The National tribune., 1886-08-12
"SIWPLE DAM"
How Aunt 'Cinda Helped an Officer
Out of a Tight Place.
by MRS. C. BROWN, LONDONDERRY, o.

gathered around a glowing FIRE one evening
talking Of the war and the thrilling scenes
through which so many had passed.
Il tell you. boys" said Col. Gardiner as he
stopped over the hearth and turning up his big
bowled pipe knocked glowing ember from it,
=" think had about as close a call during the
war, TO come out as well as did, as most any
man have heard of. 1t was in this way:
"A company of six of us were out a
scouting expedition. IL was near the town OF
| Winchester, that became famous during the
| war for being taken and retaken so often. but il
was some six or eight miles farther down the Val
| ley toward the Opequan, near the old Burned
! Factory Gen. Banks was in command there at
the time. A couple Of negroes came into our
lines, snd one of them said:
! 80 Massa Stonewall Jackson's men IS comm,
kase l heerd ole Masss say to Missy dat de
| Ianks would be travelin' like biazes fore dc
| sun done sot mex day
ave didn't take this information as worth
much, for these excitable people had several
times before needlessly alarmed us. Our COM
mander thought best, however, to send Us out
on little scouting trip. We took quite cir
Gle, going out around BrgcetOwn, down to
| Vaudeville, and from there across south toward
| Berryville. We were just beginning to feel
| that we were again TO be made the victims of
| the foolish fears Of the colOred people, when
boom! ! wentacannon away toward Winchester.
| Ihls was soon followed by another and another.
/ Then the sound OF musketry, volley after volley,
| came TO us, and we knew that our me n had been
surprised by the Confedcrates, and we were
afraid we would be cut of from the division to
which we belonged. So we hurried forward at
a rapid rate, and soon found by trying several
! different roads that the enemy had pickets
| posted on ali of them. After nasty cousulta-
ton We concluded TO leave the road and cut
across the fields the very worst thing we could
| have done under the circumstances. We had
! gone but short distance when we found that
we were pursued by squad of cavalry.
I'VE had not the slightest chance with them.
! The country was full of stone lodges. We could
not sec their great, broad, irregular faces just
protruding above ground, until we came to
them, and then we would have 10 90 around
| them; while the enemy, Knowing all about the
\ surface OF the country, would just circle around
these hedges and be ready to start after Us again.
! Wesoon saw that we would be captured this way,
and when near a slip of woods not far from the
! turnpike, we threw ourselves from our horses
and each one ran for life to gain cover. Here
We found the lodges of rock high and plentiful,
aud our chances were good, as il was getting
| dusk. Ii was but short time until found
myself alone, separated from all my comrades
alone in the deepening twilight
Il thought the army was about five miles
west of where / was, and j determined TO try
aud reach it through the daBk and over the
! IhChlteA ISSlOn ndu ever seen. started,
i suppose / travelled about two miles, although
| il seemed 10 as / blundered along over rocks,
briers, and thistles.
The first thing knew heard the 50. we'll
known sound 20 every soldiers ear:
90 Halt. Who goes there2'
81 had run almost upon n picket of tho
enemy. l held my breath. / was afraid he
would hear me breathe or the beating OF my
heart. quietly slipped back piece over tho
route / had come, as Us / could make it
! out.
You may think it was not very soldierly
act feeling SO much afraid of the sentinel, but
/ did not want 10 fall into the hands of the
enemy. The negroes had told of some learfully
cruel things they did with some of our men
when they took them prisoners and believed
! they were truthful in the matter.
The next start / made L bore moro toward
/ the south. i had not gone far until l saw n
| light. i knew at a glance that il was a negro
| quarter, and / resolved TO reach il if / could
i crept cautiously along and AS / came nearer
j knew of certainty il was pine torch burn
| ing in negros hut. / had learned to tell their
homes at night by their peculiar flaming torch
| lights. stepped in front of the cabin and eau
tiously looked in. A bright mulatto woman
was moving about the low room, busy az work
She seemed TO be entirely alone and was sing
ing, in low, plaintive voice,
I'm gwine up to dc New Jerusalem,
by IN by, etc.
az crept up close beside the cabin, and went
into that door about as quick / reckon as ever
any one did. / expected she would think l
had been shot out of gun, coming in in such
/ q hurry. She WAS about 10 sound a note of
alarm when / laid my finger on my mouth, and,
motioning 10 her that 1 wanted TO be hid,
darted behind the hall-open door. She nodded
an assurance that she would help me.
"She hustled mp 10 the ire, and as she passed
CT -sUf IN
she brushed il down, and then taking heavy,
! home made iron shovel, began covering up tie
fire, talking 10 herself, after the custom Of Ter
| people. AS she piled on the ashes she said
"'Deed is one waSteful niger usin' up so
much FIRE an light III Ole Missy was 10 come
out here an see me usn' freight an pine knot
! too, she'd say, 'Cinda, you is 'strayigant, usn'
dem lights up in DAT ar style
BY this time only few Gickering Tays Of
! light played over the room. Ia the corner near
me stood dresser filled with dishes Both
doors hung wide open. In the corner opposite
this was bed, very humble-looking, but clean.
/ At the head OF il was a faded guilt hanging
against the wall, which supposed was TO keep
/ the wind out Some homemade stools and "a
table Of the same make VAS al besides that the
room contained.
1.-THE woInan-Cinda, as she called herself
hustled around the bed awhile then she lifted
one side OF tie hanging quilt, and motioued TO
me 10 pass under. j did So and she LEI ID fall
again in front of me. She then took her knit
ting and sat down in front of the FIRE. i could
hear the click Of her needles Tor !. little while,
aud then all was still for few moments, when
a snoring announced the fact that 'Cinda was
sleeping.
"While she nodded and snored, ! examined
or rather felt around quietly to see where | was
| j found that i stood in deep doorway, that
seemed 10 be nailed up. got so tired standing
| still that / almost concluded TO lie down and
sleep, too, when heard the low growing Of a
dog, and then the sound Of voices approach ing.
| ] knew in an instant that il was myself and
men that the strangers were after. 'Clnda nod
| ded aud snored on, apparently obliyous 10 all
around and ii i had not learned so well the
character OF these people would have thought
her indifferent rs 10 whether / got safely out of
my close quarters or not; but | was sure she
| had her part 10 act. Here the men entered the
cabin door, and one Of them, laughing, said:
80 AIS right here, except that darky sleep
ing there so close 20 the fire / sec she has
covered il up for the night but STILL if she was
10 nod forward and iuse her balance, she might
fall into the hot embels and get burned. Say,
Nanny Cinda,' he said as he shook her. have
you seen any soldiers? Are they been browl-
| ing around here this aflernoou2 We are hunt
| ing for a small party Of Yanlss shat got hemmed
in here, and we don't want EN- TO get away
1 from MS. Say, did You see en- -
'Sosers, did you say. Massa,' said 'Cinda,
wildly opening her eyes, and looking first at
one Of them, thea at another, US il frightened
out q a deep sleep. How many is dar, Massa
dat you is artery gathering up ler fallen
knitting and rising TO her feet.
80 No think There 3rt n hout fnur. n Iora