The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-02-03
MRS. 'GUSTE.

was near u NICE O!u faSnlOneu market,
where | went as much for an occasional
chat with the proprietor as tor the very
good things she sold me. She was a
stout, brisk old French Woman q wild
Ow. Nine. Auguste DieulOuard by name,
rather German in appearance, but very
French in her manners as she talked
from behind her bars or hustled about
her shop. directing and sometimes scold-
ing her underlings. She was delighted,
the first day | went to market, to have
me speak French to her, and soon we
were quite intimate. Before the win
ter wasover and | rad returned to New
York she had told me. bit by bit, a
great deal Of the story Of her life.
Translated from her queer half German
patuis and pieCed together, it ran some
what as follows:
Il was born in 1880, in Lure, near
Alsace. in the old Franche Comte. Aft
er my mother died | lived with my
grandmother. When my grandmother
died, | could not go back to my father,
for he had married again, had a large
family and was very poor. Some of
our neighbors were com rg to America,
and | came with them. We took a sail
ing vessel to New Orleans, and the voy-
age lasted Al days. Two years after
reaching New Orleans | married a
young Frenchman who had anice little
sum of money. Then my troubles be-
gan, for he would not have a settled
home, as | wished, but wanted to trav-
ell all the time. | kept him in New
Orleans most of the time for two years,
but then he got too restless, and we be-
gan to CAD about the country. We went
up the river to- Memphis and St. Louis,
then we travelled through Kentucky and
Tennessee. Later we wen to CalifOr-
MIA. When the war broke ont, we were
back in Kentucky. My husband en-
listed in the southern army, leaving me
in Columbus with very little money.
| lived there until my money was near
ly gone and then took a boat to Nicks-
burg. l reached Vicksburg just before
travel was stopped. The siege lasted As
days. | helped nurse in the hospitals,
and one day, when | was sent out for
drugs. was struck by q Yankee shell
and wounded in the forehead. At the
end of the siege Yankee doctors and
nurses took charge Of the hospitals, and
| had no work and no money. Some of
my neighbOrs were without money and
food and came in to see me and said:
Madame, what shall we do? We are
starving | said. Go home and | will
think what to do Then / was offered
r~ations. Rations for WHAT asked.
4 am no Yankee soldier. Why should
| take rations Of YOU Then | said to
the n%eighbors: W will make beer.
Get mo two barrels of water, some
yeast, hops. molasses and corn. When
the u. ices whisky is gone, he will be
glad TO drink my beeT and will have to
pay for it Sometimes he did not pay,
bat mostly he did, and we lived a year
by making beer
There was military law in Vicks-
burg. General D. was in command for
q long time. There was "a very strong
feeling against him. | think he was
the meanest man hat ever lived. l
knew everybody hated him. One day l
said, i am going to General d. to get q
permit to open a store Every one said,
He is too mean to give you one /
said, i will try | went to HIM and
said very politely, General D., | want
a permit to open a store He asked
me, Why should l give you a permit
said, 'BecauseI must make some mon
ey to live He said, Are you Irish?'
No Are you Dutch?' No Are
you German?' No Are you French?'
Yes. Then go to Napoleon for a per
NIT.
After awhile General d. left Vicks-
burg, and General S. was in command.
One morning l went to SEQ him. He
was lying ON a couch. | asked him for
a permit. He said: My good woman,
you shall have one if you will get me
pen and paper from the next room. ]
have beer at a ball all night and could
not get up for the president General
s. was not so bad for a Yankee. But
General Grant was the incest Yankee
ever saw. His headquarters We're or
the river, but we often saw him il
Vicksburg, and he used to walk about
and talk to the people. He was>very
kind, and every one liked him. Ont
day he anne into my store with 1
friend. He said: What kind of stuff
is that in your window? am hungry
and it looks very good Washington
pie | answered. Why do you call j
that?' said he. That pie is named aft
or the great Washington whose memoir,
all good Americans adore l replied
That is good, said he; how much ii
a slice of Washington pie?' l said
Some slices are 10 cents, but some
cut are s cents. He said to the officer
Il am 80 hungry | believe l could eat
10 cent slice, could not you? Ma
dame, please gut ME two 10 cent slices
and ! will trouble you to wrap then
up for me- So | did, and he would
not let the dandy young officer carr.
my Washington pie, but when no ha'
r~id me took the bundle himself out in