Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-09
MY REBEL LOVE.

private soldiers, whose war experi.
ences thrilled many hearts and made
the nights ring with shouts and
laughter.
One evening Colonel Cooper of a
New York regiment boasted of how
he "won his wife near the capital in
IS, and added, "She was 12 and l
sor'
Who's going to believe such a
yarn as that, colonel3"
Solid truth, boys"
''Yes," put in Major Drake, lit is,
and she was reb too"
Yes" said the colonel, "a reb.
the handsomest little rebel in Vir-
ginia."
The colonel rubbed his hands to-
gether like boy and laughed aloud
at the very remembrance. "And if
anybody doubts my word, he added,
"just step into Wizards tomorrow
and ask the madam herself"
Major johnson said, Now, colo
mel, how could you, such rampant
Unionist, fall in love with rebel9"
The colonel laughed again. Stock
ton himself could never invent such
a situation"
This is the story, and it is princi-
pally of the pranks of two children.
Notwithstanding the years of spies"
''secret service" blockade run
ming" "Moseby's guerillas, and all
the terrors of war incident to the
marching up and down of two ar
mics, the old home of the rebel Off
Ger, Curtis, not far from the capital,
stood safe.
Mrs. Curtis and two young chill
dren remained in the house all
through the. war, giving food and
shelter to both armies alike as they
passed through.
One day Mrs. Curtis was called
away several miles to the home of
sick friend. Alexander, aged IA and
the man Of the house duriug his ia
theirs absence, and Patty, aged IL,
with the old servant, were left alone
in charge of the place.
They were well used to troops"
to raids" and to warnings" and
having suffered no great losses they
had no great fears when word came
to them little after noon that the
Federals would raid the Curtis
place that day and would take every
thing"
The two children sat down on the
wide stone step by the carriage road.
They thought Of the cool springhouse
with its delicious milk and butter, OF
the chickens they had tended, of the
nice storeroom and of the little herd
of Guernsey COWS.
For an hour they sat there and
talked. At last Patty jumped up.
Its time they were coming, If they
are coming. You just run down
toward the creek and see if you can
see anything"
Run down and seer" cried Aleck.
"You must be crazy, Patl Do you
think want to be gobbled right up
by Yanks off there by myselfa You
are goose for majors own daugh-
teri"
Patty got up and shook her curly
head and marched back and forth In
the road. I'D like to know If a
majors son should be afraid of few
soldiersY" she said. Haven't we
plenty of Unions this year, and
haven't they all treated us nicel /
rather like to see them myself"
"Well, then, Miss Patty Curtis,
retorted her brother, suppose you
march down to the creek thenP
Perhaps 1 will pretty soon. I'm
not one bit afraid of General Grant
himself. I'll tell you what / should
do" Petty took hold of her pretty
bingham dress skirt, gave it several
graceful swings, pirouetting saucly
along the drive.
"You can be polite to an army just
as well as to anybody, p" said she'
Just let a great regiment come
tramping up our road, with a gen,
eral to the front, ana Ia sCep ous
(another little toss of curls ana
switching of skirts and say Just
pleasantly: 'Howdy, generalf Won't
you walk right in, you and your
men (Aleck almost fell off from the
step here) and have some of our nice
cool spring water and some nice
fried chicken and some nice -,
"Yes, laughed Aleck, that woulc
certainly save mothers house. Pat
ty,"
1T always has saved it." retortec
Patty. "Politeness Imean. just le
me finish. The Union general woul'
eat up everything he could get o
course, but after that he'd pass rign
on. That's what shall do this after
noon if the Federals come. Aleci
was short and stout and looke'
much younger than he was snm
tall Patty leaned confdingly agalns
him as she pursued her plan ~
course they won't come, but meDD
thav will You can see trom u