Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-12-12

her story in her own quaint way, ant
asked for written authority to keep he
detailed contrabands until he, the Gsner
al, should revoke the order. 1t wa
granted. Back through the rain plashet
Mother Bickerdyke triumphant.
The next morning the Doctor mad
his appearance early at the Gayoso Hos
pital. The negroes were at work as US.
ual in the laundry, kitchen, in the ward
and wherever the little woman had ap
pointed them to 60. She was making
soup in the kitchen, seasoning it, and
tasting and stirring, so busy that SHIT
hardly took time to look up.
"Say, did you receive the order left
for you last night :" he asked stormily
a" Yes. sir, did, she replied, slipping
and blowing and tasting the soup mean
while, intent on having it made jus,
right.
"An order it was to have these mig
gers sent to their camp, mean," he said.
Exactly so, sir" she said, adding q
little more pepper to the soup.
81 expected the order would be obey
ed" he shouted, angry with her impert-
urbable coolness.
II suppose so, sir" she replied, put
ting a bi, of light kindlings under the
kettle to hurry up the delicious mess.
"Why has i. not been done :" he
thundered, reddning with anger.
Well, cause General Hur!burt has
given me an order to keep EN- here as
long as | need them" And here the
little woman paused to add a generous
slice of butter to the kettle of soup, stir
ring and stopping to taste it before she
finished the sentence. And, Mister,
the General happens to outrank you
hee, hee, hee ! must obey him before
do you and-say, you Jefferson, you
and Andy bring the dipper and the
plates, and we'll get some of them poor,
hungry souls at this soup before you
could say Jack Robinson. Please get
out of the way of the black boys, mister,
or YOU might get your coat-tails splash
ed with the soup-he he !"
That was a real womans way Of put
ting the matter in as ludicrous a light as
possible. The Doctor raved he swore !;
he vowed he'd have her out of Memphis
in notime.
a. shan't 90, mister" was the cool
rcjoinder. I'm like the boys. I've
listed for the war. You need me here.
You can't get along without me-or
that's the way | mean it. No use for
you to try to tie me up with yer red
tape. There's lots of hard work to be
done down here. and my hearts in it,
and III stick to it as long as Grant and
Sherman do. Don't get mad Doctor /;
lay down your pill bags and stay to din
ner, and eat long with my poor boys.
No sense in gittin' mad just cause |
won't play second fiddle. Mind, when
ever anybody gets into fuss with me
one of US has to 60 to the wall-an, mis-
ter, that one amt never me ~
In the end the Doctor and the brave
little moman became the best Of friends.
At one time it was difficult to supply the
hospital with milk and eggs. Milk was
fifty cents a quart, and very poor at that.
Mother Bickerdyke objected and after
good deal Of parleying, in which they
hooted at her plans and knew the whole
North would laugh at her nonsense, they
granted her thirty days furlough and
transportation to carry out her proposed
object. They had faith in the little wo-
man. She went up to Chicago; the
Commission issued circulars stating her
errand and asking assistance from the
farmers the press took up the call-and
soon came generous responses. In less
than thirty days here came old Mother
Bickerdyke, forming part Of process
sion of nearly one hundred cows and one
thousand hens, strung all along the road
from Chicago to Memphis. She entered
the city in triumph amid immense bawl-
ing and cackling, and Growing and low
ing. She informed the Memphis people
that these were not Secesh cows, whose
milk was half water, nor were the hens
the kind that gave stale eggs. The SOL
diers clapped their hands and tossed their
caps, the ladies waved their handker-
chiefs, and the darkies grinned joyfully
over the funny sight of the little woman
at the head of such droll brigade.
General Washburn gave to the noisy
newcomers Presidents Island, lying op-
posite Memphis, stretch Of land so ele-
waited that it was above the highest stage
of water. Then, under her directions,
contrabands took charge Of the cows and
chickens, and there was an abundance OF
cream and milk and good, fresh eggs as
long as there was hospital in Memphis.
The last day Of the year of '63 was
one of memorable coldness, as was the
first day of "a. 1t was very severe
weather where Mother Bickerdyke was
located, for the bitter winds swept down
Lookout Mountain and howled through
the valleys of Mission Ridge and made q
furious hurricane that overturned the
hospital tents in which lay the most bad.
ly wounded men. 1t hurled them out
into the pouring rain that became glar.
ing ice as it touched the earth. Nigh
set in with most intense coldness, fol
which they were wholly unprePared
There were fifteen hundred in hospita
tents-all wounded men-all bad cases
Partially recovered men were thrown ou'
by the storm, breaking their limbs anew
The rain poured down so necessarily tha
the torrents from the mountains made ;