The record-union., 1898-11-11
NELL AND THE BABY.


Gown upon City Point, Va, and blocked
the road to Petersburg.
Nell Tarleton dwelt with her mother
ana baby brother in their old-fashioned
home on the James River. The father
OF the family was away on the Poto-
mac, fighting the battles Of the Confed-
eracy, and only few faithful negroes
remained to guard Mrs. Tarleton and
her children.
AS Neil sprang from her bed she
neard the rattle Of musketry up the
river. A shell tore, screaming, over
Rne mouse, followed by another and an
other. Them there burst forth from the
STABLES lurid glare, and she heard her
mothers distracted voice shriehng that
Lne negro quarters were afire.
Nell's fingers trembled violently, but
she managed to don her frock and
shoes before old Aunt Drusilla came
numbering up the stairs and drove the
child, shoes in hand, from the room.
"Doan min yo' shoes till you gifts out
o fiah!' exclaimed Aunt Drusilla, reso-
lutely; and so, barefooted and half
clad, Nell hurried through the confu-
sion of the hall and into the lawn be-
fore the house
IOuIlQ neF uySlOi
1cal and helpless, and there, too, was
the baby, snugly wrapped up, and car
T1ed by his nurse, the mulatto, Phoebe.
Some valuables hastily put together lay
in bundles on the grass-plainly re-
vealed in the ruddy light from the
blazing huts. Nobody seemed to know
what to do till Aunt Drusilla swept
upon the scene. Then movement took
the place of inaction.
'Heah yo' fool niggahs,'' cried the
old colored woman; what for yo' star
an en- doin muffin? Want de Yankees
to cotch yo', huh? Grab dem bundles
an run for de woods! An yo', too,
Miss -, an yo' honey; run, tell yo'
Phoebe min dat ar chile, or I warm
yo' Ever body's got to run!'
And everybody ran even fat Aunt
Drusilla herself. Down the dewy lawn,
with the Federal bullets whistling
among the treetops hard by, and the
flames spreading to the barns and sta
bles, they fed. For in the night attack
no one was safe. Neither North nor
South warred against women and chill
dren but under cover Of darkness the
gravest danger threatened all within
the area of attack
and the sound of firing came but faint
ly to their ears, though the glare Of
the distant fire showed it's grim re-
Election upon the sky line
dis far 'nough," grunted Aunt Dru-
silla, who, despite her age and corpu-
1ence, had kept we'll in front of the
race; we can rest now. Put dem
bundles down, yo' boys, an, o my
1wad! Whars Phoebe?"
Poor Mrs. Tarleton turned at the old
woman's frightened cry-turned to see
that the young mulatto was indeed
missing, together with her precious
charge, the baby! The unfortunate wo-
mans brain reeled at this last terrible
calamity, and she fell fainting upon
the path.
Kneeling by her side and chafng her
hands, Aunt Drusilla cried frantically
to the negro boys, who stood around,
TO search the woods
Go back de way we come" she
shouted; Phoebe mus be captured or
shot. Go back an fetch young marse,
fore de Yankees git him.
But the negroes hung their heads
sheepishly.
''We'se 'fraid, Aunt Drusilla. Deed
wese drefful 'fraid," they moaned.
Wrathfully the old woman rose to her
feet
AN yo' call yo'selves men!" she ex-
claimed. "Yos muffin but pack O.
cowardly 'possums. I'll go
back mahself. Yassurl or Aunt Dru-
silla amt scared o. Yankee guns when
young Marse Halls lef' behin'."
True to her word, the stout hearted
,.-sT1 - H. 1;,.o1 1f t1o
burning outbuildings and shuff1ed down
the pathway as fast as she could go.
But another pair of feet were lighter
than hers. A little girl in a himsy
frock, with her shoes clutched in her
hands. sped past the old negress. 1t
was Nell Tarleton, trembling no lon
ger; but wild with eagerness to save her
baby brother.
Come back, honey! Fo' de Lawd's
sake come back!" gasped Aunt Dru-
silla, as she snatched unavailingly at
the small figure which, rushed so swift
ly by. But Nell only shook her head
and ran the faster Further and fur
ther behind dropped poor Drusilla, un-
til at last she lost sight of Nell alto
gether Then she threw up her hands
and sank despairingly upon a log.
Dat ends it ALL" she sobbed: hoy
an gal bofe gone now. What'n Marse
Tahleton say when he comes back?
An poor Miss! Boun' to kill
her daid, when she hear dat NeI's gone,
too"
On through the woods ran Nell-her
mothers agonized face ever before her,
and the determination to save little Hal
strong within her. A jagged stone cut
her bare foot, but could not stay her
even for an instant. Now she saw the
roofs of her fathers house Illuminated
by the spreading fire, and now again
the shells went whistling over her head.
Rabbits and squirrels scurried madly
past her, escaping from the advancing
troops. She heard the sound of many
footsteps, and the sharp banging of the
Federal rifles. On the rising ground
before the house black figures hurried
to and fro-the van Of Buffers army.
But she did not stop. What were the
enemy TO her when Hal was missing
wounded by chance bullet perhaps
and dying in the fields.
With a roar the house caught fire
and a shower of sparks scared into the
air and fell among the trees. A bullet
pinged not a foot away from Nell, but
she heard it not.
Hal! Brother Hall" was the song
that her heart sang, and she needed nc
other sound.