, 1884-01-20
RANSOMED BY A BABY.


NA
soldier (who limped about awkwardly, for no
had a lot of lead to carry told me the story
the other day, in the Shenandoah. If it is
untrue or dull blame him, not me. l only
give 1t as / got it.
Gen "JebH Stuart was hanging on the Fed
ernl flank. His midnight camp was pitched
ON the hillside. Up the hill a little way lay a
farmhouse; two or three haystacks hung
upon the hillside. The worn-out horses fed
there, and nodded their drowsy heads to the
hay. All around on the ground, under the
trees in camp the troopers lay-black men,
white men, brown men, men who were gray
and old, little lads, boys who had seen a dozen
battles and hardly yet as many years, n mixed
and motley lot; ragged, wretched, hungry.
They lay on their bellies before the fire,
munching roasted corn, gnawing it off the
cob greedily, husldng 1t, roasting it, rolling
1t in the ashes on the coal. smuggling It In the
blazing fire OF the old Virginia fence rails.
Now and then a shot rang out In the clear,
still night, away where the tired pickets
met too closely for peace, and now and then
better disposed men on the picket lines, or
more favored and fortunate, met together
and reached each other on their bayonets
tobacco and old ragged newspapers in a sort
OF exchange Of prisoners of war. The moon
rose high and white in the great blue sea
above, and all the stars Of heaven looked
bNJ ohA Al wax
Then a song burst out The black men
were singing louder, sweeter, with more
pathos and memories OF home, then the
white men 1t was n sad, grotesque, weird,
and unique picture. Suddenly Stuart stood
in the midst Of the ragged and uproarious
lot.
".~Discipltnei Look here, Sergeant zeb. L
want discipline or death. Discipline, l sayi
DO you expect me to fight battles and win
gfrtOriea with n hnrrlf,x .ool IN -
enemy right here waiting to recoil on us the
moment we give him a chancei Discipline, l
sayi Hang your blacks and shoot your
whites; or have discipliner'
Silence In a secondl And the long. lean
men and the sleeping lads pulled themselves
together and tried to look like soldiers. while
the blacks, at the suggestion of their being
hung up, melted back from the Htful embers
INTO the night, as IL they were a part of it.
Then the weary, bearded chief threw him
self on a heap of saddles at hand and forgot
ms stornness as he looked about over the
wretched group of poor fellows gathered
there for a little rest under the oaks.
Boys, I'm hungry, hungry as a wolf
What have you got to eatr'
A dozen men sprang up, a half-dozen
young, beardless trooperi rushed forward.
and from out the night back under the trees
there came many black forms. And each,
every one, black men and white men. old
men and little boys, reached up and thrust
into the chieftain's face, with generous alac-
nty, an ear OF roasted corn. Some of these
ears Oh corn had only a few teeth marks in
them, being almost entirely intact. Others
again were pretty well gnawed down to the
cob. But they were all alike offered with
prompt generosity.
-Cornl" and the Confederate chief shook
his head with a grim and sickly smile as he
muttered to himself: "Corni biled corn
roasted corn. raw corn, white corn, nod
corn-an kinds OF corn. No, no, bows. Pm
hungry, but can't ont corn any more to
night"
The men melted back In respectful siIene,
into a broad circle. And there, suddenly
somehow in the centre of that circle. stood n
child: n little boy who had been aroused from
his sleep on the pile Of saddles In the commo-
ton that attended the chieftain's coming
And now, wide awake, with u little flag In
one hand and n red apple In the other. thi,
little boy stood there In the midst of these
wild and ragged mon with cheeks as rosy n,
the apple he held in his dimpled little hand.
IF yer hungry, mister. captain, general
here's my yed apple" and with this the little
boy toddled right up and stood almost between
the booted legs OF the surprised soldier.
Sergeant Zeb, where in all Jericho did thi,
child come FRONT Is 1t yoursl 1 won't hnv,
children around me here. l left my babes Al
home can't you do the sameT"
faint my poor little chickie, Gen
Stuart"
"rhen take it to Its mother" Numbered tn.
chief.
''Its mother is dead, general"
ITO its father, them"
Its father Is dead, Reneralp
'Deadr
Dead. Killed in the battle Yesterday
when you led over that stone fence by tn,
farmhouse on tho hill, sah.r
The Confederate general bit his lips. Then
muttering TO himself as he rose up and
turned away: EKnled ut the farmhous,
where 1 led. Some poor farmer defending
his home and little ones. l can't stan6
thisi"
please, sir, mister general won't you take
my yed applet Papa growed II in his or.
chard- And he buyed me that, too.n
Here tho child reached this littla flag, try.
ing hard to make friends with the seemingly
hard man, who was turning away as IL tc
avoid it
Sergeant zeb, where did that flag come
fromI'
"Had 1t In HIS hand when / found IL. sab,
and 1t won't give it up, sab; says its father
gave 1t to 1t for the Fourth of July, sab"
"Foff Of July" piped the little waif, wav
ing ehe hstie o-ceht sthrs ana stripes over
head, there In the midst of the lark and
gathering circle Of soldiers under the oaks.
The general turned, stopped and caught
tho child in his arms.
Keep your little flag. and wave It wher
and where you like. You don't know tn,
difference, and l wish / didn't know the diff
ference. Here, Zeb, take care of this kid
Boys, we killed its father by chance yester
day. Let's take care Of it We can't do less
and maybe It will bring us luckl What dc
you say, boysT"
The wild shout that shook the leaves of tn,
oaks overhead startlad the advocate for dis
cipline, and turning to Zeb, as he strobe ava,
in the night for another part Of his camp, h,
shouted, "Silencei and Zeb, discipline, disci
plinel Damn IL, discipline or death. / saw
and he was gone.
They gathered about the wide-eyed.. ROSY.
faced orphan with his little flag and rec
apples, and many a black and white and not
over.clean hand reached out to toy with and
stroke the hair of gold that hung heavy ai
corn silk in summer time over the lad.
shoulder.
II found it In the fence corner,T said zeb
"all a shiverin' and its daddy and NANNY
dead, shot down by stray bullets when W,
stormed the place"
ayes, and dar war a rabbit right aside ut
him" said q black face back In the dark
over another mans shoulder.
IAN golly, we kotched and eat der rabbit, >
chuckled another black man.
@Wal, we'll keep the kid; keep m till tn.
cows come home.n And with a grunt Of