Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-06-02

New York. May 2T.--I had always said
there was not one drop Of patriotic blood in
my veins. At one time even belonged to
a peace society, and ] should still be a
member but. alas for Moor for them
they raised the fees, and !. not having
much fun in pence for nothing concluded
there would be even less in paying for it,.
You see, there was a little trouble about me
when | made nv original bow into the
world. came Just at the end of the war,
and my maternal parent has fashion Of
referring to me as "a peace child" which
means that was deprived of all pleasure,
Ms far as fighting was concerned. and that
never knew the delights, except by hearsay,
OF being as defiant and bitter andasaltoGether
warlike AS only woman can be. II is hard
not TO have been born either in 1877 or 1860.
In days gone by | have listened to war
stories from men and women who were
some black some white. The one who told
the most interesting story gained my ear.
color having no influence. Then. too, |
possess hand organ that plays maryland.
Nv MARYLAND" "Dixle'' and 'The Bonnie
Hue Flag" and whenever ! have felt a
weakening toward the land we live in
have literally ground myself into noble
state Of patriotic feeling. But now-now l
hang Out of window in my dressing gown
and wi dlv cheer at regiments that have
gone To seek victory or-no, there is no or
about II. They have gone to seek victory,
and they mean to have it. We mayn't have
the clear hidalgO blood in us. but we have
got such splendid mixture of good lighting
material, coming in a direct line from the
kings of Ireland, the fine middle class of
England and the big, strong, determined
Germans all OF whom make native Ameri-
cans, that l do believe, with Sousa leading
the band. we could lick any nation except
we'll TO. ! won't except England. because
she is so fond Of lis just now that rather
than see us in trouble she would step for
ward, with Tommy Atkins and all her won
derful ships by her side, and we would have
an Auglo-American alliance that would
own the earth and the fulness thereof.
When women are patriotic, they are in
tensely so. There is nothing in the way of
middle course about them. Just now they
are wearing red, white and blus belts, red.
white and blue ribbons OH their hats, and |
have heard-whisper it gently that one
fearless creature wears red, white and blue
garter, with "dadger" stuck through il i'll
such a way that more harm can come to her
and less, | think, to the Spanish spy for
whom it is intended, since in moment of
excitement end considering the difficulty of
raising rnifled skirt she might mistake the
handle for the point Another girl who
loved her country with all her heart en-
dured agonies of pain for which u mustard
plaster was of no use, and she suffered and
was strong rather than have Spanish flies
put on her, and SO it goes. In fashionable
restaurants Spanish mackeTel are never
dances are entirely omitted.
but, testing aside, hasn't ii been lovely to
see how the north and tho south have met
together and how appreciative the men in
power have been of our splendid southern
fighters? Why. when the biograph shows
picture of Fitzhugh Lee and the orchestra
plays Dixie" women bang their umbrellas
on the floor because that makes more nuise
than clapping. small boys yell 'Hurrah !"
and the men-why, the men join in the
ba oh o1 Ia
man who may occupy any position that the
United States can give him provided he
wishes IL. The Lees are gentlemen, and it
takes gentleman to be fighter, even il he
is only gentleman OF one generation and
cannot write his own name. But how sturdy
the Lees have been They fought for the
colonies in the war of independence. they
fought for what they believed was right in
the Civil War, and now their great repre-
sentative offers his hand to fight with and to
greet his brave brothers, whether they come
from Maine, Oregon, New YORK or Texas.
But to return to the present war. Did the
Spaniard ever attract you? TO me he always
seemed like colOred icing on pound cake.
IL looks pretty enough, but everybody
breaks il off before eating bit of the cake.
They have always been traitors and always
brutes. Tenderness In Spaniard is an un-
known quantity. At ordinary times he is
rated as a beast in war he is u coward, and
when you think how he treats women and
children what name is bad enough for him?
The war to-day brings back to me all the
stories that have been told me of that last
war when brother fought against brother
and friends became enemies. In Baltimore,
as all the world knows, there was great
deal OF strong feeling, but AS the city was
always held by the army in power some
very funny and some very sad stories are
told. The funniest have heard was about
young woman whose sweetheart was in
the Southern army. She hung out of the
window OF her bedroom, which fronted on
the street, what seemed to be black flag,
and black flag, as you know, means Sc
dition. In very few minutes company
of soldiers came TO the house, rang the bell
and asked for her mother. Her mother
knew nothing about it. The girl was
brought down, looking as innocent as O
baby, and when she was informed that
she was to be arrested for daring to dc
such thing, for daring to defy the
authorities, she began to laugh and said
why captain, that is not black flag
That is only my grandmothers shaw
PINNED on broomstick and hung out Il
ARR The captain. being human, hid his
twitchiDg lips behind his hand and ther
advised her that in the future when he
grandmother's black shawl needed airing i
would be best to hang 1t on clothesline IL
the back yard And didn't that girl laugh
And doesn't she tell that story to-day to be
own children, and yet-and yet one OF he
boys was OIL the Maine
But when regiment was going through
the city in those days--ah, that mean
something, for II was a company of South
ern prisoners being taken to Northern
prison The law allowed anything iii thu
shape of something to eat to be handel
from the pavement to any soldier by AM
person, but speech was not permitted. Whei
the word came, my old nanny, who ha
told me of this hundred times, began Il
make big tinfuls of coffee. while her as
sistant baked hot rolls, and the mistress o
the house busted herself fixing sandwiche
and tying up little packages of tobacco o
cigars Just think of II! You could STAN
on the curbstone and hand a cup OF coffe
to the man you loved dearly, and yet 30
couldn't say one word. But many Southern
girl sandwiched a note in biscuit, an
many cup of coffee had. besides its lum
of sugar, a good dash Of brandy thrown il
IL. while many warm cape was handle
over, permission being asked of the office
in charge, to some poor fellow who locke
as il he could not stand the cold much longe,
There is where the sadness of war come
in. To hear of that girl left behind make
your blood tingle. As q tune II IS fine, bt
the girl who is left behind ofttimes suffer
more than the man who, going into pattl'
has his time so occupied that he scarcely re
members to grieve. | saw her the othe
day. She was clinging to great big 81
footer, CRYING as il her heart would breal
while he was telling her what he would q
when he came back, and the lookeron, Goul
NOT but think "Will he ever come back
remember that way down in the Southlan
In n little country cemetery there is slmp
nttIe tombstone Overgrown with ivy an
shaded by a magnolia tree that has cut upo
il Here lies u BOY of IL years. his nam