Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-10-22
take care Of her and the children.

1 take care or her and the cnllQren. L
was older thaa the rest by good
deal. had the crops to raise, had
to pillow, hoe, cut and shuck corn,
down trees and haul them, and do
al that man does and heap that
woman does. The four years Of
the war seemed forty years to me.
All the men for miles around were
gone, and ell the boys that were big
enough to shoulder muskets.
'But at the time / was speaking
of, one OF our neighbors, young
man, was home on q furlough; he'd
been wounded in the arm. Him an
me had always known each other
and liked each other the way boy
and girl will, you know. "Well, one
day his mother came over to our
house and she says to me:
Rose, where's Louis gone tor
Ut don't know, I'm sure, says
Il and blushed up, for was BASH
fai and it plagued me to have her
make out that ] knew more about
Louis comings and goings than she
did. I'd been wondering why he
hadn't come around the day before,
for he'd been in the habit of droppin'
in every day.
"Louis was q great hunter. I've
known him to go off in the noun
tains by himself and stay week or
tive. hunting and trapping. But [
knew that wasn't where he had gone
now, for his arm wasn't strong
enough yet to carry gun.
"A few days after his mother was
at our house the door opened and
Louis walked in. Mother had TAX
en- all the children and gone to see a
neighscr little ways off, SO I was
alone. l was weavIn' carpet.
| aIionis came over to the loom.
He had a buckskin pouch in his
hand. Without sayin' a word he
took out ten dollar gold piece and
laid it on the carpet right under my
eyes. Then he took out another and
laid it alongside of that one, and
then another and another, till they
stretched the full width of the car
pet and part way back. There was
City Of them. Then Louis says:
+" Rose, will you share these shin
ers with me?'
"a little streak of sunshine came
through the window and made the
gold glitter till it hurt my eyes. l
looked up at Louis. His face shone
yellow like the gold. / don't know
why, but as / looked at him / didn t
like him as we'll as / did before he
went away and came back with all
this money. | was troubled in my
mind.
al earned it,
Howl
BY saving an army
| what army? And how?'
"He began to brush the gold into
q pile with his hand.
est amt fair for me to answer a
dozen questions for you before you
answer one for me- says he, laugh
ing kind of queer; but a girl must
always have her curiosity settled.
Well, this army that / saved from
bein' cut to pieces had got into a
mighty tight place. The enemy had
heard it was goin' to cross the noun
tain, and they throwed up fortifca-
lions on top and fixed regular trap
for it. At certain place that
they'd have to pass, trees were near
ly cut down SO that a few ticks
would finish them. Men we're hid
waiting for the army to go by, and
then they were to topple these trees
across the road and shut off retreat.
Things were planned mighty we'll,
but the army got wind of it some
how. They couldn't go back, for
they were running from an enemy,
an they couldn't go on, for there
was another enemy waitin' for 'em
in front. They didn't know how to
get out Of the trap. Then fellow
who knowed about me bein' at home
goes to the general, and says
I"There's man not fur from here
that knows every inch of ground on
these mountains. If anybody kin
lead US out OF here, he's the man.
"'Fetch him here double quickp
says the general.
$50 this feller-'
"sWho was it, LOUISE says I.
but he clicked his money against
my shuttle and laughed at my cur
iosity again.
This Teller and FIVE more, arm
ed to the teeth, comes across me one
morning and says: you're to come
with us and no questions asked
$50 they takes me to the general.
He tells me the fix they're in and
asks if there's any escape. / says
yes. He waits for no more.
Lead me out and you'll be
richer by FIVE hundred dollars. Re-
fuse, and you'll be a dead man in
side of Eve minutes
"'I thought of you, Rose, and led
them down through the valley and
well on toward Covington.'
"sWas it our menu says I.
II remember how dry my lips