Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-07-09

to look Gu. Instead OF boiled fat pork
they had raw bacon, thin slices Of
which they fried or toasted on sharp
ened sticks. Some had white bread,
others biscuit or hoecake, while two
or three mixed meal and water and
made hoccakes in the frying pans
which several of them carried; others
had sweet potatoes, which they baked
In the ashes.
Oh, how hungry the smell Of their
cooking made me! l understood for
the first time why 1t was that some Of
the poorly fed children In our town
used to stand around the bakery while
taken from the great oven In the cellar.
Some of the Johnnics asked us II we
wouldn't eat with them, but Hamilton
and l. half starved though we were
declined until l noticed that none Of
them was making coffee Then a
brilliant idea struck me. asked one
of them whether Southerners never
drank coffee mt supper time.
mot unless they can git it." said he.
(which 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,
distributed It among the prisoners near
est me. ! wish I might ever again
earn SO much gratitude with SO little
trouble as that act cost me. Those
Johnnies became positively jolly, and
they made haste to put cups Of water
to boil. Said one of them, rough
looking man with huge yellow beard:
"Ev'rything I've gots yourn. my
young friend. Pm most glad we got
captured. Take all my stuff"
"Since you're SO kind" said I in an
absolute delirium of anticipation, "I'll
accept a single slice of bacon. 1t has a
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 n pan on the fire. there amt
no hogs like southern hogs. We never
buy no'thsn polk. '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
trils. After the bacon had sizzled
awhile the old fellow took some hoe
cake from his hayersack, split 1t with
his knife and laid 1t 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 ! was sure by the manner
in which Hamilton eyed the pan that
his sentiments agreed with mine. Oh,
what "A supper that was! I've never
tasted one SO good since the war ended.
1t seemed to me that II 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 basis
of 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 8 o'clock.
AS was not smoker and was on
duty l remained wide awake and, pac-
Ing to and fro In the road, spent much
time in thinking how dreadful 1t would
be to have to fight so good natured,
harmless set of men Us 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 IL my fa.
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. was not long In getting far
enough out Of my brown study to dis
cover that 1t was raining. soon had
my india rubber blanket over my Shout
ders and was wondering why the prls-
oners had not brought their own with
them from their saddles-most of the
sleeping figures were wrapped In blan.
kets or quilts. 1t seemed too bad, even
If they were rebels, that the poor fell
lows should be soaked by cold No.
vember rain. Perhaps I could send
two or three Of the guard, who were
not on post, to get them. consulted