Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-11-19

I1ll5uL Dc DtLltL lOI Us W keep OIL.
''My son, said the old lady, "I have a
boy, soldier on the other side, and it
may be that he needs tonight q mothers
care and sisters love. Stay here,
wash, and we will give You change
while trying to make your poor rags
presentable. You viii look less like
savages and feel more like men after
this"
We showed our papers, but the ladies
would not look at them. Then we
pointed out that search parties were
out picking up strangers and sending
them back to the army, and that if we
were caught in the house this might be
our fate despite the fact that we We're
furloughed men. But this objection had
no weight with these noble women.
They assured us that we We're as safe
there as in Our own homes, so there was
nothing left us but to consent.
Tubs Of water, towels and soap were
placed in the laundry, and before a
black man conducted us thither Mrs.
Tyson, who had covered her dress with
a big apron, made us sit on the back
porch, and then, with an immense pair
Of shears, she cut our hair. 1t hung in
matted masses down to our shoulders,
and when she had finished she said:
"There. It will be easier to comb,
and you won't look 20 much like frights. ;"
That night we went to sleep in well
furnished bedroom under the roof
There were clean sheets on the bed, and
after looking at them for some time Bell
scratched his head and said:
"Wa-al, this is somethin we uns amt
uster Hits too id bad to spile them
things, SO 1 propose we uns sleeps on the
fooah. Hits heap sight better'n any
thing we've had since befoah the wah.7
As we had had good bath and night
shirts We're laid on the pillows, pointed
out that it would be a violation of the
laws Of hospitality not to use them, and
believing that knew more about eti-
quette than he did, Bell gave way.
A rap at the door the next morning
and black man came in with our
clothes cleaned and patched. Our wonh
boots looking like new, and two pairs Of
stockings and two straw hats which
Mrs. Duffy sent with her compliments,
were Just what we wanted. Bell de-
clared that l Hooked 50 doggoned peert be
wouldn't lmowed me" and the change
in him was striking, for he was a re-
markably handsome, very well built fell
low.
That morning we had the rare honor
of breakfasting with the ladies and Mrs.
Duffy's little daughter, a lovely child of
five, who wanted to know if we had met
her father in the war. Mrs. Tyson asked
Bell to say grace, and he really exeelled
himself, though he quite forgot to men
ton the food while calling Heavens spe-
cial attention to the good Samaritan
women, who like angels Of marcy had
been SO kind to pore critters like we
uns"
When we parted with those kind
women that morning it was with the
feeling that to have met them was in
itself full compensation for all our
suffering. TO this very day the sight Of
a locust tree recalls Mrs. Tyson, and !
never see a widow wearing white cap
that the beautiful, sad face of the young
Confederate captains widow does not
rise before me as distinctly as the face
Of my own daughter looking in on me
as / write down these memories of that
terrible past.
We were within sixty miles of Tallu-
lah Falls, and in straight line not more
than 120 from the Blue Ridge, west Of
Buncombe county, North Carolina, which
was our objective point. Once there,
Bell was certain that we could cross
to Greenville, east Tennessee, the home
of Andrew johnson, and at that time
the headquarters Of Carriers gallant
division of loyal mountain men.
About noon we sat down beside the
road to rest and to eat the luncheon SC
thoughtfully provided by Mrs. Duffy.
In the course of the morning we had
met number of men and talked with
some of them, but our appearance was
SO clean and respectable that they
treated us with consideration, and one
gentleman Of whom we asked the dis
tanee to ''the falls" requested US to re-
main over to dinner.
Coming up the winding road we saw
two wagons evidently going in our di-
rection. Cleanliness and hunger allayed
gave us courage, and we determined to
stand our ground. The sight of them
forty-eight hours before would have sent
us flying into the woods like hunted
beasts.
Each wagon was drawn by four mules,
the drivers were lank, wiry white men,
md the loads were corn and bacon, the
'stax in kind, which they were taking
to Walnut Hill. in Franklin county,
This tax III kind was keenly felt by the
planters of the south. cannot recall
the percentage Of farm products that
had to be turned over to the Confederate
government, but, if mistake not, in
1864 it amounted to fully one-third, and
in addition to this the planters suffered
from the raids of their own people quite
rs much as they did from ours; that IS
If their place chanced to be along the
ever increasing and ever devastating line
Of march. This tax in kind, while
rheerfully borne by the few planter:
who had risked their all on the hazard
81 the war, had most disheartenins
I effect on the ma sses VINO had given thel
sons, snd who believed that they wer
being robbed Of the food necessary TO
I their wives and children by the Con
.~.s5orafs ar1fho.st1es
4 The men driving the wagons wer
\ Confederate soldiers. Each had a mus
ket beside him and a big revolver on hi
right hip. They were evidently noun
tain men, for they spoke with voict
accent and veuiacular so much lik
Bells that could not have told then
apart with my back to them. We toll
the men our destination, and they Of
1 fered to carry Us to Walnut Hills, fort
miles northwest. Al this was nearl
the direction we were making. it did nc
take MS long to decide Bell and had
chance to whisper to each other, 9TH
same story all the time and no trim
mings:" then he got uD beside one drive