The National tribune., 1902-09-25

They comprehended from his groans ani
CALCULATIONS that some rebel soldiers, who
were also hard up for bread, had come tt
the MILL as one of the few that could be
run, and were grinding meal for them
selves. They had impressed upon the old
mans mind that they would certainly kill
him if he let the Yankees know that they
were there.
81 told him to take his meal home to his
wife and neighbOrs, and trusted to his own
wOodcraft and that of his companions to
find the way. He got the course of the
creek in his mind, and the trend of the
hills, so as to guess about where in the
woods there would be waterfall enough
for one of the primitive mills of the cOun-
try.
Pete and Sandy, as usual. secuted out
ward in the direction he had decided upon.
They finally came to a trail where the
damp ground showed that there had been
considerable travel Of late.
81 saw that he was nearing the mill,
and dismounted all but Pete and Sandy
for a cautious, silent advance, leading
their horses, and with carbineS raised,
ready for instant use.
They were coming to the top Of low
hill when they saw Sandy slip from his
saddle and tie his horse, and motion to
Pete to do the same, and for them to
hitch and come on up.
Looking covertly over the crest, they
saw the mill in gorge directly under
them, and not 100 yards away.
Its architecture was far below that Of
a stockshed on Deacon Klegg's farm.
Two poles standing in the creek supported
the ends Of beams pinned to other poles on
the bank. These carried a roof of rived
clapboards, held in place by poles laid
across them. There was floor of hewed
puncheons, but no sides to the shed. A
couple of burr-stones about the size and
not much harder than grindstones did the
grinding, and hopper and spout were Of
the crudest construction. The meal was
received into long trough, dug out of the
trunk of a tulip tree, and such as are used
on farms for stock feeding.
The mill was set in motion by a rudely
contrived overshOt wheel, with buckeye
troughs for buckets.
A couple of hundred yards above was
pretense of dam, made by filling in the
channels between the rocks with powders.
The violence of the recent floods had
pushed many Of these out of place, SO
that there was but very low head of
water for the ditch which conveyed the
water to the lazily turning wheel.
About 20 rebel cavalrymen were gath
cred at the mill, with their horses tethered
a little ways back on a level spot behind
a shoulder of the hill.
Three or four of the more industrious
were engaged in shelling corn, under the
direction of the Sergeant Of the squad,
who was superintending the grinding,
pOking driftwOOd out of the sluggish race,
and occasionally heaving convenient
bowlder into the buckets of the wheel to
help work it around. He kept up a con-
tinual voiley of oaths at the slOwness of
the work, which, however, must have
been going on for some time, as the trough
in front of the spout was getting pretty
well filled with the coarse meal. Four
others were engaged in a game Of seven
up for Confederate money, with pack of
greasy cards; three or four were stretch
ed on the puncheOns asleep, and the rest
had their clothes off 'skirmishing" for the |
pest of both Union and rebel
armies.
81 looked around for way to get over |
to the horses and cut off the rebels re-
treat, but saw that the steep rocks made |
It impossible.
The rebel Sergeant showed the meal in |
the trough to either end, to make room for
the stream coming on: Of the spout
'wore again volubly at the slowness Of the
and walked over toward the
bank to get moro powders to load the
buckets. 81 feared that he would discoy.
er them. At that moment, however, q
'ow broke out which distracted his atten-
ion.
"Heah, stop that blasted keard-playin'
IN. come an take your sheer o the shell
in" angrily called one Of the shelters. I,
You lazy shoats, you don't do nothin'
nut play keards the ivelong time. You're
Hers shirkin' whenever thars anything |,
o do. Come hsah, an spell Us. Our
lands air gittin' plumb sore with shellin'."
Mind your own business, an 10 on II
With what you was set to do, Pete ciout,"
one Of the card players. "You
70 alters grumblin' bout workins. Can't
ots q bucket o water without complain Ii
a.. Wake mp SONS o them Iouts that's Ii
noosin' thar on the door. e yo0 want