Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-06


hay and am trying to find It."
At this moment ono Of my ubquitou.
wagon-masters was discovered Juggling al
the door of small shed that nd joinsd the
house. lie had not succeeded In breaking the
lock, but had forced the door far enough
open TO peep in and discover tho contents.
As soon rs the girl saw him she sprang to-
wards him rapidly, and with flashing eyes
and angry gesture said
Don't you dare TO break open that
door ~
Lieutenant there's whole lot of corn
In there, and believe the cellars full and
maybe the garrett Let's search the house. y
"Get away from that door," said the girl
To the wagon. master. " Search the mousse, ii
you want to, from cellar to garret, but keel
away from this crib It contains only few
bushels Of corn, and that is all my poor pa
rents have to live on, aud when its gone,
God knows what Will become OF them. IL
shall not be stolen from them will defend
II with my lie, and not an car shall be taken
except over my dead body"
I" You forget yourself miss you are but Il
slight girl, while we are company OF armed
men. You would not risk your life at such
odds to save n few bushels of corn ?'
81 would risk my lite TO save my father
and mother from starvation and will lose
my life right hero before a bushel of that
corn shall be taken from them" and she
planted her back defantly agains, the door,
rs though she should say:
From Its firm base rs soon rs l."
The big wagon master looked admiringly
at the girl and deprecatiDgly at me, and CIV
ing his head peculiar jerk, he said "
reckon we might as well move on with the
train. This ERE corn amt OF no account no
how wen find better and more of IL not far
ahead."'
| nodded assent, and asked the girl her
name.
" Jane Tanner" was the answer
~ ..g.rIl
front, and II we succeed In filling our wagons
we Will not disturb you IL not we will re-
turn and inspect the contents OF that little
crib" and l rode OIL with as severe an ex-
preston as l could assume.
suPrING WITH THE sAuCY REBEL.
A few miles to the front we filled our
wagons, and the train returned to camp by a
nearer and better road but feeling an inter
est In the spunky Miss Tanner, ! returned
ria the barrcaded corn-crib.
Miss Tanner smilingly met me at the
door.
al knew you would come back" she
said
Yes, I've come for the corn"
"Oh, no, you haven't but you shall
nevertheless have htie of IL. | have pre-
pared some corn-meal, and in a little while
we will have some hot: cakes baked, and
some bacon fried, and these, with a cup of
milk and "A few trities from the cellar, will
make supper better than we usually have,
and therefore good enough for Yankee in
vade!,' she said with mock sarcasn. Now,
go In and talk with papa till supper is ready
he was soldier himself long ago"
AN OLD SOLDIER AND POLITICIAN.
In conversation with the old gentleman, l
learned that he had been soldier in the war
OF 1872, and also in the Mexican war h adj
voted for Madison, Monroe and lack son and
then swung OIL TO Harrison in 1910, tn Clay
in lsli ana To Old Zach in 1878, returning to
the Democratic party in 1852 and voting for
" Pierce and King" the latter being, in his
estimation, Aabama's greatest statesman. In
lS5G he voted for " Buck and Breck," and in
lNtN for the " Little Giant " of Illinois. lie
had opposed secession with all his might,
did the entire population, almost, of Northern
Alabama, but disuDion came, and--and-the
toys-well-they listed, like all the others, In
the Confederate army.
by this time supper was ready, ana | rel
ished it. During my stay tried to convince
Miss Tanner that it was my purpose to call
again and coniiscate her corn. But she knew
better.
" | was terribly frightened at first" said
she, " when saw that big fellow trying to
break the door open but after | had made
my little speech, l saw tears in that big fel-
lows eyes, and yOu didn't look half a. severe
as you thought you were looking. | knew
my corn WAS safe far "a you two were con-
But, oh, | don't know who NAV
come next ! wish this war was over and
we could be friends instead of enemies"
" So do )" aud rode oil.
now TRIED TO SAVE \ PRETTY woMAN's
PET CALF.
On the 18th of July, 1863, when our reg
iment was lying at Camp Scribner, near
Cowan, Tenn, was detailed TO take COM
mand of 30 men as guard to forage train.
w marched, perhaps, four miles along the
oase OF the mountain To place named Will
iams Cove. Here We loaded the wagons (l6
in numherl with sheafwheat belonging to
farmer who was " serving his country" in
the rebel army. His wife was in charge of
the home and farm. She was bright, intel
ligent and very pretty little woman, and she
had clustered around her three or four
very pretty little children. She bore with
becoming patience the loss OF her stacks of
wheat and saw the teamsters and the guard
capture dozens of her chickens and 1 don't
know how many young pigs, and though
her heart was aching, she smiled through her
tears and asked me whether could not save
what remained of her property. l told her
that i was not in charge OF the train, but
only commanded the guard that was to pro.
tect 1t II attacked l would see that no
further depredations were committed by the
guard, ant would speak to the officer in
charge of the train and do all that could to
induce him to prevent individual foraging.
The little woman gushed with gratitude,
thanked me thousand times for my good
Offices, anu bepSeu me 10 stay untli tne tram
moved OIL. There was pet calf running in
the meadow with horns Just budding from
its pretty head, and it had such large, mild,
innocent eyes, and 1t was the only playmate
the dear children had left, except pair of
ducks, with green heads, that were quack-
ing on the margin Of a little stream that ran
down the cove" If could only save the
calf and ducks for tho children | would win
their mothers eternal gratitude and when
her husband came home, which she hoped
would be very soon, she would tell him how
kindly | had dealt with her and her little
ones.
My heart was touched by the earnest ap-
sal of the little woman, whose smiles and
tears and hopes and fears chased each other
over her pretty face in rapid succession F.; and
| resolved to save the calf at all hazards.
The train moved oil with the officer III
charge at the head of the line, and l had
portion of the guard thrown forward under
command of "A sergeant, ] having taken the
responsibility to bring up the rear guard.
Every soldier had left the farm befole |
left, and the calf and ducks were still there.
| thought ! had done an act of Christian
kindness, and ! know the little woman
thought So too. ! had scarcely got out of
the premises, however, before | found a
squad OF my rear guard engaged in desper-
ATE battle with a hive of bees. The hive had
been overturned and the rascals were steal
ing the honey, but dearly we're they paving
Tor It, The bees darted at their eyes, their
noses, their mouths, their hands-ndeed,
they swarIned all over them and finally
drove them OIL. l was right glad of il,
admired the bees for so spunkiiy defending
their sweets, until one Of them darted at me
and jabbed me in the hand. / ordered the
men to at once hurry forward, and did the