Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-07

the bread, cakes and pies were being
taken from the great oven in the cellar.
Some of the Johnnies asked us II we
wouldn't eat with them, but Hamilton
and |, half starved though we were
declined until | noticed that none OF
them was making coffee. Then a
brilliant idea struck me. l asked one
of them whether southerners never
drank coffee at supper time.
"Not unless they can git it," said he,
switch is mighty seldom"
went to the servant Of our officers
mess and borrowed some ground coffee
and sugar promising to repay him
when we reached camp. Returning. l
distributed 1t among the prisoners near
est me. l wish | might ever again
earn SO much gratitude with so little
trouble as that act cost me. Those
Johnnes became positively Jolly, and
they made haste to put cups Of water
to boil. Said one of them. rough
looking man with q huge yellow beard
"Ev'rything I've COTS yourn, my
young friend. I'm most glad we got
captured. Take all my stuff"
"Since you're so kind" said l in an
absolute dellrium of anticipation 'I'll
accept a single slice of bacon 1t has n
more tempting odor than our fat pork.
For good eatin'," said he as he cut
several slices of bacon for me and put
them in pan on the fire, there mint
no hogs like southern hogs. We never
buy nothern po'k, cept TO feed to mig
gers"
was quite willing to believe him.
The odor that arose from that frying
pan was delicious perfume to my nos
tris. After the bacon had sizzlcd
awhile the old fellow took some hoe
cake from his haversack, split it with
his knife and laid it in the pan inner
side down, saying:
you need to eat con bread with ba-
con to git the full taste Of it."
"Bless your southern soulw said to
myself. and I was sure by the manner
In which Hamilton eyed the pan that
his sentiments agreed with mine. Oh,
what n supper that was. I've never
tasted one SO good since the war ended.
1t seemed TO me that If President LIN
coin and Jeff Davis could have sat
there with us and shared the contents
of that frying pan they would quickly
have agreed to end the war on a basis
of q general exchange of northern cof-
fee for southern bacon and hoecake.
The camp was soon quiet. Soldiers
In the field fall asleep quickly after
the evening meal and pipe, and our
prisoners were all doing by o'clock
AS l was not a smoker and was on
duty / remained wide awake and, pac-
ing to and fro in the road, spent much
time in thinking how dreadful it would
be to have to fight so good natured
harmless set of men as the gray clad
fellows slumbering near me. Then
put in some time being sorry for the
families whose heads were so far from
home. What would become Of the
Frost farm, wondered, and how mis-
cradle would be the family If my IA
Their instead of his son was in the
army?
Pretty soon the tenor of my thoughts
was changed by drop of water which
struck me in the face. 1t was quickly
followed by another and then by sew
eral. I was not long in getting fal
enough out Of my brown study to dis
cover that 1t was raining. | soon haC
my india rubber blanket over my shout
ders and was wondering why the pris
oners had not brought their own will
them from their saddles-most of thu
sleeping figures were wrapped in blan
kets or quilts. 1t seemed too bad, ever
If they were rebels, that the poor fel
lows should be soaked by n cold No
vember rain. Perhaps | could senC
two or three of the guard, who wer,
not on post, TO get them. / consulted