Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1891-11-28
A BAG OF COFFEE.

the Colonel one day, wnen the blue
pencil brigade rested at noon from
their labors of editing postmasters'
accounts current "about the blu
est time | ever saw and most of you
know l amt no spring chicken, was
when [ surrendered with johnson in
Moth Ca'lina and started for home F"
"Tell US about it Colonel p said
the boys.
"Well. you see it was this way.
During the war I'd left the old wo-
man on the plantation down in
South Ca'lina, but when toe surren-
der come | hadn't heard a word
from home for more than six months
an | didn't have the least idea
whether there was soul left alive
on the place, nor whether Sherman s
army had left anything of the old
place but the naked dirt.
swell, | started off for home, or
to where | thought home ought to
be, with my parole in my pocket,
and riding the orneriest mule it was
ever my misfortune to become ac-
quainted with; and / do assure you,
gentlemen, l have had a large, varie-
gated and picturesque experience in
that particular line.
"We moseyed along, the mule
and | and one or two Of the other
boys, until We got down to Char
lotte, and there the officer in COM
mand pressed me into service to
help him parole big lot of the prls-
oners.
SIT took US a couple of weeks to
get through she job, and when | was
getting ready to stat the Colonel
in command said;
"'I can't pay you anything for
your services, but | think that if
you take that beast down to tie cor.
raj and swap him off fer better
one it would be good thing for
you; and | guess the government
Mill ho a1,lo 10 efanI -
"Well, you fellows here who know
my liberal disposition will probably
imagine | want slow to take a hint
like that turned in my crow bait
and took the best In the lot, and l
fiatter myself / know good mule
when | see one.
Purity good animal you've got
there, said the officer when | rode
up to his quarters. Theirs some
coffee down in the commissionary
and that mule looks strong enough
10 carry bag of it,
''Well, sir, half an hour later l
left town on the best mule | ever
atraddled, carrying bag of coffee
worth $3.50 in gold, and altogether
Feeling like the richest man in the
late Confederacy.
Il travelled By myself on the first
day out-just me, the mule and the
bag of coffee.
Il got along all right until along
toward dark, when | began to look
out for place to put up for the
night. 1t was the dismalest pros
pect you ever saw-the poorest
pine barrens-it made you hungy TO
just ride along and look at the coun-
try; and the houses were mighty
wide apart.
"At last I saw light and rode up
to cabin by the side of the road,
duQ lOutiu oil Ciu. NOuldu cibbfHZ III
the door smoking pipe. / boned
her to let me stay all night. She
fetched her old pipe few more
whiffs, and finally said:
you'll halter gwy on to the next
house, stranger.
SLOW far is it
Puff, puff, bout four or five
miles mabbe six.
But. my good woman, am tired
and my mule is tired-let me stay,
if have to sleep on the floor.
"'Puff, puff. Haint got no grub.
81 do not care for myself, if you
can only give my mule something.
- Puff, puff. Haint got nothing
for the critter.'
well, we will both do without if
we can only stay do not want to
lie own by the road and may be
wake up murdered by some guer-
rilla.
"She finally consented to this