Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-04-20
CHAPTER I.
THE APPEARANCES OF A STRANGE

women, DarenSaueu ana with rolled
up sleeves, rushed wildly to and fro
across the towns single street or lean
ed from their open windows and called
excitedly back and forth, asking a hun
dred questions that no one pretended
to answer. The children huddled
about their mothers, clinging to their
skirts, their faces white and their eyes
wide with wonder and fear. The men,
awestricken, collected on the street cor
ner in front of the postoftice and talk
ed together in low, hushed tones.
The cause of all this excitement was
The heavy booming of cannon away off
70 the south and the barely distinguish
able rattle of musketry which told only
too plainly that a battle was being
fought and that men were being killed
and mangled by their fellow men.
1t was in the spring Of 1861, at the be-
ginning of the long and bloody war be-
tween the south and the north. The
people at Beckett's Mill and all over
that part of Missouri known as Postum
Ridge had heard rumors of a coming
war, but they had gone on in their
quiet, uneventful way, giving little
thought to what they heard and feeling
confident that even IL war came 1t
would not affect them.
And now. right at the beginning, a
battle was being fought almost at their
very doors. Just n few miles away
General Sterling Price and his army of
men in gray were laying siege to Lex
fngton and its garrison Of men in blue.
Unused as they were to war, the peo-
pie Of Postum Ridge saw a dreadful
meaning in the rattle Of the musketry
and the booming of the heavy cannon.
As bad as war is in reality, to the Inn
agination of those people ii was thou
sandfold worse. 1t filled them with a
feeling of awe, and terror that Is indie
scribable, and they could scarcely have
been more affected had they known
that the end of time was at hand.
One old man known as Pap Samp-
son, who had long been looked up to as
the village oracle, shook his head
gravely and predicted sad and awful
things to come
"As have said time an ag'in," he re-
marked, "the people have grown wick
ed an unruly in their stiff necked pride,
an the Lord, he's a-gwine to humble
'em, an he's a-gwine TO humble 'em
down into the very dust. I've see 1t
a-comin for years, an I've knowed the
mind Of the Lord. 1 knowed he was
patient an long sufferin, but knowed
he WANT a-gwine to bear with these
people forever an that sooner or later
he was agwine to humble EN-"
"0h, my Lord, my Lordy' an old wom-
v-oiInd n Oh IL
and forth, frantically wringing her
hands. "Oh, my Lord, jest a-listen to
them cannons a-boomin an them guns
a-poppin. Oh, Lordy, it's jest awful!
They're a-killin an a-slaughterin an
a-slayin 'em by the thousands, an afore
it's over with they'll all be killed an
there won't be nary a one left. Oh,
my Lord, my Lord, it's jest awfulp'
swell may you say that, Gran'ma
Fell" another woman, a religious en-
Ghusiast remarked, "an we'll may you
trimble for all them thousands that
are a-bein killed, for they are a-dyin in
their sins an never stoppin to ak their
selves the question, Where are we
a-gwineF It's the duty of good Chris
tians to pray for 'em, an I'm a-gwine
to do it,"
Suiting her actions to her words, the
woman knelt in the street and prayed
long and fervently, but she prayed ali
alone. Everybody else was too excited
to listen to her petitions even, much
less take part in them.
IT'S sholy awful" Jacob Hicks re-
marked, with an ominous shake of his
head. "'Pears jest like the whole
world is goin ali to smash an that
pretty soon there amt goin to be no
end to nothin. Seems like can most
hear the groans an the cries of the
thousands that are mangled an dyin.
My Lord, my Lord! l wonder what
the world is ever goin to come to any
how"
IAN the wust amt begin to come
Yit," Ebenezer Sparks said solemnly.
Lord, the war amt fairly got started,
an this fightin amt nothfn to what it
Will be before it's over. Jest wait till
you've seed fightin as I've seed 1t, with
thousands an thousands Of men a-fight-
In an everybody a-gittin killed.! That
thar's war shure enough"
81 wonder if that war'I git hereY'
some one asked in trembling and fear.
At this question the men and women
all looked inquiringly and with wide
eyes IN one another's face as If in
wiling an answer. After a short pause
Ebenezer Sparks said confidently:
Land! OF course that war'Il git
here. How can it help it when it's so
nigh? Yes, stree! You bet it'll git
here. Why, them two armies will wal
lop each other all round over the
country jest like passed. Of dogs wal
lop one another all over ever'whar
when they git to fghtin. Course that
war'l git here, jest as shore as any
thing"
can well all be killed." one Of the
women exclaimed in terror.
'Most shore to be-" Ebenezer re-
piled consolingly. Don't see how it
can be helped with all them guns an
them cannons poppin away all the time
ever which away. Yes, stree! Ever.
body is most shore to git killed, women
an children as well as men,"
At this encouraging prospect the wo.
men set UP wailing and the children
began to scream, while the faces of the