The National tribune., 1897-10-21
By DR.. J. P. CANNON Co. G, 9th Ala.

TO stay in the house all the time. feel W,
much like prisoner l am getting restle
ana long TO roam over the country, vi:
oiu friends, and note the changes win,
nave occurred since / left, Int the FAM
VIII not allow me to venture away fro
my hiding-place for fear Of being capture
ana made prisoner sure enough.
Ibis being AL Fools Day" my sist,
suggested a plan 10 April fool I" the Yal
KEGS the next time they came; that W,
10 dress me up in her clothes and pass n
OIL for girl. / obj ciei at first, but when
woman "sets her hea she generally hs
her way. She argued that NV size WAS in,
right, and my face As smooth as any girl2
and said :" | can fix you up so nobody vii
Know you then you can 20 where yo
please, have a good time, and the Yankee
VIII never 81 pect you to he ANYTHING but
16-year-old girl"
Nell, anything 10 relieve the monotonv O
my close-confinement in the house
agreed TO do it, and in a short time she hat
me rugged up in girls attire from head I,
foot After big laugh, in which all Joined
they declared / was the best-looking Girl il
fhe neighborhood, but thought of seyera
VINO was snre were better looking when
saw them last, something over two wears
ago.
went to the mirror and looked myseIl
over. The Transformation was cnmplete
put appeared so as k wand that doubted
my ahlii'y to cary out the instructions
n''d received IN the Way of behavior when
the ankees should come; besides. the nos
sioiliiy OF being caught in this garb scared
me TO think about IL. and | got out of
them clothes quicker than got in My
sister was disappointed, hut / told her I
couldn't help 1t; would rather take nv
chances
ne day passed off as quietly as we could
Wish TIL about 3 O'Clock in the afternoon.
"hen we heard the tramp of cavalry, and
cimoeo INTO my hiding place again They
gaioped up to the house, and some came in.
while others held horses. As soon as they
began to talk l knew they were regular
Yankees. and felt relieved that they were
not OF the same gang who had been here
the two preceding days.
feit round in the dark, and found nv
1ine-bottles and enjoyed myself quite well
under the circumstances. They remained
rome time, but never made any inquiry for
me, and l presume did not know that there
was q rebel anywhere near.
Alter they left / concluded that it was
eettlng rather irksome as well as dangerous
10 De cooped up in the house. ready to hide
every time 1 heard n horses step or a dog
Dark, and would prefer staying in the woods |
awhile by way of change
knowing every thicket and path in the |
surrounding country, can hide out in the |
oay ana come home at night; so when / |
hade known my determination to try the
woods tomorrow, my sister, who is anxious
10 90 everything for my pleasure during nv
is.i' conceived the idea of getting the young
doies OF TIE immediate neigh borhood to meet
~ at certain secluded place and have a
olt OF picnic and accordingly notified them
Z our "ishes. i have not seen any of the
IRIS, and anticipate a pleasant time. won
lering why we had not thought of il before
In the woods, April EARLY this morn ,
ng. according to program. we repaired to
ne place OF rendezvous and met several of |
be girls, some Of whom brouvht their
Tothers, who, like myself, were at home on !
1nough, and we had quite a nice little ,
ariy. The girls had prepared baskets of 2
ice Things TO eat and every arrangements d
as perfected for day of enjoyment. pro- q
lceo the Yankees did not interfere and of h
lis we apprehended but little danger as f
'ey were not likely to stray so lar from
he public roads. ;,
We spent the day without interruption, a
10 hsa such coed time that when we d
paraied TO go home at night we voted v
nahlmously to meet again tomorrow. ,,
hpfi All present. at roli-caa this z,
orhlhg plenty to eat and nothing 10 do "
II TAX 10 the girls. This is far ahead of a
-hihg Yankees and living on cornbread. "
metines with blue beef aud sometimes | j,
ithout. and if war was nothing more we =
Ouidn't care how losg it lasted but aIasi r
. know that in few DAYS these good :,
mes VIII be gone, and we must make The Il,
st OF our opportunities while they do last In
ne girls leave nothing undone that they .,
lnK VIII add to our pleasure. and, dressed | h,
nomespnn cloth and wheat-straw hats
sy look prettler and sweeter than they II
q before the war In silks and laces. nc
Ladies OF wealth and refinement who W
yer knew anything about manual labor 81
We learned to spin and weave cotton e.
'th, which, made up and trimmed with L.
'eei h quite pretty 1t is now Impossible "a
procure Northern manufactured goods ~
q indeed is considered unpatriotic to wear us
EN-, even If they could be had. They N
We ripped and TUNED their old dresses en-
I'll everything is worn out, and it is ri,
liter Of necessity to adopt new STYLES. and ar
mespun cotton is the style all over the
ath NV
april to IA portion of our marty nat N
the woods again on Monday, and as The IN
nkees had not been in the neighborhood wi
several days We felt that we would be mo
IN allowing ourselves . little more free co
IN roaming around wherever our ipcli. III,
ions might lead us, but an unexnec,ed Va
urrenee caused US to change our minds be-
hnnt cover Of the nearest thickets. ca,
no OF the boys, Lee and Shelf Waits III,
. Their girls, probably deeply inter Tn
~ w each other, and forgetting that it ini
"artines, wandered off so far that a The
aa 81 Yankees swooped down on them The
NAG all OF them prisoners before thew snr
:" III. The girls were paroled and al b.y
60 TO 60 home, but the bows were COR. \
10 camp, about IL miles distant arriv. .,5
IN the night, where they were guarded rs.,
III daylight, then brought up before The fom
Ger In command, and actually aEed
naselvss out % of the difficulty. ,ha
ZEE had been discharged In ig6l m oo To
ut Of wound received at the frs, ba,,I. -,
u anassas- de showed this dischsrp. % v,.'
otncsr, and told him be had never been of I,
'idier since. Shelf had been NV Chm onr
messmate for more than two wears Int q
I'd his urn came he said he had never go.
soldier, and never expected Ia he 81
youthful face was much in his favor M;
without further investigation they var. Va
ased, and came back rejoicing. mneh to ,sp.'
surprise, Tor we expected nothing for ~ ,
ID but term IN prison up North. i,,e
bis little affair broke up our MGR ;cl;,,, -
Il no