The National tribune., 1901-04-25

emnly swear that we shall 60 home, and
| remain there in peaceful obedience to the
laws OF the United States, and give no
| further aid and comfort to the so-called
Southern Confederacy, or any other en-
euies of the United States. So help me
God. Now, all of you take hold Of the
Bible, and kiss the book after you've
| sworn"
After the swearing Shad took down
| their names with great formality In his
memorandum-bOok. which he assured them
was part of the archives OF the United
States, and liable TO rise up in judgment
against them il they violated their oaths.
elder, the rest'll likely keep the oath,
and you'd better" Shorty took occasion to
say in an aside. you know you can't
again we're liable to know just what
you've been doing"
Pete Skidmore had already gotten out
Abednego, and was overwhelming him
with kind attentions, to make up for the
fire-scare.
The rest of the horses were brought out,
they all mounted, and followed Shad and
his men back to the road.
''Good-by, friends" said 81, waving his
hand to the negroes.
so long, Elder" said Shorty. BE
loyal citizen from now on, and preach re-
pentance to those who have sinned against
the Union, that thy days may be long In
the land the Lord thy God gavest u.s."
"Tell you what we'd better do," said
Si to Shorty and Shad, as they rode along.
''ThOse boys are in no shape to go far.
We don't know where we'll strike hos
pital and a Surgeon. Every mile we go
with them in their present shape Is dead
against them. Wen stop at the first good
house we come to, give them wash and
a fx-up, and some light food, and see If
we can't bring them around into better
shape"
There seems house of that kind right
ahead" said Shad, according with the
idea, and pointing to large white frame
Il mile or two ahead in front, which SHIN
mered in the sunshine. Around it were
some negro-quarters, glimmering with
whitewash.
They came to a small but fairly-kept
plantation of several hundred acres, and
turned up to the house through lane of
the carrOt-shape-topped, sickly-looking ce-
dars, which are inseparable accompani
ments Of every pretentious house in the
South.
''If / owned plantation the first thing
I'd do would be to chop down and burn up
every one of those blasted cedars," said
Shad, surveying the tree trunks, where
the bark had scaled off, showing an I'M
healthy, leprous white. 81 hate the sight
of them. They look as if they had some
awful skin disease, like a NANCY dog, or
worse. They're associated in my mind
W
comfort in these Southern houses-with
their doors hanging by one hinge, their
rundown farms, their famished, tiea-pest-
cred dogs, their lean cattle, and hog-and-
hCininy YictualS.
On the broad porch in front sat In hick-
ory rocking-chairs three women, apparent
ly the aged mother and her two tall, hard
faced old maids of daughters, the latter
having been born early in the century,
calloused and tanned by its many severe
Winters and scorching Summers. They
were clearly expectant of momentous
crisis in their liyes-a visit from the
''plundering, robbing, insulting hOrdes"-I
about which the bombastic proelamatioDs
of Gov. Joe Brown and Gen. Beauregard |
sufficiently alarmed them. They had put !
on their best clothes, and come out to meet |
their fate, like the Roman matrons and |
maidens of old.
Take all we have, but spare our honor" |
said the elder of the two daughters, a |
hatchet-faced woman, with a rasping |
voice, rising and delivering her ultimatum, |
as 81 rode up.
"Confound your honor" said 81. We
sick men,. Have you got some rooms we
can put them in?"
"Whatl Take nasty, sick Yankees into
our house?" shrieked the woman, coming |
down at once from her heroics to house
keeping details. What Take a passel
OF sick Yankees into the house where
President Davis and Vice-President Steph-
ems and Secretary Cobb has slept? Never.
Go long with them, sah.'
But we are not going along. madam"
said Shad firmly. 'aThey are coming in.
Jeff Davis's bed, and Aleck Stephens's bed
are none too good for them. They are
better men than those rebels ever dared be.
You ought to do this in mercy and COM
passion. But IL you don't want to do the
ministering angel act, you'll have to take
them in anyhow"
''If you attempt to bring them in here"
shouted the woman, as they began to help
the boys out of the wagon, and she caught
sight of their ragged, emaciated forms,
well throw boiling water on them"
Indeed you went, madam" said Shad,
coolly but SO firmly that they could not