Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-06-03
SAVED THE BABY.

Run. honey rum Heah come de
Yankees"
Such was the CRY which reused Nell
Tarleton from her bed that summer
evening when General Butler, at the
head Of tho Federal troops, swooped
down upon City Point. Va, and block
cd the road to Petersburg.
Nell Tarleton dwelt with her mother
and baby brother In their old fashioned
home on the James river. The father Of
the family was away on the Potomac.
hghting the battles Of the Confederaoy.
and only few faithful negroes remain.
ed to guard Mrs Tarleton and her chill.
dren.
AS Nell sprang from her bed sbe
beard the rattle Of musketry up the
river. A shell tore, screaming, over the
house, followed D another and another.
Then there burst forth from the stables
lnrid glare and she heard her moth.
er distracted voice shrieking that the
negro quarters were afre.
Nell's fingers trembled violently. but
she managed to don her frOok and Shoes
before Old Aunt Drusilla came lumber.
ing up the stairs and drove the child.
shoes In hand, from the room,
Doan' min yo' shoes till yo' Qits
out o flah, exclaimed Aunt DrusillA
resolutely, and 10, barefooted and half
clad. Nell hurried through the oonfu.
sion OF the hall and into the lawn DO.
fore the house.
There she found her mother hysterio.
al and helpless, and there, too, was the
Daby, snuBly wrapped up and carried
by his nurse, the mulatto Phnbe.
some valuables hastily put together lay
In bundles on the grass--plainly reveal.
cd IN the ruddy light from the blazing
huts. Nobody seemed to know what 10
do till Aunt Drusilla swept upon the
scene Then movement took the place
Of inaction.
"Heah, yo' fool niggahsl" cried the
old oolored woman. "What for yo' star.
IN en- dom nufiinp Want do Yankees 10
ootoh yo', huhi Grab dem bundles an
run Tor dc woods. An yo', too, Miss
-, an yo', honey. Run, I tell yo'.
Phoebe. min dat ar chile, or 1 warm
20. Ever 'body's got to run"
And everybody ran-even fat Aunt
Drusilla herself. Down the dewy lawn.
with the Federal bullets whistline
among the tree tops hard by, ana the
tamsh spreading to the barns and sta.
son they fled. For In the night attack
! draD was safe. Neither north nor
gravast 1t against women and chill
the area b AR cover Of darkness the
At lass tsov r,h}seatened all within
and the sou'd Of nriS.
ly to their ers. thoug6S dense woods,
distant fire sjll showed III put faint
tion upon the ky line. Of tho
dis far 'nogh." grunted A unit, eo'
silla. who, dosite her age and oorpul I
lence, had keI we'll In front Of the
race "Wo can list now. Put dem bun.
dies down, yo' b'ys, an. 0 my Lawdl
Whar's Ph1bef"
Poor Mrs. Tarlehn turned at the old
wolnan's frightenedcry--turned TO zee
that tho young milatto was indeed
missing, together sith her precious
charge the baby The unfortunate
woman brain roeiA. at this last terri.
Bile calamity, and she fell faintins apon
the path.
Kneeling by her side and chatting her
hands. Aunt Drusilla cried frantioally
to the negro boys, who stood around. 10
search the woods.
go back do way we come" abe
shouted. "Pbebe mus be captured or
shot. Go back an fetch young marse
fore do Yankees git him."
But the negroes hung their heads
sheepishly.
"We'se 'fraid, Aunt Drusilla. Deed
we'se dpefful 'fraid," they moaned.
Wrathfully the old woman rose to
her feet.
IAN yo' call yo'selves men I" she ex-
claimed. "Yo's muffin but pack o.
cowardly possums. I'll 60 back NAH
self. Yassuri Ole Aunt Drusilla alma
scared o. Yankee guns when young
Marse Halls lef' behin'."
True to her word. the stout hearted
Drusilla turned In the direction Of the
burning outbuildings and shuffied down
the pathway as fast as she could 20.
But another pair Of feet were lighter
than hers. A little girl In fiimsy frook,
with her shoes clutched In her hands,
sped past the old negress. IL was Nell
Tartleton trembling no longer, but wild
with eagerness to save her baby brother.
Come back. honey Foo do Lawd'l
sake, como backp gasped Aunt Drusil-
la, AZ she snatched unavailingly at the
small figure which rushed 10 swiftly
by. But Nell only shook her head and
ran the faster. Farther and farther be-.
hind dropped poor Drusilla, until al
least she lost sight OF Nell all together.
Then shr threw up her hands and sank
despairingly upon log.
"Dat ends 1t all, 4" she sobbed. boy
an gal bofe gone now. What'll Mars
'rahleton say when he comes bAok2 Ar
! Ioor missl Boun' TO kill her daid wheE
40 hear dat Neil's gone too"
On through the woods ran Nell-hsl
motner's Agonized face ever befopo be
and the determination 10 save liet1gf7H
strong within her. A Jagged stone GU
! her bare foot, but could not stay be
3 even for an instant Now she saw th
: roofs Of her fathers house illuminate
by the spreading FIRE, and now agai
the shells went whistliDg over her heat
1 Rabbits and squirrels skurried madl
/ past her, escaping from the advancir
e troops. She heard the sound Of mar
b footsteps and the sharp banging Of Il
y Federal rifles. On the rising ground b
. fore the house black figures hurr.tLA
y and fro-the van Of Buffers arr Exa
y she did not stop. What were T.