The National tribune., 1898-01-13

The subject of returning to my home with
my sister and the Yankee guard, Charlie, on
the following day was preached and dis
cusSed The two succeeded in convincing
me that the remnant of our army had surely
gone TO North Carolina, and there was no
possible chance for me to get 10 them; be
sides, if ] remained where | was | wonld
probably be captured as the Yankees were
securing the woods every day, and had already
caught a number of rebels. BY the time we
were ready to retire it was fully settled that
j should make the venture and if detected
could only go 20 prison, TO remain till eX-
changed or peace was declared, which we had
reason TO believe would not be very long.
Charlie and slept together THE first time
] ever had Yankee foT bedfellow), and the
next morning began to prepare for the con-
tenplated trim Hats and shoes were very
scarce in the Confaderacy at that time, and
it was a difficult matter TO get him rugged
up.'' but, finally, we found the remnant of
a hat and a mismatched pair of shoes, both
of which had long before been discarded as
worthless.
This much accomplished, the problem con-
fronting us was How should we GO? For
tl1nafely. the ,bushwhackers had no use for
my sisters saddle and brother John owned
q mule so cid and poor that neither Yank nor
reb would have him, so we saddled him up
and mounted my sister on him, and Charlie
and / started out on foot.
The procession. was rather a eomical one,
and you may imagine the young lady's attire
matched the mule in appearance. but you are
very far wrong. The women of the South
were as ingenious as patriotic, and when
their supply of dry-goods was cut off they
brought from the garrets their gTandmothers'
spinnine-wheels, and soon learned how to use
them. They manufactured cloth for the
kwhoIe family. both black and white Dye
stuffs were obtained from barks and walnut
.hulls. while q factory near by furnished cot
son warp until the supply was cut off or con-
siscatod. Old silk waists and satin vests were
carefully picked to pieces and mixed with
She white cotton producing a kind of gray
goods which was really pretty, or, at least,
heemed TO be then.
So my sister appeared a model of neatness
and good taste in her habit of gray, embel-
1ished with coTding of black velvet and nu-
merous brass buttons and hat Of straw,
braided. shaped, and dyed by her own bands.
The cid mule stumbled along as patiently
as possible under his fair burden, while
Charlie and did escort duty as calamity as
ssyas compatible with our condition; hut
.SldlilS S0oH btsSlH 10 tolll pie.in- &c icib TIC
need of infantry training and his good shoes,
(which the guerlillas had robbed him of the
might before.
The Old shoes he wore, mismatched and
hard as bone, soon blistered his feet, and
it was with difficulty that he could walk at
all Being accustomed to marching (having
footed it over half the Confederacy the past
three years., a little walk Of II miles was
f1othip1 ia me and | rather enioyed If but for
the sympathy which / felt for Charlie in his
distress
The trip was nneyentful until we reached
the top OF the bill overlooking the little
village OF sGrayeiiy Springs. surveyed the
Scene with . fear and trembling" The bills
which a few weeks before had been covered
with forest trees, were now bare, every
~estige of timber had been removed. even the
caves swept of. and the hills and valleys
:Sere dotted with white tents as far as the
eye could reach.