Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-29
A BAG OF COFFEE.

"IalK ABOUT Ieellng Dlue, Salu In0
colonel one day, when the blue pencil
brigade rested at noon from their labors
of editing postmasters' accounts cur
rent. "about the bluest time 1 ever saw,
and most of you are aware amt no
spring chicken, was when surrendered
with Johnston in Moth Ca'lina and
started for home"
'sTell Us about it, coloneli" said the
boys.
''Well, you see it was this way. Durin
the wah I'd left the old woman on the
plantation down in South Ca'lina, but
when the surrender come hadn't heard
word from home for more than six
months, an l 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 more
than just the naked dirt.
"Well, l started off for home, or to-
wards where thought home ought'r be,
with my parole in my pocket, and riding
the poorest, orneriest mule it was ever
my misfortune to become acquainted
with; and l do assure you, gentlemen,
have had large, variegated and pic
turesque experience in that particular
line.
1--WE moseyed along, the mule and l
and one or two ofi4the other boys, until
we got down to Charlotte, and there the
officer in command pressed me into serv-
ice to help him parole big lot of the
prisoners.
at took us couple of weeks to get
through the job, and when l was getting
ready to start the colonel in command
said:
81 can't pay you anything for your
services, but think if you were to take
that beast down to the corral and swap
him off for better one it would be a
good thing for you; and guess the gov
ernment will be able to stand it,
.'Well, you fellows here who know
my liberal disposition will probably i'm
agine want slow to take hint like
that turned in my crow bait and took
the best in the lot, and fiatter myself l
know good mule when / see one.
"'Purty good animal you got there
said the officer when / rode up to his
quarters, ''ther's some coffee down in
the commissary, and that mule looks
strong enough to carry bag Of it,
swell, sir, half an hour later I left
town on the best mule ever straddled,
carrying bag Of coffee worth $16O in
gold, and altogether feeling like the
richest man in the late Confederacy.
Il travelled by myself on the first day
out-just me, and the mule and the bag
of coffee.
81 got along all right until along
toward dark, when l began to look out
for place to put up for the night 1t
was the dismalest prospect you ever saw
the poorest pine barrens-it made you
hungry to just ride along and look at
the country; and the houses were mighty
wide apart.
cat last saw light, and rode up to
a cabin by the side of the road, and
found an old woman sitting in the door
smoking pipe. l 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
"'How far is itY
Puff, puff, Bout four or five miles
mebbe SIX
''But, my good woman, am tired and
my mule is tired-let me stay, if have
to sleep on the floor
Puff, puff 'Hain't got no grub.
Il 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--I do not want to lie
down by the road and maybe wake up
murdered by some guerrilla
''She finally consented to this-moved
out of the door and took up her station
by the fireplace, where she continued
her labors with the pipe, as if that were
the chief end and aim of existence.
Il took off the saddle, tied the mule
tothe door jamb, spread my blanket Just
inside the door and lay down, with my
precious bag of coffee for pillow.
'There didn't seem to be another soul
on the place, but l asked no questions
Tor consclence's sake. | just laid there
a-wishing for bite to eat, and a-watch-
ing that old woman Numbered over the
fireplace smoking like a tar kiln.
"WeH, kept on a-laying there trying
to forget how mortal hungry was and
rnebbe catch forty winks Of sleep, but
the mule outside was as hungry as was,
and every now and then he'd fetch low
kind of a whickerin' he-haw, and then
he'd let in to Rnaw on the door iamb.
/ got tired of his capers after swhile.
and finally said:
"'I know you are hungry, old nan, and
If / thought you'd eat it I'd give you
some of this Coffee
"Well, sir. happened to have my eyes
turned toward the fireplace when said
this, and I'm sinner if didn't actually
see that old woman prick up her ears
like she'd heard something drop