The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-11-02
OUR RAIDE RS.
BY HELEN F. KENDRIcK.
youths Companion.l

youths Companion.l
The war was drawing to a close and we had
heard but few of its terrible sounds in our
farm house, twelve miles from the nearest
village. But one day rumors came of great
army of raiders that was marching through
the country, and would undoubtedly come
our way.
All the fathers and grown brothers were
away in the army, and these stories of raiders
had an awful meaning to the frightened
mothers and children, left alone in those
isolated farm houses. 1 felt perfectly certain
in my own little mind that Yankee" had
horns somewhere about his head-although
my own dear father was genuine New Eng
lander-and that a raider was something
large and black and terrible.
1 will tell how the raiders came.
We children had gone to school three and
a half miles through the woods to little
country school house that stood by the side
of railroad. This was not very important
railroad to most of the world, but to the
school children it stood for great deal, for
every day, at about IL O'Clock, little engine
house for us to watch and admire.
On this particular day we were having re-
cess, as usual, at IL o'clock, when we heard a
loud, long whistle from our little engine, and
somehow we felt that something was the mat
ter. We all crowded near the track and
watched the little train come flying and pant
ing along. Suddenly we saw something red
waving from the back platform, and as the
engine and first car whizzed past us we
watched almost breathlessly to find the mean
ing of this strange signal.
A man stood ON the end steps of the last
car and waved the red flag toward us, shout
ing with all his might, "Run home! The
Yanks are comm" Then he was gone.
whirled on toward the village where his news
was to spread wild excitement.
For moment we children stood stupidity
gazing down the track; then the teacher
called us in.
"Get your things on" she said, land go
home as fast as you can, and tell your mothers
to get ready for the raiders"
! If you have never been raided you cannot
know what excitement and terror gave wings
to our little feet as we scampered home
through the woods. The great, quiet forest
seemed full of danger; we dreaded to look
either side lest we should see raiders, with
their horny heads and their guns, peering
out from behind the trees.
The way had never seemed long or lonely
| before, and l am sure we went over it more
| quickly than we had ever done, even on the
blithest, happiest morning. My big brother
was a few feet ahead earruinn tho .,e-~s-.,r,
tine emo OF his tongue, my little sister was
YEARLY padding along behind, and my little
self was in the middle, wondering if we
should ever reach home and be safe once
more in mothers care.
AT last we dragged ourselves through the
gate and across the yard to the farm house.
There was an air of utter loneliness about
the place. Nobody, not even the dogs, seemed
to be at home.
"Motherl" we shouted, where are you ?'
"Sakes alive! Wat de matter wild you
chilluns?"
20 Aunt Becky" we cried. "the raiders
the Yankees are coming-they're most here
Where's mother?"
Aunt Becky gasped, but she lost no time
Moses! Charlet! you light out cross de
branch ter Marse lacks en- tell Miss Emily
en- Miss Nellie dat de raiders is hyer-bin
chastn' de chillun froO de woods FUN school,
The two little darkies disappeared down
the road. and we waited impatiently for a
sight of our mother returning.
Of course Aunt Becky's wild message had
terrified mother and Auut Nellie. and they
came home with fear that some dreadful
thing had happened.
But they had no time to spare. The after.
noon was almost gone and many things had
to be done, for we expected the raiders in
the night.
You would have laughed if you had seen
us hiding things. Aunt Becky took the
silverware under her charge, and no one
knew where she hid it. Mother put her
money bags on under her dress skirts We
tucked ham and potatoes and -four and the
Drown sugar, which was the best we had,
into the queerest places. Many of them
were buried under the hay in the barn, some
were slowed away in the cotton gin house
there were even some prickly shrubs in the
| yard that hid some of our treasures.
BY the time night had come our home
| looked very poor and barren. There was not
nice thing to be had anywhere. A few old
books were left and few of our poorest
clothes and dishes which we thought would
mislead the raiders and make them think we
had nothing better, and which they would
not be tempted to take from us.
We were not at all sure that we should
have house left over our heads by the time
morning came, so we watched the sun set
and the darkness come with great fear.
The darkies gathered into their cabins very
early in the evening, and the cook had to
have company on the way from the kitchen
to the house as she brought in the supper
AS bed time drew near, mother waited to see
Aunt Becky and Charlotte start for their
cabin, after they had arranged the BEDS
Mother dreaded to have them go, for then she
would be left in the house with her widowed
sister and the children.
After they had been sitting silent for a
whilo Aunt Becky said: "CharIet, reckon
yer better button dat do en- fix yer pallit
Yes don't spec gwine outen dis house dis
night, does yer, en- leave Miss Emily en- de
chillun hyer by dyse'ves?"
Mother looked glad, but she said nothing.
and Charlotte rose to button the door and fix
her ''pallit," which ment a quilt on the
floor.
We children were to sleep in the next room
on trundle ben and lounge, as we did not
dare to go upstairs to our accustomed places.
81 bin primin' up de ole blunderbuss,"
Aunt Becky said. "Me en- de muckits got
ter fight it out twixt us dis night"
She took the old, rusty gun down from a
nail In the dining room, where it had hung
since grandfather put it there years before,
saying, as he did so. that it was "no good"
To Aunt Becky it was equal to cannon,
and she brought it in with great pride and
stood it near the chimney; then she sat on
the floor beside it and puckered her face to
make it look brave and stern.
During that long evening we talked at
times; then we would sit quite still for a
while, and each was trying hard not to listen
to any sound outside. But we were all start
ed If there was flutter in the hen house, or
neigh in the horse lot, or bark in the
yard.
box 4 AD Oh