Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-03-03
Saint NarJfs Beacon.
a BAe or COFFEE.


colonel one day, when the blne pen
Gil brigade rested at noon from their
labors of editing postmaster's 'ac-
counts current about the bluest
time / ever saw, and most Of you
are aware / amt no spring chicken,
was when / surrendered with John
son in Moth Ca'lina and started
for home
Tell as about it, colonelp said
the boys.
Well, you see it was this way.
Durin the wah I'd left the old wo-
man on the plantation down in
South Ca'lina, but when the sur
render come / hadn't heard Q word
from home for more than six
months, an / didn't have the least
idea whether there was Q soul left
alive on the place, nor whether
Sherman's army lad left anything
Of the old place more than just the
naked dirt.
Well, started OF for home, or
towards where i thought home
ought'r be, with my parole in ny
pocket, and riding the poorest, orn-
eriest mule it was ever nv misfor-
tune to become acquainted with;
and l do assure you. gentlemen, ]
have had q large, varigated and
picturesque experience in that par
ticular line.
we moseyed along, the mule and
and one or two of the other boys,
until we got down to Charlotte, and
there the officer in command pressed
me into service to help him parole
big lot Of the prisoners.
1T took us couple Of weeks to
get through the job, and when l
was getting ready to start the col
onel in command said:
Il can't pay you anything for
your services, but / think If yon
were to take that beast down to the
corral and swap him off for a better
one it would be a good thing for
you; and | guess the government
will be able to stand it.
We'll, 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
fiatter myself l know a good mule
when | see one.
Purity good animal you got there,
said the officer when rode up to
his quarters, theirs some coffee
down in the commissary, and that
mule looks strong enough to carry
q bag Of it.
well, sir, half an honr later
left town on the best mule ever
straddled, carrying bag Of coffee
worth s160 in gold, and altogether
feeling like the richest man in the
late Confederacy.
4 travelled by myself on the first
day out--iust me, and the mule
and the bag Of coffee.
Il got along all right until along
toward dark, when I began to look
ont for q place to put mp for the
night. 1t was the dismalest pros
pect you ever saw-the poorest pine
barrens-it made you hungry to
just ride along and look ut the
country; and the houses were nigh
ty wide apart.
AT last I saw light, and rode
up to cabin by the side Of the road,
and found an old woman sitting in
the door smoking pipe. / boned
her to let me stay all night. She
fetched her old pipe few more
whiffs, and finally said:
you halter gwy on to the next
house, stranger
How far is it?'
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 Haint got no grub.
Il don't care for myself, if you
can only give my mule something.
Puff, puff. 'Hain't got nothing
for the critter.'
Well, we will both do without Il
we can only stay-I do not want t.
lie down by the road and maybe
wake up murdered by some guer'
rilla.'
She finally consented to this
moved out of the door and took uI
her station by the fireplace. where
she continued her labors with thu