The bee., 1902-07-10

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or had gone another road mtybe, to
get in ahead of the Union army.
AS soon as it was thought safe the
white signal was waving on the roof
of the veranda. and in a few hours the
men, both white and black, were at
home.
So much was to be heard and told
by both sides.
Paul was much affected when he
h card that his friend had been there
and of his kindness for his sake, as
they supposed.
"Dear old fellow, how much /
would love to shake his hand and
thank him."
II wouldn't" said Rob. "what did
he let them pour out all of our sugar
and molasses for?"
have no idea he knew it; or if
he did it was too late to remedy it.
If / ever meet him latter this
cruel war is over" L will tell him
how much we all appreciated his
kindness and protection on this oc-
casion.
II wish he had considered your
kinship to me, too" said Cousin
Will. II would have been several
hundred dollars better off, and would
have had Mac at home, too"
II wish so, too, with all my heart"
said Paul, but maybe he was not at
your house."
"Maybe not, but his men certainly
were."
Before summer had come Mac was
back in his old place on his masters
farm. He had succeeded in making
his escape one day while irving
boards in the woods. The pickets
were careless and two Of them met
to have a conversation.
Mac said he was always watching
for chance to slip away and notIc-
ing the pickets in close conversation,
he made break and got away.
1t was early one morning when he
came in sight of home. He didn't
wait to get near, but began calling
each one by name and saying,
"Howdy" to each one as he called
them. 1t was a pleasure to all to
see how happy he was to be home
again.
Paul made many trips with Cous-
in Will towards the south, and when
not with him, he was busy at his
adopted home, making and saving
what money he could against the
time he should go to his own dear
home.
In the fall and early part of win
ter he helped to gin cotton and was
up early with the negroes and retir-
ed late. He had good health and
grew rapidly. He often said that
"Mother will not know her boy, If he
ever lives to get home"
After Lees surrender he became
very restless. The country was in
such a demoralized condition he
knew it would be best to wait few
months longer. His mother knew
of his whereabouts and knew he had
a good home and good friends, but,
oh, how she longed for his return.
He had made his plans to be at his
own home by Thanksgiving day, II
they were to have any such day that
year. Anyway, he knew it would be
day of Thanksgiving wnen he
should get home.
The summer passed slowly away.
The war was over and every man
who could work, with the help of the
blacks who remained at their old
homes that year, were trying to
build up to small extent their
broken fortunes. Aimee and Jack
were yet at home, but Dolph and the
others had gone elsewhere. Most of
the negroes seemed to think they
could not claim their freedom if they
remained at their old homes and re-
ceived wages from their old owners.
Paul seemed sad as the time of
parting with his friends drew near.
He visited isis Fanny" and her
husband, who lived about twenty
miles away. Also Uncle Caleb's
family, where Ida was young lady
of eighteen, younger sister sixteen
and an older one twenty years old,
and with these three he had spent
many pleasant hours.
Tears were shed and blessings Civ
EN- as they spoke their last "good-
byes," and he left them for the last
time.
But the hardest parting was from
Mrs. Adkins, who had been moth
er to the strange, homeless boy from
the time he first met her.
Many promises he made to write
and come back if he ever had an op-
portunity.