The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-03-07
CHAPTER III.

DEVOTED CONFEDERATE.
On the morning of the general ad-
vance Of the Army of the Cumberland
q drizzling rain set in which lasted at
intervals during the whole campaign.
Day after day the men tramped through
the mire, often to lie down at night
with no means of lifting themselves out
Of pools except by cutting the wet
branches from the trees, and on these
making bed in drenched clothes The
artillery soon cut up the roads so that
the guns sank to the hubs of the wheels
The right continued to march toward
the left and in the direction Of the base
Of the Cumberland plateau, where Miss
Betsy Baggs and the others were pass
ing between the lines. The Unionists
we're moving upon gaps in the foot
hills held by the Confederates, and nec-
essary to the latter to prevent their enc
mics getting on their right. and thus
compelling them to leave their fortifica-
tions at Tullahoma and fight on open
ground.
1t was the day that the Union men
attacked these gaps that Miss Baggs
passed under Confederate protection,
and the farmer and the two young peo-
pie with him were also pursuing their
route south. Fortunately for him, the
farmer, being on the flank Of the two
armies, was not forced to pass over
roads cut up by either. After Major
Burke had administered the oath not to
divulge anything they had seen con-
cerning the Union forces to the farmer
and the young girl in the wagon with
him (he considered the boy too young
to treat in the same way), the party
were suffered to depart and proceeded
down the road.
Jake" said the farmer, slapping the
horses backs with the reins, what
hev you l'arned at skule?'
"L'arned how ter play hop scotch
and shiny" )"
II don't mean thet kind. Imean real
l'arnin."
"Jakey was at great disadvantage,
pa, remarked the girl on the rear seat.
because he was obliged to go in classes
with little bits of boys. You remember
he didn't know his letters when he
went to school,"
mo more did you, said the father.
"Oh, yes, l did. I began to study
them a month before I went away, and
l taught Jakey. so that he knew some
thing about them, too, when he got
there.
"Air they doin much talkin bout the
war up no'th?"
"Well, it isn't at all like it is down
hyar" (no southerner will ever change
the pronunciation of this word). ''They
take lots of interest in it, and all that;
but, laws. it's one thing to get up in the
morning and read the papers bout bat
ties and such things, and another to have
soldiers running all over you, specially
! taking the garden truck and the horses
outen the barn-I mean out Of the barn.
Teacher. she had the hardest work to
break me from saying 'outen' for 'oui
off, It seems she hasn't quite done il
yet" She spoke the last words with
. sigh.
''Lordy, Souri,, y talk like fine lady
compared 18th what y did afore y went
moth. Jake. would y like ter drive
'em?''
Reckon"
The father handed the reins to his
son, who, considering that he had not
driven horse for year, handled them
| with considerable skill.
! ''How did you leave MAJ" asked the
daughter.
"Waal, y'r NAV she war q heap lone
some 'thout y%uns, and she's been q
worritin TO- fear I'd git sick up tina,
18th no one ter tend ter =, but sence the
Continued on 7th page.5