscity OF dogs seeking for
bones, and Guarreled over their findings
The fortunes If war, do you say Yes, the
fortunes of war! But it is one thing to
say. and another thing to know.
I'VE came away. madam, for our home
was in ashes-old Classy. the child, and l;
we came on foot to this place, and here we
have staid. No. the fields are never cult.
waited now. The dixie has been broken
down in too many places, and repeated
freshets have drained al the good out of
the SOIL the land lie worthless. 1t was once
my fathers richest field. Yes, Classy is
dead. She was buried by her own people,
who forgave her at the last for having been
so epir;tless as to stay with young missis,
when she might have tasted the glories of
freedom over in the crowded hollow where
the blacks were ENJOYING themselves and
dying by the score daily. In six months
half of them were gone. They had their
freedom-oh. yes. plenty of it; they were
quite free-to die! For, you see madam.
their masters those viIlainous old masters
of theirs, were no longer there to feed and
clothe them. Ga, it was a great deliver
ance for the enfranchised people, Bitter,
am Put yourself III my place.
What am going to do! Nothing. Tee
boy! He must take his chances. Let him
grow up under the new regime; have told
will prosper; people do prosper, they tell
me. |, seems we were wrong. all wrong;
then we must be very right now, for the
blacks are our judges, councillors. post
masters, representatives, and law makers.
That is as it should be, isn't it, Wha,. not
so, But how can it be otherwise? Oh, you
think that new King will arise who knows
not Joseph;-that is, a new generation will
come to whom these questions will be
things Of the sealed past. 1t may be so; do
not know. l do not know anything certainly
any more, for my world has been torn asun-
der and am uprooted and lost. No, you can
not help me, 10 one can help me- l can not
adjust myself to the new order of things,
can not fit myself in new soil, the fibres are
broken. Leave me alone, and give your
help to the young; they can profit BY it,
well, if-if you really wish it, l will not op-
pose you. Take him, and bring him up in
your rich, prosperous North; the South has
no place for him. Go, and God speed you.
But, as for me, will abide in mine own
country. 1t will not be until such as have
gone from earth that the new life will come
to her. Let Us alone; we will watch the
old year cut with her, and when the new
dawning comes we shall have jtined our
dead, and all of US, our errors, our Gins and
our sorrows will ba but remembrances OF
half forgotten past.'-Appleton's Journal.