The National tribune., 1901-02-28


I the smoking and odorous bacon and col
| lards, the fragrance of which reached back
| to Harry, Monty, and the other boys, and
made their mouths water. 1t was intOX
icating to 81 and Shorty, who had eaten
nothing since morning, and who remem-
bered vividly how good those viands
tasted when they were escaping from An
dersonville.
Then, there were great pones of corn
bread baked in Dutch ovens, fat yams
| roasted in the hot ashes, the inevitable
fried sidemeat with the hot grease for
gravy in which to sop the corn bread, and
coffee made from a mixture of roasted
| sweet potatoes, peanuts and wheat.
Il declare, / can't live another minute,
| unless | have some o. that bacon and col
lards," whispered Shorty.
so must L." answered 81.
The SmaIs and the Hartshorns had
drawn up to the stump on which the table
rested, and were about to begin when Mr..
Small felt the back of his neck touched by
the muzzle of Springfield rifle. He looked
around with start.
"'Scuse me-" said Shorty, reaching
down for his plate of collards, you hain't
asked a blessing, and a heather who won't
ask a blessing oughtn't to have nothing to
eat. For what we are about to receive
make us duly thankful. Amen. Ma'am,
I'll trouble you to hand me that knife and
! fork. I'd get 'em myself. but it's very i'm
polite to reach acrost the table"
Sorry to disturb your supper, ma am"
SAID 81, as he appropriated Mrs. Smalrs
plate. Always hate to discommode lady,
but you're in no special hurry for your
supper, while we are. We're on urgent
business for the United States, and must
eat and run. You've plenty more where
this come from. and won't mind waiting
half-a-hour, which you can spend in con-
versation with Mr.. Hartshorn, until some
more can be cooked "
Here, Pete, Sandy, and the rest of YOU.
come up" yelled Shorty to the boys. after
he had swallowed the first suceulent
mouthful. Here's plenty of bacon and
collards for all of you
But Pete and Sandy did not find much
left on the plates they snatched from Mr..
and Mrs. Hartshorn. Nothing but instant
death would prevent those worthless from
Unsuitable devOuring from the moment
they sat down at a well-tilled board
Another wicked invasion o the South's
Constitutional rights" groaned Wash
Hartshorn, as he gazed ON the boys rapid
~ emptying the collard-kettle. and devas-
tatlng the cOrn-pone and sweet potatoes
TN fout ter the las drap o my blood
agin the despotism o the black-hearted
tyrant, Lincoln"
shut up" said Pete, making a kick at
him. ''You mustn't call President Lincoln
names while I'm around, Or I'll whale the
life out o. you"
ME too,'' echoed Sandy, with his
mouth full
Mr.. Small gave look at the blue uni
forms, showed his chair back from the
table, picked up his umbrella and pipe, |
and accepted the situation in silence.
Not so Mrs. Small. Her dumbfound-
ment lasted scarcely a minute, and then
the torrents of her rage broke out. 1t was
the first time she had ever really seen a
Yankee soldier, and had an opportunity to
tell him face to face all the hateful things
she had been thinking during the four
years of war. She poured forth a stream
Of bitter mvectiye, at which 81 and
Shorty, intent upon their bacon and col
lards and corn-bread, merely grinned
greasy grins from countenanceS smeared
with the unctUous mess.
She snatched up long wooden spoon
from the bread-bowl, and struck at the
side of Sis head. ST brushed a wad of
corn-dough from his ear, and went on
grinning and eating. She struck Shorty |
over the shoulder, and Shorty merely
lodged out of her way, and grinned. She |
broke the spoon over Harry's head, but |
Harry grinned, and went on to the eollard- |
pot, to see if there was any more. She |
started, threw down the piece of the |
spoon. and picked up stick. with which |
she started for Pete, but Pete, as well as
Sandy and Monty. proved entirely too
nlmbie for her, and interposed trees be
Uncle Ephraim, Aunt Minerva Ann,
and the rest arrived upon the scene, and
were struck with CONSERVATION.
Fer de Lawd's sake" gasped Uncle
Ephraim, Merry. .dar's Mas'r Ben
Small, an Miss Sally" Shame faced, he
grabbed off his masters silk hat, and hid
it behind his back
Sho's y're born, chile, hits dem."
echoed Aunt Minerva, hastily reducing the
Sunday bonnet and the parasol to less
conspicuousness.
Mr.. Ben Small looked up and around,
and recognizing his former chatteIs, asked
angriy:
Ep, you black rascal, what are you
doin' hyah? Who gave you leave to leave
the place? Whar air you gwine?"
Uncle Ephraim, dazed by the presencel
of his owner, too new yet in his freedom
to boldly assert himself, stood in the old
slave attitude, dabbing at his foretop, and
scraping the ground with his foot, unable
to reply. +