The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-25
roperties Such as Gibraltar's Make Bona

which I have lived, none was ever less like home. Nothing seemed to grow but the long-leafed pine, houses. fires. and everything being made of 1t. The constant moaning of the wind through the long needles gave me the horrors. And I wondered how anything could grow irf such soil. found, however, that 1t grew fine sweet potatoes, sugar cane and peanuts, CT binders, as the natives called them.
 The people were a different type from any | had ever met, uneducated, un- couth. all going barefooted. from grandmothers to wee toddlers. It took me some time to learn how much of kindness and good will went. with this rough exterior When did know the people, became quite popular, aad was Invited with my children to all their quilting and spinning bees, and often went during the day, but always managed to escape the parties at night with which these bees ended.
 My dignified stepmother could never unbend to these social affairs but was Kindness itself to those in sickness or trouble. The women soon taught me the many secrets of coloring wool and cotton with weeds and leaves. En- couraged by one old woman who was an expert spun some fine thread. colored part of it black and part gray. and wove myself a muslin dress, which wore with much pride until one un- fortunate day when I went blackberry picking in it. the thorns caught it and drew it into innumerabfe puffs and puckers learned to plait finely shred ded palmetto, and sew the strands into hat shapes, but the art has long been a lost one to me. This and many other employments helped me to endure the monotony that was only varied by war news and rumors.
 |i New books were almost unknown. I remember riding five miles to get a copy of Macaria which had not read. What a boon were my oft-read standard novels I had always loved Scott. Now I adored him. I found the knitting of countless socks a great trial to my patience until learned to knit and read at the same time. With my book propped open on my lap, my knit ting in my hands, and bag on my arm to hold the thread, became for awhile obiivious of everything.
 When we moved my father carried good deal of wheat, which he had to take to Columbus to have ground into flour, but from giving 1t to the sick, and our own consumption, we soon had to economize with that, too, TOT wheat could not be grown In that part of the State Sometimes for want or grinding there would be no flour in the house. My little stepbrother once re- ouested q pie made of some blackber- ries he had picked, and the cook, just to humor the child, did her best with out flour or sugar. She made what we considered then very eatable pudding of corn meal, molasses, egs, butter and the blackberies. We often had this confederate pudding" varying the fruits.
 To make soda, we burned corn cobs in clean vessel, dissolved the ashes in water, then strained and put the wa ter in bottles. The cooks soon learned to use this liquid soda. We made blacking for shoes by boiling china berries, straining lamp black, the lat ter giving the color. and the former the polish.
 And so our daily wants were met by queer makeshifts. We were variable Robinson Crusoes, finding the good in everything and wholly dependent upon our own resources. The results of the blockade running did not reach the in- terior The blockade runners brought mostly stores of arms, ammunition and clothing for the army.
 Thus time wore on with it's anxieties, work and self denial, until the war closed. When l left Alabama 1t was in box car, with my trunk for seat. On reaching Atlanta had to walk from one station to another, and my trunk was transferred in wheelbarrow. Then my children and I took our de- parture in Confederate garb and Con- federate cars. to spend a happy year with my husbands people in Spring field, Mass, and our war experiences became only memory
 Mrs. Amelia Ward Price.