Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-06-21

H. L.NEJ
Dom no. come no turder, Mas Sojer."
held the coin up between my thumb
and finger, and as the old woman's
countenance changed pleasingly said:
81 don't want to steal anything,
aunty. I'm almost starved, and I'd
like to buy a mouthful to eat. don't
care what"
"Yo' dom mean it, honey? Yo' amt
foolin'"
mo; here's the money. Take it-give
me something-quick"
"Bress yo' soulr' said she, dragging
me into the house. "Jess yo' set down
In dat cheer, an III make yo' co'hn
pone in a minute"
She raised board from the floor,
scooped some cornmeal from a hiding
place, mixed it in a pan with water and
poured the mass, which was exactly
like the food we made on our farm for
young chickens, into a heavy iron pan
that was in the fireplace. On top Of
the pan she put an iron lid, on which
she piled hot Goals. 1t seemed to me
the cooking consumed at least two
hours. but twas only ten minutes by
my watch when the woman took off
the lid and lifted out an immense loaf
of what in Summerton would have
been called baked chicken feed, but
which in the south is called corn pone,
sometimes hoecake.
And how good it was! How, as I
ate one fragment after another, fe-
licitated the ghosts Of past generations
of my fathers chickens on the enjoy
ment they must have had in eating
Just such breakfasts! 1t was solid, q
little of it occupied great lot Of room
inside my belt, but that was just
what wanted. There was neither
salt. eggs nor baking powder In it, as
there always was in corn bread at our
house in Summerton, but the taste Of
the raw meal was delightful for its
own sake. And the loaf was so easily
made too! I then and there resolved
never to 20 on another scout without
q little bag Of meal in my haversack.
AS ate. the old woman told me Of
the trouble she had in keeping in the
house anything to cat. The southern
soldiers. she said, stole everything she
had whenever they came that way, as
did the northern soldiers. so she had
learned to keep her chickens, pigs and
corn in the woods far back from the
road. where nobody would be likely to
find them, and her husband always
watched them when any soldiers were
in the neighborhood.
I wondered what the people in the
north would think about such treat
ment of the colored people, for whose
benefit some of them seemed to think
the war was conducted. but my
thoughts We're interrupted by the
sound of bugle.
"Take de res along. honey" said the
old woman, '"-here she looked un-
der the floor agan-"hyah's some yams
[swcct potatoesl. Tuck 'em in yo'
pockets an roas' 'cm in de hot ashes
when yo' gifts hungry"
| hurried away with profuse thanks.
q full stomach and al entire willing
ness Il face, single handed, the whole
southern army in battle array. Many
months later. when had some soldiers
under my own command. gave more
attention to the cookhcuse than to my
other duties combined. And how CRATE
full were the smiles which Brainard,
Hamilton and Cloyne gave me when
divided my surplus hoccake among
them. Brainard said .hut bit Of hoe
cake saved his life, so had done the
government us great q service as II |
had brought q new soldier into the
field.
again we started. and rs we rode the
captain and licntenantS looked fire.
Quently at the horses heads to see that
curu bits were not chained too tight
or hanging too high or too low and
that the horses were not worried by be-
ing ridden with too tight reins. Most of
the recruits wanted to make their
horses arch their necks Like soldiers
horses in statues and military pictures,
and when the captain made theQ>stop
they muttercd that war wasn't much
fun. Big Pat Callahan said that SOL
dier was not only dog, but he was
expected to let his horse be Il plug,
which proved that the government was
condemned fool and deserved to be
wiped out by the rebels. He did not
get much sympathy from Mick Me-
Twyny, for Mick was trying to carry
the dignity Of his new Office. and it was
such Il heavy contract that he had no
mind for anything else. His recruits,
however. agreed fully with big Pat Cal
lahan and cursed the government flu
emily, and the captain didn't reprove
them. which seemed to me gross neg
lcct of duty.
We rode nearly all day, but nobody
could tell US where we were or what
we were expected to do or when we