Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-04-11
CH PTFR NJ

| 10 the class kDOwn at that tlne ana still referred to as poor whites. | Through the efforts of his wife he had | managed to hold onto d small farm just outside of Winchester. left him by his father. but It Is doubtful if her argu- ments would have carried the day had any one made cash offer for the few acres. While Ike always referred to himself as broken down by hard work, about five days out of every week had been spent tramping around the coun- try with his gun or discussing Van | kees" and "niggers" in the village bar rooms with others of his ilk. Accord ing to his own line of argument, he was a martyr. III luck had always followed him. even to the birth and death of triplets.
 Mrs. Baxter also had a constitutional 1 and ready made grievance. If she had i been allowed to have her way about | things, she always argued, they would i long ago have been rich and owned mig gers, Yes, sah, real niggers and mo | or fewer $15 mewls." Ike Baxter had also been granted furlough. and according to the stories he told after reaching home the battle of Bull Run would not have been vic tory without him. When anything was said about Kenton, he was prompt in replying:
 "Durn the Yankee! But we uns has got our eyes open now, and he un can t play us no mo triCks!' He was 50 outspoken in hls language, and his language was so bitter that Lawyer Williams and others were given an inkliug of the true state of affairs. The lawyer found opportunity to in quire of Ike:
 Didn't my nephew enlist of his own accord, and Is there a man in the con- panv who has exhibited more bravery and won more of a reputatlOn:
 What did he un rush in and rally at | Bull Run fur befo' Duke Wyle could git thar:" demanded Ike in reply. He un just wanted to show off and make believe. And isn t he un givin us away to the Tanks all the time? And isn t he | un talkin bout Gineral Jackson and | holdin his head above us: And if he un gifts the chance won't he un give up our hull army to Gineral Mcclellan? Oh, 1 We uns has o11r eyes open fur him." i Mrs. Baxter bad got the idea from | lke,s letters home that he had not only won crown of fame under fire, but was holding the whole Federal army in ] check. She could read and write. but very poorly. She had picked up most of her information and all her military terms from others scarcely less ignorant. When Ike appeared in sight down the road, she ran to meet him and welcomed him with:
 1 "Hurrah fur Gineral Ike Baxter, who fit and fit till the Yankees dun run away"
 Don't yo' un know nothin ?" angrily i demanded Ike as he came nearer. Didn't yo' un fit and ft?''
 ''Of co SC fit, but yo' needn't gab it all over Virginny and make other folks | jealous!'
 "Whar's yo'r stripes?" she asked. What stripes?'
 "On yo'r arms-yo'r gineral stripes?"
 II hain't no gineral!''
 "Yo' hain't? Why. 1 thought yo' was boss of the hull armyl What S the matter yo' hain't no glneral?"
 What the matter yO' hain't got no sense in yo'r head2'
 But yo' un's corporal!' No
 "A major?''
 "No."
 A leftenant?' "No."
 "Hain't yo' un nothin but jest com mon folks?" she persisted. No"
 Didn't allus say yo' un had no speerit about yo', and that's why we was allus pore and low down?" she bitterly exclaimed as they passed into the house. Ike Baxter, yo' haint shucks! You un's low down. and yo' like to stay right thar! Everybody else is comin home with gineral's and cor poral's and majors stripes on thar sleeves, but yo' has dun let 'em walk yo' inter the mud and hain't got no speerit to resent itl If I'd gone down thar, d "a come back as big as anybody! I've dun told everybody yo' un was gin eral, and now-now yo's only jest com monp'
 Mrs Baxter sat down and wept and used her apron for handkerchief. Ike had expected just such reception, and he had a plan to develop at the proper