The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-10

will never do, Aunt Abby. Cen. Lee will
word. Marcellus must go right back
We'll. Zeb, won't you write letter TO
old Bob, and tell him how it is?"
Go bring Marcellus here and let ne
see him and if l think his case is as bad
as you say it is 1 will write letter"
In few days Aunt Abbey brought
Marcellus in, and just as he expected,
there were no signs of consumption, bot
very we'll looking man stood before
| him. The Governor wrote i letter to
Gen. Lee which sounded all right TO
Aunt Abby, but, when read between the
lines, meant that the young mans COM
plant was largely imaginary, and ras
supernduced doubtless by his adherence
OF bareback and gunpowdec; in other
words, that Marcellus was fit for duty
AS the Governor handed her the letter
he said: Now Aunt Abby, take this 10
Gen. Lee, and let me know what he says
when he reads it. The General don't
| like me much, and he may try to make
fun of my letter" She said she'd do it;
and out she went, Marcellus folio wing;
but in a few days in she came again,
/
office: "Zeb, they took that boy and put
hun right back in the army, and he's
gwine to die in less than a month";
did you show Gen. Lee my letter :"
yes, and when he read it he sorter
smiled, and l raised my stick, jess so,
and used: 1 dare you to laff at Zeb
Vance's letter, I'll crack your head in
| mint, if you do. Zeb told me you up
starts up here didn't like him."
And then what did he do?"
why, he pretended like he thought
| sight of you, but under the circumstances
back into the army; and so he tuck hEu
right in
| Aunt Abby was with Lees army when
it surrendered. and gave me very thrill
ling account of it. She said they told
her that she must wave her handkerchief
to let the Yankees know that she was
willing to surrender, too. Ibid you wave
it?' l asked her. Not much. l shook
it SO, time or two, and then l stuck
ny hand behind me. Then l shook It
again. and put 1t behind me. l never
was SO mad in all my life as 1 was when
one of them Yankees come along and sed
to me: "Old woman, you needn't mind
about shaking that rag any more, we
don't care whether you surrender or not"
~ said, 'Drat your meal sould, ii 1 had a
gun I'd shoot you off that horse and
leave you here for the buzzards to pick
'And then what did he say Aunt Abby?"
He didn't say another word, but rode
off looking as cheap as if he'd stole
| sheep"
When Aunt Abby arrived at Raleigh,
ha h.
city, of course, was III the hands Of the
Yankees, ana, as she was getting off the
car at the depot Yankee soldier seeing
an old woman hobbling out, went to help
her down She raised her stick as he APP
p, cached her and said, with an oath that
shocked him, Don't you come any nigh
er, if you don't want your head cracked.
Mold Yankee shall touch me-.
Not long after her return she went
to headquarters to see the Yankee Of
ficials about some horses that had been
taken from her. The Governors office
was being used as Yankee headquarters,
and to that Aunt Abby went. When she
entered the door, the room being full
of Yankee officers, she stopped, leaned
Oh her cane and with a col-temptuous
look gazed all around Of course every
what she wanted At lergth she spoke:
Eyes. here's where gentlemen used to sit,
but now it's den of thieves" Then, in
a very commanding tone of voice, she
said 81 want my crap critters"
your what?" asked a Yankee.
"My crap critters-my horses you
fool; my horses you Internal thieves stole
from me-
'Ah. that's it; you want your horses.
how many did you lose?"
1.-TWO as good as ever pulled ploW."
she replied.
We'll madam. just go down to the lot
and pick out two of the very best horses
there"
II won't do it. I'll go ard get two Of
the poorest sore-backs 1 can fad. / won't
take a fine horse. No Yankee shall ever
have it to say l got back more than ne
stole from me-
1t was about 1875 that Aunt Abby made
a profession of religion and joined the
Methodist church. / saw her not long af-
ter, and in our conversation, l told
her that in her new life she would have
to avoid the saying of bad words. She
thought, she said, she wouldn't curse aus
body but niggers. She didn't think 1t
any sin to curse them, sometimes. l told
her cursing was cursing, and she finally
promised that she would try not to curse
at all. 1 thcn told her she must forgive
everybody and try to live in peace with
all men. She said she would forgive
everybody but Bill Holden. Why not for
give him? l asked. Because, she sail,
he treated Zeb Vance so mean. But, said
I, you and Zeb too must forgive him.
I hate him too bad, she said, to forgive
him. And, then, she added, Don't the
Bible say that God is angry with the
wicked every day." Yes said L 'but
you are not God, and you don't know that
Mr.. Holden is wicked" She said she'd try
to DO the best she could. do not know
how it came about but she did for
give Mr.. Holden, and in her Older age,
when she was dependent largely upon
charity for the necessities of life she had
no better friend than he, and there were
none she thought more of than she did Of
him.
Aunt Abby occupied conspicuous
place in Metropolitan Hall the day Gov
Vance took the oath of office, standing