Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-04-12
A RAo or COFFEE.

cObuti out uhys WIN Wv utut IWust'
brigade rested at noon from their labors
eililng postmasters' "accounts current,
about the bluest time ! ever saw, aud
most of YOU are aware aln't no spring
chicken, Was when I SURRENDERED with
Johnston In North Car'llna aud started
for home"
"Teil u. about Il, Colonel" said the
boys.
"welI, you see Il Was this way. Dur
In the wah, I'D left the old woman on
the plantation down Ia south Car'lins,
bat when the surrender came ] hadn't
heard q word from home for more than
slx months, and didn't have the least
Idea whether there Was = soul lcft alive
on the place, nor whether sherman's
army had left anything of the old place
more than just the nakrd dirt.
"wcil. I started off for home, or tow
ards where thought hom. ought'r lie
with my parole Ia my pocket, aud rid
log the poorest, ornrisst mule " Was
ever my misfortune to become acausin'-
ed With; aud I do assure you, gentle
men, I have had large, yariegat.d snt
picturesque experience In that partico-
lar line.
"we mo.eyed along, the mule and ]
and one or two of the other boys, until
We got down to Charlotte, aud there the
officer la command pressed me lnto .er,-
Ice to help him parole big lot OF the
prisoners.
"It took "a. a coupl. of weeks Ia get
through the job, aud when Was getting
r,,jy to start the colonel in ccmmind
said:
~ cant pay YOU anything Tor your
services, hut I think " yoa were Ia take
that bes.t down to the corral aud swap
hlm cff for better one u wonld be
good thing for you, aud gus.. the gov
ernment will be able To stand "
"w.ii, YOU fellow. here Who know my
liberal disposition will probably imas'
Inc I want SLOW to take hint Ike ih't
u turned in my crow bait aud took the
beet In the lot, sud ! hatter myself
know q good mule when sec one.
"'Pur,y good animal YOU got their,
.sii the OIL ter. When ! role up Ia hts
quarters, 'ther'. s"me cons. down in the
co,nmi..ary, and that mule look. strong
enough To carry bag ~ H..
"weli, .ir, half an hour later lett
town on the hest mule ever .triddled,
carving q bag of coffee worth slCO la
gold aud altogether feeling Ike the f'ch-
eat nan In the late Confe'icracy.
IL Travelled by my. .clf ou the hr.t DAY
oui--ju.t me, aud the mule aud the bag
of coffee.
~ got along all right until along tow
ard dark, When I b-gan Ia look out for
|, place Ia put up Tor the night. u MAS
the dism,lle.t pro.Iect you ever saw
IN. poorrst pine bsrr,ns-It made YOU
hungry To lust ride along and look al the
country; and the houses were mighty
Wide apart.
at last I .,~ q light, ani rode up Ia
q cabin by the .idc of the rad. aud found
an old woman sitting la the door smoking
a pipe. boned her Ia let me stay all
night. She fe,choi her old pipe few
more whIf., aud finally .aid
"'lou'il hattie gwy on To ih" ncN'
house, stranger
"'llow far IL ltr
"Pun, pun, 'Iiou, four or i've miles
mehbe .lx.'
"But, my good woman, I sm tired and
my mule I. tlr-d-lct the stay, " have
Ia sleep on the floor"
"IIif, pun. 'li.lnt got no grub
".I don't ear. for ny .elf, II YOU can
only give NV mule something.
"iaf, pun. 'llslnt 81, nothing Tor
the critter.'
well, We will both 10 ~lthoai u Ne
can only .tay-I do not want Ia lle
down by the road aud maybe wake az
murdered BY some guerrilla.
">he finally concealed Ia thl.-mo,ed
out Of the door and took up her station
by the fireplace, where .he continued
her labor. With the pipe, AZ II that were
the chief end aud aim of her existence.
81 took OF the saddle. tied th. mule to
the door j,mb, spread my blanket just
inside the door and lay down, With my
preciou. bag of coffee for apllloN.
"Ibere didn't seem Ia be another soul
ON IA. place. bat I a.kei no questions
for conscience sake. ! ju.t laid there a
sl.hlng for bite Ia eat, aud a-waich'
Ing that old woman hunsrr.d over th'
fireplace smoking like q tar Kiln.
"weil, I kept oa a-lsyinx there irying
to forget how mortal hungry WAS and
m.bte catch forty wink. of sleep, but
IN. mule out side va. ne hungryss J was,
and every now and then he'd fetch low
Kind Of a whickerin' be-haw, and then
he'd let Ia To gnsw on the door ,mb'
got tired ~ his caper. after wh'le' aod
| finally said:
-. know You are hungry, old man,
aud II I thought you'd eat t Id give you
some of TIL. coffee
"weli, sir, I happened 10 have my
eye. toward. the frrpi,cc when ] .si'
thl., aud I'm n sinner u ] didn't actually
are that old woman prick up her car,llse
she'd heard something drop.
"she .traighteued up, lookri at me
moment aud said
"'Did you say c-o-f.f-eeT
"'I did, madam.
..G.l-n-n-y-w-i-n-e-e-o-f-f-e-er +.
{" Genuine coffee, madam
"'A-gwyin to give IL to the m-e-w'
e-ir
I" The mule 1. tired ani hungry. mad
am. aud 80 Am L.
I" stranger. I haln't seed no g''-n-n'y-
WINE coffee for nigh onto three years
an hit would seem sorier onrlig'us'
.omehow, To feed hlt to mewel.'
81 supposed she'd actually told me IN.
truth about having nothing To eat, but
said at q venture; /.
MADAM, I've got 100 pounds OF cot
fee right here under my head, ani u
You'll get something for ms aud IN,
mule 10 eat YOU shall have some of IT,.
"weIi, sir, Il ac,ei like magic. sh,
vent Ia the bel In the corner, turne'
hack the cover, turned down the mt.
tre.., aud I'll agree To never put soou
yituils In INV chops again W .he didn
have a regular commlssary In there. NJ
the under part Of the bel was p'anke
up .olId, and was Jua hlled With h,n
and .ide bacon and meal and corn. sh'
even fetched out little poke filled Will
dour. In Ave minutes NV mule had :
good feed Of corn, ani In half an % ar
AT down To the best dlsh ot fried han
that ever went down my throat.
"while she was cooking supper pour
ed her out about quart and half of th'
green COFFEE, and you ought'r have .ecf
that poor old soul. She WAS just tick
led 10 death. She whlrled In ani p,rch
Ell a skillet full ofit, pounded u upin
rag on the hearth, aud when ! vent OF u
sleep with "a full stomach, she wss sit
ting there hunkered up over the nrr
place, with an old rusty pot steamlni
FULL, and drinking Ike she'd never &c
enough. You better believe the pip
WAS Isii on the shelf. ani about ever
ffteen minutes she'd say To herself;
{" 'Ilit's the first glnny~lne coffee w
sod for three years.
"weli, cir, { won't undertake to a.!
that she sst there ali night and p0ures
hot coffee down her throat, becaus
I slept like . top an don't know whs
she did debut I'LL agree to neve