The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-07-13

way, when one day about noon / was
going 1t alone through a piece of wood
land, and came on beautiful spring
just at the edge OF field. | had not
had mouthful to eat, except corn
sometimes parched and sometimes raw
for about four days. so l followed the
path out into the open, thinking it
would lead 10 house. | wasn't mis-
taken, for when got to the edge of
the woods l saw a comfortable looking
farmhouse not far off. l went up to
the front gate and into the yard. There
was an old gentleman on the porch, but
before l could speak his wife ran out
crying the Yankees were coming.
81 told them l wasn't a Yankee, but
Confederate soldier without a meal
fol- four days and wanted something to
eat. was at once invited in, but be-
fore l had chance to sit down hardly
the old man came in off the porch, ex-
claiming the Yankees were coming
along the road and up the winding car
riage road to the house.
"'You are my son. said the old man,
and caught on in minute. l wasn't
anything more than boy, 30 thought
| could work something of a baby
racket. l ran out and hid under the
woodpile my telegraph instrument,
which | carried slung over my shout
der, and then came back and sat down
near the old man on the front porch.
The old man started to give me some
directions about how l was to conduct
myself when he saw the soldiers tear
ing down the fence along the road and
tttr M thair hnrca irt o d; hno Go1J
The wheat was eight or ten inches
high, and of course several hundred
horses with good appetites would ruin
the whole patch in mighty little
while.
"My God, l can't stand that the
old fellow said, and he jumped up and
started down the steps. He trotted
down to the gate, and climbed up and
sat on the top of one of the posts. He
didn't speak word, but he did some-
thing worth more to him then than all
the speeches ever made. He didn't
have anything to shoot with, but he
had something else that beat a cannon
ball all hollow. | didn't know then
what he did, but know now that he
made the distress signal of Master
Mason. You could have knocked me
down with feather when l saw those
men begin climbing into their saddles,
and saw them ride out into the road
and fix up the old mans fence.
"Then several officers came gallop-
ing up the drive and stopped at the
gate. The old man clambered down
from his perch on the post, and then
there was most fraternal handshake
all around.
''The old fellow invited them all into
the house, and tell you l felt mighty
squeamish when they came out on the
porch where l was. One of them said
something about my being lucky
enough not to have been born in time
to have share in all the trouble, and
then they all went into the house and
had drink of old apple brandy. When
they came out the Colonel told his en-
tertainer that guard would be placed
at the gate down at the road and that
his property should not be disturbed.
They gal!oped away, and l went in
and packed away as much corn bread
and fat meat as could hold. / then
struck out and caught up with our
army. The next day we surrendered
at AppomattoX.
1.-The really remarkable fact about
this, it seems to me now, is that when
took the Masters degree in Masonry
and learned what it was that the old
man did to hold Sheriden's troops in
check, he himself helped to confer the
degree. Richmond Dispatch,