Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1891-07-07
MIacELLANEous.
The Old Mill.

49, ENSHSN- issNAeNs+ss-
Z" Do know anything about the ruins of
this old mill ? Well, yes, stranger, should
say did, If any one does. Il belongs to me,
or rather to my wife, what there Is of 1t. Itell
you owe much to this old mill"
The speakerlwas dressed in homespun, and
appeared to be thrifty farmer of forty-hve
had taken walk before breakfast one morn
ing as an appetizer ont from Jonesboro, where
Twas attending court, and was standing by the
ruins of the old mill whom he came up. The
roof had fallen In, windows aud doors disap-
peared- The old water wheel had crumbled
to decay and green Ivy covered the ruins. The
dam was now tleveled to q road, and a cabbage
patch had taken the place of the mill pond.
We took q seat on moss grown log by the
side of the ruin, and he continued;
" was with Stonewall during the war, and
had some pretty tough times, some narrow es-
capes and some hard tramps, buEthe close call
and hard tramp that this old mill caused me
made all of my war experience seem, at least
for a time, like pleasure trip, This was the
first mill bull, on Cedar creek, and was built
many years ago by, old man Ben White, who
lies up yonder on tho hill.
AFTER the surrender our army was dis
banded and the most of us was pretty close
run. We had nothing and no way to get any
thing. wad only about twenty-one then.
was strolling round looking for something to
do, and happened along this road one morn
ing. Well, that morning the wheel WIS In nc
ton. The gate was histed and the water was
skurrying through. Old Ben White was stand
ing in the door. 1 said: -a ft55,.y,..
Morning, sir. Can get q job here 2"
Hp tF1r1I- off ~.
'em back on and looked at me-
Soldier ?" says he.
was till the surrender" says I.
"Luckier than my boys" says he. ''one of
them staid behind down at Stone river. Tho
others lying up there on the hill shot 10 front
'of Richmond and come homo to die" and the
old man took out his handkerchief and wiped
his eyes. i92erli aa ~
Did you ever work in nill7"
Well, that don't make much difference, !"
said he ! :. business is picking up, and you can
stay. I'm getting old. III pay Jon what i
can afford to, We can tell better, In . week or
two. Have you been TO Breakfast2,'
az have not" said.
9 "wsn, soito the house" " said ksa. "Teil
Kitty Chats my daughter, the only one the
Yanks didn't kilD to give you breakfast, and
come back you eau work on the dam to-day.
There's some leaks that need stopping
" So went over the hill To tho house. i
still had my Confederate. uniform ON, and Mrs.
White met me onIthe piazza. saw tears on
her cheeks, and suppose the uniform remind
ed her of her own boys. told her Twas 90!
ing TO work for Mr.. White, and that he sent
me over for breakfast. SO VIC went In, and
she called Kitty, who soon had my breakfast
on the table Kitty was about four years
younger than I, the picture of health, chseks
as red'as roses. Her sparkling eyes kindled q
spark in my heart that hos never. gone out. =
After breakfast I went hack, and Kitty went
with me to tend theimill while her father went
to breakfast. He showed meithe leaks in,4he
dam before be won't. 4f.s 81 f.4s9t
q" In fact, lEorked week patching up4he
old dam, and after that Iwprked In the mill
and on tho farm and In the garden drove the
produce TO town, and became moro and more
attached to the place and to Ben and Martha
White and to Kitty. How did love that kirl!
was never SO happy as when, listening 70 the
music OF her voice. 1 shall never forget the
evenings apent in the big front room before the
open hrepIace when 1 was Ben Whites hired
man--Ben and Martha, and Kitty and T. I
used to crack hickory nuts and butternnts ON
mn old fiat iron, and Kitty popped corn while
the winter wind was whistliDg outside,
In summer Kitty and used to go fishing.
Sometimes We would go up the pond in the
boat, and sometimes when the mill was mot
running we'd go down there and get inside the
big wheel and fsh In the deep hole There's
where we generally got tile finest hsR. Ono
day we had just got our fishing tackle ont of
the mill. and was hesitating whether TO 70 up
the pond or down in the vhesl, Wheu a neigh
bor came over and asked us TO lend him the
boat, he took It, aud We went down in the
wheel. We'd heen hshing probably an hour,
and caught some fne ones, when ali Of q sud
den down poured the water from the Hood gate
above, and the wheel commenced turning. The
sudden start threw rs both down. i got on
my feet in an instant and helped Kitty up, and
we commenced to tramp in the direction oppo.
site to the way the wheel was moving. We
had to In order TO keep our feet. Twas calling
As loud nsiL could, but It was of no uss.
e The noise made by the falling water, the
revolving wheel and the grinding mill drowned
my voice We couldn't get out. The plank
from the min had fallen In the water when III.
wheel started, and gone floating down th.
stream. The water poured through the crackr
in the old wheel all over uss The deep hol.
was full now. There were two feet Of water
in the bottom of the wheel. Tramp, tramp
tramp through two, now three feet of Wnter.
held Kitty by the hand, aud we kept on ON
tramp. Was praying It might be small
| grist. Neighbors often brought = tWO-bushel
bag of corn to be ground in hurry. Ithoughi
that that was the extent Of the griSt We
might stand it. We kept up our march IN
Kitty gave out. The water and the tramp hao
numbed her limbs. Her lips moved but
could hear nothing she said. IonIy knew that
i she was sinking down In the water, picked
lbeg up IN my aFus, With ous hapa Ppt hsE