The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-07-17

cure these, and was now on her return,
and two miles yet from home. The
molasses had fermented under the
heat OF g July sun, and the corncob
stopper had been forced out, and the
foaming liquid was running out.
Do you suppose she let a drop 60 to
waste2 No, she caught 1t on her lean
finger and licked the finger greedily,
and talked OF Mack and Little Dick.
Il hain't got time lswipe) to stop
mint (lick) but hits jes awastin'
(swipe) an it do look 50 pitiful (lick)
to see it go to waste, (swipe) an
them pc Children asufferin' Qick( fur
sumkin, ye gimme a leetle speck
(swipe) no taller grease to put in it
(lick) to keep hit f'om aworkin'?"
And then she sat down on the door
step to rest q minute, while the jug
cooled.
No I haint hearn nothin' from
Little Dick sence he got in the mount
aims. don't never spec to see HIM
no more. Five boys have I sent to
the war, an one po' lifeless creature
is ali I've got left; but oh, mustn't
forgit to tell We, Mack got that ball
out'n his thigh to-day, drapped out.
do b'lieve the child's agwine to pit
we'll arter all"
And then she resumed her weary.
tramp through the woods. Mack and
Betty managed to get along
and the good old mother seemed to-
be insensible to fatigue. So it came
about that when the broken fragments
OF Lees brave legions came struggling
homeward. that Mack was able to
hobble out on his crutches, and lean
on the rickety cato and hear the news
from some tired veteran homeward
bound. ethel last seed NV 'im," said
a great, bearded warrior, in reply to
Aunt 'Mima's question, tswus in one
O. them fights around Alanty We
was whipped, as we in'ly was long then,
an broke for a fence. Little Dick got
to the fence an we hollered to i'm to
throw down his musket, but he helt
on to it. Ireckon he wus too skeered
to nn'stan. Any how he jes' KEEP holt
on to it, an wen he clumb up on the
fence, a rail give way, an SO fell back
wards, and then the Yankees fired
SO fast that there wern't no tellin'
nothing about 1t afterwards, an we
lost him."
The little crop was planted, the two
women worked faithfully, and Mack
hobbled about on his crutches and
helped them all he could. Spring was
come when the war closed. Summer
days had waxed and waned before
many of those inmates of northern
prisons found their way back to the
old familiar haunts.
The harvest was. not great, but
Aunt Nina and Betty felt that. the
millennium had come when they were
able to sit down and eat areasonably
hearty meal OF bread and bacon, after
the wintery sun had yelled himself be-
hind the riffs Of watry clouds that
hung above the tree tops. TIE long,
long, war was over. The shrill cry OF
the famished dogs of war no longer
carried terror among the hearts of
these simple, out of-the-world-folks
hidden away among the barrens.
Many time and oft they conversed
together, and the grieving mother
mourned her dead boys.
II can bear the loss of Eben an Ri
ley an Hamp, because I've got use to
it, = she would say. "But my baby
boy. Poor little Dick! I know the
rest aire dead and gone, but I don't
know wher' Dick is"
Christmas came. Inever shall for.
get that Christm time. I shall ever
remember how the poor, fool negroes
strutted and paraded, and fired the
old muskets, and had q big time.
"Cause you see, sab, de bottom rails
got on de top O. de fence" they would
say. And the soldiers who had MISS
ed three or four Chrlstmases entered
into the enjoyment ofthis with renew.
ed energy.
Christmas eve I was at Aunt
Mima's house. liked to be with
them, and here Mack tell about the
Shenandoah valley and Stonwall Jack
son, and all his fund of adventure and
perilous escape, and mighty victories
and chrushing defeats.
Aunt Nina sat in the corner busy
with her knitting. Betty was popping
some red popcorn over the fire, and
Mack sat half in the shadow, sewing
away on his fathers old fiddle, the
only piece OF personal property the
old man left to his sons.
Aunt Nina had been buried in
thought, and was a little startled
when she spoke so suddenly.
Children. wouldn't YOU all be clad
II Little Dick would come home? Hit
seems to me that I'd be riconciled to
all the rest ef hewould jes' come home.
That's all l ask of the good Lord.
Jes' to see my baby boy again."
Then your wish is granted" come
q voice from the door, "for your
boys come home," and in another
breath Little Dick was clasped in the
arms OF mother and sister.
shall not attempt to describe the
scene. l will leave all that to the
facile pen Of the emotional novelist,
who has the trick OF portraying such
things. I cannot tor. the life of me re-
member to this day who it was that,
rescued the frying pan full of popcorn
from the fire. | do not know how
come the fiddle bridge down, and
several strands of hair broken in the
bow. know that after all was owes
we begun to realize that Little Dick
had grown wonderfully tall. He ad
added nearly a half a foot to his stat
ure and his fuzzy beard had developed
info a nico hrnur ba.,I IT. L.