Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-03-07
A LOWLY HERO.

the balmy days "only to know the soft
vicissitudes of pleasure and repose." We
wandered Sin gardens of fragrance and
slept in fortresses of security" but like all
pleasure seekers we were now weary of the
monotonous round of uneventful days and
former delights grew stale. Gentle Mrs.
Gray and Miss Harland, the invalid whose
thin, scarlet cheeks and bright eyes told
too plainly the presence of the destroyer,
the quiet rector and the somewhat POM
pous major with his little blond wife,
made up our party.
"Some one tell a story, please" cooed the
pretty blond, tossing aside Hero Wor-
ship" "Who ever knew live hero?" she
laughingly asked.
Il have" promptly answered Mrs. Gray
"How delightful Do tell us about him;
who was he?"
"The one instance of true heroism that
came under my immediate notice." said
the little woman, "was displayed by a
hero of ebon hue, strong young Hercules
who, though rough and untaught, pos
sessed a nature grand, deep and noble"
YES" assented the sentimental major
"Often among the humblest flowers we
find the rarest odors.
"And," resumed Mrs. Gray, "among the
busy workers, with hardened hands and
toll stained faces, we find great hearts,
strong and true, and minds, though uncul-
tivated, ready and sagacious. During the
late war;" she continued, my father and
brother were in the army, and the overseer
being drafted into service, my mother,
my sisters and myself were compelled to
leave our beautiful home in the city and
go up the river to the plantation to man.
age, as best we could, the affairs of that
place. Our people were trustworthy and
kind, SO we had but little trouble. A few
weeks after our arrival at the plantation
our hearts were saddened by the death Of
a much loved servant. Rachel was her
name; she had nursed my mothers older
children and we were all very much at
tached to her. Rachel died suddenly, of
heart trouble, the physician said, and her
little children were cared for by good old
granny Albert, the husband of Rachel
was field hand and reliable man."
''Of what time do you speak9"
"This was in the spring of 1864. The
transmississippi department was under
the command of the Confederate general,
E. Kirby Smith. The struggle east of the
Mississippi river had drawn from us the
chivalry of the great southwest; the sons
of Arkansas, Mississippi Louisiana and
Texas were scattered from Gettysburg to
Vicksburg, and diminished force COM
posed of the fathers and husbands were
left to meet the gathering foe that threat
ened, with General Steele at Little Rock
and General Banks, at Alexandria, La
The conscript bureau had CLEANED the
fields of the last of the bearded grain,
and nothing was left but the flowers that
grew between'-the boys too young to go
far from home realizing now the danger
coming so near, as fast as allowed repaired
to camps, and yet the force was not large
enough.
"Then new order came, and the men
slaves were impressed and sent to the
shops as laborers and teamsters in the va
rious departments, to fill such places as
they could, in order that for every slave SO
employed another soldier could be relieved
and go to the front. The burden of feed
!, ing and clothing the army devolved upon
the women of the south. Cheerfully and
with untold sacrifices did they do their
part. Our people did not escape the i'm
pressment law"
Excuse me; but whom do you mean by
hammock.
I'VE called our slaves our people," re-
sponded Mrs. Gray, with smile. "They
were impressed into service and sent to
Shreveport, La. to work. Among the men
was one who had been married only year;
he objected to leaving his wife and baby.
Jake was his name. While they were dis
cussing the question among themselves
Albert presented himself at the dining
room door.
"'Good mawnin, mistis, he said, doffing
his hat, AN skuse me for 'sturbin yer
brekfus, but I'ze akin favor dis mawnin
"All right, Albert. What is it'' asked
my mother.
eyer see, mistis, as how Jake is press
ed" along wild tudder nlggers an Jake he
got a likely wife an mighty antic boy
"'Well"
"Albert hesitated and scratched his
woolly pate.
"'I know my mother said sympathet-
ically. i know all the circumstances, but
am powerless.'
"T amt blamin yer, mistis-the Lawd
knows amt er blamin nobody-but !
druther go in Jake's place an let him
stay wild hees wife an boy
"sWhy Albertr exclaimed my mother