The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-09-02
A GIRLS APRON.

-N SAAfs 'A'NA
this is the story she tells OF the roman
tic meeting and courtship Of her father
and mother. 1t is a story Of the civil
war, and the famous Confederate spv
who dressed as a woman and was
known as Sue Mundy figures in her mar
rative:
You know, all of mothers folks were
Confederates, while fathers people be-
lOnged to the other side.
On account Of this little apron the
SPY, Sue Mundy, was suspected by the
Union soldiers Of being a man and a
spy. l will tell you about it.
The apron, you will notice, is made
of alternating stripes Of red and white
and forms, as you see, the flag of seces-
sion. This stain here is a witness to tho
first meeting of my father and mother.
My mothers father was an officer in
the Confederate army. He was killed
in the beginning of the war, leaving
grandmother with three children, all
girls. They lived on a farm not far
from Fairfield, KY, and were fairly
well off. At the time mother nude this
apron she was about Is or Is. Her old
est sister had just come home from
boarding school, bringing a friend with
her. The friend in question was none
other than Sue Mundy, who had come
for the express purpose of spying on tho
Yankees, who were encamped a short
distance from town. If 1 remember
rightly, the camp was the headquarters
of General Buell..
Mother says Sue Mundy was one of
tho most etfc,ninate men she ever saw.
He was unusually slender for a man,
and had small, delicately formed hands
and feet, all oval face, large black eyes
and long, ripping, dark brown hair.
He was also the possessor Of a good So
prano voice.
He camo prepared with an extensive
wardrobe and carried off his part of a
fashionable and fascinating young lady
to perfection. OF course my mother and
Miss Sue in time made the acquaintance
Of some OF the officers stationed near
our town, one Of whom became very
much infatuated with Miss Sue, and
baskets of fruit and flowers came al
most daily bearing his card.
Of course, owing to the troubled
times, there was a dearth Of parties and
balls. For amusement my aunt and
Miss Sue We're in the habit of attending
the dancing class to which my mother
and her younger sister went one evening
Of each week.
One evening before going to dancing
school mother made this apron and
wore it over her white dress for the
benefit of the Yankees who were GER
tain to be present. About the middle
Of the evening mother and Miss Sue
went into the smaller room for a drink
of water. A man bearing the bars of a
sergeant on his arm was just raising
the dipper to his lips when mother said
mischievously:
ga health to jeff Davis"
AS quick as Il flash came the retort.
eyes, miss, here's a health to our
apron" While the contents Of the dip
per were dashed over that offending ar
ticle Of attire.
At this insult to the southern colors
Miss Sue forgot that Drawn did not en-
ter into the make up Of the young la
dies OF those days and gave the young
officer a right handed blow which sent
him like a log to the floor, from which
he did not rise at once. When he did, it
was with a graceful bow to his late as
sailant and an apology for his rudeness
to mother.
After this the Yankees put their
heads together, and, remembering the
information which had gone to the
"Johnnies" concerning their forces,
Miss Sues aptitude at sketching and
on top Of it all the knock out of the
young officer, they were convinced that
Miss Sue was not what she pretended to
be. A watch was kept on her move
ments.
By the time of the next dancing les
SOL a plan was made for the escape of
Miss Sue from quarters that were be-
ginning to be rather warm for her.
Mother and my aunt went as usual to
the dancing class, and to all inquiries
concerning Miss Sue they replied that
she was at home with a headache. In
reality that interesting young person
was booted and spurred and waiting
for the appointed time to dash by the
pickets and start Oh his 40 mile ride to
Louisville.
Near the end Of the lesson there was
the sound Of hurried footsteps on the
stairs and in a moment Sue Mundy
came hurriedly into the room. For some
reason there were no Yankees present.
In a few words he told of how he had
tried to pass the pickets, had been fired
on and had jumped from his horse and
hid in tho LuShac LIZ. Tho L.; d all