The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-06-15

first an island of bacon in a great sea of peas,
the island growing less as time went on and
finally disappearing altogether For supper,
biscuits were toasted on the hearth and taken
with the excellent cold water for which Cot
tage Farm is famous.
Sometimes a soldier would enter, and placing
upon the table small parcel, withdraw too
quickly for remonstrance or thanks. This was
heart-breaking. The poor fellows were in the
greatest destitution. The parcel would contain
his months ration of coffee, sugar, or candles.
Our only lights We're from knots of pine
wood or string, which, when dipped in wax,
was wound round a bottle. The darkness of
the long nights listening to pcket-firing was
narrowing to delicate nerves.
Things were in this condition when | was re-
quested to give room in the cottage to guest
of Gen. Lee's-the Hon. Tom Connolly, Irish
NJ. p for Donegal. A room ?-yes certainly !!
lieved by being told he would be rationed at
headquarters.
Mr.. Connolly often dropped in at our biscuit
toastng, and assured us we were better pro
vided than the commander-in-chief "You
should have seen Uncle Roberts dinner to-day,
madam. He had two biscuits, and he gave me
one" Another time Mr.. Connolly was in high
feather: ''We had q glorious dinner to-day !!
Somebody sent Uncle Robert box of sar-
dimes ~
On fine mornings quite procession of little
negroes, in every phase of raggedncss, used to
pass my door, each bearing present, from the
farmers wives, of buttermilk in tin pail for
Gen. Lee. The army was threatened with
scurvy, and buttermill, hominy, and every veg
etable that could be obtained was sent to the
hospitals.
A few days before the fall of Petersburg an
orderly entered my little parlor, saying: seen.
Lee wishes to make his respects to Mrs. Pryor"
The General was Immediately behind him. His
face was lighted with the anticipation of telling
me his good news. With the high-bred courtesy
and kindness which always distinguished his
manner, he asked kindly after my welfare, and,
taking my little girl in his arms, began gently
to break his news to me.
"llow long, madam, was Gen. Pryor with me
before he had n furough ~
''IIe never had one, think" answered.
swell, did not take good care of him until
we camped here so close to you ?"
Certainly" | said puzzled to know the
drift of these preliminaries,
81 sent him home to you, | remember" he
continued, 'for day or two, and you let the
Yankees catch him. Now he is coming back to
be with you again--on parole until he is eX-
changed. You must take better care of him in
future
l was too much overcome to do more than
stammer few words of thanks.
Presently he added: ''What are you going to
say when tell the General that in all this win
ter you have never once been to see me ?'
''Oh, Gen. Lee" l answered. ~ had too much
mercy to join in your buttermilk persecution"
''Persecution p he said; such things keep us
alive Last night when reached my headquar
ters l found card on my table with hyacinth
pinned to it and these words: For Gen. Lee,
with kiss Now" he added tapping his
breast, Il have here my hyacinth and my card
and mean to ind my Kiss ~
He was amused by the earnest eyes of my lit
tie girl as she gazed into his face.
"Ihey have a wonderful liking for soldiers"
he said 81 knew one little girl to give up all
her pretty curls willingly that she might look
like Custis, They might cut my hair like Gus
tis,' she said. Gusts whose shayen head does
not improve him in any eyes but hers"
His manner was the perfection of repose and
simplicity. As he talked with me l remembered
l had heard of this singular calmness. Even at
Gettysburg and at the explosion of the Crater