The National tribune., 1902-02-13

Yes. and the Fifteenth, Seventeenth
and Twentieth" added ST. I've looked
| the ground over pretty well. and haven
! found any easy ulaces anywhere"
| 20, well, go on; ring 'em all in. if yor
want to-" complained Pete, displeaseC
| that the glory should be so diffused from
| his special favorites, who were the gen
ter of everything to him. Ring in the
Brigadier-Generals, and the Wagon Mas
| tiers, and the teamsters, and cooks, if yot
want to, but | know that if Sergt Klegg
| hadn't thought about them sycamore gums
and him and Corpl Elliott hadn't rolled
EN- forward. Sherman's army'd never got
into Savannah. How could tive got in!
Late in the afternoon, their eyes weary
with sightseeing, and their stomachs
alamoring for food. they gall0ped along
the beautiful shell road leading to Bona
venture Cemetery and Thunderholt, tC
find another sumptnoUs meal prepared foI
them by the hOspitabe boys Of Go. q
u had many additions to the former meal
for Aunt Minerva Ann, who had some
how become possessed of the idea that
the Deacon was n minor Abraham Lin
,nln. was iealously eager to display heI
culinary accomplishments before him, and
r,auage the feast. particularly as the
Colonel and Adiutant We're to be absent
IN Savannah until the next day. closing up
some regimcntal business preparatory tC
he coming campaign.
Aunt Minerva AIMS outward signs
we're oStcntatious of even more prosperity
han had come to the rest.
There are many kinds of ambition in
he world, and the IOwlier sorts are no
'Css vital propulsives to those animated
by them than the kinds which lead men to
bioodshed. plots and oppression.
From the days of her earlier conscious
An had Ippigp6
he house servants as the pinnacle of her
world. To envy the lot of white women,
or 20 want ia be like them. never occurred
to her, any more than it occurs to one OF
IS to want to be m old Roman Senator.
,r a Spanish grandee. But to work in
he house. instead of the fields, to have
he ordering of the kitchen, the dining
"nom or the bedrooms was simply TO at
tpin the highest good that life had to of
fer her.
Probably the main impelling reason whv
he ran away was the hopelessness o,
over getting into the charmed circle of
-olored women who cooked for Mr.. Ben
SmallS family and cared for his house
hold. She hated him and Mrs. Small be
cause they prefcIred and pampered other
uegrCSscs. When she got to Savannah she
saw other women of her race who seemed
rs much higher than those of Mr.. SmNlPS
llONtltlt IT'S llltiSt were ibbNb lIlt uttl
hands. Here was a still more elevated
social circle. which it became the passion
If her life to attain. Whenever she could
get into Savannah she eagerly devoted
herself 10 studying the very aristOcratic
housc-ScrvantS to be found there. and
copying their dress, manners and speech
She associated with them whenever she
could get n chance. and chances were now
nuitc plenty. Before the war one Of them
bov nd litfla aSSnai1tipn with
4 field hand as with leper. But went is
great leveler. The war had cut off the
food supplies of the people. and the eyes
of the most aristOcratic families We're
turned to the United States Commissary
for bread, meat, sugar and coffee.
As the "coOk-lndy" OF Col. McGillicUd
dv, Aunt Minerva Ann held herself to he
household queen in the city, and
with unlimited quantities Of the
coveted supplies at her command, she
made her way to acquaintance with some
very top-lofty mulattOs and quadroOns.
The roIliclling Adiutant. who was very
fond of her. had aided and abcttcd her in
all her social pretenSi0ns. and had taken
pride in "ragging her out" to use his own
rhrase, TO equal the best of the danes that
she met. She wore dresses made by the
hest colOred dressmakers in the city. her
army hrOgans were replaced by pair of
nrunella CATERS. and her head was
wrapped in crimson shawl as n turban.
IF the Government could only get Aunt
Minerva AIMS dignity to plate mOni-
tor ST had remarked. ''it'd he able to run
mast any battery the rebels have. How
I'd like to see her and Col. Bonestcel come
into collision"
But her language lays over it, even."
Shorty iaughingly added. Mrs. Parting
ton amt nowhere. She's picked up all
the big words that she's heard from those
hgh-toned Savannah darkies. and the Ad-
iutant's furnished her with new ones that
he invents from day to day. The Adju-
tant is doing his very best to utterly spoil
her"
''Well, let him. It's his lookout" an
swered 81. Hes promised to keep her
us long ms she lives, and if he spoils her
he'll have to pay the penalty"
Aunt Minerva Ann had set out to show
off to the boys just what an artist she |
had become In the matter of dinners, and