The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-12-01
Far rom the Front.
D. SsmsA MlatuFA psck

n hSx OoDObuus ooujdmiu AAotuoms
n thses months. In time Of war
women grow accustomed to long epis-
toiary sllenoes, but never before had
Anne been % long without Ndlngs
She Wa a hopeful woman, and had
sshooAed herself 70 look on the bright
aAs, nor had she been unrewarded,
ios Latham had served IN Lee's army
fonf long years unharmed BY disease
sr ballet. During the psst yesr. how
s~ss. anxiety for the ubsent scldieH
wss not. &he only trial that came to
pask the hearts OF me women OF the
ssntsdsresy. The woh. hunger, long
kept a. bag By good crop years,
serstshed ~ the door.
n was not - hard TO wan% them
selves, bat II was sickenfng TO zee their
children lack. And Il came 20 pass
THAI many Of the wives Of the poor
lnesslavs-ownlng whites who dwelt In
the Aius some etimes asked themselves
II they were not paying too dearly for
the poaslbility o( some day owning Z
negro. ard other benefits promised BY
sssssslon. .
Anne Latham. In tho hirls OF West
| Alabama, had managed fairly we'll for
three yean. She had a horse with
which TO DO blowing, and she had
aaseed corn, peas and potatoes, which,
with the milk Of her COW. fed her little
family Of three; and with her spinning
wheel and loom she spun and wove
efoth,sg for hersei, and children.
ror three years she had kept brave
heart. and II was not TIN the confed-
crate government pressed her horse
into service that she be gan 20 despond.
She wrote the loss 70 Ben. but added
,Sat she had enough 10 last her
through the coming winter, and bnde
him not 70 fret. That was IN the au-
tumn. Spring came and found her
With IittIe TO subdst upon but the
mf1k Of her COW, snd the COW was going
dry.
I, wrs On stormy night In April
that Aunes future seemed to her we'll
nigh a. dark as the skies. Everything
that shs knew was Encouraging. and
thc unknown might be even worse.
Fer II he we're not dead, why had her
hvsoand not written?
n wrs fun night when Anne came
from mirNtne Bstfis the esw. and built
fhs FIRE TO hAhs a pons Of cornbread
fer the children.
Whom all was rea6y-4he lfttls all
she dfvtded the small pitcher OF milk
Between the children. and broke the
psAe Of bread into three Heoes, TAX
iag tihs smaEsst herself.
''Msmru+s, whers's y our cup p asked
the strysar-oid Ben.
dc1t core for miiis no~sdayv, SON.
s,&" rspaisd Anne.
"fsa nsd 70 drink u, namme."
"fes; when Ds had q lot O. milk,
sonsso0y had - drink II 10 keep II
from sYoinng. But come. cat your
supper" said the mosner. willing to
change the snbject, and forcing a
smhs 10 her thin hnngsr-s:ricken
face; 1fs time nttls folks went to
bed"
x vsaI soDs more milk. mammie."
ssM >year-oao Lucy, beating her
empty Nm cup on the table
TAsse issS soy more. Take some
81 ny brenS-"
-rs. nammie.- said the boy; "give
h@s NJ emp Tve bad enough"
A lssAC came tn the little fellows
thpssA, ~ Ne knew more Of his moth
srs svoub3s than sbe supposed. and.
fh~wibS kis arm about her neck. he
kisssd lr tspdesiy.
Nsmm&e, whom u pap coming home
from the war;
Anrs replied 10 tbs ehiId's query
wfth forced eheGfuiress, and when the
shfldrvr were tucked sway in bed, plac-
ing a nsht-wood knot upon the fading
hre, she hroeSh, 90. her knitting. The
wind sotybed down the chimney, and
ths Pain ,e,tied upon the cabin roof,
for the storm was growing fercer.
Everything WAS gloomy but the blazing
krst ard the old gra! cat which sat
pnrrfng " the Are. Thank God, the
government dil not press cats-cats
tDs WODeu were ttrN ~ uOIDc W Cdlcu
n ios, and rake, and pAcw.
The Are s<pt lights and shedows
SapciRg about the room, now lesping
across ths raf1srs, now lingering on
the bod ~be+e the children lay peace
fully s!saping. Anne stopped knitting
and Isared her head upon her thin,
-erp hand. She was hungry, bit her
heart was hungriest Of ell. What was
beyond tae storm and darkness, far
away' Whore was her husband to-
right? II abe could only know he was
alive and well she could battle with
want awhile longer. Perhaps with the
coming grass ,hs COW would sill give
milk enough for tts children. She her
teli would continue 10 sxist some way.
She could bsoil hsrbS, or catch fish in
the creek. gbe thought II she could
only get letter from Ben she could
live through anything.
The cat stopped pairing, and Anne,
with her tired head upon her hand, be-
gan 10 nod from very WEAKNESS. In
sein!-conscioss state she crooned soft-
~ Lullaby that she sung her chsl-
u s.L u 81