St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-03-07
ne. Ye see. ,twon't do fur both Nv

time. Ye see, 'twon't do fur both Nv
us ter be away ter onct; ct we was,
some NV the naboorS mout tote off
tn hull fairm.'
She came on the morrow, and
without much difficulty l drew from
her her humble history, which / will
here repeat as near as | can in her
own language.
Il was born," she said, lover in
Madison county, nigh onter the Shell
ton Laurel-but l won't tell We how
long it was ago, fur then we'd know
my age, and nout tell my husband.
Ye see, he 'clares Use only nineteen,
but, NV course, he knows better, fur
l has, We see, gray hairs, an ar turn
ed NV forty Our folks was pore
huff, but no porer nor tn naboors :;
but | was teached ter read an write,
and do good homework by Mrs.
Hawkins, who
Mrs. Hawkins ?" Inquired. "The
same who held all Madison county
to the Union? She must be a very
remarkable woman"
1t was the same, sir" said Mrs.
Gee Moses, but she hahn a wom-
an. She's a angel, as come down
hyar, an took on flesh and blood,
jest ter help us pore mountain peo-
pie. The good she's done thar hain't
no tellin'. But | cudn't go ter her
long, fur mother died, an bein' tn
oldest gal, / he'd ter stay ter home,
an tend ter the house. Well, fore |
was twenty a likely young Teller
come over from Tennessee Garter
county, an bought farm close on
up ter me. We wasn't, they've tell
ed me, jest married, cyse thar wasn't
no parsOn round, an we hadn't no
license; but Mrs Hawkins said over
us the ceremony, an prayed for us,
an that | s'pOse is why we was al
lers SO happy tergether. Wall, we
got on right well. fur Robin was a
wicker, an Mrs. Hawkins had tell
ed me ter be alters tidy, an savin',
an 'dustriOuS, an arter a while we
he'd two as likely little boys as We
ever know'd on.
But then come the war, an every
able-bodied man Dove eighteen was
conscripted. Robin didn't want ter
Union, an we went ter Mrs. Haw-
kins ter talk it over. She telled
Robin it would be crime to fight
agin tn kentry; that he'd better lay
out in tn woods, or be shot down,
ruther nor lift hand agin it. She
said his fust duty was ter the whole
kentry our fathers had fought fur;
an tibet North Carlina warn't tibet,
but only part NV it, an the part
warn't SO big as tn whole, an
couldn't be in tn natur' NV things
We couldn't understand all she said,
but we know'd she was alters right,
SO Robin laid out in the woods for
a while, to keep away from the con-
scriptors, and then made his way ter
Dan Ellis over ter Tennessee. Yehas
heard Nv him, reckon"
''The Union guide who piloted
some ten thousand conscripts and
deserters through to the Union lines ?"
1.-The same. Robin was raised
nigh ter him, an he was a great
friend ter Mrs. Hawkins Robin
stayed along ter holp him in his
wuck fur a while, an then he jined
tn ranks, and fell fghtin fur his ken
try ter Stone River. The news nigh
Almost killed me; but | had ter bear
up under it, on account NV the little
boys. But it made me fearful bitter
on the rebels, an | never seed a gray
coat but guy him tongue-lashin'
They telled me ter holt in, or Cunnel
Keith wud burn tn house over my
head but said my tongue was my
own, an meant it should talk fur
TIL Union jest so long as | lived; an
fur sayin' tibet, Cunnel Keith burned
me out NV house an home, 1eavin'
me and my boys nOthin' but the
clO'eS we stood in.
81 didn't cry, fur I'd done rothin'
ter be ashamed of; an takin' my lit
tie boys by the hand, footed it over
hyar ter BuncOmbe county, whar
mother he'd a small patch NV land as
had come ter her frum her father
Thar was cabin on the place, an
it was comfortable. TIL naboors
was very kind, fur all the mountain
people was fur the Union; though
some on 'em hedn't tn courage ter
say so. They lent me tn things ter
set up hOusekeepin one brung q
bedstead an cheer, an said l cud
keep 'em till | cud get better ones
an another tOted over table, some
tin pans, an a bake-kettle; an so
they all done, till the house was right
snug an homelike Then | planted
my gardin ter hev something to car
nv us through the winter. | was
right lonesome, but | managed to be
an | thanked the Lord fur
bein' so good ter tn widow and the
$50 things went on till bout five
years ago, an then a new naboor
come, an bought the farm right
alongside Nv mine. He was a Yam
lee, an he brung along all kinds Nv
truck and tools fur farmin' an | did
pity the pore man, fur | seed it tuck
him bout all his time ter show the
niggerS how to use tn tools, an
they'd stall tn minnit his back was
turned. l cudn't keep still an see
him go1n' all wrOng-nOt KNOWN
the Sile, the climate, nor the niggerS
Why, he had bout as much as he
could do ter keep the shoats (pigs) !
out NV his corn
Had he no fences ?"
Eyes, the place is well fenced; but |
the niggers owned the pigs, an let |
EN- in on the sly. | couldn't stand |
seein' things goin' on so, SO l jest
went over, an spoke right out ter
him; and he sent off his nigs ter onct,
an got such new hands as | telled |
him. Then he got ter comm ter me
bout everything, and bime-by he
was alters ter my house Nv Sunday |
evenin'. l knowed what tibet meant,
out said nothin only turned the