The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-15

band, though we doeshope nightly TO
our tobacco and little coffee now AMI
then. But what is pesterin mos NV us i
clothes. What we goin to do for clothes
missy? Some Nv the women folks ant
ohillun is real bad off now"
Miss Turner coughed impressively be
hind Jessioa's back.
"Oh, really, my dear Jessica, this il
too much. Why don't you tell him thai
we don't know ourselves where we are
going to get our next pair of ahoes?'
She fidgeted as if she would like moth.
ing better than to take part in the
discussion.
Jessica's reflective silence moved q
petitioner in the rear to lift his voice
in gentle apology:
"We amt here to find no fault with
you, missy. Thar amy a man in this
crowd that wouldn t fight fob Marse
Merry's daughter if need be, and he
knows it Of you dtn't. We jus corn
cluded that you could think up some
way for us to git hold of some cloth.
This is mighty tight times with all on
us, white and black, but we don't want
to poster you, little mistiss.''
"You are not troubling me at all,
boys. I am only troubled by your trou-
bles. was wondering why we could
not start looms Of our own. There must
be some among the old women Of the
place who know how to weave
Thio ,,raotipo1 or, n m n o. ~, -, ,k ,,,.AL :,
cold reception. 1t seemed very round
about way out Of their pressing necessi-
ties.
"Give me until tomorrow night, and
will tell you if can start loom.
e. There must have been spinning done on
the place once upon time, for the
looms and spinning wheels are up stairs
in the attic right now" 3
In old mistiss' time, =" said Jeptha re-
luotantly, "the women and girls all
knowed how to spin and weave, but
there, amt sbut one left on the place
now that used to sit at the loom in her
day"
"And that one?''
SIS one we all gives wide berth to
Savanna that lives on the edge Of the
place"
Savanna, then, must help u.s.
"You just let Savanna lone, missy.
No good won't come Of stirrin her up"
II have seen her once
"You is?''
Jessica laughed. "Yes. She was not
very polite to me on that one occasion,
but shall call on her again tomorrow,
and now, friends, can only repeat that
if you will give me few days time I
think I can help you out of this trouble
We are likely to have others to confront
before our head comes back to us, but
will try not to forget that in my fathers
absence you are all my children, for
whom must look out. Good night"
A murmur of thanks ran through the
delegation, and then the men turned
away, vaguely oomforted now that o
white friend was to take some interest
in their case.
II think" said Jessica, turning a
bright face toward her companion, II
begin to understand that the world has
need even of its Shorters. I shall thank
her for my lessons at the loom if this
old crone proves refractory. I never ex-
pected to utilize any of the accomplish.
ments learned in that school"
Accomplishments. Did that dreadful
woman ever really teach you anything
that could be called an accomplish
ment?"
From your point of view, no. From
the standpoint Of our present necessities,
yes. Who knows but we may have to be
for our soldiers soon?"
VI should think it was not at all un-
likely, seeing that Mrs. Brownell has
already issued call for all the damask
curtains in the county to be made into
soldier shirts. I am 30 glad, by the way,
my dear Jessica, to hear you speak Of
our soldiers Your attitude throughout
this entire time has been SO peculiar
my attitude toward my father and
the men he led into the field is one Of
affectionate solicitude. do not care to !
discuss my attitude toward the larger
questions at stake. / am afraid our men
will be in sore need of many things we
,annot provide
II should say so. One whole year
since the Apologize sharpshooters took
he field, and what are we the better for
t? When New Orleans falls and Vicks-
,urg is taken, which is inevitable, we
will be Theoretically sealed from the
est Of the world, and we will be crush
ID between the upper and neither mill
tones. Who would have believed it
possible for this thing to go on SO long?"
II fancy it has but Just begun. -
"Just besunl Mercy, Jessica, then
ve may as well give up! I haven'ta
,air Of shoes to my name, and as for
,loves, really have forgotten how they
eel"
(Which only goes to show that they
re an effete superfiuity!" said Jessica,
With note of irony in her voice.
'Oh, SO far as that goes, everything
eyond bearskin robes and the moccasins
# the savage can be called effete super
luities, but having been born in that
tation of life which ranks gloves and
ellis among, the decencies | don't like
0 do without them. Really, do believe
on have more sympathy for those
rumbling darsies who have just left us
han you have for anybody else. !"
Miss Turner'S voice betrayed her
gnse Of injury at Jessica's hands. The
ompanionship which had promised her
0 much more than it had given her in
be way Of sociability was. sometimes
e ~ /
When tho colonel hud been casting
bout for somebody to leave with Jes-
ca. tho NAME and personality Of nm old
s- .7 -s-.-