Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-03-06
LOVE AND WAR,

dusky face with one knotted and toll
WORN hand, as she stood in the gather
ing twilight at her cottage door, and
shouted the name of her only remaining
child.
As the echoes of her voice died away
the tall, slight form of young negress
came through the tangled paths of the
Delmar plantation, neglected and devas-
tated by the pillows Of war which had
surged over and around it.
Come an shet de do, chile, exclaimed
the old woman with an air Of misery,
case Use heap to tell yer, an yer mus
try and get it inter yer tick head.
Liza Jane followed her dusky parent
into the cabin, and together they drew
near broken hearth which simmered
kettle of mush for their evening meal.
Look heah, honey, ye knows ebry
inch oh dc ole woods an all de by-paths
from heah to Carlin's ford? continued
Chloe questioningly.
'Ob corse does. But what OBJ that?'
and Liza Jane rolled her great black
eyes about in her ebony head in puzzled
expectation
Use gwine to tell We secret, an if
We peats word oh it Ill skin We alibe.
Deedy, marm dis heah child nebber
peats nothin' to nobody, hope to die if
/ does
The old creature stopped to the very
ear of the girl as she whispered
Wal den, honey, Use got one of Mas
sa Lincom's sogers hid up in de lbf'
o, golly, marin, has ye dun gon crazy?
and the girl rolled her eyes in the direc-
ton of the shadowy corner where rude
ladder formed the only means of com
munication with the chamber indicated
NO | haint nuther, It's jess the
truff, honey Las night as was put
tin on my night-cap dar coined leetle
tap at the do, and fought for shure
Miss Helen had sent We down from de
big house to tell me por MISS Mary was
tuck wus So jess opens de do right
quick, an, if yer b'lieves me, dar stood
po' soger boy in blue close, an he
walked right in an drapped inter dis
heah cheer He was jess as white as
COSTS, an his po' feet war blistered an
bleedin' an he was hat starved.
%, golly, marmr calculated Liza
Jane.
An his head kinder drapped onter
his breast like, an his voice war all
choked up, an he jess begged me to glib
him bit OBJ something to eat, an place
to lie down in. 'Anty, says he, Use
fghtin fer yer freedom an de Union,
an We wont 60 back on a por Teller fer
dat, an GLIB me away Deedy, l wont,
says |, an jess snatched off dat air
night-cap, all tlapped a chunk oh bacon
inter de skillet, an bit OBJ hoe-cake in
ter de ashes, an yer orter see dat boy
eat!'
'Spose Massa Harry Delmar find it
outy suggested Liza Jane, with the
whites of her eyes only visible at the
thought.
Don't yer rupt me- He haint gwine
ter find it out. WAL dat air boy etc fit
to kill hisself an den sot afore de fab
an tells me how he cum in sich a bad
fix while nussed his po, sore feet
'Golly! | knowed dar was sometin'
about, SMILED Liza Jane.
He said as how some he an some I'D
der sogers war sent out to scout. an
along Gums lot of rebil caberly and
swoops down on dem. Dey grabs up
sum, but he jess made fer de bush and
hid hisself till dey had don goh, an den
he wandered bout fer tree days an
nights, wild nothin' ter eat, an no place
to sleep, case he dun los his way
'Clar fer it, dat air beats all inter
posed Liza Jane.
AN now, honey, he's done got leetle
rested up dar in de lof an he's powerful
anxus ter git back ter his rigerment, an
says if he kin find his way to Carlins
ford, he'd be all right, an its yer ligus
duty ter sho him de way, Liza Jane.
%, Lordy-Massy'
Hush, chile. 1t wolves pom YOU or
me, an yer legs air de youngest an dc
strongest, an if dis heah sogcr boy kin
cum down heah an fight an starb, and
die for US pc kullered pussons | recon
We kin do dat much fer him
Il recon | kin, Nanny, if jess goes
true de feel bac OBJ de Lenox plantation
an raun true de woods. But spose /
gifts cotched runpin' of dis heah yankee
soger? An it will be so lonely an
dark comm bac all by myself.
'Nebber feah. De Lord will be round
about ye like wall OBJ fab An mem
Der ye is guidin one OBJ his Dressed mes
sengers.'
After further conversation upon the
subject Liza Jane was directed to return
to the Delmar mansion, where she was
a servant of Helen Delmar, the orphaned
sister of Colonel Harry Delmar) to learn,
if possible, the movements of the latter
who was in the vicinity recruiting, and
expected home at any time
Go long now chile, was the parting
injunction of old Chloe, an keep yer
mouf shet an yer ears open. AK Mis-
sus Helen if yer cant cum an sleep
heah tonight Tell her Use dun cotched
de roomatiz powerful bad an can't
straighten myself up, an then ye jess
make fer dem air corn cribs bac of de
field, an dis po' boy'll be dar waitin' fer
ye.'
As directed Liza Jane returned to the
closed and gloomy house of the Del
mars. The wife of the master Law i'll
of consuming disease-the husband
servants scattered, save the
few who were either too young or too
old to share in the exodus, leaving Helen
Delmar to WELD the sceptre in the alb
sence of the master, her brother.
What wonder that windows were
darkened or the music hushed, the voice
of hospitality silent within the spacious
halls or that the thoughts ~ - eirl
wer
as sh,